We finish our Yellowstone exploration today with the Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs. Lots of hiking today which made me grateful for good hiking boots especially when we saw three rattle snakes huddled together sunning themselves.
We have had awesome weather. We expected and prepared for cold weather but even with snow on the ground it was warm. Good thing we prepared for warm weather, too.
Norris geyser basin is like you have stepped on to the surface of Mars.
A guide told us there are 100 named geysers in Yellowstone but that is constantly changing because some sprout up and others go dormant depending on earthquakes or large eruptions. Porkchop geyser blew all those rocks around the edge and now it is just a pool.
Steamboat geyser has been dormant since 2014 and started blowing this week.
The steam holes produce heat up to 280 degrees.
Leaving the Yellowstone caldera, we ventured up to Mammoth Hot Springs to roam around fort Yellowstone an old army installation built in 1872 right after the civil war. It is the oldest area of the park.
Elk roam this area and they are just goofy looking animals without antlers.
The travertine fields in Mammoth are really interesting. Hot water bring minerals to the surface and slowly deposit in terraces.
We finished the day hiking to see some waterfalls. One was through a posted bear area. It was a popular stop with people and since we were not the slowest hikers - we would be safe and a couple of hikers even had bear spray strapped to their belt. We did see one black bear today - hint if you see people with cameras - you should stop because they have spotted something way before you ever would! Our app said we hiked 155 floors but Mark forgot his phone a couple of times.
Tomorrow we explore some new territory as we visit a portion of Montana and spend the night in Idaho. Simply beautiful country. I am glad I waited to visit until I was old enough to appreciate the significance of the first ever national park. I saw so many people with babies and strollers and kept wondering if they had lost their minds.
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