Old Faithful

We got a somewhat late start this morning because we had a late night.

We had gone into Yellowstone National Park last night to see if we could find an open area to take pictures of the night sky and hopefully the Aurora Borealis.

Greg’s research (I did no research on what to do in Yellowstone before getting here, so our itinerary while here is up to Greg) indicated that the Madison Amphitheater might be a good spot. However, when we got there, we found that we would have to hike through the woods in the dark to get to the amphitheater.

We both decided that we didn’t want to be eaten by bears on our first day at Yellowstone, so we turned around and went back to the campground.

(Just FYI. We picked up bear spray before we headed out, but I wasn’t willing to risk it. Interestingly, we rented the bear spray at the same place we had dinner last night, a pub and restaurant called Madison Crossing.)

Our first stop this morning was the Upper Geyser Basin area, which includes Old Faithful. (It was also our last stop, since it took most of the day to tour.)

As we were headed there this morning, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the steam vents in the distance with a herd of bison in the foreground. So cool!

We got there shortly before Old Faithful was about to blow, so we joined the horde, cameras at the ready.

It did not disappoint. (This is actually a photo from later in the day from a different angle.)

Then we walked along the boardwalk to see all of the other steam vents and geysers. In all, we walked almost 6 miles today.

I just love the juxtaposition of the thermal activity with the trees and mountains. So much going on under the surface while life continues relatively undisturbed above.

I wondered why Greg was so gung-ho this morning, whereas I felt like a dehydrated slug. Every step was an effort. Later, I remembered that Greg had sat in the shade and relaxed while I hiked the Cathedral Spires Trail and the Sylvan Lake trail, so maybe he was experiencing less muscle fatigue.

But then, it could have been the altitude, too. West Yellowstone is at 6700 ft above sea level. Where we live is about 250 ft above sea level.

All those minerals build up over time, creating interesting formations around the geyser.
Sometimes it looked like snow coated the landscape, but it was just minerals from the water being released by the geysers.
Morning Glory Pool. Apparently, it used to be even more colorful, but people have been throwing things in there, which has been changing the chemical and bacterial makeup of the water.
Greg and I stopped to get a snack. While we were sitting on the bench, this little fellow came over looking for a handout. At one point, he even jumped up onto the bench between Greg and me. Bold little bugger!
And, of course, there was the obligatory bison backup. This fellow was just meandering down the road as if he were one of the tourists.
Greg got an especially good photo of him.
As usual, I was completely captivated by the landscape.

I told Greg that we should do something that did not involve hiking tomorrow (something like driving through Hayden Valley. Hint, hint.), since I’m not sure I can muster up the energy.

Are we doing something tomorrow that doesn’t involve hiking? Of course not.

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Author: Nancy OBrien

I am a wife, mother, and grandmother, eternally curious and trying to live her best life.

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