After our stay in Greybull, Wyoming, we headed west and drove along the north side of Buffalo Bill State park. Finally, we entered Yellowstone National Park through the east entrance. The scenery was beautiful, but the view of Lake Yellowstone was phenomenal. Had it not been so chilly, I might have enjoyed more time at the lookout. The lake is enormous!
We often have the girls sit in some precarious position, like on a rock or ledge, for a better picture, which explains why Kevin's hand is almost always found somewhere in those photos.
After taking our time driving to Yellowstone, we finally met the rest of the Schrag clan at the West Thumb Geyser Basin. I hadn't really done any research about what we were going to see, so I was really surprised and very excited! This geyser basin was full of mud pots! If you have never seen a mud pot, they're actually quite fascinating! Basically, the little water that is below ground rises up to the surface in these geothermal areas. It bubbles like a boiling pot!
These pools of water were amazing! The water is so hot it's steaming. Different thermophiles (heat-loving microorganisms) can live at varying temperatures. The different bacteria produce different colors in the pool. Basically, as the water gets cooler, the colors change and these beautiful pools are formed.
This is one of the pools I was really curious about. It looks like there's a cave under the water and it would be interesting to know what's hidden down there. However, because of the steam rising up from the water, I wasn't really tempted to dive in!!
Lake Yellowstone with some geothermal features on the shore.
Lake Yellowstone and the West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail.
The geothermal features were amazing and I'm so we were able to witness another beautiful creation. However, I find it a little disturbing that "we" have built walkways and trails around these features. I mean, seriously, the walkways are literally right next to these boiling pools! We're smart sometimes, huh?
By far, one of my favorite pools!
LOVE THIS!!!
Pretty.
These were amazing. A clear blue pool next to a thick green pool.
After we left West Thumb, we drove up to see the famous Old Faithful and then the Grand Prismatic Spring. Old Faithful is in the next post. Below, we were just crossing the bridge to get to the Spring. The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world.
Grand Prismatic Spring. It was a chilly day so the steam was thick and it was a bit difficult to see all the amazing colors of the spring.
Below is an aerial view of the spring. . . it's amazing!
I pulled out the Moby for Adri during our Yellowstone trip. I'm so glad I packed it, as it was the most comfortable and convenient form of transportation for her. She loved it and I really loved having her snuggle against me!
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