Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming
Monday, August 13, 2018
Smoky, 85°
"The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom."
– Theodore Roosevelt
After the Sunday tire issues, it felt good to feel safe once again driving since there have been many miles driven so far with many more to go before this trek is over. It was another beautiful day in Wyoming - except for the seemingly ever constant smoke from the forest fires raging all over the Western US and Canada. The campground was only a few miles from the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. There was a herd of elk along the roadway.
Elk Herd
Bull Elk
It felt good to only drive a few miles before starting to see the wondrous sights within the park.
My last visit (1993) to Yellowstone was a couple years after the 1988 fire that had burned the whole southern half of the park. Burnt trees and scarred landscape had taken much of the beauty out of America’s first National Park. At the time, it did not look much like anything other than a brown and black charred landscape going on for miles and miles. The only area in the southern half of the park that had no fire damage was by the Old Faithful Inn which is just east of the geyser basin. Firefighters had fought the fire around these buildings keeping the history and heritage intact for visitors to see.
Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. The largest part of the park is in Wyoming, but it spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho, too. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It is also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.
Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-elevation lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano. It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geysers and hydro thermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone. In 1978, Yellowstone was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Wikipedia)
Arriving in Gardiner, Wyoming there were two things that stand out right away, the Roosevelt Arch and the large National Park Service sign. The archway was built at the north entrance, which was the first major entrance for Yellowstone. President Roosevelt was visiting Yellowstone during construction and was asked to place the cornerstone for the arch, which then took his name.
Roosevelt Arch
The cornerstone that Roosevelt laid covered a time capsule that contains a Bible, a picture of Roosevelt, local newspapers, and other items. It stands alone off to the side of the main road to the park entrance but the road may have come under the arch in earlier years.
While at the Yellowstone entrance sign taking photos with Placido Flamingo, there were several other people around snapping photos. Everyone was surprised that I carried this flamingo around with me getting pictures of the places he has been. Several families wanted their photos taken with Placido.
Yellowstone NP Sign with Placido Flamingo
Eddie and his son Luca took several selfies with Placido as he was placed all around the sign. Luca climbed up on top of the large Yellowstone sign with Placido underneath him. It was a fun to see people’s reactions as they saw Placido. A couple noticed the veteran sign on the RV and came over to talk for about fifteen minutes before heading into the park. Driving into the park towards Mammoth Hot Springs there were sheep on the rocks above the road.
Sheep above Road
One of the ranger presentations at Yellowstone Canyon said that when the first explorers came to Yellowstone and tried to report what they saw to the newspapers and magazines back east, they responded, “Thank you, but we do not print fiction.” The land is peppered with colorful hot springs, mud pots, and breathtaking waterfalls, so it is easy to understand how one might think it other worldly. No place else I have visited on Earth is quite like Yellowstone. With all of the dramatic peaks & pristine lakes, Yellowstone is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. Multicolored pools swirl around hot springs; verdant forests weave past expansive meadows; and volatile geysers launch streams of steaming water toward a large blue sky. With so much unspoiled natural beauty, it's no wonder why everyone on the east coast, suspected John Colter (a scout for explorers Lewis and Clark) embellished his stories when he first described Yellowstone's geothermal curiosities in 1807.
Yellowstone National Park sits on top of a dormant volcano and is home to more geysers and hot springs than any other place on earth. Wonders abound at this truly unique national park, from sites like the Yellowstone Grand Canyon to wildlife like America’s largest buffalo herd, grizzly bears, and wolves. Approximately 50 percent of the world’s hydro-thermal features are at Yellowstone National Park, creating an effect that makes the ground appear to be on fire. The most famous of all the geysers is Old Faithful, one of the most popular and recognized natural wonders in the United States. (Wikipedia)
After proceeding through the gate (with the America the Beautiful Pass – no cost for admission and ½ prices off camping) it is a short drive to the town of Mammoth Hot Springs, the parks headquarters. The Yellowstone River flows beside this road where we saw mountain sheep and elk grazing. There is a sign alerting you that you are at the 45 parallel in latitude, half way between the North Pole and the Equator. Placido Flamingo liked this.
45th Parallel of Latitude sign and Placido
In the late summer and during the fall season, elk can be seen in the yards or businesses and along the old fort’s officer’s row. This trip was no exception as there were about 50 or 60 grazing about and lying on the cool green grass. I remember on my previous trip, there were signs all over town for residents to keep their dogs on leashes and not bother the elk.
Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine adjacent to Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. Over two tons of calcium carbonate solution flows into Mammoth each day. Because of the huge amount of geothermal vents, travertine flourishes.
Hot Pool Runoff
Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.
Limestone Rock Formations
The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line that runs through limestone and roughly parallel to the Norris-to-Mammoth road. The limestone from rock formations along the fault is the source of the calcium carbonate. Shallow circulation along this corridor allows Norris' super-heated water to cool slightly before surfacing at Mammoth, generally at about 170 °F. Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.
Super Heated Water Pool
Thermal activity here is extensive both over time and distance. The thermal flows show much variability with some variations taking place over periods ranging from decades to days. Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace, a series of travertine terraces. (Wikipedia)
Minerva Terrace
It was about a twenty five mile drive from the Mammoth area to the Norris Geyser Basin. The road had several places with single lane driving due to road work so there was about a fifteen minute wait to pass through each construction area. One of the vehicles ahead had a female passenger who got out during the wait, smoked several cigarettes and then dropped the butts on the ground. I wanted to go up and ask her what the hell she was doing. Traffic started up again and it was only about seven minutes before they pulled off the road to smoke again. It is a shame that people are so careless that their thoughtlessness could start another forest fire (been in the smoke now for over a month) or deface the beauty of this beautiful National Park.
The summer road crews in the US and Canada are working to repair roads during the limited construction season. As you spend time waiting to pass it is easy to watch the crews working or flagging you through the work site. It was nice to see that about 30% of the crews on most construction projects were female. Many were operating the heavy “yellow iron” equipment while others worked the flag/sign staff positions allowing vehicles to pass through the area.
The Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most changeable thermal area in Yellowstone. The tour starts at the Norris Museum which houses exhibits relating to the origins of the geothermal features found at the basin. There are two loop trails that leave from here providing a safe route along the wooden boardwalks for viewing the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin. Your senses get a workout as you walk along the boardwalk with rainbow colors of the many thermal features, hissing explosive steam bursting out of the ground, and pungent sulfur odors combining to create an experience unique to Yellowstone. Porcelain Basin is large open terrain with hundreds of densely packed geothermal features; in contrast, the Back Basin is forested and its features are more scattered and isolated.
The hottest of Yellowstone's geothermal features are steam vents (fumaroles). Black Growler Steam Vent has measured 199 to 280 degrees F (93 to 138 degrees C). A plentiful water supply would help cool these features; however, steam vents are usually found on hillsides or higher ground, above the basin's water supply. They rapidly boil away what little water they contain, releasing steam and other gases forcefully from underground. (nps.gov/yellowstone)
The walk along the Porcelain Basin takes you by Black Growler Steam Vent and Lodge Geyser. As you descend down the walkway, Black Growler gives a steady column of steam.
Black Growler Steam Vent
The ranger said a strong steam vent has been on this hill for many years, albeit in slightly different locations. No one knows why it disappears and reappears, but Black Growler always roars back (in fact, very few steam vents actually receive names due to their transitory nature). At one time it made a very loud, distinctive roaring noise, but has long since become much tamer.
Porcelain Basin area
When Whirligig Geyser erupts, its rhythmic sound can often be heard around the basin. Its rust orange color comes from iron that has been oxidized, in part, by thermophiles. Hurricane Vent is also on this trail.
Whirligig Geyser
On the Back Basin trail the major feature is Steamboat Geyser.
Days, months, or years pass between the major eruptions of Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat is the world’s tallest active geyser, often throwing water more than 300 feet high, showering viewers and drenching the walkway. For hours following its 3-40 minute major eruptions, Steamboat thunders with a steam phase. As befitting such an awesome event, full eruptions are entirely unpredictable. More commonly, it ejects water in frequent bursts of 10-40 feet. (SOURCES: Yellowstone Association Trail Guide, April, 2009. Yellowstone Place Names, 2006 (Lee Whittlesey))
There were many geysers and steam vents along this trail as well as standing pools of colorful water and a few mud pools.
Boiling Water Pool
Leaving here and driving three miles south of Norris Geyser Basin, the equally large but generally less active Gibbon Geyser Basin contains several dispersed collections of thermal features of which the most popular is Artists Paint Pots, a group of over 50 springs, geysers, vents and mud pots. These exhibit varying shades of blue, grey and brown, and have a range of different textures, with the behavior changing during the year depending on the amount of subterranean water.
Paint Pot
The active features can be seen via an easy 0.6 mile trail through partly wooded land which is mostly level apart from a short climb and descent across the hillside overlooking the basin. The climb up gives a nice view of the valley and surrounding mountain ridges to the north.
As the afternoon wore on, it was time for the thirty five mile drive to the campground, Bridge Bay for a two night stay before moving over to Grant Village campground on Wednesday. Bridge Bay will be the base to explore the eastern side of Yellowstone National Park. After setting up camp, a large Bull Elk wandered through the campground lazily grazing its way across the campsites.
Bull Elk in Campground
A nice campfire stars out in the heavens and a glass of wine ended the evening. All in all, it was an amazing day Traveling Life’s Highways.