Yellowstone!

So we head for the North Entrance to the Park. This is where the Arch is located. 

Theodore Roosevelt laid the corner stone for this arch - he was at Yellowstone when it was being constructed.

"For the Benefit And Enjoyment Of The People"

We proceed through the arch, and there we are!

I was surprised when we drove through a fairly built up area of the park. It had a hotel, visitor's center, employee housing among other buildings.

Then we arrived at Mammouth Hot Springs - WOW!!

There was a sign warning visitors not to step off the boardwalk because the surface around the springs might not be firm, and several people had been scalded to death falling through the surface into the hot springs.  Of course, all I wanted to do was stick my toe in that water to see just how hot it was !! I read somewhere that is could be as hot as 170 degrees Fahrenheit. I guess that could account for all the steam!

There was steam rising from the hot springs and geysers all over the park.

Apparently, rain and snow seep down into the mountains and the earth. The water picks up calcium carbonate as it passes through limestone. The water is heated by the magma chamber of the super volcano. Magma is lava that is underground. You can't really see it here, but hot water flows out from the springs and as it cools, deposits calcium carbonate which then hardens and builds these steps/terraces.

I think it is bacteria that causes the different colors.

As Danno reminded me, Yellowstone Park is sitting on a super volcano that will change the face of the earth when it erupts the next time. It has been over 6,000 years since the last eruption.

Difficult to see above, but there is a herd of buffalo in the distance.

The above buffalo was resting near the road. 

We made it to Old Faithful 30 minutes before it was due to erupt. Perfect timing! It had been raining hard, but it cleared up in time for the show!!

Old Faithful erupting. When it ended, all these people rushed to the gift shop!! And we headed for John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway which leads to and through Grand Teton National Park. 

These pictures cannot show the beauty of these mountains. I thought they were more impressive than all of Yellowstone except Mamouth Hot Springs.

As we traveled through Grand Teton National Park, I was wondering why there were farmers or ranchers in this and other public parks and forests. The next morning I was watching a farming show on TV that talked about the compromises reached by the various groups with interests in the National Parks and Forests - and there have been compromises since Yellowstone was declared the world's first National Park.  Conservationists, ranchers, logging companies, local government officials among others sat down and eventually reached a compromise - each side gave up something although conservationists feel like they gave up the most.

We left Grand Teton and stopped in Jackson, Wyoming for a bite to eat. We actually got a handy parking space. The first place we stepped into was the Cowboy Bar - it was like a sports bar with TVs and pool tables. The seats at the bar had saddles!!

We walked across the street to the Town Tavern - the dining room was on the second floor.  We had a quick meal and headed off to Idaho Falls.

The sun was low in the sky and shining right into our eyes. Depending on what direction we were driving, I held a folded map to block the sun coming in the passenger's side window so Dan could see. He eventually took the map and blocked the sun as he needed. He drove that way for two hours.

We arrived in Idaho Falls about 9:15 pm. It had been a long day - especially for Dan driving in the sun. We had reserved two rooms - only one was ready!! Check out is noon!! Nine hours later and the room wasn't ready!! Dan took the room on the second floor. I hung out in the lobby. A second person came on the desk and could not believe I did not have a room. There were families checking in as I waited.  At 10 pm a room was ready on the 6th floor. 

A slight bump at the end of a long but fabulous day!