From Awesome David
Wednesday, 20th September
Today we headed further into the park, and experienced even more. No additional snow had fallen overnight, so we felt excited as we drove towards Old Faithful.
The drive on the road was an opportunity to see more of the wildlife, so we were thrilled when a bison bull crossed the road ahead of us.
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| The bull as we drove past |
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| Bison bull after having crossed the road |
It is enjoyable to just slowly drive along and stare in awe at the sights.
Old Faithful is somewhat more of a tourist attraction; however, there are some absolutely stunning sights once you begin walking around the boardwalks.
The ground moves when the geysers erupt; we see the steam and feel its warmth; we smell the volcanic gases; and we are in awe of the vibrant colours that are generated by the different microorganisms that are able to survive and thrive at different temperatures.
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| The Steaming Pool (note the bison footprints all around) |
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| Jane looking at Old Faithful erupting (taken from the Steaming Pool) |
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| Mineral runoff from a hot spring |
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| The Grant family on the Old Faithful geothermal field |
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Eliza standing next to the Spasmodic Geyser - an
interconnected thermal system |
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| The entrancing beauty of The Old Tardy Geyser |
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| Logan and the Old Faithful (top left) field - taken from the Observation Trail |
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| The Solitary Geyser (minutes before it erupted) |
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| Logan and the Heart Geyser |
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| A bull bison near the hot springs |
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| The strange siliceous sinter deposit pattern gives the Anemone Geyser its name |
After a very full day of walking around, we began our journey back home. Everyone made me turn around to stop at the famous Grand Prismatic Spring, and it was worth it!
Also the kids got very excited when a bull bison walked out in front of the car.
Yellowstone is a truly moving place!
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| Jonty and the Excelsior Geyser |
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| The Grand Prismatic Spring - note how the steam acts as a prism to refract the colours in the pool |
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| Jonty and bacterial mats surrounding the Grand Prismatic Spring |
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| Bacterial mats surrounding the Grand Prismatic Spring |
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| Jonty and the Opal Pool |
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| The Grant family and the Turquoise Pool |
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| Jonty and the hot spring runoff from the Excelsior Geyser |
The earth speaks in languages not understood;
yet the creatures in this vast ecosystem
can understand its meaning -
a land alive,
groaning and worshipping,
in prayer to its divine creator
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