Yellowstone Day 2

 Tuesday. A tidbit about West Yellowstone, WY.  The town doesn’t shovel snow in the winter. There’s no place to put it. So the snow is just tampered down and everyone uses snow mobiles or skis. They carve out u-turns if needed. Isn’t that interesting?

Just stopped at entrance to the park and had group photo made   Now entering the park!  Seeing a lot of Lodge Pole Pine. They are conifers. I’m seeing little clumps of ice accumulating along the edges of the water   And steam is rising off the water.  

Yellowstone was a super volcano. The caldera is 35 miles across    When it blew it didn’t have lava but a type of magma. It was that yellow stuff we saw yesterday. The dome fell back in on itself. Everyday there is seismic activity here and the topography is constantly changing.   I’m seeing so much steam coming right out of the ground. There’s so much coming out this morning that outside looks very foggy—-but it’s steam. 

Just stopped at Upper Falls. They drop at 109 feet. Falls were beautiful. However we are at a very high altitude. Everyone on the bus was huffing and puffing walking up the inclines. And we all are reminded to drink plenty of water   

Now headed along Uncle Toms Trail  We will again be at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone  It is called Artists Point    What we saw here is the falls we just saw at Upper Falls  Took video  Magnificent!  Again saw the yellow rock   Now on way to geysers  

Trumpeter swans in the distance  Bison tracks in the mud  Sagebrush  Bison herd   

Headed towards West Thumb, lower part of Yellowstone Lake  in this area the lake looks like a hand   The larger part looks like a thumb, thus the name West Thumb  

Now will be crossing the Continental Divide a couple of times   First crossing is 8391 ft high   Second time the elevation is 8261  The lake here—-half the lake flows East and the second half flows west     

Well, we saw the geyser!  Right on time and lasted 4 minutes  I have a great video  Also had lunch at the Inn which is 100 years old

On the way now to see mud pots, fumaroles, more geyser, and hot springs. 

We are back in West Yellowstone. I am exhausted