So I uploaded my photos on Flickr. But there’s so much to say about them that I felt the need to write a blog post. It was a fabulous day and one we, honestly, didn’t expect. Yellowstone grabbed all of our hearts and will forever be a part of us. It is amazing (and I only use that term when I mean something is truly amazing!) and indescribably beautiful.
OK. So. I have taken SO MANY PHOTOS that I just do not have the space to upload them individually here at WordPress. I did put them on Flickr, but I also do not have the time to link to each one individually. So here is the album for Day 9:
Please check them out – I would love to write about each one of them here individually, but I just don’t have the time or space or personal bandwidth at this point. I’m still trying to assimilate back into life after being gone for 3 weeks. But the park is so lovely and I uploaded the photos onto Flickr so as to not lose quality in compression – I really want you to see how lovely it is. If you click on the first photo in the set (IMG 2700 – I also don’t have the time to change all the file names) then it will pull up full screen and there should be a description over on the right (if you’re on a desktop/laptop). And you can just scroll through them. I hope you enjoy!
I will try to narrate the photos from here … or summarize them. Or something.
First, there are the obligatory “Here we are at Yellowstone!!” photos.
Upon entering we immediately saw wildlife (which we would see more of during our visit). There’s a picture of an elk cow with her calf and several of bison (which we saw constantly during our visit).
Then on to the Firehole River and the Firehole Falls.
AND then a Trumpeter Swan!!!! I was so very excited to spot this guy! According to a ranger we spoke with there are only 15 known in the park at this time. It was a rare treat!
We then visited to the Lower Geyser Basin just before a storm rolled in (which included snow!). We first saw the Celestine Pool and then the Silex Spring.
The blue color in the middle of these springs denotes a temp of round 198° F (around boiling at this altitude). The clear colors are enchanting and enticing, and many people have died in these pools and springs. We also saw the Fountain paint Pots, which is interesting bubbling and boiling mud!
We then began a walk down to the Fountain Group Geyers (which smelled REALLY bad – sulphur=rotten egg smell), but the storm quickly rolled in and we quickly walked to the car. We headed down to the Old Faithful area and it began to snow AND we realized that we had all left our jackets in the motorhome. Smart. As if we didn’t know it was going to be cold from all the snow still on the ground. We visited the Yellowstone General Store to buy sweats and hoodies.
We ate lunch at the Old Faithful Cafeteria which was good, but pricey! It looked out into Old Faithful. Grace and I stepped outside on the porch to watch the eruption, but we both became very cold and tired of waiting (it was still raining/snowing). As we walked in, it erupted and we missed it! Bummer!
We drove on down south to the Kepler Cascades and I am surprised more people haven’t died here! It’s lovely, but daunting.
Then on to the Lewis Lake area. Here in the photos you can see how quickly the weather changes at yellowstone – we went from snow and rain and hail to deep blue skies. The Lewis Lake was still frozen when we visited. We also visited the Lewis Falls and Lewis River area. And we drove down to Moose Falls at the southern end of YNP.
Of course, we crossed the continental divide several times in this area of YNP and we have the pictures to prove it! 😉
Then it was back north to the Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin area. Oh, to have had time to hike and get a better view of the Grand Prismatic Spring! But the area was still lovely. And still very dangerous (given the temps of the geysers and springs and fragile ground all around). You can see the various colors caused by the various bacteria that live in these springs and pools.
We stopped as the sun was setting on the Madison River and I took some photos of the dead and decaying trees from the 1988 fire.
Looking back on this day makes me happy. It was the beginning of a grand adventure that ended way too soon in the nation’s first national park!
onecrazychicken 