A Day on the Grand Loop

Friends were ribbing us when we said we were doing a bus tour of Yellowstone, but it’s impossible for me to feel shame about this. I love a good bus tour, and will happily do those Hop On Hop Off joints in any city without hesitation. I was expecting a large motorcoach for this all-day loop around the park, but since it’s the end of the season we had a smaller shuttle and the absolute best tour guide. Martha is from Western New York and she had a book with images of Old Faithful and the neighboring Inn growing up. She never made it out West but always dreamed of Yellowstone from those pages. After retiring she decided to apply for a job in the kitchen of the Old Faithful Inn and got it! Worked there for a few years before deciding she wanted to SEE the park and made the jump to tour guide. Normally this loop has 5 scheduled stops to contend with congestion, but the roads and parking lots were near empty so Martha took us to every one of her favorite stops and scenic overlooks. She…