After an adventurous and action packed day we reached West Yellowstone for our night halt of day 3. We checked into Clubhouse Inn where we were given comfortable rooms to rest our weary selves. Then we had dinner at China Town a popular but crowded Chinese Restaurant. In fact there were busloads of Chinese tourists who had been chasing us/preceding us throughout the day during our visits to various tourist spots. These groups also halted at W.Yellowstone. Fortunately we soon could find a table for 4 and settled down comfortably to enjoy out Chinese meal. But soon hordes of Chinese tourists started trooping in. Looked like these guys had not had decent Chinese food in a long time. Soon large queues had formed and there was a lot of chattering in Mandarin - ordering food and also exchanging notes on the events that transpired that day. Since there were few tables most of them were compelled to carry away food packs. Next morning we got up early and after a quick break fast took off
towards West Yellowstone Waterfalls. Enroute we sighted more bison herds
and elk groups. We were also fortunate to see a couple of Bald Eagles
perched atop a tall pine tree. The waterfalls and the surrounding
landscape was spectacular.
Club House Inn where we spent the night
We captured this magnificent beast on the way to W.Yellowstone Falls
Mira breaks into song on arrival at falls area
Directions to Lower & Upper Falls
Distant View of the Falls
Yellowstone River
Closer view of the falls
Yellowstone River
Mother & Daughter happily posing
River above & Falls below
Rock formation at yellowstone basin
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River- Above & below.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River slices through an ancient hydro thermal basin. The basin developed in rhyolithic lava and ash that flowed into the Yellowstone Caldera about 500,000 years ago. The river carved this spectacular canyon through the hardened lava and welded ash.Hot areas and steam vents still exist here.They allow heat,gases and hot water to escape from the underground Yellowstone volcano.
Family photo at West Yellowstone Falls. Video of the falls below.
Our next destination was the Midway Geyser Basin comprising of Excelsior
geyser, Grand Prismatic Spring, Opal pool & Turquoise pool.We
discovered the hydro-thermal wonders along a fully accessible half mile
board walk trail. The Grand prismatic spring is the largest and one of
Yellowstone's most brilliant & colorful hot springs.Its massive
expanse stretches approx. 200 ft across. Due to the high temperature of
the water - 160 deg.Fahrenheit- the spring is often cloaked in
steam.Deep beneath, magma from an active volcano heats water that rises
to the surface through fissures in the rock. The result is a hot spring
that pours almost 500 gallons of hot water each minute into the Firehole
River.The intense blue color in the center of this hot spring is due to
sunlight being scattered by fine particles suspended in the water. The
yellow, orange and brown colors encircling the hot spring are caused by
Thermophiles or heat loving micro-organisms - these microbes contain
colorful pigments that allow them to draw energy from the sunlight and
thrive in the harsh conditions of the hot springs. Three videos have been uploaded. Please enjoy these panoramic views.
Entering the Midway Geyser Basin
The Firehole River
Hot Springs water pouring into the Firehole River
Bridge crossing across the river
Thick cloak of steam
Spectacular View of Grand Prismatic Spring
Colorful heat loving Micro-Organisms or Thermophiles
Colorful heat loving Micro-Organisms or Thermophiles
After Mammoth Hot Springs we headed towards West Yellowstone where we
planned our night halt on day 3 of our tour. It was late afternoon and
we saw more amazing sights and spectacular views en-route.Some of these
incredible pics can be seen above & below. I have also posted a video of a wayside geyser spouting steam and resulting ice crystals formed due to sudden cooling.
Doesn't this rock formation resemble a huge mammoth with long years ? Mammoth is a Giant Beast that lived in the Ice Age (now extinct)
Side view of the Mammoth
Pine Forest
We saw this huge bull elk with huge horns hiding in the tall grass - A large crowd was watching this magnificent creature from the road side and clicking away. The elk continued to relax unperturbed
Ice crystal formation in the tree - result of sudden cooling of steam emerging from wayside geyser
After
our morning drive and the trek on the Northern Range Tour we returned
to Mammoth Hot Springs hotel for a leisurely lunch. Next we headed
towards Mammoth Hot Springs which is a short drive from the Hotel. Mammoth Hot Springs
is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine.Travertine is
a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs. Travertine often has a
fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and
cream-colored varieties. It was created over thousands of years as hot
water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate.
The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line
that runs through limestone and roughly parallel to the
Norris-to-Mammoth road. The limestone is the source of the calcium
carbonate.
The Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces are a popular feature in Yellowstone.
They are sometimes referred to as the White Mountain. The step like
terraces form as heated water moves along the morris Mammoth Fault. The
hot water carries dissolved calcium and bi carbonate to the surface of
the terraces where carbon di oxide escapes as gas and the carbonate
combines with calcium to precipitate as travertine. Shallow circulation along this corridor allows Norris' superheated
water to slightly cool before surfacing at Mammoth, generally at about 170 °F(80 °C).Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.
White Wilderness
You can see the steam billowing in the air - above and below
