Yellowstone

Old Faithful, attracting a crowd

     In August we drove out to Yellowstone National Park.  Actually, it was Tom's idea, to re-do our family gathering there 20 years ago.  It must have been a great idea; brother Jeff and many from his family came out, as did sisters Suzy and Mary with their husbands and Mary's son Scott.  Cyndi and I set out across the plains, through South Dakota and Wyoming, around the Black Hills and up across the Big Horn Mountains and into Yellowstone through some of the most spectacular scenery on the continent.  Here are a couple photos from the route:

Through the Big Horn Mountains

Buffalo Bill Highway west of Cody, Wyoming

Huge dam and reservoir in Absaroka Mountains

     Our last trip to Yellowstone occurred just after the huge fires in 1988, where over 1/3 of the park was burned.  Back then we saw many areas reduced to charred stumps and little greenery - the trees, where there were any, were small saplings.  I wanted to see what nature has done to the Park in the interim.  Well, relax, nature did just fine - all over the park were stands of lodgepole pines 10 foot to 20 foot tall, so thick you couldn't walk through them off a trail.  Observe:

Regrowth in 24 years

It's a fact of nature that the these pines need fire to re-seed, so fire is nature's way of renewing the forests.  My fears that the Park would never recover in my lifetime were quite overblown.  The regeneration of new forests was, in a word, stunning.

     Cyndi, I, Tom and his girlfriend Deb hiked each day in different areas in and near the park.  Here are a few photos:

Suzy, Mary & Scott on break

Deb and Rick hiking atop a valley

Rick, Cyndi & Tom at Ice Lake

     Mary, Bob and Scott hiked often with us - here are some photos of them too:

Bob, Mary, Scott

Hey, guys, uh . . . hey, guys . . .

     That buffalo above came pretty close, and gave us a few nervous moments - they are not animals you want to get close to.  But we edged around him and eventually he lumbered off.

   We took day hikes to some waterfalls and little-visited geysers off the main drag:

Fairy Falls

Mystic Falls

Saw this en route - guess who?

View overlooking Upper Geyser Basin & Old Faithful area

     Speaking of the buffalo, they are all over.  Here are a couple resting in the geyser valley near Old Faithful; we saw many along the roads.  Also elk are all around too.  Bruce went off to see wildlife way across the park several days - but this elk popped up right near the general store adjacent to the Inn:

Buffalo in Upper Geyser Basin

Elk grazing

     A day was devoted to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where the river pours over a ledge and created this spectacular canyon by exposing the yellow rock - hence, the name.  It's hard to see from photos, but there are still little fumeroles and hot springs popping out from the canyon walls.  We hiked down the east side, up a mountain, then back around:

View to the high falls

Here, the lower falls

Looking down.  Way down.

View down the valley

Another down-valley look

     Of course, the geysers, hot springs, mud pots and thermal features were astounding.  Everyone takes photos, these try but just cannot capture the magic of being there:

Firehole River, near Old Faithful

Upper Geyser Basin

Getting ready . . .

Hot spring in Upper Geyser Basin

Grotto Geyser

Spray Geyser

Constant Geyser

Lone Star Geyser - must hike to it.

Cyndi & Rick at Lone Star Geyser

Whirlagig Geyser

View down the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful

Norris Geyser Basin (a small portion)

Amoebas in the runoff water create the colors

Sapphire Pool

Hot spring

Steamboat Geyser cone

Just a little guy near the river

Grand Geyser - our favorite!

Grotto & its neighbor

Riverside Geyser - always worth the walk

Pool in the Middle Geyser Basin

Lower Firehole River at dawn

Fountain Paint Pots

Lion Geyser near sunset.

     We stayed at the Old Faithful Inn.  It's a legend, built at the turn of the century of logs & stone found right here, right at the side of Old Faithful Geyser and at the top of the Upper Geyser Basin.  There's a porch up on the second floor overlooking everything, where we all met for drinks before dinner and a chance to re-cap the day.  Here's an idea of what the place is like:

The main entranceway

East wing of rooms

Main building

All the railings etc. were made this way!

Main lobby with fireplace

Lounge, just off the deck - Jeff & family

The deck

Support beams!

That's Old Faithful Geyser

Main lobby again, Mary taking a photo

That's why - looking up from the lobby!

All supports are of wood with trim

     So we stayed atop the largest active volcano in the world in a National Historic Landmark hotel.  After a wonderful, but far too short week, we had to get back into the car and re-cross Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota back home.  It's 2 days drive each way, but wow, what a time!  Here's a group photo - note the custom T-shirts!

Grand Geyser again - it is truly Grand.