August 4 – Yellowstone

Rainbow colors, hissing steam and pungent odors greet your senses in Porcelain Basin which is part of the  Norris Basin.

Geologic events such as earthquakes cause changes each year at Norris Geyser Basin.  New hot springs and geysers appear and others become dormant.  Norris is the hottest and most acidic of Yellowstone’s hydrothermal areas.

Hot springs are superheated water that cools as it reaches the surface then recirculates.

 Fumaroles, steam vents, are the hottest surface feature emitting only steam.

Mudpots form when acid decomposes surrounding rock to clay, which combines with water to form mud.  Gases bubble and burst through the mud making plopping sounds.

Mammoth Hot Springs is a travertine hill created over thousands of years by calcium carbonate being deposited by the hot spring.  It is beautiful!

We have enjoyed traveling with Kathy on this wonderful adventure.  Unfortunately she is returning to her home at this point.  Safe travels and thanks for the memories!

August 3 – Yellowstone

 Animal jams as we entered the park – elk grazed along the Madison River and had a large audience jockeying for photos.

Firehole Canyon rewarded us with many surprises. The Firehole Falls was a lovely stop, the water, trees and sounds of the falls.  Up the river a bit, was a gaggle of swimmers who were enjoying the water.  They must have found a warm spot!
 

There is a great museum near Old Faithful that explains the geothermal features of the park as they relate to volcanism.  The central section of the park is in a collapsed volcanic caldera.  Heat from the magma chamber is what fuels the geysers and other features.

August 2 – Yellowstone

Yellowstone, the first national park was established in 1872 by President Grant.  We always look forward to geysers and wildlife sightings when we visit the park.  Three million people enjoy the geothermal features each year, especially Old Faithful!  Every 90 minutes the reliable geyser entertains flocks of tourists armed with i-phones and tablets to capture the moment.

The Yellowstone River carved through soft sandstone over thousands of years and created the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Along with the Upper and Lower waterfalls the Canyon area is truly inspirational!

The Hayden Valley is a great place to spot wildlife—bison today!