Old Faithful from up close and from the Lodge
Yellowstone is the world's first national park. Established in 1872, it has 22 million acres of alpine lakes and rivers, but the most interesting features are the geysers, mud caldrons and bubbling paint pots. The park is also home to a rich variety of wildlife, including elk, bison, bears and wolves.
Old Faithful from up close
and from the Lodge
Yellowstone possesses close to 60% of the world's geysers. Within one square mile, there are at least 150 of these hydrothermal wonders. Of this remarkable number, only 5 major geysers are regularly predicted by the naturalist staff, and the most famous of these is Old Faithful. We sat up close, but as the eruption began, we moved to stay dry! After lunch at the Lodge, it was almost time for the next eruption (about 70 minutes apart), so we grabbed a rocker in the Lodge and enjoyed it again -- and the view was actually better since you could see the entire plume of water and steam.
The odor of sulphur is everywhere, so you smell the geysers before you see the steam rising. Little puffs of steam rise everywhere, even from collapsed sections of parking lots! Following trails to and around the geysers brings you experiences in sound, color and smell. Many of the geysers are acidic, and the temperatures range from the boiling point (199 degress at this elevation) to 459 degrees near Norris, on the north side of the park. You also will notice the destruction caused by the massive fires of 1988. I was constantly reminded of the Mt. St. Helens area. It appeared that no area of the park escaped damage, and it was really depressing.
photo
by Kay Claybar
photo by Kay Claybar