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Buffalo Among Wildflowers
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010As we entered the park and approached the Lamar Valley, we could tell it was going to be a special evening. The light was already nice and the wildlife was out and active.
Keep Right
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010This slow moving buffalo stayed to the right as it made its way down the edge of the highway.
Pronghorn
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010A pair of pronghorn antelope wandered out of the sagebrush as we entered the valley. I’ve never had much luck shooting these skittish creatures so I was pleased to get a couple decent images of them within my first hour in the park.
Dinnertime
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010I love this view of the valley. I can picture Teddy Roosevelt out there somewhere on a horse.
The Lamar Valley doesn’t get the visitor count of the more famous geyser basins to the south but this is the place to be for anyone wishing to enjoy an afternoon safari. At the right time of day—and with a little luck—one can observe wolves, bear, fox, deer, and an assortment of other creatures in addition to pronghorn and the ubiquitous buffalo.
Stud
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010
Fly Fishing
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010I spotted this fisherman as I drove over a bridge high above him. The light was catching his line beautifully so I pulled over and walked back to the bridge to take a few shots. It wasn’t long before a buddy of his on the riverbank ratted me out, at which point his technique went...downhill. He was fortunate not to embed a hook in himself. I left as soon as I realized I was messing him up. This was a shot I captured before he became aware of my presence.
Buffalo Herd Approaching the River
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010What originally attracted me to this scene was a group of buffalo rolling around on their backs. In doing so they created a giant dust cloud filled with eerie buffalo silhouettes. Unfortunately for me, this behavior did not last long enough for me to capture it.
Deer Nibbling on Wildflowers
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010This little guy was right along the road. I was not inclined to stop since we see groups of deer wandering through our yard—and often eating my flowers—year round. The Boy, on the other hand, wanted to stop. To my surprise, the deer continued to munch away on wildflowers despite the unexpected company.
The Sun Sets on the Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010My hope and expectation was to spend the hour around sunset photographing Mammoth Hot Springs. The extended delay for road construction earlier in the afternoon eliminated that possibility, a fortunate turn of events as it turned out. We enjoyed our evening drive through the Lamar Valley so much that we decided to drive it again the following day.
Twilight at Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010By the time we arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs the sun had set. We decided to explore the boardwalks anyway since this was Lewis’ first time here. We were moving at a fast clip so I just grabbed my iPhone—hence the grain in this ISO 1000 image.
Canary Spring by Moonlight
Mammoth Hot Springs —Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010After enjoying dinner on the upper terrace, I headed back out onto the boardwalk to capture Canary Spring by moonlight. Canary is one of the two most active springs at Mammoth.
Mammoth Hot Springs Under the Stars
Mammoth Hot Springs —Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 23, 2010
Rainbow
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010It’s hard to take a bad shot of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone; this one was captured with my iPhone at the brink of the Lower Falls. Contrary to conventional photographic wisdom, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is at its best in the light of late morning and early afternoon. No need to get up early or stay up late. Just hope the sun doesn’t disappear behind clouds, taking all that glorious color with it. If you want to see a rainbow appear in the mist from the brink of the Upper or Lower Falls, show up in early afternoon. The rainbow doesn’t appear until the sun is behind the overlook, which faces east.
Lewis at the Brink of the Lower Falls
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Lower Falls
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Lewis Photographs the Canyon
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010Lewis has grown up looking at a photograph on the wall taken from this viewpoint so he was thrilled to closely duplicate it with his own camera.
Lower Falls From Artist Point
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010Artist Point offers one of the two best views of the canyon and, as such, is one of the must sees in this area of the park. The best time to be here is in late morning, with both the falls and the canyon walls fully illuminated—or so I had always assumed. Visiting for the first time in the late afternoon, I looked back toward the falls and saw exactly what I had expected, canyon walls largely drained of color and the lower falls largely in shade; and something I didn’t expect, a brilliant ribbon of light winding its way through the canyon both above and below the falls. It was spectacular.
Ribbon of Light
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010My new advice: Visit Artist Point in late morning and late afternoon.
Buffalo on the Move
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010Once the clock hit 6:00 pm, we headed back toward the Lamar Valley for another evening safari. This drive would turn out to be even better than the one the day before.
"How did you get so close, Daddy?"
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010We'd just entered the valley when Lewis realized he desperately needed to see a man about a horse. We pulled over and, while he and Darla were in the camper, a pair of buffalo wandered past. The first image was taken while standing next to the camper. This second one was taken through the truck window. The two beasts seem completely indifferent to our presence.
Just Passing Through
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Out For a Walk
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Grizzly Bear
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010We spotted this grizzly bear across Soda Butte Creek near the east end of the Lamar Valley. You aren't supposed to stop when you see wildlife along the road here but everybody does anyway. We would have too except for the fact that a park ranger happened to be right behind us as we spotted it. We had to drive a half mile down the road to a pull out and walk back. We eventually caught back up to it but I only managed to get off three shots before the bear disappeared into the sage brush.
This wasn't the only grizzly in this area. Four days after this image was taken, a grizzly sow and her three cubs would execute three separate attacks on campers sleeping inside their tents at the nearby Soda Butte campground. One person was killed; two others in different tents were mauled. Speculation was that the sow was teaching her three cubs to hunt humans. All four bears were eventually caught. The mother was put down; the cubs are now in zoos.
Trees
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Walking Back to the Truck
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Catching Up
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Buffalo Encounter
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010Once one spends any time at Yellowstone, it is easy to take buffalo for granted. They are everywhere. Yet it was our encounter with these creatures that was the highlight of this evening’s drive. It began just after the grizzly disappeared into the sagebrush. We had driven less than a mile down the road when we spotted yet another herd. What made this sighting special was not the animals but the light. We parked along the side of the road and, with no other cars in sight, Lewis and I jumped out of the truck to take a look.
The Herd
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010It was completely quiet except for the sounds of buffalo snorting and chuffing. The mosquitoes that had plagued us along Soda Butte Creek were completely absent here, making it easy to focus on shooting what ended up being hundreds of images. At one point I had contemplated renting a 600mm lens for this trip. I’m glad I didn’t. My 100-400mm was long enough to capture compositions featuring individual buffalo and, eventually, buffalo head shots.
Watching Me Watching You
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Sullivan, Is That You?
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010It wasn’t until I started having to back up to get these head shots that I realized how close I was; the entire herd had walked over to me. This explained why Lewis had bolted for the truck.
(If you're wondering, Sullivan is John Goodman's character in Monsters, Inc.)
Buffalo Portrait
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010In some circumstances my situation would be cause for concern but, in this case, these buffalo all knew I was here. They had been watching me the entire time I was watching them. Clearly, if they were approaching me, I was safe. Besides, they couldn’t see me if I didn’t move. No. Wait. That was the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. I wondered if this was the conversation a person had with himself right before he was gored.
Enjoying the View
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Gazing While Grazing
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010Eventually I moved behind the truck, then into it, as the entire herd crossed the road in front of me. Awesome.
Straggler
Lamar Valley—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Burned Trees
Chittenden Road Junction—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Boy Captures an Image at Dusk
Chittenden Road Junction—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Catching a Ride
Chittenden Road Junction—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Return to Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010Since it was dark by the time we arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs a couple days earlier, we decided to make a return trip. I was somewhat ambivalent about this. In the 22 years since I first explored this park, it is Mammoth Hot Springs that has changed the most. To my eye, it appears to be slowly drying up and dying. Most of the once colorful terraces have turned gray. It is still worth the effort for anyone who has never seen this massive formation. This is why we came back—so Lewis would have a chance to see the springs in the daylight.
Darla and Lewis in Front of an Active Hot Spring
Mammoth Hot Springs—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Searching for Bighorn Sheep
North Entrance Road—Yellowstone National Park, Montana
Sunday, July 25, 2010The other reason for returning to this corner of the park was A Certain B.O.Y.'s desire to see bighorn sheep. They're difficult to spot at this time of year but the best chance is between the Gardiner entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs. We gave it a shot, but had no luck.
Uncle Tom's Trail
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010Uncle Tom's Trail is a series of stairways and paved inclines that descend 500 feet down into Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The payoff at the end is a nice view of Lower Falls. It isn't as photogenic as the view from Artist Point but getting down to it is a fun little adventure.
"Make Him Grab the Railing!"
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010Seeing Lewis walk down the steep stairways made The Mom very nervous. Being a nearly 8 year old boy, this made Lewis want to find out just how nervous The Mom could get.
Watch Your Step
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010It was clear from the condition of the various stairs that they take a beating. Some had been recently replaced; many others were bent up from obvious impacts with either large rocks or chunks of ice.
Lewis at the Viewpoint
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Old Faithful
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010During the afternoon we met up again with Mimi and Papa T. We all headed to the Upper Geyser Basin for dinner and Old Faithful. Lewis had yet to see a geyser although, like Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, he had grown up with a photograph of an erupting Old Faithful on our hallway wall. I was curious to see how he would react. As it turned out, he really didn't.
Lewis Chimping a Shot
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Mimi and Lewis on the West Thumb Boardwalk
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010West Thumb Geyser Basin is not one of the well known geyser basins in the park but it is definitely worth a stop. Since it was the middle of the day, I left my DSLR back in the camper and brought my iPhone. I thought a few of the images turned out nicely given their humble origins.
Making Our Way Around the Boardwalk
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010One of my favorite Yellowstone memories took place on this boardwalk back in the days before you had to pay a king's ransom to have a "guide" to lead you around the park on a leash during the winter months. Darla and I parked our snowmobiles and walked out onto the boardwalk. It looked like a scene straight off the front of a Christmas card. All the trees were flocked with snow and gigantic snowflakes were fluttering down out of the sky. (I'm not talking about clumps of snow; I'm referring to individual flakes—the biggest I had ever seen.) When Darla noticed one on her jacket she literally screamed. She had somehow managed to grow up without ever realizing that the snowflake shapes she cut out of white paper and taped to the windows in grade school were based on the way snowflakes actually looked. These were so big you could see every amazing detail. This was quite a discovery for her.
Photographing Flowers
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
Yellowstone Lake
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010At the end of this curved peninsula of land is a small pool of boiling water. It is one of several along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Back in the day, fisherman would take the fish they caught and drop them into one of these small pools to cook them.
Complimentary Colors
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
Taking a Break
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
Orange Tendril
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
Mimi Stops for a Shot...
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
...While Papa T Waits
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
We Were Here
West Thumb Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
Grand Prismatic Spring
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010It's always a challenge to photograph Grand Prismatic Spring from the boardwalk. I've never been entirely happy with my results. I keep returning, hoping that if I catch it at the right time of day with the right weather conditions I might be able to come away with an image that does it justice. This iPhone shot probably isn’t it.
Bridge Over the Firehole River
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010Lewis and Mimi paused on the bridge leading to Midway Geyser Basin to discuss his philosophy on when and what he seeks to capture with his videos. In short: always and everything.
Great Fountain Geyser
Firehole Lake Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010At some point in the mid 1990's, I wandered up to Great Fountain Geyser right before it started to erupt. It was near sunset, the sky was ablaze with color, and I sat there watching with no clue just how lucky I was to experience this geyser under those conditions. In the 16 or so years since, I've never managed to see it erupt again. Part of the challenge is that the geyser erupts only once or twice a day and does so on a schedule that can only be predicted down to a four hour window.
On this visit I managed to capture a perfectly still Great Fountain Geyser with White Dome Geyser erupting in the background. The massive depth of field generated by my iPhone's tiny image sensor worked really well in this instance to render the entire scene in focus.
Walking Back to the Truck
Fountain Paint Pot—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010Our mission this afternoon was to explore the southwest corner of the park, the area with most of the geothermal activity. We'd hit the geyser basins at West Thumb and Midway, and different parts of Lower Geyser Basin near Firehole Lake, and now Fountain Paint Pot. The sky was pretty overcast at this point so my photographic activity ended up being confined to the parking area.
Leaping Lewis
Fountain Paint Pot—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010I was glad I pulled out my iPhone when I did or I would have missed this shot. The blur really works for me in this one although I'm not sure how much of it is due to Lewis' motion and how much is due to the image stabilization system of the iPhone. Notice how relatively sharp the left edge of the image is. Weird.
Lewis Watches an Osprey Fish
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010Our last stop of the day was along Fountain Flat Drive. At one time this road ran all the way behind Midway Geyser Basin; it now dead ends a short distance after branching off from the main road. We parked the camper and Mimi, Darla, Lewis, and I walked down to the Firehole River to watch an osprey as it fished for its supper.
Working at Cross Purposes
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010Before long, one of us noticed that the grass along the edge of the river was teeming with blue damselflies. Mimi immediate set out to photograph them while Lewis immediately set out to touch as many of them as he could. Needless to say, this arrangement didn’t exactly work for Mimi.
Checking Out a Capture
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010Having decided to run back to the camper to grab my DSLR and a macro lens, I handed my iPhone to Darla, who captured this great image of Mimi and Lewis viewing one of her damselfly images.
Macrofest
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010
Damselfly
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Monday, July 26, 2010My macro lens was a recent acquisition so I had spent very little time using it. I was surprised at the impossibly shallow depth of field macro shooters have to deal with at even relatively small apertures; and how even tiny movements can render everything in the photograph out of focus. In this case the blades of grass were blowing wildly in the wind so I had to time my shot like one times a photograph of a child moving back and forth on a swing set. Hats off to all you DSLR macro shooters.
Steam
Norris Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010Norris Geyser Basin is the most active geyser basin in the park. It can get crowded so we arrived early—second vehicle in the parking area. Unfortunately, the skies were cloudy and gray until nearly 9:00 am. Then, in a process that took very little time at all, they broke up leaving us with all this blue.
Lewis On the Back Basin Boardwalk
Norris Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Ghost Trees
Norris Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The B.O.Y.
Norris Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Lewis and the Park Ranger
Norris Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010Lewis stopped this park ranger as he walked by to ask where we might find bighorn sheep. His answer was one we had heard before, directing us to places we’d already been more than once. It’s just harder to find them in the middle of summer.
Darla and Lewis near Norris’ Porcelain Basin
Norris Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Mimi and Lewis on a Makeshift See-Saw
Fishing Bridge Campground—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010Fishing Bridge campground has a reputation for being old and crowded. People sometimes complain that you can end up camping two feet away from your neighbor’s rig—true but deceptive. Any rig that close to your own is going to be catty corner to you, not alongside you. Still, Fishing Bridge campground is not much more than an aging parking lot. For a long time, its only redeeming feature had been its electrical hook ups, that is until 2010 when they were turned off. So why would anyone stay here? Because everything else is full; or, more likely, because you own a giant RV and this is the only campground that can accommodate it. This was the case for Mimi and Papa T’s giant 5th wheel.
Beehive Geyser
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010We returned to spend a second evening at Upper Geyser Basin, arriving just in time for the last major eruption of the day, Beehive Geyser. The mist is cool enough to be refreshing on a warm evening but the minerals in the water will permanently bond to the surface of eyeglasses, watch crystals, and camera lenses if not immediately cleaned. I stayed clear.
Seed Heads
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
...and The Boy Comes in First
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Patterns of Orange
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Chromatic Spring
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Supper Time
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010As we wandered along the boardwalk through the Upper Geyser Basin, I heard the plaintiff chirping of baby birds. It didn’t take long to discover five baby swallows, their heads protruding from a small hole in a wooden post with mouths wide open waiting to be fed. Upon seeing us, they retreated into the wooden post—but only temporarily. Their desire to be fed soon overtook any anxiety they might have felt about our presence in the area.
Mimi and The Boy on a Bridge in Upper Geyser Basin
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Dinner For One
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010It wasn’t long before one of the parents appeared with dinner, an insect that had unwittingly found itself on the wrong end of the day’s food chain. The chicks tussled over which one of them would be fed. The rest would have to wait.
The Formerly Blue Morning Glory Pool
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010The gorgeous blue that once characterized Morning Glory Pool has all but disappeared as the vent has become increasingly clogged by coins and other foreign objects tossed in by park visitors. At least once, the Park Service has attempted to vacuum out the vent to restore the flow of hot water into the pool.
Lewis & Darla at Morning Glory Pool
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Mimi Photographs Morning Glory Pool
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Three to Go
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010On the way back from Morning Glory, Lewis and I swung back by the swallow nest to check on the hungry chicks. Three of them were still waiting for dinner.
Arrival
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Dinner is Served...Again
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Preparing for Departure
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sawmill Geyser
Upper Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Great Fountain Geyser
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010Great Fountain Geyser was once again sleeping when we dropped by to check on it at end of day. No eruption was no surprise but it was nevertheless a beautiful sight on a pleasant evening.
Lewis Wanders Into Mimi’s Frame
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Lewis Laughs at Mimi’s Partially Dislodged Shoe
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Great Fountain Geyser Sleeps as Night Falls
Fountain Flat Drive—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A Good Omen
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010Our last day in Yellowstone began with a good omen—a red ladybug which inadvertently wandered into The Boy’s sphere of influence.
A Higher Perspective
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010Mimi and Papa T were parting ways with us after one last stop, a return to Midway Geyser Basin. Instead of returning to the boardwalk we were seeking a different perspective—a higher perspective. Grand Prismatic Spring can only be fully appreciated from the air. If you’ve seen a park video featuring a flyover of the spring you already know what I mean. However, unless you’re willing to sneak an ultralight into the park (and suffer the consequences) this isn’t an option. Fortunately the higher ground that surrounds Midway Geyser Basin on two sides provides an alternative. There are no officially sanctioned trails leading up in either direction but there are trails nonetheless. They are steep and slippery with no railings at the viewpoints—in other words, proceed at your own risk—but they offer the best and only means for an aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring.
The View East
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010Which view is better, looking east or looking west, is going to depend on the light. A nice day with the sun shining at your back while you view the spring is ideal. Cloud cover dulls the colors dramatically so be patient and wait for a sun break on a partly cloudy day.
The view looking east is accessible via a trail/bike path that takes visitors north along the back of MGB to Fairy Falls and Goose Lake. Park in the first parking area south of Midway Geyser Basin to access the trailhead. (RV’s will have to park in a pullout along the main road.) Follow the bike path north for a short distance until you see distinct trails leading up the side of the hill. There are many paths up which should all lead, more or less, to the one clearing on the hillside that provides a relatively tree-free view of the spring.
The Clearing
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Edge of the Spring
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Earth and Sky
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Lewis Checks His Shot
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010The Boy discovered some insect life living along the edge of the spring and decided to take a few macros.
Yellow Wildflowers
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Race
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010Papa T had been asking for a number of months prior to this trip whether or not Lewis was faster than me. My answer was always “maybe”; I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my knees to find out. Lewis had challenged me to several races on this trip and I had won my share of them—but always through the use of trickery and distraction. If it was a foot race of any distance and he was prepared and paying attention, he would always win. The whole time Papa T had been sizing up his competition and, on the way back from climbing up to a viewpoint of Grand Prismatic Spring, decided to give it a go. One second we were all walking back together; the next, they were gone.
The View West
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010The view looking west is accessible via one or more roadside pullouts to the south of the parking area for MGB. They are on the east side of the main road, opposite of the Firehole River. Parking at Midway Geyser Basin and crossing the road is also an option. You’ll see ad hoc trails going up from the road. It’s worth emphasizing that, while you don’t need to be Ueli Steck to climb up to this viewpoint, carelessness could get you killed at the top. It’s straight down. Parents keep track of your kids.
The Climb From the Camper
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Ribbons of Orange
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Firehole River
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Boy and Dad Enjoy the View
Midway Geyser Basin—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010I find it a little surprising that the park service doesn’t provide a reasonable trail to either of these viewpoints but the upside is that neither viewpoint is particularly crowded. We shared the western viewpoint with a handful of other people; the eastern viewpoint we had to ourselves. That’s something that can’t be said about very many places in Yellowstone at this time of year.
Lewis by His Sign
Lewis Falls—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010A Certain Boy decided we should stop to explore Lewis Falls, near the southern entrance to the park. It was our final stop in Yellowstone.
Lewis at Lewis Falls
Lewis Falls—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Lewis River
Lewis Falls—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Lewis Admires His River
Lewis Falls—Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010previous image set: Beartooth Highway, Montana-Wyoming
next image set: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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