Geyser watching

Trip Start Aug 30, 2008
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Trip End Sep 13, 2008


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Flag of United States  , Wyoming,
Wednesday, September 3, 2008

We woke up around 8:30 am and went to the little general store for a nice breakfast. We set out in the Upper Geyser Basin for some geyser watching. Much to our delight the weather was much improved with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 50's. We started out at the Ranger's Station to find out when the big geysers had last erupted and when they expect the next eruption. These times are speculation as there can be a 2 hour window before eruption. We walked along the boardwalk to the Riverside Geyser. This geyser sits on the Firehole River and when it erupts it arks over the river. It erupts for 20 minutes at heights of 75 feet. It was a spectacular display. We also saw Daisy Geyser eruption to a height of 75 feet for 3-5 minutes. Daisy usually erupts between 85-105 minutes and puts on quite a show. We saw numerous hot springs, fumaroles and geysers in this geyser basin. The entire loop from the Old Faithful and back is about 2 miles. We then went to the Fountain Paint Pots Sawmill Geyser
Sawmill Geyser
 . This basin had several geysers that erupt every few minutes and these were very fun to watch. The Clepsydra Geyser is a constant performer and splashes from several vents. Straight across from Clepsydra is the Jet Geyser that erupts every few minutes. We really enjoyed watching the Fountain Paint Pots. These mud pots are bursting bubbles of boiling mud. We then took a drive on the Firehole Lake Drive. Along the way we stopped to view several impressive hot springs and geysers. However, the real fun came when we ventured out on a hike. As we hiked through the back country there were several hot springs right next to the trail. You can see these unnamed hot springs and geysers away from the maddening crowd. We hiked a good 1 ½ miles into the back country. Will and Kevin found a bison carcass just off the trail. When you stop to think what kind of animal could bring down a huge bison...a grizzly bear maybe??  Once back at the car we drove down the Firehole Lake Drive to the White Dome Geyser which just happened to erupt when we got there. It was shooting water 30 feet into the air. We then drove to the Midway Geyser Basin and we were treated to some of the most beautiful hot springs. The Excelsior Hot Spring erupted at one time so violently that it left a huge crater. The air was so cool and the hot spring so hot that the steam was very thick and made it difficult to see it entirely. But the part we saw was very beautiful but smelled like rotten eggs. The Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the largest hot springs and most colorful. Even the steam coming off the hot spring would reflect the colors of the pool. There were brilliant blues, yellows and orange colors. It was magnificent! We had dinner reservations at the Old Faithful Inn dining room this evening so had to go back and get ready. We had a wonderful dinner though pricey. Will had a bison steak and of course I had to have a bite and it was quite tasty. Kevin and I sat on the second story in the lobby of the Old Faithful Inn and listened to the pianist play some classical music. The Inn is quite an impressive log structure. The lobby itself is open several stories high with a massive stone fireplace. During the 1988 wildfires in Yellowstone the fires came dangerously close to the Inn but the firefighters saved this historic Inn.
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