Yellowstone National Park

After having spent 2 days in Bryce we continued our journey north through Idaho to Yellowstone National Park, which sits in the northwestern corner of Wyoming. Our luck with the weather finally ran out and we had only somber skies and showers. We entered the park from the west entrance (West Yellowstone) which is actually in Montana. Our National Park Pass bought earlier for $50 dollars "saved" us the $20 entrance fee. Within 3 minutes, we saw wildlife - a coyote trotting across the park road. This was quickly followed by several herds of elk (without antlers) and LOADS of bison with their babies (very cute).

Michiel had never seen bison so up close and we were both impressed by their bulk and the noise they make when they devoured grass. Several of the park roads were still closed so we couldn't do the circle we had planned in advance. We headed to the famous Old Faithful geyser, along the way stopping to see all lesser known ones. The landscape seemed like a post-war environment, with dead trees and holes in the ground where the escaping steam mimicked smoke.

Although the thermal pools are incredibly hot, micro-organisms are able to flourish and their presence creates wonderful colors (turquoises, greens, oranges, and yellows). Michiel can't stop himself from taking hundreds of photos of the gurgling springs and vibrant pools. We will try not to post them all. Sadly, we cannot reproduce the smells and sounds, too. (If you want, you can try that yourself by eating beans and eggs...)

After seeing Old Faithful erupt and seeing dozens of other geysers in different states of activity (some bubbling mud pools, violently hissing steam vents which are reminiscent of factories, and of course bubbling and spouting hot water), we drove to the Canyon area of the Park. Here, the Yellowstone River has carved an incredibly deep and colorful canyon, called "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone."

After some failed attempts at longer hikes in the canyon (closed due to snow-cover) and one short walk along the rim, we left the park through the Mammoth Hot Springs area. This area is made up of travertine (kalkafzetting) terraces and mounds created by hot springs which deposit minerals they have dissolved lower in the earth.

Wildlife report: bison, elk, 1 coyote, 1 pronghorn antelope, eagle, trumpeter swans, Canada geese, Mountain bluebirds (what a blue color they have! See professional photo at: http://www.roysephotos.com/MountainBluebird.html