You can’t come to Yellowstone and not visit Old Faithful. Since it is the farthest point from our campground in Madison, we decided to head there first.
We are in “Geyser Country”! As you approach the area you can see steam rising from the ground.
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The fun part about Old Faithful is the waiting, watching and trying to out guess the rest of the people around you as to when it will erupt. I mean Mother Nature doesn’t necessarily know about exact timelines and predictions. It would tease with a lot of steam output, then nothing. A little spurt of water, then nothing. But when it finally got going it really went!
There are plenty of other geysers in this area as well as beautiful mats of bacteria and thermophiles.
It is hard to believe that life grows in almost boiling water that can be as acidic as battery acid.
And sad to learn that people have to be reminded not to be stupid.
These are my two favorite pools in the Old Faithful geyser area.
The pictures do not do either of these pools justice. They are beautiful.
Proof that life is very adaptable, John caught a picture of this raptor taking off from a tree in the middle of the geyser field just before Sawmill geyser erupted.
When Sawmill got going it threw water 50ft in the air and sprayed scalding hot water on the walkway where those people are standing. (they were warned to move by a ranger, no one got hurt)
Whew! All this learnin’ and walkin’ ‘roundz makin’ me want some grub. Time for lunch before we do anymore sight-seeing.
I am enjoying your Yellowstone visit. Having spent the Summers of 2012 and 2013 there at the Lake General Store, seeing your pictures is a reminder of good times. And I had to chuckle at your Elephant Back comments. It really is a tough climb if you don’t take the right fork on the way up. The view is worth it! Our campground was less than 1/2 mile from the start of the trail.
Ciao, Ray and Mary Ellen