Yellowstone National Park is other worldly...a place that everywhere you turn you feel like you need to pick your jaw up off the ground...a place that you feel could swallow you. Life exists despite the harshest of conditions...ponds full of acid, boiling hot geysers that erupt at any minute, hundreds of daily earthquakes. You see bear that are foraging in the distance...complete aware of the hundred or so gawkers (like us) hundreds of yards away, bison that continue in any direction they please and birds that hop on land that is inches away from a steaming hot spring. It is amazing and awe inspiring. It is truly unforgettable.
As we drove to the Geyser Basin from our hotel we noticed a lone bison hundreds of feet in the distance with geysers and hot springs behind him in the morning mist. I encouraged Jamie to pull the car over to watch him and also take a photograph. Along with a few cars we decided to watch this dusty bull as he started to walk. It seemed like he was making a straight line for our vehicle! As he got closer and closer (and a bit of panic among us all) a RV blocked us in by parking sideways. The bison kept walking toward our SUV and then managed to squeeze himself in-between the front of our car and behind the RV. He then crossed the road and kicked up some dirt with his front hooves and took a dirt bath. It was a crazy experience that provided us all with a lot of laughs later that week when we reflected upon it. (Allie screaming, "I am getting uncomfortable" as the bison made his way closer.)
The springs feeding into the Firehole River
It was a cool and misty morning when we made it to the Midway Geyser Basin. Hot steam plumed above the ground and we walked the boardwalk in warm clouds of mist.
Boiling
Grand Prismatic Spring was certainly one of the things that I was most excited to see. It did not disappoint. An array of colors in what looks like a giant eye with lashes. Truly mesmerizing. Even the mist is multi-colored. The rings are made of multi-colored algae.
Opal pool
Excelsior pool
Grand Prismatic Spring. Note the blue steam in center turning to white and then orange steam on edge.
From the parking lot to the Fairy Falls hike this spring with colorful wildflowers was gorgeous.
The fairy falls trail was closed and so we took a well worn path to view the Grand Prismatic Spring from a higher distance. That super super steep hike was worth every bit of the sweat!
Yellowstone had a massive fire in 1985 and you can still see the remains of the thousands of acres that burned. You can also see the many small trees that have since grown since that time. The forests live and die by fire. Fire destroys large trees and overgrown bushes and then heat in turn opens the seeds that drop from the trees creating the opportunity for life of the tree to begin again.
Another view of the Grand Prismatic Spring.
Getting a drink from the "baby bottle".
Completely inspired we drove to the Upper Geyser Basin where we got a front row seat to watch Old Faithful Geyser erupt. You can stop by the visitor center and ask when the next eruption will be, but you can usually tell by the hundreds of people sitting and waiting.
Every visitor center is worth a stop as well. It is full of exhibits, history and information. A great place to learn about the National Park!
We then hiked along the 4 mile loop to view the geysers of the Upper Basin.
Blue Star Spring
Firehole River
Pump Geyser
Sponge Geyser
Bacterial Mats
A gigantic petri dish
Doublet pool
viewing Aurum geyser
Geyers are hot springs that periodically erupt.
Beach spring
Ear spring
North Goggles Geyser
Lion Geyser Group
Heart spring
Belgian pool
Economic geyser
Beauty pool
Giant geyser
Grotto Geyser
Morning glory pool
Fan Geyser
Castle Geyser
After a truly amazing experience at the Geyser Basins we headed north through Madison and Norris to Mammoth Hot Springs.
We ate at the dining room and it was delicious!
When we walked out there were dozens of elk grazing near-by! You couldn't keep your distance as they were so close!
On our way back to West Yellowstone we stopped to see Mammoth Hot Springs at dusk. The terraces are constantly changing and developing as the springs change the deposited limestone.
Bacteria and algae that color the terrace.
Liberty Cap, a dormant hot-spring cone
Upper terrace
We had a late night arrival to our hotel. We walked and hiked over 10 miles today! A long way for little legs.
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