Yellowstone II

Monday,  September 12

 We headed straight to Old Faithful to beat the crowds.  It did not disappoint and erupted right on schedule.  It was amazing.  The natural underground activity that creates these geysers and cauldrons is so interesting.  That most of the park sits upon underground volcanic activity is mind boggling.

other geysers

waiting for Old Faithful

           Old Faithful area

We hiked around this area and then saw Old Faithful erupt for the second time.  This time it went even higher than the first.   

It was another warm sunny day but thunderstorms were threatening so we tried to beat them and headed to Mammoth Hot Springs.  It is hard to understand the size of this park.  It is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined (sorry George and Terri) and is situated in three different states, Idaho, Montana and mostly Wyoming.  Needless to say the thunderstorms beat us there.  During the storms we experienced at Yellowstone, the skies get very black, the temperature drops 20 -30 degrees and the clouds open up with rain and hail.  Soon after, the sun is shining again.   

 Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces

 Mammoth is a very cool area.  Because of the scalding temperatures of the waters throughout the park, everyone must remain on the extensive boardwalk paths that take you around bubbling, steaming, colorful pools of boiling water.   

The microorganisms that live and
die in this water are what gives them their color.

Much of the area resemble prehistoric times or the surface of the moon.

Heading back to our campsite, we stopped at the Norris geyser basin to see more of the thermal areas. There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features in the park, more than any one place in the world.  There are over 300 geysers in the park but only 5 or 6 are at all predictable and only one is reliable; Old Faithful which erupts every 91 minutes plus or minus 10 minutes.  We saw the paint pots and several more geysers (we’ll spare you all the pictures).

Artists Paint Pots at Norris Basin

Then back to our site for another night of camping.