Time to go see the big guns. We left Norris this morning for the Old Faithful area to see the major geysers, if they were cooperating. As it had rained overnight and the temperature had fallen, we immediately ran into fog. It was tough to tell if it was a result of steam going from the geyser basins or just ordinary fog. We were retracing our route south past the thermal areas we visited yesterday and the fog lifted as we rose in altitude.
It was a quiet scenic ride, marred only by the sight of a dead Bison lying by the side of the road, obviously hit by a vehicle overnight. At the speed limits posted in the park, it is not likely that you would hit an animal, particularly one as big as a Bison. Hitting an animal that weighs a ton must have caused a fair bit of damage. You wouldn't easily walk away from that one.
We got to Old Faithful at about 9 AM and it was surprisingly uncrowded. We were able to park right in front of the Old Faithful Lodge, practically in front of the geyser. Our timing was pretty good, as well, since it erupted about 15 minutes later. It was impressive.
After watching the eruption we wandered over to the Visitor Center and happened upon a ranger talk called "What's For Dinner". It was actually aimed at kids, presented by Ranger Dot, who was from Boston. Even if she hadn't mentioned it, her accent gave it away. She must have been an elementary school teacher in a former career. It was an energetic lesson, with pictures of the habits and animals in Yellowstone and who eats what (or whom). There was a project at the end, but we skipped that part.
After a wander around the Visitor Center, we copied down the predicted eruption times for the other major geysers and went back to Speedy. As I got the bikes set up, Ellen made lunch. The Old Faithful area has a 1.5 mile bicycle path that runs along the geyser basins. It seemed a great way to travel. The predicted times for most of the other geysers were later in the afternoon, but we did get to see the Daisy Geyser. It was not as tall as Old Faithful, but we were much closer to it, which made it as impressive.
We went out to the end of the path to the Morning Glory Pool, a crystal-clear deep pool with increasing color as it deepened. There was a sign on it warning about throwing coins into it. There was also an exhibit that showed how the waters in these pools are ruined by trash and also showed a series of photos of workers pumping the trash out of the pool to try to clear it...sort of like pumping out a septic system. They were evidently successful, as the pool was now quite clear.
We headed back down the path looking for a spot to have lunch. As we went, the sky darkened and the wind came up. It looked like rain, so we ended up on the porch of the Old Faithful Lodge. It was still a good lunch.
We were just about geysered-out, so the bikes went back on Speedy and we motored south to the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake and the Grant Village Campground. The Grant Village area is quite spread out, but has a complete collection of services, particularly those we urgently needed, fuel, propane, groceries, cell phone service and showers.
The campground is run by the park's concessionaire, Xanterra, and is very large, over 400 sites. We were given a site right at the end of our loop, as close as it gets to the lake, with a peek of a view. We are also, coincidently I hope, next to three other Roadtreks. It is almost a rally.
I think tomorrow will be a rest day. We might try to find a nearby short hike.
No comments:
Post a Comment