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Sunday, October 16, 2016

Yellowstone Geysers & Hot Springs

August 20th was our last day in Yellowstone National Park, and we used it to visit as many of the geysers and hot springs as we could. I should preface this post by saying that there are so many geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone that I couldn't begin to share everything we saw on that day. Consider this a sampling.

Terrace Springs

Milbert's Tortoiseshell Butterfly, Flame Skimmer Dragonfly, Mormon Fritillary Butterfly
(all seen in Biscuit Geyser Basin)

A scene in Biscuit Geyser Basin

Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Geyser Basin

Jewell Geyser at rest and the same geyser erupting

Osprey, carrying fish, flying above Firehole River in Upper Geyser Basin

Castle Geyser at rest

Giant Geyser
(Last two eruptions were September 28, 2015 and January 22, 2010.)

Firehole River

Morning Glory Pool

Morning Glory Pool was named for it's once-blue color that resembled the deep blue of its namesake flower. Apparently, over the years, people have tossed coins and other debris into the pool. The debris became imbedded in the sides and vent of the spring. As its temperature dropped, orange and yellow bacteria that formerly colored only the periphery of the spring now spread toward its center, changing the color of the water to green. It's still beautiful, but not with the same beauty that it once had.

Riverside Geyser

Riverside Geyser is always a favorite of ours. Situated on the bank of the Firehole River, it's one of the most picturesque geysers in the national park. It's eruptions, spaced about 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 hours apart, last about 20 minutes. If you look closely at the above photos, you'll see a rainbow in the mist.

Daisy Geyser

Daisy was our last geyser of the day. After that, we enjoyed supper at the Old Faithful cafeteria, then headed back to our motel in West Yellowstone. The West Entrance Road is often a good place to view elk in the late afternoon and evening. We didn't see any large groups on this night, but a lone female in the river was worth a stop.

Elk along West Entrance Road

Today's video is a little longer than usual (about 5 minutes total), but I wanted to give you the opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of bubbling hot springs and erupting geysers. Hope you find these things as fascinating as Doug and I do.



We left Yellowstone the next day and drove to Estes Park, Colorado, where we spent the last two days of our vacation. More on that next time.

12 comments:

  1. That is a lot to fit in a short time. I can imagine how many shots you had to go through and how hard it was to pick your best. Liked the Dougementery at the end. LOL Can you imagine the first people to travel there?Thanks for sharing!

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  2. You have some really fabulous shots of the pools, such great color! And watching those clips at the end, actually, felt like I was there, too.
    Thank you so much for sharing.

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  3. it was some 35 years ago i visited yellowstone. i still remember the smell of sulfur at some of them. :) sad that human interference changed the color of morning glory.

    loved the butterflies, too.

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  4. Thanks for the beautiful photos (and videos) and the wonderful memories they recalled.

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  5. Wonderful photos and video, Linda! I can see the rainbow in the Riverside Geyser, how amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this tour, I feel as though I am there with you!

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  6. Yellowstone has so much beauty.Some of the pictures look familiar to me,as I have been there perhaps some 40 years ago.

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  7. Steve - You gave us a smile with your "Dougumentary" comment. :) I never visit Yellowstone but what I think about what it must have been like to be the first to see it. It's truly an amazing place.

    Toni - Thanks for your kind comment. I'm glad you've enjoyed "visiting" Yellowstone with us.

    Theresa - Morning Glory Pool was probably its customary brilliant blue when you were there 35 years ago. Park officials do try to remove debris from the pool annually, but it's apparently a losing battle as some of it gets embedded in the sides and vents. Yes, that sulphur smell is still pretty strong in some areas.

    Glad to do it, George. Thanks for enjoying it with us.

    Thank you, Linda. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the "tour."

    Ruth - Yellowstone is an incredible place, for sure. I hope you can get back there some day. We've been there several times and never tire of it.

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  8. Thanks Linda for sharing some of your BEAUTIFUL pictures! They are fantastic! You're making me want to go back for a visit...maybe next year!

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    1. As you know, Diane, we never tire of Yellowstone...even if we don't get the lodging bargains that you and Terry do. :)

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  9. These are fascinating scenes, Linda, great photos. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the video, it was interesting to see the spots both in your captures and Doug's footage, they were the same and yet not the same… More and more interesting.

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    1. Thanks, Petra. Snapshots of the bubbling hot springs and the erupting geysers just can't give one a true sense of the experience. Neither can the video, really; but it definitely helps. It's time consuming to sort through all the video and select and edit clips to include on the blog; but I think it's worth it in the end.

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    2. I think the effort is worth it, Linda. The videos are nice addition to your photographs as they show the overall scene with all the movement that's there. Moreover, the videos you prepare are not too long to be watched and one can always choose whether to watch them or not.

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