Fire In The Hole

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far:  pronghorn, horse, llama, elk, bison, grizzly, bighorn sheep, mule deer, Uinta ground squirrel, wolf, black bear, moose, coyote, fox, bullsnake, bat, white-tailed jackrabbit, mountain goat, yellow-bellied marmot

*Birds we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far: bald eagle, grouse, osprey, magpie, red-tailed hawk, Canada goose, great horned owl, American kestrel, sandhill crane, cliff swallow, mountain bluebird, Ferruginous hawk, cinnamon teal, Clark’s nutcracker, northern flicker, Brewer’s blackbird, red-winged blackbird, Lazuli bunting

 [Click on any photo to enlarge.]

One morning we awoke to a dusting of snow on the hills and mountains but none in the campground.  We took a short drive to see if there was more out on Swan Lake Flats but only saw it on the trees and Bunsen Peak, nothing major in the Mammoth area.  The temperature was
   supposed drop to 25 degrees that night so we disconnected our hose from the water spigot but looks like we didn’t get all of the water out.  It was a little chilly that next morning, even the bull elk could see his breath!

Our plan for that day was a trip to the Norris Geyser Basin and then on to Old Faithful, an annual tradition for us.  We decided to wait till it warmed up a bit so didn’t leave until about 11am, and along the way passed Roaring Mountain which on such a chilly morning had its fumaroles really “roaring”!  Unfortunately when we arrived at the Norris Geyser Basin, there was not a single parking spot available and figured we’d hit it on the way back.

 

We made several stops along the way at places we hadn’t visited in awhile like the Chocolate Pots.  Located along the Gibbon River, these thermal features are “composed of mineral-cemented iron oxides, aluminum, manganese, and nickel, and are further colored by algae”.

 

Along the way we stumbled across another one of those first time experiences.  All that steam coming from the side of the road was being emitted from Beryl Spring, one of the hottest springs in Yellowstone with an average temperature of 196°F.  As we got
out of the car, we noticed what appeared at first to be snow on several of the trees, but as we got closer, we soon realized that because of the cool temperatures in the air, the hot steam from the spring had coated the branches of the trees facing the spring with thick layers of frost, sometimes referred to as hoarfrost.  Quite a spectacular sight!

 

There are many areas in the park where one can see the remains of past forest fires, but one thing we had not noticed before was the number of burnt out trees that look as though their very top should not still be attached and that the slightest breeze would just topple that thin section right off.

 

Our next stop was Terrace Spring, a small grouping of thermal features with a short 1/4 mile boardwalk overlooking a lovely meadow, all just off the main road (in fact you can see part of it from there).  Though this area has no active geysers, it’s still a cool little
       place to walk through with its bubbling pools, rising steam, colorful algae, and an interesting little spider situated on some of that algae!  Russ had spotted it first, and though I really, really, really, don’t like spiders, I had to
   snap a close-up picture of it.  Just so fascinating that it’s able to live near such hot temperatures.  Also had a visit from another daytime bat that kept buzzing around us…maybe it was going after the spider!

 

Firehole Canyon Drive is a one-way side road that takes you through the canyon along the Firehole River, past 800 ft. high lava cliffs as well as the Firehole Falls and Cascades.  The area gets its name because it was once covered by bubbling lava as well as the many thermal features surrounding the river that empty into the it creating warm spots throughout.  It's a very popular place with fishermen because of its abundance of trout.  It had been a couple of years since we’d taken this drive, and we always forget how beautiful and fascinating it is.

Next stop was the Midway Geyser Basin which contains two of Yellowstone’s largest thermal features, Excelsior Geyser Crater and Grand Prismatic Spring.  Excelsior Geyser used to be the largest geyser in the world, but in the late 1800s an explosive eruption destroyed the geyser’s
underground system leaving a 300 ft. wide crater.   There have been rare occasions where it has erupted again over the years, but mainly now it is a deep blue pool that pumps more than 4,000 gallons of hot water per minute down its channels into the Firehole River (photo at right).

 

Continuing along the half mile boardwalk loop takes you past the Turquoise and Opal Pools before arriving at the Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest spring in Yellowstone and second largest in the world.  This oval pool is 200 ft. across so it was impossible for me to get a decent photo of the whole thing from ground level, but here’s
a picture of the informational sign which shows an artist’s rendering of it.  We understand there’s a hiking trail up the hill behind the Basin which would give you a spectacular view...perhaps next year. J  It was hard to get any decent shots anyway because of the amount of steam rising from it due to the high temperatures of the water (160°F) and the cool air.
This bright blue spring is 120 ft. deep and gets its name from the colorful bands of yellow, orange, brown, and green algae that surround it.  The runoff channels carry about 500 gallons of hot water per minute to the river, and it looks like a brave critter might have been walking on some of them! (below right)

We finally made it to the Old Faithful area, and while I went in the visitor center to check the next eruption time, Russ brought Abby out to stretch her legs.  The next one was not expected for another hour, and since we’ve seen it many times before, we decided to start heading back home.

 

On the return drive we took another of those little one-way side roads, this one called Firehole Lake Drive (not to be confused with the earlier drive through Firehole Canyon).  This short 2 mile drive passes several hot springs (such as Firehole Spring at right), pools, and geysers.  Though none of the
    geysers erupted while we were there, I still got a couple photos of them.  Great Fountain Geyser (at left), known as one of the “grand geysers of the world”, was not due to erupt until some time between 6pm & 10pm, and though White
     Dome Geyser (at right) generally erupts every 12 - 24 minutes, we decided not to wait around.  We still had a long drive home.

 

By the time we reached the Norris Geyser Basin again, we had been gone nearly 5 hours and decided to save it for another time.  It had turned into a beautiful day weather-wise, and we had a wonderful drive through the park.

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Yellowstone is considered an active volcano as evidenced by the many hydrothermal features in the park as well as roughly 1,000 - 3,000 earthquakes annually (most are not felt).
• Fumaroles (steam vents) are the hottest thermal features in the park.
• Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest, oldest, and most active thermal area in the park.
• Yellowstone has the largest concentration of active geysers in the world.