Geezers and geysers

  Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States
Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Well today was supposed to be a short one so we could do some sightseeing in Yellowstone.  As usual, the time change caused me to get up at 5:30, so I took a look at today's itinerary.  Whoa, Microsoft streets and trips had routed us straight across Yellowstone and out the other side.  I looked up Yellowstone on the internet, and routed us to all of the stuff to see and through the Tetons to boot.  That added a couple of hundred miles and made a 12-hour day, including an hour wait for "Old Faithful".  Boy, was it worth it.  Words cannot describe the ever-changing wonders of the park.  There were some real surprises, though.  I have never seen so many gray-haired old farts in my life!  They were everywhere.  I felt like a kid again. (Thus today's title)  The lakes, varying rock formations, and the geothermal stuff were incredible.  I was surprised how the thermal stuff in the North end of the park stunk.  The sulfur concentration chokes you.

There were signs all over to watch out for the animals.  Elk, bears, deer, wapiti (antelopes), etc.  We saw none of that.  All we saw all day was buffalo, and lots of them.  This time I have put in pictures of real buffalo.

Real Bison

In case you didn't notice, the buffalo herd in the Mt. Rushmore pictures was a photo of the backdrop on the stage at the Mt. Rushmore theater.  Today, you not only get real live bison,

Buffalo (wings, that is)

but you get the buffalo from the Anchor bar in Buffalo, New York, where the Buffalo hot wing originated.
We snapped a picture of the "mud Pots" in the north end of the park, and included a shot of a geyser coming out of a sewer grate in the parking lot.

Geyser in parking lot

There were interesting rock formations everywhere,

One of many interesting rock formations

and buildups of calcium carbonate around all of the thermal pools where the water bubbled up and deposited them over the years.

Calcium carbonate deposits

We waited about an hour to see "Old Faithful" erupt, and it was worth the wait.  It looked just like it did on my Crayon box when I was a kid (anyone remember?). 

Old faithful

It was a sight to see.  

Older and more faithful

After leaving there, we went through Grand Teton National Park, which skirts the Tetons, and has magnificent views across a very large lake at these beautiful stand-alone mountains.  Spectacular.

A quick trip through Jackson Hole WY (WOW, is there some money there!), and 2 more hours of driving and we are here in Idaho Falls.

Tomorrow we visit my brother Rick and his wife Shirley in Eagle, Idaho