Day 37 - Yellowstone

The first impressive sight in this enormous Park was the Mammoth Hot Springs. Boiling thermal water flows down a hill forming several terraces/pools and building up colored limestone deposits. The colors change depending on the minerals in the water. It could be white, creamy, yellowish, or light brown. It looked amazing and smelled like rotten eggs due to the high sulfur content.

The visiting area of the thermal springs and Geysers was well done, with good signpost explanations. The walking path was above ground like a boardwalk, leading us over bridges and bedrock to all the sights. Because it was so cold, the Geysers were visible against the sky with their clouds of steam. The evaporation descends on our heads as light snow. They erupted about every 10-15 minutes. One of them shoots as high as 60 feet up into the air. It was spectacular to watch.

Later, we cruised around the Park, looking for wildlife. Luck was on our side. We got to see Elk, Deer, Buffalo, and a Grizzly. At one point, a Black Bear was trotting comfortably on the road before us.

We spent the night at an official Park Campground. A cute, small rabbit was hopping around our camper. There are Grizzly warning signs everywhere, and probably for good reason.Read more