A Girl, A Hound, and the Open Road-Pt 5 (Yellowstone)

i debated on whether or not i should see yellowstone on this road trip. yes, it was smack dab in the middle of my path. but.....i had heard you need at least a week to explore the park. and anything less just wasn't worth the bother. and i do have every intention of planning another, longer trip here. during the off season when it isn't flooded with tourists. so....i should've just skipped by it this trip, right? waited until i could fully enjoy every inch of it? 

nah. i'm not going to miss the chance to see sights i have been dreaming of seeing ever since i was a little girl going through my parent's honeymoon pictures. reason be damned. even if it's just a teaser trip? i decided to see as much as i could while i could! and i am so, so, so happy i did. even the little bits of the park i saw were some of the most inspiring views i have ever encountered. i think people over use the term "awesome". but this area truly is the definition of "awesome" in it's truest meaning. impressive. daunting. breathtaking (literally.....the elevation is pretty high at some points). inspiring admiration and even fear. 

yellowstone was declared the first national park of the united states. it spans almost 3,500 square miles and portions of three states. it's beauty and wonder is largely due to the geothermic activity throughout the park and it's multiple ecosystems. every turn in this park yields a different terrain, each just as beautiful as the last. much of this is due to the fact that the majority of this park lays in the massive caldera of a dormant volcano. more to the point....a "super volcano". 

my initial journey into the park was through the entrance to the east. a gorgeous drive through steep hills of pine trees gave way to the shores of yellowstone lake. immediately there is a sense of being in another world when you enter this park. the shores of the lake are by themselves stunning. but as i drove by one curve i noticed wisps of what looked to be campfire smoke coming from the edge of the lake. i had stumbled upon my first (of countless) geothermic active spots! vents of steam rising from below the ground just at the north edge of the lake. 

my first stop was at west thumb geyser basin. a series of hot springs just to the western edge of the lake. there are actually two geyers just off the shore in the lake. you can look out and see the openings below the surface of the water.

one of the most colorful features of this area is the abyss pool. a hot spring noted for it's depth and clarity. the color is the most amazing shade of deep aqua, and it's impossible to know how deep it goes. i've heard stories of foolish tourist jumping into these hot springs (it never ends well), and seeing them in person it's almost understandable. the water looks so calm. so inviting. like a spa resorts hot tub. how could something so beautiful be so fatal?

the most amazing part of walking through this area is how multi sensory the experience is. i have been to some amazing national parks (yosemite, the grand canyon, arches, etc....) all of which are breath taking. visually. but this park? you don't just see it. you hear it. the sound of the earth groaning and bubbling. you feel it. the warmth of the hot springs combined and the occasional tremor of the ground. and sorry to say, but you smell it too. the stench of sulfur is unavoidable. but not so overwhelming as to take away from the beauty!

my next stop was what is probably the most iconic sight in yellowstone. old faithful herself. driving clockwise around the southern loop road of the park i actually got to witness the massive plume of water that this geyser is famous for. i have to admit. it's pretty freaking phenomenal. unfortunately that meant that by the time i got to the basin, the geyser was resting. and i didn't want to lose an hour waiting for the next show (or fight the crowds). still worth a stop to see cone!

i admit i was in a hurry to skip old faithful because next on my list was the midway geyser basin. rudyard kipling described this section of the park as "hell's half acre". home to the largest and most scenic (not to mention deadly) hot springs in the park. driving up i was greeted by the sight of run off from excelsior geyser crater going into the firehouse river.

past a dense wall of steam you can see the edges of the excelsior geyser crater. a wide hot spring formed at the point of what used to be a the largest geyser in the world. 

the boardwalk winds above unstable ground that hisses and sputters with the thermal activity beneath.

sitting above excelsior's crater is the grand prismatic spring. often photographed from above, this marvel boasts a rainbow of colors going from red on the outside through orange, yellow and green to blue in the middle. it is the largest hot spring in the united states, and third largest in the world. it's signature color formation comes from a family of microbials that grow on it's outer edges. the closer to the center, the more the microbial mats are destroyed.

beyond the grand prismatic spring are the waters of the pristine turquoise pool.

a bit of a walk into the woods bring me to the artist paint pots. a series of mudpots, mini geysers and fumaroles.

these are smaller formations that the ones at west thumb and midway geyser. but in my opinion still worth the time to visit!

my last major site on the way out of the park was to mammoth hot springs. very true to it's name, this alien looking landscape come from years of calcium carbonate being carried over the hillsides by hot springs and then cooled into an amazing formation of color and texture that looks like a frozen waterfall. with mahjong in the car, i only had time to briefly explore this area (no dogs allowed on boardwalks). but even just skimming the surface i'm happy i took the time to see it!

even in this harsh landscape, wildflowers manage to find their way to grow! such an amazing contrast of colors against the beautiful blue sky.

even along the entrances/exits to the park there are wondrous sights to behold. lewis falls lies just to the south of the park, right before the transition to the grand teton park. 

lush green hills dotted with lodge pole pines give way to small lakes and ponds as the park nears the northern exit that leads to montana.

a trip to yellowstone (no matter how brief) wouldn't be complete without wildlife sightings! an adorable family of elk took a break near one of the hotels my mammoth springs. baby elk, mama elk and papa elk happily resting in the shade.

i cannot wait until i have the chance to return and fully explore the wonders of this park!!! i know i only saw the bare minimum of the sights it has to offer. but i will be forever grateful i had the opportunity to even see that much. and looking forward to returning!