Yellowstone National Park

June 24-27, 2008

West Yellowstone, Montana

For our trip to Yellowstone, we stayed at Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, Montana. The park was very nice and within walking distance to the town's restaurants and tourist attractions. However, if you did walk anywhere, you had to do it slowly. We're also at an elevation of 6700' above sea level and any bit of exertion leaves you short of breath if you're not used to it! The park is located in Montana at the west entrance to Yellowstone which is mainly in Wyoming.

Sometimes the "getting there" is better than the actual destination. This isn't the case here completely, but the views we had on this part of the trip were things we had never seen before.

Snow-capped mountains in June was certainly something we weren't used to. (Hey, we're not used to mountains this size, never mind ones with snow still on top!!)

We followed the Gallatin River along Route 191 where we saw quite a few white-water rafting tours and would have taken one had we had the time. (We did this in Jamaica and as far as I am concerned, "been there; done that; got the t-shirt"!)

Yellowstone National Park covers over 2,000,000 million acres. The main roadways through Yellowstone make up a figure 8 which covers approximately 225 miles. We were determined to cover it all but fell short. We did visit the major sites, the Fountain Paint Pot area, Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs. On any return trip, we will take more time to visit the "off" roads, do a bit of picnicing and nature-watching and take advantage of the many hiking and biking trails (over 1,000 miles of trails within the Park).

The expansive roadways can make for a tedious trip to get someplace. There were numerous major fires in the summer of 1988 which left millions of trees laying all over the park...almost like the old children's game, Pick-up Sticks; however, no one has picked them up. I personally think it takes away from the beauty of the park. We also had some sun and some overcast during our travels through the Park. This wasn't helped by the smoke coming from the California wildfires. It's hard to believe the smoke can travel that far and make that much of an impact!

Now for a bit of history. At the heart of Yellowstone's past, present and future lies volcanism (no you Star Trek fans; volcanism, not Vulcanism!). Three huge volcanic eruptions occured here. The magmatic heat powering those eruptions still powers the park's geysers (Old Faithful), hot springs, fumeroles and mudpots.

Our first stop was the Fountain Paint Pot Area. This is a mudpot which was thin and watery from the abundant water and snow. By late summer they are quite thick and their bursting bubbles can lob mud up over the guard rails.

Next we saw a fumarole which was just a hole in the ground but sounds like there is a generator below the surface. The roar comes from gases rushing from the earth through this hole.

Then, of course, come the geysers. Yellowstone is one of the few places in the world where geysers occur. Snow and rain provide water; heat from deep in the earth warms the rock and water above it, and fractures in the rock providing the "plumbing" through which the water circulates.

This is Ken and I "before" Old Faithful's eruption!

Then, of course, this is after. What a beautiful sight!

Old Faithful is one of six major geysers located in the Park.
Although not the largest, it erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers. Its average interval between eruptions is about 90 minutes, varying from 51-120 minutes. An eruption lasts 1-1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700-8,400 gallons of boiling water, and reaches a height of 106-184 feet.

At Mammoth Hot Springs, a network of fractures and fissures form the "plumbing" system that allows hot water from underground to reach the surface. Terraces are formed like living sculptures, shaped by the volume of water, the slope of the ground and objects in the waters path. There are dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbondioxide measured in some of these areas, and, believe me, you know it!

There was boiling water cascading down this formation, but of course you can't see it in the picture.

Then there was Yellowstone Lake as well as several waterfalls. You can see in the waterfall picture some of the "pick-up sticks" left from the fires of the summer of 1988.

There is plenty of wildlife in Yellowstone too. We saw a couple of bald eagles...what magnificent regal birds they are.

Buffalo were seen in abundance. One was even found walking down the road. When he looked in my direction, I stepped on it and got out of there fast!

We also caught a couple of elks grazing. However, we did not see a moose and, as in New Hampshire, we think this is a "made up" animal to bring in the tourists. We have never yet seen a moose and if Jodie and Dennis hadn't seen one last year and got pictures, I would truly believe they did not exist!

Last, but certainly not least, we saw a black bear.

We'll now spend a couple of days getting to Glacier National Park. Our advance scouts, Susan and Bob, have checked out all the gas stations, routes and layovers. So, we're on our way!