West Yellowstone, day 2

Today started out cool and with light rain.  By mid-day, it had warmed enough to take off the heavy coat and switch to a jacket.  By sun-down, it was very cool again.  They are calling for 2-5 inches of snow in the higher elevations tonight.  Amazing!  Everyone says it is unusually cool for this time of year.

It was a good wildlife day.  The first animal we saw was a male elk.  That was the first elk we had seen.  Then there were several buffalo.  This afternoon, again, one bison was walking down the road by himself.  We saw a bear and a moose but both were in the woods and I could not get a picture of either.  I also saw a trumpeter swan.  It was in the river and I watched it dive and catch a fish.  It sighted me before I could get a picture and flew away.  I really would have liked to have gotten a picture.

We walked along the boardwalks at some of the geyser basins.  There were signs everywhere to stay on the walkway, that the ground was unstable.  When I could see steam rising from the ground, I didn’t have to be told to stay on the walkway.  At places, the earth was boiling.  Between the boardwalk and geysers, we could see bison and other animal skat.  The ranger said sometimes the ground will support the animal and sometimes it won't and the animal is consumed by the earth.

We went back to Old Faithful. While we were waiting for the eruption, a ranger came out and said it was possible a second geyser, Beehive, was also going to blow. He said Beehive is bigger than Old Faithful but not as predictable. He said it is rare, maybe 3 times each year, for both geysers to go at the same time. Beehive is what blew right before Old Faithful last night. This afternoon, they blew at the same time. Old Faithful has the bigger mound; Beehive is shaped like a beehive. I thought it was shaped like a bird's nest.  We were very fortunate to have seen it two times.

Tomorrow, we begin the drive east.  I don’t know what stops we will find along the way.  I know we’re both tired of hauling everything in and out of hotels.  God has been gracious and kept us safe thus far.  I pray He will take us home safely.

A male elk.  The first elk we have seen this trip.

We've seen lots of bison but I still like them.

Silex Spring

Fountain Paint Pots, a vat of boiling mud.

Fountain Paint Pots

Some people had climbed the mountain behind Old Faithful to watch her blow.  If you look hard in the picture below you can see them in the opening just to the left of center.

Old Faithful

Beehive

Chinese Springs.  A ranger said the natives would wash their clothes in these vats of boiling water and chemicals.  Finally they realized it was destroying the clothes.

The mound for Old Faithful

The mound for Beehive

Another loner

All along there are trees with areas of bark missing.  The animals, especially bison, scrub their heads and other body parts against the trees.  Some (bear) sharpen their claws, leaving raw marks.