Lamar Valley, lots of Buffalo

On Wednesday our goal was to drive through the Lamar Valley and see whatever wildlife we could, especially bison.

It was a long drive, all the way to the other side of the park, but the views along the way were fantastic. 

This land seems untouched and the view is the same for us as it was for others 100 years ago or 1000 years ago. This is what the Native Americans and the 1904 tourists saw. 

As great as the scenic drive was, my goal for the day was to see more buffalo. According to the web, in 2014, there were more than 4000 buffalo in Yellowstone National Park. So where are they? We had seen two small groups in Hayden Valley, and a few individuals over on the west side of the park, but I expected to see many more in the Lamar Valley.  I didn't really do a head count on the six or seven groups we did see, but the thousands I wanted to see were not there.  I remind myself that when you look at the map of the park, you see there are vast areas that are not visible from the roads. Perhaps thousands of buffalos are unseen beyond the hills.

In any event, if anyone had any doubts that the "Rut" has begun, evidence of the hormones in the air was evident. These adolescent animals, I think they were young bulls, were experimenting to see how this all worked.

The herds seemed very restless. There was a lot of movement in the fields as if they were just waiting for something to happen.

We watched as one male, we called him the "new bull" came across an open area away from the rest of the herd. He moved as if he had a purpose. He came in and carefully checked out several cows, moving on each time as if they were not for him. There were three or four other bulls at the far side of the herd and we noticed they started to move in his direction. No big fight, other than some pawing of the dust and perhaps a few loud grunts that sent him packing off to a field some distance from the cows.  He stood his ground as if waiting until one of the ladies was ready for some action. We also noticed some of the calves were staying well away from the adults. I guess the moms has other things on their minds.

At one point, a large group of buffalo caused a traffic stop when they decided to cross the road to a "greener pasture" near the river.

This is a classic example of how people get into trouble with wildlife. We were parked, staying well away from the traveling animals, when these two boys jumped out of an RV and ran towards them to snap pictures. Fortunately they did not get any closer, and the buffalo did not seem to notice them.  This time!

We watched as this cow and her calf carefully walked across the road,

followed by the biggest bull we had ever seen. Wonder if he is her mate this year.

Unfortunately we also saw the other end of this annual drama.

Old age. This poor critter was limping and emaciated. 

We wonder if he or she will make it through the summer, much less the upcoming winter months. 

Will the wolves come?

I think so.

I will probably remember this poor critter longer than any one of the fine fit bulls with their sleek hides and fat humps.

We drove on thru the valley and turned around at the northeast entrance of the park. We picnicked at a shaded place along one of the many rivers, and drove back through the areas where the buffalo were. We didn't stop again because by now there were many more cars than earlier in the day and we felt we had gotten enough pictures.

These are some of the other things we saw on this rather long drive:

We saw these rock formations at the Tower Falls overlook. Of course there was a falls too, but the pictures didn't "make the cut".

Both coming and going back we saw several views of this mountain formation. The broken texture of the rocks told a story of rapidly cooling lava in the past. From a distance it really looks like an Egyptian pyramid that wasn't quite right. You have to see it to know what I mean.

On the way back we stopped at Roosevelt Lodge and took a short hike. But I was not feeling up to scrambling up a dusty, slippery trail to the top of an overlook, so we turned back. I blamed it on the big lunch I had just eaten, but perhaps I was feeling tired from our early departure in the morning. 

Unless we were professional photographers, it would be hard to capture the feeling we had at this stop along the road home. We felt like we could see forever, from the top of the world.

And so our month near Yellowstone National Park has come to an end. We still have a few days, during which we plan on seeing a couple of non-Yellowstone places. I ask myself if a month was long enough? Was it too long? We are ready to move on, but we may surely come back to this area another year. There is so much to enjoy here, other than Yellowstone. 

The road goes on forever! And we will travel it as long as we can.

Morning Glory Pool, one of the "Must See" features in Yellowstone

Paved path to Morning Glory Pool and beyond

We have been to the Old Faithful area several times this month, and on Friday our goal was to walk the 1.6 mile path to Morning Glory Pool. Craig has a theory that whenever the posted distance for a trail or path in Yellowstone is more than a mile, the crowds thin out. This was certainly true here.

The walk was worth it.

In the past, Morning Glory Pool was a brilliant turquoise blue like many of the other pools and springs, but over the years people tossed coins and other things into it, partially blocking the water flow, which caused the water to cool enough that different organisms began to thrive and the water color turned to the green it is today. I'm sure the people did not intend to harm the pool, but now there are signs requesting tourists not to toss anything into this pool or into any other.  They are not wishing wells!

Morning Glory Pool looks like a huge flower and is very deep.

We then returned to our Jeep along the boardwalk that borders quite a few pools and geysers as it winds back behind Old Faithful and to the parking area. Our total walking distance for the afternoon was about three miles.

Here are some of the other neat things we saw in the area:

The built-up cones of these two geysers were pretty big, attesting to their great age. The deposits build at a rate of about one inch per 100 years.

There were many pools, both large and small throughout the area. This one was beautiful in the delicacy of the color. 

The water levels change in the geysers. Sometimes it goes way down and they only emit steam. 

One of two Chromatic pools, deep in the middle.

Splash

Blog note: reader statistics kept by Blogger suggest that we should be more careful with our titles.  It seems that twice as many of you decided to read a post with "Grand Prismatic" in the title, compared to a post about "Mud Volcano".  Who’d’ve thought?  :-)

Finally, I have to mention how absolutely wonderful the weather has been for the last three weeks. I don't like hot or humid weather, and for me the day temperatures in the low 70s has been perfect. When it does get a bit warmer there has been a nice breeze. It has rained in the mid afternoon some days, but mostly the daily rain has been very late in the day or early in the evening. The mornings have been delightfully cool and fresh.

I love this corner of Idaho-Montana-Wyoming in July (this year).

Grand Prismatic Spring

The weather here has been very changeable. Clear and sunny alternating with dark, cold and rainy. We had plans to go to nearby Harriman State park for a hike on Saturday, but changed our minds due to a morning temperature of 43° with a 50% chance of rain. 

Instead, Craig finished a small repair project on the back grill cover of the Alfa.

At about two in the afternoon it still hadn't rained and the sky seemed less threatening. We decided to take a ride over to Yellowstone and go see one of our bucket list features, the Grand Prismatic Spring, located in the Midway Basin.

The Midway Basin is quite large and one of the fascinating features are fast running cascades of hot water pouring down into the Madison River. 

As we walked along the boardwalk on our way to the spring, we passed a large geyser crater that was filled with bubbling blue water. This geyser was known to have erupted in the 1888 and again in 1985. It is now considered a hot spring.

As we approached the Grand Prismatic Spring we expected to see a very colorful large pool. We had seen images of it in the Visitors Center and in several books and pamphlets about Yellowstone. There was a ranger on the boardwalk when we were there. He told me that the famous picture everyone sees of the spring was taken from a helicopter.  

This is what we saw: 

There was so much steam coming off the spring, and blowing towards us,  that we could barely see the water. 

We did see some large areas of very colorful algae mat. 

And interesting textures below the shallow run off.

The picture below was one of many on the Web. We are not sure where it was taken from. We may try hiking the Fairy Falls Trail if we get a clear warm day with minimal wind in the next two weeks. 

Photo from Web, Photo by Dave Russell

We will be checking the weather forecasts, and if right we will be looking for this view. Wish us luck!

Keeping Memories

Some people collect things: thimbles, shot glasses, coffee mugs, or any one of a dozen types of things emblazoned with the names and images of the places they have been. Some people collect toy critters: bears, frogs, raccoons, puppies and kittens or things with images of the same. 

Some are more practical than others. I buy socks. I claim they have a function, but do I really need more socks than I can wear in the week between washings? Craig's drawers are starting to fill up with t-shirts. Is he really buying a shirt as a needed garment? Or as a part of his collection? 

Why do we buy this stuff? I think we really trying to capture and possess a time, place or experience. We as a species are collectors, and we want to surround ourselves with tokens that will remind us of good times. 

Nothing wrong with that. Besides it keeps the Chinese factories busy.

This blog is my way of trying to save the memories. Someday, when we are off the road I will be able to look back and remember some of the best days of my life. One of the nice things about blogging is it doesn't take drawer space.

With that in mind, Wednesday was another good day. 

Mike and Sandy, fellow bloggers, joined us at Valley View RV park. We were able to play Yellowstone tour guides for the day, just as our new Alfa friends, Betty and Joe, had done for us the week before.

Our day both started and ended with stormy conditions, but we were very lucky to have a period of excellent sunny weather long enough to see a few highlights of the park.

Old Faithful

We had an unremarkable lunch at the lodge cafeteria, and saw a pretty good eruption of Old Faithful Geyser. Much better than our experience in the rain a few days earlier!

Then we drove over to Firehole River Drive and were lucky enough to see an eruption of Grand Fountain Geyser:

Grand Fountain Geyser has a very large, slightly terraced runoff pool. The vent is large and although the height of the eruptions is not as high as some, the hot water splashes quite far and with enough volume to spill over the pool.

Notice how white and fluffy the clouds are in the picture above. 

The next picture was taken about ten minutes later, at White Dome Geyser which is only about a quarter mile away!

This is my favorite picture we have taken at Yellowstone.

The White Dome Geyser has a very narrow vent, causing the water to shoot straight up and the mineral deposits to build up in a dome around it. 

By the time we drove another quarter mile to the Fountain Paint Pots, a very cold wind came up and we knew our tourist day was just about ended. Mike wanted to show Sandy a mud pot, and there was one at that location. By the time we reached it, the rain started and the few pictures we took were not very good, so I lifted this one from the web:

Photo from Web, Taken by Rick

We really did have a very special day and collected a few great memories. Mike and Sandy had to leave on Thursday because they needed to have a problem on their towed checked out before traveling much further, and there were no available mechanics in West Yellowstone or Island Park.

We know we will see them again, probably at the Quartzsite Blogger meet in January, but until then we hope they have a smooth and safe drive where ever they go.

Life is good.

Four Stops in One Day!

Eek! Monday did not follow our usual pattern. Our rhythm has been to spend a relaxed morning at the coach and head over to Yellowstone sometime before noon, planning on one stop, with the possibility of others as we go. So far the weather has turned to rain in the later afternoons and we have returned home by 5 PM.

On Monday we decided to get up early, get out early (8:15 AM) and see what we could before it rained. Our first stop was at Uncle Tom's Trail. We had been rained out there last week. 

No problem parking. We then joined a small crowd on the hike. After a series of switchbacks, the trail becomes a staircase of 328 steep metal steps.

I just kept going down, down, down, thinking: "I will look at the view on the way up, it will give me an excuse to rest".  Craig said he felt a little vertigo as he descended. He was quite afraid of heights when he was younger, but is not bothered very often now.

A railed viewing platform at the bottom of the stairs gave us a good look at the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. We saw it from the top last week.

We also got a good look at the yellow stone of the canyon walls.

Back up the 328 steps!  Puff, puff. The sign warned that at an altitude of 8000 feet, this hike was not recommended for anyone suffering from heart or respiratory weakness. Glad we can still make it! 

Our next stop was a short drive over to Artists' Point. An easy stroll from the Jeep took us to the overlook of the Lower Falls, canyon and river.

Beautiful!





















Heading back West, we pulled into the parking area for the Norris Geyser Basin. We cruised slowly around the lot and scored a parking space by watching for people who were leaving. 

By this time, busloads of other tourists were arriving. We could have eaten in the car, but decided to look for a picnic table. None were around, so we found a vacant bench to eat at. 

Although Yellowstone is huge, and as you drive along you can see vast expanses of wilderness, the parking lots are generally congested. The paved trails and boardwalks are designed to preserve the delicate ground, but also tend to herd all the people together. Recently I read a 10-year-old article in National Geographic, that said there was a plan being considered to require advanced reservations to get into the parks. I'm so glad that never happened. Nor do I think raising the admission fees is appropriate. The National Parks should not be only for the rich. All American families should have access. Some might suggest excluding the foreign tourists in some way, either by having them pay more or by reservation, but this would hurt the economy. Foreign tourists spend a lot when they come here, and the National Parks are a big draw.

But once parked and on the pathways, it can be possible to ignore the crowds on the trails by looking "out".

At the viewpoints and overlooks it is often necessary to wait a few minutes for another person to leave so you can stand in that "best place" for your photo. Selfie sticks are everywhere. I notice them, but don't mind them. We occasionally exchange picture taking with other couples so as to get a few shots with both of us in them, and perhaps if I were traveling alone I might try a selfie stick. They are just part of the culture now.

Do we wish we were here alone? Of course, but I just keep reminding myself that we are lucky to be here at all. There are better months for full timers to visit Yellowstone. May and October are less crowded, but can be a bit cold. Our July visit was planned because it was the most convenient, given that we want to go to Glacier National Park in August. So here we are.

The Artists Paint Pots were the last of our stops. My legs were very tired by this time, and I was fooled by the description of the easy 500 yard trail up to the pots.  It included more stairs! But the pots were interesting to see.

Plop, plop

A rivulet of color caused by the microbes that live in the hot water running out of the pools.

No mud in this pool, just explosive boiling water.

Once again, as we looked out over the land from the top of the Artist Paint Pot area we were intrigued by the colors we could see. I think that tiny spot of white behind the trees in the upper left is the parking area. 

All in all it was a very nice day.

It did not rain until it was time to cook dinner back at the rig. 

Craig wore his Niagara Falls poncho to flip our burgers on the Weber Q.

Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park

Memories are sometimes made when everything does not go perfectly. On Thursday, although the skies were a bit overcast, we drove over to see the Old Faithful geyser. By the time we got to the visitors center, it was raining intermittently. We checked the predicted eruption times (plus or minus 10 minutes) that are posted by the rangers in the Visitors Center. It was not raining at the beginning of this window, so armed with an umbrella we joined the growing crowd on the viewing benches. 

About 1/4 of the viewing benches at the Old Faithful Geyser

Shortly after we sat down it started to rain. No, it started to pour! We asked each other: "why, when we have three more weeks at the park, are we sitting in a driving rain waiting for the eruption of a geyser we knew erupts several times each day?" We had no good answer, but we stayed and the eruption eventually happened, after we started to call it "Old Unfaithful".

Unfortunately, the wind was blowing the wrong direction for us to have a good view. 

It was a day we will probably never forget. At least neither of us caught a cold!









One thing I can say about Yellowstone National Park is that it is BIG. Even if one stays in a park campground, many of the various features are miles apart. 

On Saturday, the weather forecast for the Mammoth Hot Springs area in the northwest corner of the park looked a little better than that for the middle or southern areas.  That being a 20% chance of showers vs. 40% chance of rain, so we headed in that direction.

The relatively long drive, which included a five mile stretch of unpaved construction with one-way traffic and delays, was well worth the opportunity to see the remarkable hydrothermal features found there. We took a lot of pictures, and it was very hard to cull them down to our favorite few:

I usually write about the pictures I post, but these speak for themselves.

On the drive back we stopped at this hot pool. There was a pull out and parking lot, but no other thermals around. 

It is an excellent example of a breakout hot spring. The water flows down a hill and into the river on the other side of the road.

Finally, I probably shouldn't waste band width on this picture, but it does show that after 6:30 PM it is possible to find a place to park!

Considering it doesn't get dark until close to 10 pm, going after dinner might be a good idea.