Hot and Cold - Geothermal

We had not planned on doing this, but since our route was taking us soooo close, we decided we had to go there: Yellowstone National Park. Our plan was to drive the Upper Loop in the northern section to see as many of the features and wildlife up there as possible, and save the southern areas for when we would be driving through a week later to get to the Grand Tetons. Our friends Shawn and Mike had previously work-camped here, and she gave us some great pointers for seeing wildlife and suggested many stops that we would enjoy.

Since we know how busy it can be during the summer, we woke up early and hit the road by 7:00 am, hoping to beat the crowds. There was a minor waiting line to enter the Park, even this early, but we were through the gate within a couple minutes. Even though the crowds were both aggravating and annoying, we were able to see several interesting sites.

Once inside the park, we headed for Canyon Village to see the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. The river is carving through the softer rock layers in this area creating a canyon that is over 1,000 feet deep. This Grand Canyon of Yellowstone displays the varied layers and colors of stone that make up the area. Among the spires and outcroppings that remained, there was a particular golden arced slab jutting out from the bank that caught my eye. The way it erodes makes me wonder how some things remain while others are washed and blown away.

The Lower Falls on the Yellowstone are very picturesque from Artist Point overlook area further down the canyon. The falls are over 300 feet tall, and its height creates quite the impact with the water rushing over the ledge. The waters of the river are a greenish-blue hue, and I find it cool and calming to watch it against the yellows and reds of the canyon wall. We also stopped at the Brink of the Upper Falls, where you can view the falls from right above them as they drop over 100 feet to the valley floor.

We stopped at many of the geothermal areas while we continued to Yellowstone Lake and Fishing Bridge. They were each a little unique in their own way, but some of them seemed to stick out from the pack.

The aptly named Sulphur Caldron was right along the road, and as soon as we stopped, there was a strong rotten egg smell from the sulphur. I got used to the smell fairly quickly and could spend some time watching the hot water and gases bubbling in the earth, making small ponds that eventually discharged into the Yellowstone River that flowed only a few hundred feet away.

At Dragons Mouth Spring I witnessed the surging water from the spring coming out in waves, with steam billowing out from a cave-like opening. There were rumbling and gurgling sounds from within, as the steam and gases exploded through the water. It was easy to see how it got its name.

Mud Volcano was a small pool of boiling mud at the edge of a vertical bank. The most intense bubbling action was near the back wall. In the adjacent mudpots and fumaroles, I was amused watching the gas bubbles building and then popping in the muddy soil.

Sour pond had areas of churning and spurting where you could tell the gasses and spring water were escaping. Just above it is a relatively new pond called Black Dragon Cauldron, which burst to the surface in 1948. It is churning and bubbling more than its neighbor, Sour Pond.

The West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake was my favorite stop. There are multiple pools of hot springs and small geysers right along the lakeshore. The pools varied in color from almost clear, to orange, black, and blue. It had the lakeshore, and it had multitudes of color from orange to blue to black. The Abyss Pool and the Black Pool (which is now blue) were the most intriguing. The lakeshore water was very clear and so picturesque with the mountains in the background. I wish Tom could have seen this area, but someone had to stay in the truck with the dogs and his foot had enough with walking at that point.

Along the drive from West Thumb to Fishing Bridge area are great spans of evergreen trees. The combination of lodgepole pine, spruce, and fir would open up and giving us views of the lake with the mountains on the other side of lake. Lodgepole pines got their name from being used for teepees and are the first species to emerge after a fire. They are strong and resilient. The spruce and fir trees can only grow in the shade and shelter that is provided by the lodgepole pines. They will eventually take over from the lodgepole pines and dominate the terrain until the next disruption from fire or wind that will start the cycle again. We pulled into one wayside, and were there by ourselves and had the chance to sit and watch a female elk with her young in the woods. The traffic on the main road just zipped on by, not knowing they were that close.

Yellowstone Lake has some nice beach areas to walk and play on, like at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center. As you step out the back door of the visitor center to go to the lake, you immediately see a compass stamped into the concrete. For those of you paying attention, you see that it is not square with the building but pointing north, just like the one on our logo does not point straight to the top of the page.

Calcite Springs had creamy rocks mixed with translucent, honey-colored crystals along the eroded banks. Oil and molten sulfur rise to the surface and cool to streaks of black. At this same stop is a deep narrow canyon that is lined with lava spires. When the great explosion that created yellowstone crater occurred, lava flowed down the banks of the riverbeds and rapidly cooled, creating these columns. I thought the nearly vertical rock at the top level of the plateau either looked like a crown or fortress.

As we made it to the northern reaches of our travels today, we went into Lamar Valley. We only made it a few miles as there was a hold up for construction. The good thing about the holdup was that it gave us the chance to see a small herd of pronghorn across the prairie where we were stopped. Some were resting among the sagebrush while others were grazing on the nearby grass. We waited for at least thirty minutes and there were no signs the traffic would be moving anytime soon, so we turned around and headed back. On our return, there was one lone male resting off by himself. We did see a large herd of bison and a bear along the drive through this valley.

We found the petrified tree along the northern loop road. It is a redwood indicating it was a much different climate here when the volcano erupted covering the hillside in ash. The silca in the ash then replaced the living cells in the tree and preserved it as rock. Unfortunately, tourists have chipped away at the other two trees that once stood on this hillside and they no longer remain. The Park Service has installed a fence to try to protect the one remaining.

Mammoth Hot Springs was a little disappointing in that the flow of water from the springs have diminished considerably in the last few years. The largest of the terraces are mostly dry now, but there are a few good spring formations still flowing, like the Minerva Terrace and the Palette Pool. This pool had the shape and the various colors like you would see on a painter’s palette. The stark whiteness of the dried up springs has some beauty, but it is more sad than anything. One bonus we had here, was that as we were driving out of town, there was a large herd of elk grazing in the woods along the road.

This was a long and full day, and I am grateful we braved the crowds, and all the annoyances that go with them, to see some of these unique sights. Tom was extremely frustrated by the crowded parking lots and excessive noises of chirps and horns he endured while waiting with the dogs as I explored. I don’t feel his stresses and I wish I knew how to give him some relief. I do appreciate that he gives me these opportunities.

As for today, it was mostly cloudy and dreary with the rain. It felt cold outside this morning and we saw fresh snow in the mountains across the lake. It seemed hard to get motivated or focus on any one project, but we got the windshields cleaned, and some of the mud and dirt off the pickup wheels. We talked about the next places to maybe travel and routes to get there, then took some time to just relax. It is Labor Day after all. We hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

Tomorrow is a travel day for us. The dirt roads should be dried up enough to get out of here, and into the next place. We need to resupply the fridge, and I think we both could use a night of take-out food, too.

Things to work on... my one word , my song, being more motivated and encouraging.

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