YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK - Day 2

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Wednesday 6th October

Well we didn't meet a grisly death through the night so we packed up our stuff and got going again as we were going to be driving round the grand loop road which would eventually lead us to the Old Faithful Inn.


The grand loop road is about 80 miles in total and circles around the national park with lots of interesting stops ranging from hot springs, geysers and waterfalls. We obviously wouldn't manage all of the sights but we're going to at least do the top locations as described in our handbook.

We drove through the lovely Blacktail Deer Plateau and stopped at a viewpoint and across the road we could see more Bison's roaming free. Just a short distance from here is the Petrified Tree which is a fossilized tree from over a million years ago which the tissue of has been completely replaced by minerals, converting trunks and branches into stone. There are a few f these here and we will be visiting the largest petrified forest beside Flagstaff later on in the week. As you can see from the photo's the petrified tree of Yellowstone is protected by a fence as it quite large and its common for people to steal bits of it.
All around us we can here little chittering noises of hungry little chipmunks which are not that scared of humans and will happily munch away on plants by the footpaths as you walk by.

We carried on around the Grand Loop Road until we passed the Roosevelt lodge where there some spectacular views of Canyon gorge and Yellowstone river. The Roosevelt lodge is named in honour after president Teddy Roosevelt camped here in 1903. The rock formations of Canyon gorge are amazing as you can see where the lava flow from hundreds of thousands of years ago have shaped the rocks and mountains surrounding us.

We carry on a few miles and stop at the Tower Falls and here we can start to see the Yellowstone River as it snakes through the canyon floor. The Tower Falls drop about 40 m and the naming comes from the rock pinnacles at the top of the fall and surrounding hills hence the reason this are is called the tower creek. Just a short distance from here is the Antelope creek and we stopped for a few minutes to admire the view.

Just a short drive later and we arrive at the Lower Falls and artist point. The lower falls of the Yellowstone is still the largest volume major waterfall in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. The falls are quite a bit away but you can see the whole canyon in front of you with the falls at the back. Wow!!
Its has an artist point due to the beauty of the Falls as well as many wonderful colours and features that can be seen from the Vista points. Mineral stains mark the site of hot springs and vents in the canyon walls. For thousands of years, upwardly percolating fluids have altered the chemistry of the rocks, turning them yellow, red, white and pink.
Im not sure if my photos do the site justice but to come here and paint or draw the scenery would be a challenge indeed.
Next we arrive at the morris point where the Upper falls are found. We had driven over the river by bridge and walked about 1/4 mile to the Upper falls and came within yards of the Falls mouth which was amazing. A rainbow had formed with the water spray and we stood for ages listening to the noise which was terrifying!!

We now have a 30 mile or so drive up and through the Mount Washburn mountains which elevate to heights of 9000ft +. There are some fantastic views and also worth noting are the fire damaged areas from a large fire that broke out here a few years back. Fires are good for the area if contained and controlled but as the terrain is so rough its often easier said than done fighting a fire here.

We eventually reach the Lower Geyser basin where we would find the Fountain Paint Pots and the Great Fountain Geyser.
Fountain Paint Pots are mud pots, that is, a hot spring that contains boiling mud instead of water. Thin mud constantly bubbles and bursts ,releasing hydrogen sulphide gas with its strong smell of rotten eggs. Its pretty cool to stand, watch and listen to the hissing, gurgling and bubbling of the mud and nearby geysers here and you can tell why they call it the paint pots.
We took a wander around the walkways in the lower basin and admired the great fountain geyser which was furiously bubbling and spitting water 20 m high into the air. The heat from the water can be felt where you stand on the path and also you get a slight spray of warm water if the wind is blowing the right way. Once again we could see Bisons happily grazing in the nearby plateau.

Next stop was about 2 miles down the road at the Midway Geyser Basin and i was looking forward to this stop all week as this is where the grand Prismatic Spring is. Its the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, 110 m wide and 37 m deep.
We walked across the firehole River to take the midway geyser trail around this area and its so misty and steamy here as the is a lot of activity going on from the geysers.
Firstly we come across the massive Excelsior Geyser. The Excelsior Geyser pool discharges 4,000 to 4,500 gallons water per minute directly into the Firehole River and as it cascades down the runoffs into the river you can see the colourful mineral deposits being left behind.

I was a wee bit deflated as due to the low air temperatures the steam was too intense and we couldn't actually see into the Prismatic spring. It didn't bother us that much as we could still see the vivid colours around the spring which are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. It was still a great experience as you are overwhelmed by the size and heat of some of these features not to mention the many different colours that are around the paths as you walk.

One more stop before we arrive at the Old faithful Inn and its a short stop at the Biscuit Basin which is named so due to the rock deposits left here from a recent geyser eruption caused by a 7.5 richter earthquake in 1959. The large Sapphire Pool here blasted thousands of little rocks across the basin. Im not sure how they came to the name 'biscuit' but you can see lots of little rocks lying about that look out of place. Maybe when you drop a whole lot of rich tea biscuits on the ground then this is what it might look like.....lots of crumbs!
The Sapphire Pool looks lush and turquoise as its so clear and there's hardly any steam and we could peer right in and see the deepness. I have the urge to leap in but it looks pretty hot in there....shame, i'm in badly needing a bath aswell!!

What a day!! We arrive at the Old faithful Inn at last!!
It has spectacular log and limb lobby and massive 85-foot stone fireplace. As far as i can tell everything else is made out of wood!!! Apparently it is unique in that it is one of the few log hotels still standing in the United States. Some of the woodwork that has been used for Stairs and door frames is fantastic and add's to the 'yellowstone' feel!! Its a nice way to end our day and we head off to the nearby Snow lodge for dinner as the Faithful inn is fully booked for the rest of the evening. The snowlodge is only 100m around the back and our meal was really fine and we wolfed it down and headed back to the Inn where we prebooked our dinner table for tomorrow just in case. Another full day in Yellowstone tomorrow where we will be doing the South and west part's of the loop

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