Saying Goodbye to Yellowstone...

Our last morning in Yellowstone brought a simply beautiful day. We were on the road by 7:00 AM to make the 40 mile trek to Old Faithful. It was a chilly 35 degrees but it warms up quickly. We wanted to get a last look at it and Ilene wanted to (okay, Dennis wanted her to) climb to Observation Point which provides a great overall view of the geyser.
We arrived at 8:00 AM and quickly headed into the just opened Visitors’ Center to check on the next eruption time. The sign showed 9:08 AM, give or take 10 minutes. We went back to the rig to gather our equipment and head to the geyser. We stayed together for a bit and then Ilene began the ascent to the higher vantage point. The hike is only a half mile, but the last 1/5 of it is quite steep. We were both settled into our shooting spots at the appointed time. The geyser began erupting at 9:17 AM and gave a great show. Since it was earlier in the day, the crowds were small surrounding the geyser and Ilene was the only person at Observation Point!
We left the area very satisfied with our images. We drove around the multiple buildings that derive their profits from the natural wonder. There is the visitors’ center, the general store/gift shop, the lodge, the inn and the restaurant. Oh, the smell of capitalism, even displayed by our federal government. They lease out the use of the land to a company called, Xanterra, but you can be sure that the feds are getting a piece of the action. There are several visitor centers, general stores, etc. in strategic spots in the park.
Our next stop as we travel north is a spot in the Midway Geyser Basin. The actual stop is called Fairy Falls. The park ranger told us the other day that if we took this one mile trail and took one of the foot trails off of it, we could get a great high vantage point of Grand Prismatic Spring. This spring is so large that there are postcards that show aerial views of it. It has the beautiful dark blue green center with the orange crust surrounding it. When you see the postcard you want to know where it is but the aerial shot is deceiving as it makes the spot even more dramatic than the average person can capture. We did our best by climbing a foot trail. It was well worth the mile hike.
We enjoyed our late breakfast alongside the Firehole River. Lots of others had the same idea so we all shared the space and the beautiful view.
Dennis elected to stop and photograph Gibbon Falls. I sat and worked on the blog while he took 87 pictures of one waterfall. Lol
We were on to our last stop before leaving the world’s first national park. Mammoth Hot Springs offers some incredible springs. One in particular is Minerva Springs. We had seen pictures of it in books and postcards. It looked like natural marble steps with hot water coating every surface and slowly trickling downward. Unfortunately, Minerva Springs is dry as a bone. Apparently, this is a natural occurrence with hot springs. We learned that the “steps” are comprised of travertine. Anyone who has done some home remodeling in the last few years and considered tile floors knows about travertine.
On the way out of the park, a herd of elk were grazing in the common area surrounding the general store, restaurant and hotel. As usual, crazy tourists were approaching the herd. They must have thought they were at a petting zoo. A couple park rangers appeared and tried to corral the tourists. Unfortunately, most of them didn’t speak English and so they were not cooperating. You would think pointing with fervor would be an international symbol to “Move it!” but the tourists were undeterred. Some even had small children. Yikes.
We enjoyed every moment we spent in Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It is well worth the 1,881 miles we traveled to see it again. If any reader of this blog loves natural beauty it is a place not to be missed. There is whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, biking, hiking, swimming, picture taking and just pure relaxing to be had. Whether you stay in one of the lodges or camp with a tent, you will enjoy yourself. The park was well staffed with knowledgeable rangers. They provided helpful information and always with a smile. This is an American treasure.
Out of the park, we headed north into the Treasure State. Do you know what state it is? We plan to drive to the state capital tonight. Answer tomorrow.