Yellowstone National Park, WY
 
I got ssss-steam heat...
                                          ...but I need your love to keep away the cold."

Volcanic Tableland, Yellowstone National Park
(Click to enlarge)

Day 6: Today we visit Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where there is lots of steam heat. The lyrics above come from "The Pajama Game," a 1954 Broadway musical, so if your under 60 and don't recognize it, don't worry. But I'm sure you will recognize some of my photos of famous features from Yellowstone's Lower Loop.

Yellowstone is a HUGE caldera--that's right folks, the remainder of a collapsed volcano. I've been there twice when it was warm and sunny. It's a different world on a snowy day.

Of the many potential problems Greg had considered before this vacation, snow was not a contender. It was June, after all. Reminded me of our Grand Canyon trip years ago with the kids. I had realized late in the planning that it might be cold camping at 7000 feet in April. "Arizona's a desert," everyone said, "how cold can it be?" Hah!

But camping in Yellowstone had never been an option.

Me:     Maybe it would be fun to camp in the park.
Greg:  I'm not tent camping with grizzly bears.

Fair enough.

Old Faithful building up a new head of steam

Old Faithful Geyser is a little over a hundred miles north from Jackson, but I don't remember anything along the way. We were busy watching the road, stomachs clenched in fear. We're from California--not snow country. It didn't help that the ranger at the park entrance told us we might need chains up ahead.

Castle Geyser

When still a few miles away, we could see Old Faithful's plume above the treetops. We just missed it and had to wait around for steam to build up again. We spent most of the 90 minutes in the visitor's center. Then, eschewing the benches out front, we strolled the surrounding trail. Along the way, Castle Geyser put on a great show for us. We could hear the rumbling from this distance.


Boiling pool and bacterial mat



Blue Star Spring

Dozens of geothermal features such as boiling pots and jewel-like hot pools fill the vicinity around Old Faithful. I'd never walked the trail before and was amazed by so many plumes and steam vents, some close, others in the distance. Geyser Hill (below) has over 40 geysers, some of considerable size. I took this photo from afar, but you can follow the trail across the river for a closer look.

Geyser Hill from Trail around Old Faithful

And thar she blows! Old Faithful. We had a wonderful view, but were so close that I couldn't get the whole plume. The first few pictures were all steam. I got maybe a third of the plume's height. I finally waited until it died down (picture on right).



White Dome Geyser

After a quick lunch at the lodge cafeteria, which was surprisingly good for cafeteria food, we struck off to see what more we could do in one short day. White Dome Geyser is a short car trip off the loop. The cone has built up from silica deposited by the steamy water that still spurts from it through an ever narrowing channel.

We took the nature trail past Fountain Paint Pots, an easy half-mile hike on a boardwalk. The trail passes geothermal water features like geysers and hot springs, and less liquidy features like bubbling mud pots and steaming fumeroles.

Fountain Paint Pots - One of my favorites

 

Silex Spring - What a gorgeous color!

 

Bacteria mat with Lodgepole Pines in background

Fumeroles - grass likes the heat!

 

Spasm Geyser

I've been to Yellowstone twice in the past but have never made it through the upper loop to see Mammoth Hot Springs and the Travertine Terrace. I had hoped to see them this time, but the poor weather spurred us onward. We had to get over the pass leaving the park on the east side before it became impassable. So we hurried on.

Not the last time we would see flooding on this trip

One thing we did not see much of was wild life. Not even bison warming themselves near the steamy spots. However, as we neared the edge of the park we saw cars parked along the road and people snapping pictures. Sure enough, a mama grizzley and her cub were out foraging. The pictures aren't great, but if you have a good imagination you can see that the dark brown spots are bears. Mama's distinctive back hump gives her away.

Mud Volcano was our last real stop before leaving the park. After erupting for two years, starting in 1870, the small volcano blew itself apart. We said good-bye to our adventure with this reminder that, in spite of snow (which, lucky for us, was minimal), we were driving over a massive hot spot in the earth-- Yellowstone.