There are not enough adjectives in the thesaurus under “spectacular” to describe Yellowstone National Park. This is by far the cleanest park we have ever been to. People are so respectful of the area, you never see a piece of paper, discarded water bottle or even cigarette butts. Thank you, people! I hope this post is not too boring, between us, we took over 160 pictures— won’t post them all. This morning, we were able to drive through the beautiful Roosevelt Arch.
It’s located at the north entrance to the park and is called a rusticated triumphal arch, built by the US Army Corps of Engineers beginning in 1903. Amazing structure.
Ever since we arrived in this area, we have been wanting to see animals. About 5 minutes into our trip this morning, we came upon a herd of pronghorn antelope, magnificent.
These were rather far away, but I took a picture anyway.
After seeing the antelope, we retraced a place we passed by yesterday. After reading more about it, we knew we had to make a stop. At the Mammoth Hot Springs the “Travertine Terraces” were truly amazing. I said a bit about them yesterday, but check out todays pics.
We ascended the wooden walkway to get a closer look at more formations.
Mound Spring
Minerva Terrace
Mound Terrace
Even more amazing close up!
Moving on, yesterday we passed up “ Roaring Mountain,” but not today. The mountain has several geysers (even more in the winter months).
Did I mention the geysers are stinky. They have an element of sulphur—adds to the interest, right?
There are a number of steam vents called fumaroles in the mountain. They hiss, whistle or thump if the steam pathway is restricted at the surface thus the name Roaring Mountain.
The park has many magnificent waterfalls, but we thought the best one had to be the Yellowstone River Waterfall located in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
We were truly amazed by this awesome view. The canyon is magnificent. It is approximately 24 miles long, between 800 and 1200 feet deep and from .25 and .75 miles wide.
After a quick lunch, off we go.
You know I’ve said, “ animals” many times, well... Today we topped a hill and came upon a herd of AMERICAN BISON. Unbelievable!
Finally, just what we’ve been waiting for. We thought we had really hit the jackpot and camera’s were popping. But then as we rounded the next curve, there were hundreds of these monstrous creatures in all their glory!
Wow! What a sight to see! They covered the hillside on both sides of the highway.
Some were crossing the road and held up traffic. We saw bulls, cows and calves, far away and up close and a little too personal!
I had to close my window for fear he might pop his head inside!
This is what Yellowstone is all about. Now where are the moose and bears? Oh well, one thing at a time. I’m satisfied— for now.
We drove by the enormous Yellowstone Lake. It was a gorgeous lake but very little activity today. It is the largest body of water in the park with a maximum depth over 394 feet.
Next stop, the West Thumb Geyser Basin. More colorful geysers to see. First we went by a mud volcano.
It was bubbling and spitting out gases. Then on to the “Dragon’s Mouth Spring”.
The rumbling sound is caused by steam and other gasses escaping through the water. We continued on the wooden walkway above numerous hot springs and geysers.
Collapsing Pool
Percolating Spring
Blue Funnel Pool
And many more too numerous to mention!
By now, we have been in the park for more than 8 hours, lots of driving, walking and viewing. It was a grand day but we are tired and we head back to our little cottage in Gardiner to rest.
Wow, those are some wonderful pictures. I really need to get the kids up there sometime soon. Those Bison looked like they wanted you to feed them from your car window!
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