Flowing freely from its origin high in Absaroka Range of northwestern Wyoming, the Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the lower 48 States. It flows through its namesake National Park and after 692 miles, joins the Missouri in North Dakota. The name is derived from the Indian word for the yellow sandstone bluffs that are evident along the lower reaches of the river, not the falls that are in the Park. William Clark was the first white man to explore the river extensively during the Lewis and Clark return expedition.
Meg and I enjoyed the brilliance of the cottonwood trees at their full peak during the last week of October. Their glow was a special surprise, as we had expected the leaves to be gone this late in the season.