Yellowstone III

Had to have second visit to the Midway Basin and Grand Prismatic Hot Springs.  Diane and I went early one morning.

So nice and mellow in the morning.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

The air was very still and it was possible to see swirling columns of steam or "steam devils" forming over the hot water.  The swirling steam would move slowly off the water and then disperse over land. Here you can see one reflecting orange as it moves over the bacterial matts.

Here you can see a giant swirling steam devil over Excelsior Geyser.  Diane with her white jacket and purple hat is at the right.

Beehive Geyser erupts on Geyser Hill.

We chartered a boat on Lake Yellowstone.

The boat ride alone was a blast.

I caught a beautiful cutthroat trout casting a big spoon.

I tried to be very gentle with the fish.  Got it back in the water quickly.

Alex loved driving the boat.

We managed for a while to just have storms around us.  Then one chased us off the lake.  Too much lightening and thunder to be out on the water.  Catching one nice fish was a bit disappointing.  Especially to everyone who didn't catch one.

Its clear from the smiles that everyone enjoyed the outing.

Our window at the Old Faithful Inn.  Ours is at the far left second floor.  We had a nice big room.

Its an amazing old lodge.  The crown jewel of the parks if you ask me.

Another eruption of Old Faithful.  We saw it erupt more than a dozen times.

Daisy Geyser under threatening skies.

One last eruption of Riverside Geyser.

Cool very red-orange pool.

Great Fountain Geyser. More Rain.

We had a nice cookout.  Because of the drizzle the picnic area was empty.

Steaming Old Faithful on the last morning walk.

Old Faithful Inn above Anemone Geyser.

The sun fights its way through above the drainage of Pump Geyser

Doublet Pool on Geyser Hill

Pump Geyser

One More time for Old Faithful from the deck at the Old Faithful Inn.  The crowd give you a nice sense of size.

Emerald Pool in Black Basin.

The bacterial mats have very interesting structures.

Black Opal Pool at Biscuit Basin.

Sapphire Pool.  

Diane's new favorite.

Bart got to do some driving.

Diane and Bart at the the Dragon's mouth.

Alex at the Mud Volcano.

The Family at Black Dragons Cauldron

Churning Cauldron

The Yellowstone Canyon near Tower.

We headed into Lamar Valley, which was full of buffalo.

Lamar Valley was our last taste of the wonders of Yellowstone.  Last time we saw 2 black bears hear.  Alas, we would see no bears on this trip.  Even without a bear sighting, it was a great trip.

We drove out through the North West entrance at Cooke City.  The goal was the Beartooth Highway, claimed by some to be the most beautiful drive in the US.  It was cloudy with a bit of rain but it did not disappoint.  There was plenty of snow at the top.

There was a stop at the pass.  Amazing views of the valley below.  We really dropped out of the sky.  We were now heading home.  Only about 1300 miles to go.  

You can see Devils Tower on the horizon.  Didn't have time to stop there this trip.   Maybe next time. After a stop to sleep in Murdo, we were home the following evening.  Great trip with lots of wonderful memories.  Already can't wait to return to Yellowstone.  Maybe in the winter next time.