As we left the Mud Volcano and drove, along the way, we spotted a very large herd of Buffalo on our way to Upper and Lower Falls, and the rare treat, we got about 5 feet from a Buffalo crossing the Road… the kids loved the fact that we were so close to it. As we arrived at Upper Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, I don’t know what it is that makes us so “in awe”of water… especially waterfalls… is it the sound? Or, is it the sheer power of that much water falling at such a fast pace? Yes and Yes! I could have sat there all day and just listened to the roar of the water falling off the cliff…. Just the sound is so beautiful… the relaxation it provided was heavenly! The height of the Upper falls is 109ft, and the crest is approx. 80 ft. (Remember, you can view each photo in a larger size if you click on them, it should open it in a new window.) 
as we got on the road, driving from Upper Falls to the Lower Geyser Basin, we stop along the way, and see more bison, and this time, some calves… they are so cute, much more cow like than the adult Bison. The stop at the Fountain Paint Pots was really neat, we walked along the wooden walkways and could see bubbling mud pots, and geysers, which weren’t as predictable, or as active. Then, Taylor and Emma notice that there are Buffalo footprints in some of the mud pots around the Firehole area and as we were walking along the walkways, we happen to come along a geologist who was leading a tour of the area. He was talking and said that in the winter, when the temperature gets below freezing, that the bison like to come up to the Firehole area to take warm mud baths in the mud pots, because the mud was only about 110 degrees, and was comfortably warm. But as you look at the landscape of the geyser basins in the firehole area, you can see that it looks like desert, largely in part because the soil is so hot and has no nutrients so, nothing will grow, in fact when you look at the trees that are there, they look charred and white near the base of the trees. 
These photos are of the Firehole Lake Drive area of Yellowstone. The day we went through here it was cloudy and rainy, but still warm and humid. 
The steam in the above photo is from the Great Fountain Geyser, this geyser only erupts every 8-12 hours, so, it is unlikely that most people will see an eruption, but when it does erupt, it shoots about 100ft. into the air. Next we stop at the Grand Prismatic Spring, and several other hot springs. Out of all the incredible things in Yellowstone to see, this is the one thing that you can’t REALLY see except by helicopter or plane. (below, you will find an aerial photo of the Grand Prismatic Spring… which I did not take, but found on the internet) The following gives details about the spring, and tells more about why the colors are so very amazing: There is no doubt that many Native American people were aware of the Grand Prismatic Spring long before Europeans first saw it, but the first records of the spring are from early explorers and surveyors. 
In 1839, a group of fur trappers from the American Fur Company crossed the Midland Geyser Basin and made note of a “boiling lake”, most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring[2], with a diameter of 300 feet (91 m).
In 1870, the Washburn Party, led by General Henry D. Washburn, visited the spring, noting a 50-foot (15-meter) geyser nearby (later named Excelsior[3]).[4] The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green.[5] The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from a light-absorbing overtone of the hydroxy stretch of water [6]. Though this effect is responsible for making all large bodies of water blue, it is particularly intense in Grand Prismatic Spring because of the high purity and depth of the water in the middle of the spring. The spring is approximately 250 by 300 feet (75 by 91 m) in size and is 160 feet (49 meters) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 gallons (2000 litres) of 160°F (71°C) water per minute.[7] (The above was taken from Wikipedia.)
These photos I took, were of the bacteria mats, which are kind of “rusty and slimy” in appearance, and are surrounding the Grand Prismatic, along with some other smaller springs nearby. There is the Largest Geyser-Crater, called Excelsior, which is approximately 100-150 feet from the Grand prismatic Spring. Excelsior used to erupt, and in the 19th century was the largest known geyser, it erupted at a height of 300 feet. It had, since 1885, laid dormant but for a 2 day eruption period in 1985. During that eruption, it is believed that debri clogged the underground geyser system, and caused it to become dormant. Excelsior now is a hot spring which expels a tremendous amount of water…(4,000-4,500 gallons per minute) and flows into the Firehole River. We are still on our way to Old Faithful, in the Lower Geyser Basin, which Taylor and Em have been waiting all day to see. We are hoping to arrive right before the next eruption, and not just after an eruption, which could cause us to be sitting and waiting for a long time. Here is some information on Old Faithful, in the 2nd photo, if you look closely, or, click it to enlarge, you can see how many people we shared this moment in time with. The place was packed, and HOT. The sun was so very bright, and Taylor was getting impatient!
The following are photos of our last couple hours in Yellowstone. There is a photo of Yellowstone Lake from the West side…. early this morning, we were in the mountains in the distance, viewing the dead trees and the east side of Yellowstone Lake. We have spent the entire day traveling approximately 35 miles. In the foreground of the photos, you can see all of the dead trees as a result of fires…. but under the dead trees you can see LIFE…. all of the new forest that the fire helped to produce. Second, reflections of clouds on Lewis Lake, in southern Yellowstone. Third, the edge of Lewis Lake and Finally, the EXHAUSTED Palmer family at our last stop in Yellowstone, Lewis Falls, and the meadow following Lewis River headed South on the road to Grand Tetons National Park, which we will cover in the next post.
Recent Comments