Last night we entered Yellowstone through a pleasant valley between the Gallatin Mountains & Absaroka range. The moon & stars were bright as we drove along the Gardiner River into the town of Gardiner just outside Yellowstone's North entrance. If staying outside the park next year I would choose Gardiner again & if staying in the park I would choose the park headquarters, Mammoth. Mammoth is home to a herd of Elk & at least one buffalo the locals call George.
Our first stop was the boardwalk @ Hot Spring Terraces which was about 1.5 miles & 300 ft in elevation. Definitely a must see, especially Canary Spring, which is in the North section. It was facinating to see a boiling spring, spring from nowhere admidst grasses & purple wildflowers. Bacteria form bright orange coral structures in shallow pools & the deeper ones are brilliant blue as they reflect the sky. This is the area where I got sunburned in a scary way. (4 days later I am finally considering shorts & a tee shirt again) I never burn when wearing sunblock but apparently spf 50 was not good enough. :)
Next stop was Norris Geyser Basin. Making our way there we stopped off at the Park Ranger Museum & spotted our first buffalo up close. (As pictured in the blog.) We found out later that both major buffalo herds were in the process of migrating accross the high altitude meadow. However, we ran into quite a few loners, like this guy, on the East side of the park throughout our journey.
Once at the basin we chose the upper loop keeping in mind that Tommy would need to see Steamboat Geyser, @ 400 feet the tallest in the world, in order to earn his Junior Ranger patch. The geyser basin is the most volcanicly active the park & Yellowstone has the most active geysers in the world. We saw brightly green & blue colored springs such as Emerald & Cistern, steam vents that made funny sounds like Puff & Stuff, erupting geysers, & a boiling blue mud pot. Next stop, the grand canyon of Yellowstone.
We continued around the north loop where we viewed both canyon waterfalls during a passing thunderstorm. Taking cover in the car our Jr Ranger spotted the first ground-to-ground double rainbow I have ever seen. It was so large & bright we could see the color indigo. Next, completing the North Rim circle.
The next leg of our journey brought us to Mount Washburn which I believe has an elevation of about 10000 feet. At first I thought it was cool as we encountered a pull off abundant with snow (on July 14th) where I snapped photos of Tommy. I also noted the trailhead for a hike that crosses a tundra ecosystem, a must see for a future trip. Then we encountered Dunraven Pass. At an elevation in the mid 8000s this is the highest mountain pass in the park. Please allow me to share that because of continual erosion that they don't bother installing such things as guard rails in Yellowstone. Ya. So this coming from someone willing to dangle their feet over the edge of the North Rim of Yellowstone... this mountain pass is on my 'never happening again list'. Maybe it was because we were on the outside lane but it is never happening again. Sunset arrives, we see Tower Falls (taller than Niagra Falls) & sunset over the park. Our most exciting day in the park & probably the trip ends. We are thrilled & I am starting to consider a seasonal Park Ranger position either here or Tetons. I enquired & found out I would probably be a shoe in as an Environmental Science teacher.
Our first stop was the boardwalk @ Hot Spring Terraces which was about 1.5 miles & 300 ft in elevation. Definitely a must see, especially Canary Spring, which is in the North section. It was facinating to see a boiling spring, spring from nowhere admidst grasses & purple wildflowers. Bacteria form bright orange coral structures in shallow pools & the deeper ones are brilliant blue as they reflect the sky. This is the area where I got sunburned in a scary way. (4 days later I am finally considering shorts & a tee shirt again) I never burn when wearing sunblock but apparently spf 50 was not good enough. :)
Next stop was Norris Geyser Basin. Making our way there we stopped off at the Park Ranger Museum & spotted our first buffalo up close. (As pictured in the blog.) We found out later that both major buffalo herds were in the process of migrating accross the high altitude meadow. However, we ran into quite a few loners, like this guy, on the East side of the park throughout our journey.
Once at the basin we chose the upper loop keeping in mind that Tommy would need to see Steamboat Geyser, @ 400 feet the tallest in the world, in order to earn his Junior Ranger patch. The geyser basin is the most volcanicly active the park & Yellowstone has the most active geysers in the world. We saw brightly green & blue colored springs such as Emerald & Cistern, steam vents that made funny sounds like Puff & Stuff, erupting geysers, & a boiling blue mud pot. Next stop, the grand canyon of Yellowstone.
We continued around the north loop where we viewed both canyon waterfalls during a passing thunderstorm. Taking cover in the car our Jr Ranger spotted the first ground-to-ground double rainbow I have ever seen. It was so large & bright we could see the color indigo. Next, completing the North Rim circle.
The next leg of our journey brought us to Mount Washburn which I believe has an elevation of about 10000 feet. At first I thought it was cool as we encountered a pull off abundant with snow (on July 14th) where I snapped photos of Tommy. I also noted the trailhead for a hike that crosses a tundra ecosystem, a must see for a future trip. Then we encountered Dunraven Pass. At an elevation in the mid 8000s this is the highest mountain pass in the park. Please allow me to share that because of continual erosion that they don't bother installing such things as guard rails in Yellowstone. Ya. So this coming from someone willing to dangle their feet over the edge of the North Rim of Yellowstone... this mountain pass is on my 'never happening again list'. Maybe it was because we were on the outside lane but it is never happening again. Sunset arrives, we see Tower Falls (taller than Niagra Falls) & sunset over the park. Our most exciting day in the park & probably the trip ends. We are thrilled & I am starting to consider a seasonal Park Ranger position either here or Tetons. I enquired & found out I would probably be a shoe in as an Environmental Science teacher.
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