espite the news and chatter coming from our neighbours to the south , the U . S . is still looking good — at least from my current position at Upper Falls , which churn a path through trees and cliffs in Yellowstone National Park . What ’ s going on outside the park doesn ’ t really matter . Right now , my goal is getting a photo that captures the beauty of this place .

I ’ m on day two of a journey through Yellowstone and at each turn , I marvel at the splendour of the world ’ s first national park . Designated by American President Ulysses S . Grant in 1872 ,

Yellowstone has since become one of the world ’ s most treasured natural spaces . It ’ s easy to see why .

With thundering waterfalls , majestic wildlife and geothermal features , this place is a sight to behold . The park ’ s size — nearly 9,000 square kilometres , stretching across Wyoming , Montana and Idaho — is enough to fill days or weeks of exploring .

Yellowstone ’ s immensity is the reason for our jam-packed agenda . After I snap some photos of the falls and the requisite selfie with my husband Mark , we quickly head to the next stunning attraction . Fortunately ,

One of Yellowstone ’ s iconic and abundant bison

Memorial Day is a few days off , so traffic is light and crowds are minimal . In warmer months , cars and RVs will battle for parking spots , but in mid-May , the only traffic snarls we encounter are wildlife-related . There ’ s typically one main culprit : bison .

These gigantic creatures really are everywhere — ambling down the road , lounging in meadows , grazing by water , feeding their young . Though the park ’ s bison population currently numbers about 4,800 , it has been decreasing in recent years .

In addition to bison , bighorn sheep happily welcome visitors to the park .

previous page : Mark WindoM / stocksy ; bison : chloe leis

40 Summer 2018 CAA mANITOBA