You know what to do...Click on the links!!
The Gorgeous Views of Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons with Elk Herd Cameos!
Jenny Lake and Foxes and Bears!
Wild West, Abandoned Cabins, and Bison!
Mormon Row - Beautiful Barns and Pronghorn Antelope!
National Museum of Wildlife Art - Amazing Sculptures in a Glorious Outdoor Setting!
Colter Bay at Grand Teton National Park & Snow! South Entrance of Yellowstone to Black Sand Basin!
Okay! On with the story of my amazing adventure in Yellowstone National Park! Quick refresher: I set off from California to visit a place I haven't been since childhood - solo as usual!
Great fun was had, amazing sights were seen in both Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP. Anxiety was felt and my first solo nights were successful!
And now, on my first full day in Yellowstone National Park, I was up early and excited to hit the road, see some more sights, and - hopefully - get a little exercise.
I absolutely loved being there at this time of year! The colder (than summer) air means that the steam rising from the vents is easier to see and looks so cool!
I was heading to catch the morning eruption of Old Faithful so I was on the right side of the road to get a picture or two of the bison herd in front of the Midway Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic Spring.
All those little dots are bison in various sized. I didn't notice it at the time, but there are even BABIES out there!
Some, like me, were a little on the sleepy side.
Some people at the far end of the turnout left, so I was able to move a bit closer to the herd for more photos.
Is it just me or is this bison pregnant?
They all have horns so I don't know how else to tell boys from girls.
This is when I first noticed the babies!
Yes, there is one in the next photo...hiding behind it's mom (dad?).
But I couldn't linger to take more photos as I had someplace to be.
There was a park ranger standing near the meadow with binoculars, looking across the road and up a nearby hill. I asked her if the bison herd was usually there and she said it had been there for awhile and would probably hang out all day, but couldn't promise.
I asked her what she was looking for and she said that about 15 minutes prior, a bear had crossed the road nearby and ran up the hill. She was hoping to see where it was heading.
Darn! I just missed it!
But I had to press on and hope the bison decided to wait for me to come back this way because Old Faithful was predicted to blow at 6:35 and I was on my way! I got there and found a pretty close parking spot because it was so early (I guess). I was hustling up the walk way and, to my surprise, the geyser was already going off!
Holy chit! Luckily my camera was slung across my chest so I was able to snap a quick shot as I walked up! It was pretty amazing and the eruption seemed to last for a pretty good bit. I guess it was on the upper end of the 1-5 minutes per eruption.
I debated about hanging around to see the next eruption but it wasn't for awhile according to the board in front of the visitor center.
I walked around for a bit while I was trying to decide and got this cool photo of one of the other geysers in the area. I don't know which one it is though.
The birder in me (very amateur as we all know) was happy to see a heron soaring over the forest near Old Faithful. I didn't see a ton of birds and the few pictures I tried to get are a little on the shitty side. Especially the one mountain bluebird I saw. lol I'm still going to post them though.
Well, I decided not to wait around because I wanted to visit Biscuit Basin and, hopefully, go on a little easy hike. Which I did. And the videos? They're a little hilarious. lol But that's going to be in the next post.
So first, it's Biscuit Basin!
With sleeping bison right in the parking lot!! Well, just beside the parking lot anyway. Like within 10 yards! I cropped the bottom of this photo right at the asphalt line. So cool!
So, so very cool to see these huge creatures up close!
It was so amazing to be in such a beautiful place on such a beautiful morning! Words cannot even describe honestly. But pictures can!
Black Opal Pool and Black Diamond Pool
Golden ground! I swear the terraced ground around the springs and geysers looked like real gold in the morning light. So gorgeous!
Sapphire Pool with stunning gold and green runoff
Sapphire Pool with it's aqua to azure depths. So clear and gorgeous! There are random bubbles in there too...see if you can spot them.
Jewel Geyser
Shell Geyser (closeup) - You can see the clamshell appearance of the sinter surrounding the opening which gives this geyser it's name.
Silver Globe Cave Geyser
After walking the loop at Biscuit Basin, I decided that I did, indeed, want to try the little hike from the Artemesia Trailhead to Morning Glory Pool.
Since I am more than a little out of shape and the altitude at the trailhead is approximately 7,300' compared to the 80' where I live, I was slightly apprehensive. But I love walking in the outdoors and would never forgive myself if I came to Yellowstone and DIDN'T try to hike.
So I decided to go for it. I mean, I could always turn around, right?
This is the hike which is about .9 miles each way from trailhead to Morning Glory. You can keep going all the way to Old Faithful and even farther! I hope to do that next time. :) So each way was probably about 1.25 from the parking lot of Biscuit Basin where I left my car.
But that adventure is deserving of it's own post. :) Which shall be up MUCH sooner than this one was. haha See you soon!
xoxo
Nikon D600 with Nikkor 28-300 & Nikon D7200 with Sigma Contemporary 150-600
