After the tour of the geysers it was almost dark before we left on our final lap for the day - a 2 hour drive to Mammoth Springs Hotel. We reached around 8.30 at night and temperatures continued to below 32 degree F. We checked into a warm & comfortable double bedded log cabin room where five of us stayed. The room was smaller than expectation but sufficient. After freshening up we decided to go to the Dining Hall for dinner. We could hear the moose mating calls resounding from the nearby hills. The hall was full and we had to wait for around 20 mts to get a table. The diners were mostly Americans but there were quite a few Asians too. I could count at least three Indian families including us. We feasted on vegetable soup,bread sticks and pasta and the atmosphere was lively with soft lilting piped music.The young lady who attended to us was very courteous and ever smiling. I understood that she worked the hotel at nights to pay her graduate school expenses.
After a good nights sleep I got up early and walked around with my camera to shoot a few pics. The temperature was close to 15 degree F. Very very cold indeed considering that water freezes at 32 degree F . I could see frost deposits on the sprawling lawns of the resort as also on the windshields of quite a few vehicles. It was quite amazing as I had never such thick deposits of frost before.The surrounding scenery was spectacular & captivating. The sky was bright and clear and the sunrise was sparkling. Some of these shots are shown below: My personal favorites are that of the moose which made an unexpected appearance near the grocery store and created a flutter.
Welcome Sign to Hot Springs area
Front View of Hotel Entrance & Lobby
All Ladies Check-in crew
Dining Hall & Lounge
Gas fired Fire Place in the Lobby (The logs are artificial)
Cottages where we spend the night
Shopping Mall across from the Dining Area
Snacks & Beverages Bar
Caught the elusive Magpie
A bold semi domesticated elk that has strayed into the hotel area
Grazing peacefully without Fear unmindful of the people around
Nice view of mountain & cottages snapped from the Terrace Grill Windows
After witnessing the grand and spectacular eruption at Old Faithful we went into the Old Faithful Inn. The rustic-style lodge, with log and wood shingle exterior is located
adjacent to the world famous Old Faithful Geyser. The original part of
the Inn, known as the "Old House" was completed in 1904 and includes an
immense lobby with a huge stone fireplace.We ordered hot steaming coffee and English muffins and also visited the rest rooms. Having thus refreshed and satiated, we re-emerged from the Inn to talk a long walk around the Old Faithful Geyser. There were nice wooden walkways and we could see a large number of smaller geysers many of them emitting steam. The views were spectacular. We could walk quite close to these geysers and saw some amazing formations,patterns and colors in the basins surrounding the geysers.It was dusk and daylight had started fading. This added to the lustre, beauty and brilliance of the place. During our meanderings we found a beautiful river flowing alongside the geysers area and we were given to understand that the river water in this region remains warm due to the proximity to the hot springs. The walk was invigorating and we could feel the energy zipping through our veins !
Hi There ! At the outset my humble apologies for disappearing from the blogging world for more than 6 weeks. Immediately on my return to India I got caught up in a whirlpool of issues. My house was nearing completion and my civil engineer had gone into hibernation when I was away in Boise.He had to be prodded,pushed and reactivated. Next Coimbatore has been experiencing severe power cuts upto as much as14 hours or more a day which seriously affects the amount of computer/internet time available. Additionally my home internet cable was damaged hence I was unable to connect internet during nights. Then there were business issues which had to be tackled/attended to on priority and which required my undivided and dedicated attention. And of course a bit of laziness and lethargy from my side - I am sure with better time management I could have recommenced blogging a couple of weeks earlier.
For those who have been keenly awaiting my next post and have been checking off and on - thanks for your immense patience and your considerate and wonderful comments. I shall endeavor not to repeat such long inexplicable gaps in my blogging in future.
To continue my wanderings in the US, after Lewis Falls we continued on our way to Yellowstone which we reached by evening. We drove straight to the most famous geyser in Yellowstone - The Old Faithful . I had never been to a hot water spring before and hence this was of special significance. The temperature at Old Faithful was near or below freezing - hovering around 25-30 degree Fahrenheit. ( 32 degree F is the freezing temperature of water !) I have never experienced sub zero temperature before, hence this was another first for me. We had brought with us necessary protective clothing like woolen overcoats,woolen socks,thermal underwear,woolen/leather gloves,ear muffs,scarves,balaclavas etc. In spite of being so well equipped my hands were becoming numb & frozen and I had difficulty in handling the camera. The views at Old Faithful were scintillating, extraordinary,incredible,amazing & awesome. About Old Faithful: Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Wyoming in Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name. It is also called the most predictable geographical feature on Earth erupting almost every 91 Minutes. Eruptions can shoot 3,700 to 8,400 US gallons (14,000 to 32,000 L) of
boiling water to a height of 106 to 185 feet (32 to 56 m) lasting from
1.5 to 5 minutes. The average height of an eruption is 145 feet (44 m).
The highest recorded eruption was 185 feet (56 m). Intervals between
eruptions can range from 45 to 125 minutes, averaging 66.5 minutes in
1939, slowly increasing to an average of 90 minutes apart today.
There was a nice gathering of visitors around 100 or so waiting for
the next eruption. Then the eruption happened - slowly to begin with
and in a matter of seconds the intensity picked up and the geyser gushed
up into the air with great pressure and turbulence. This is one of the
most spectacular sights I have ever witnessed. I am presently below a
series of pics clicked there.
We enter Old Faithful Geyser Area
Old Faithful dormant before the next eruption begins - above & below
Eruption about to begin - Old Faithful erupts every 91 minutes
Eruption picks up steam
The pressure starts building up
Eruption gains momentum - above & below
Eruption at its peak at high pressure - above & below
Eruption starts diminishing
Daughter and wife posing in front of Old Faithful Inn - Below is you tube of the Old Faithful in action: Can you spot a rainbow in the eruption?
