Mammoth Springs

From the wondrous Yellowstone Canyon we continued on the Grand Loop Road to Mammoth Springs via Tower Roosevelt. This road is unpassable during the winter months and no wonder, as it twists and turns and has steep shingly sides in many places. Most people seem to have gigantic trailers pulled by vehicles resembling army trucks or bus like vehicles behind which they pull large cars used for sightseeing and in icy conditions these would be difficult to keep on the road. We had several mirthful comments about our mini trailer and the small vehicle towing it, however there were at least three such vehicles in the camping ground. For us, small was great.

Grand Loop Road between Canyon Village and Tower Roosevelt

Absaroka Mountains behind Dunraven Pass

Dunraven Pass, Yellowstone

At the top of Dunraven Pass - 8,859 feet - the mountain tops appear to be almost on a level with the road. Fire has been through this area just a few years ago and the new growth's sharp green contrasts with the black and rust of the dead trees. Just a few miles down the road  and we were on the lower slopes where fields of wildflowers were a delight to see. Unfortunately these pictures must remain in my head as the car was moving too fast to capture any images. The daisy like flower below was snapped in the Dunraven Pass.

Another delight was waiting for us as we rounded a bend and saw cars and two buses lining the road ahead.

It must be . . .  a BEAR!

Following the mile long camera lenses of the crowd, we saw it!    Wonderful!

Black Bear, Yellowstone

People were out of their cars and  buses and there were two rangers there as well so I was out of our car like a shot, feeling that there was a considerable distance between the bear tree and the road. Nevertheless I decided that if it did come out of the tree and decide to object to being admired, my escape route would be the open door of the bus a few metres from my vantage point!

Black Bear, Yellowstone

 After a nimble descent from the tree, the bear ambled off to some other trees further away from the annoying crowds. I then realised just how big was the small cute black bear UP the tree really was.
Excitement over, we continued on our way to Mammoth Springs very happy to have seen such a magnificent animal in the wild.

Mammoth Springs seen from the Upper Terrace

Mammoth Hot Springs is near the North Entrance of the Park and this is where the famous limestone terraces are found. Again, the bright yellow - red colours are caused by micro oganisms that live in the water. When the springs are not flowing much these diminish, resulting in much more bright, white terraces. And bright it was - I was soon fishing around for my sunglasses. Another interesting observation was that the colours look brighter from a different position. Maybe the angle of the sunlight . . ?

Terraces, Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone

The orange strip is where water recently flowed. I loved the contrast of the burnt trees standing in a river of white.
Once again I was last to be ready to leave! I had to pull myself away from the unique beauty of the place and join my family. There was plenty more to see and do . . . .

Yellowstone - West Thumb - Madison

We entered Yellowstone from the South Entrance . . . 

South Yellowstone

 . . . and arrived at Grant Village, West Thumb, mid afternoon in time to set up and take a look around before the crowds arrived. Check in was a lengthy process with the many safety rules being explained to us one by one. This didn't bother us when we were told that a bear had been seen in F Loop where we had our site just 45 minutes earlier!  

West Thumb - Grant Village

Grant Village is situated on the very end of Yellowstone Lake  - like on the nail of the thumb.
F Loop was in a quiet area very near the lake and this was where our hopeful fisherman took himself, closely followed by his father. Maybe the fact that we had been told that the bear had come up out of the lake and into F Loop was the reason that they returned surprisingly early but maybe it was just that the fish were not biting!

Campsite fireplace

We were told that this year there had been 300% the yearly average of snow and that the lake and rivers were very full with the protracted snow melt and that many animals had been very hungry until a few weeks ago. 
The next morning after our normal breakfast of rolled oats porridge and honey, we left the village at 10am  bound for Old Faithful but it didn't take long for the realisation that we were actually in a wild place to sink in as we frequently came across elk and deer on or beside the road.

Elk

This route took us on the Grand Loop across the Continental Divide at 8,391 feet and also Craig Pass at 8,262 feet. The scenery was crisp, green and white - quite a novelty for us sub tropical dwellers. Just beautiful! 

Lodgepole Pines

We stopped at Kepler Cascades on the Firehole River. . .

Kepler Cascades

Firehole River near Kepler Cascades

. . .  where we met several other touring parties, all in holiday mode - friendly and happy.

Our dog goes everywhere with us!

 Before long we were waiting for Old Faithful to put on a show for us, and after a few minutes . . . 

Old Faithful, Yellowstone

. . Old Faithful obliged much to the delight of the hundreds of people waiting. The geyser erupts about every 80 minutes so the timing of our arrival was excellent.
After lunch at the historic resturant we continued to Midway Geyser Basin where the Excelsior Geyser Crater and the Grand Prismatic Springs are located.

Firehole River at Midway Geyser Basin

As we arrived we could see steam rising in clouds and hot water falling into the river. We were soon out of the car and off to explore this exciting and colourful place. As we walked we were alternately bathed in cold then hot air - quite an odd feeling!

Excelsior Crater

The Excelsior Geyser - its crater is 200 feet across - erupted in the 1800s to a reported 300 feet but hasn't erupted for many years. It does seem to enjoy throwing up clouds of steam and hot water to keep humans from getting too close. 

Prismatic Springs

The Prismatic Spring, 200 - 350 feet across - is Yellowstone's largest hot spring.

close up photo of colourful bacteria

Amazingly there are some algae that thrive in such hot conditions - thermophilic bacteria. One enzyme from such bacteria, Thermus aquaticus -  has been developed for medical use and has also played a role in the development of DNA screening.

Hot Spring, Midway Geyser Basin

 The yellow and orange colours are actually harmful bacteria in that they are swallowing up the different blue coloured ones. Aparently, over the years people have been throwing things into the geysers in an effort to have them erupt and give them a show and this practice has resulted in foreign bodies clogging up the works and altering the bacterial balance detrimentally.

Prismatic Spring

From here we followed the Firehole River to the Lower Geyser Basin to see the area known as Fountain Paintpot. 

Fountain Paintpot

Spring at Fountain Paintpot

Steaming Spring at Fountain Paintpot

Fountain Paintpot

We then continued to Madison Junction where, as we came around a corner and over a bridge, we were met with this amazing sight ! Herds of bison !

Herd of Bison at Madison Junction

Bison Encounter

We returned to West Thumb in the early evening and encountered many wild animals on the roadside. I was reminded every time that I could not get out of the car to take photos. I wouldn't want to be up close to this beast ! Bison can run three times faster than a human - and I take it that that does not mean a plus aged runner like myself but more of an Olympic type. Every year bison inflict terrible injuries on photo taking humans who show them no respect by invading their space.  One animal we were surprised to see walking along the road was a lone wolf. He was terribly sad looking - quite emaciated  - so I guess that he must have offended his pack in some way and been cast out.


And so ended our first day exploring this beautiful and surprising wilderness!