I’m not sure what to write about Yellowstone. We did and saw so much. But is it appropriate to put those experiences down into words or should I just let the images convey the experience?
Our morning began at Old Faithful. I wasn’t getting any internet coverage with my phone so I was unable to go to the website and see what time the geyser would erupt. We just went. When we arrived the parking lot was packed and all of the seating was gone. This was a good sign. Less than ten minutes later we watched Old Faithful do its thing. What was remarkable to me was how quiet it was. I wasn't expecting an explosion or anything like that. But it was very peaceful--almost meditative. We lucked out with timing on this one.
We then made our way through other thermal stops along the drive. Adler commented that they all looked the same. My favorite was Grand Prismatic Spring which also had the Excelsior Geyser Crater (formerly a geyser). The colors of the spring went from turquoise blue to colors of rust orange and variations in between. It was magical and alive. The Excelsior Geyser has been rather defunct from the vertical eruptions for more than one hundred years save for a freak eruption in 1985. Instead it spills 4000 gallons of boiling water a minute into a nearby river. The width of this geyser crater was something like 200 feet across. Once again the most brilliant turquoise clear water that had bubble coming up and the surface blanketed with steam.
While Adler may have found the thermal locations boring and repetitive what he found fascinating and never grew tired of were the waterfalls. To him each one was unique and garnered his attention. Anywhere he could be climbing river boulders and exploring like a boy were his most liked stops.
Our drive through the day was short in terms of mileage but expansive in terms of what we saw. We went over snow covered mountain passes and down into grass valleys full of elk and bison. Stops along the rivers to view waterfalls were more desert and arid. It was as if we’d rolled the entire month’s adventure into a single day. But at the end of the afternoon I think the smile on Adler’s face while father and son threw the frisbee back at the campsite told me that this experience was his favorite--just being with dad…
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| Old Faithful |
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| Grand Prismatic Spring |
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| Bison right of way |
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| Firehole Canyon |
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| Gibbon Falls |
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| Snow! |
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| Bison portrait |
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| Mud Volcano |
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