Across the country- Day 6 Yellowstone

Day 6
We are off today to the Yellowstone park. We had breakfast in the room to start as we had bought supplies the night before in the camp store. It was a treat to actually be on our own.

Yellowstone was the first park of its kind in 1872 and named a national park in 1917. There are 3,468 sq. miles.
                                                 This area is called Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - 800 foot drop. 

The Yellowstone River is green because of the breaking of the stones.
Lower Falls- south rim 308 foot drop and Upper Falls 129 feet.

                              Crystal Falls drops 129 feet. Here below you see it peaking through the woods.

                                   A little surprise along our pathway that one of the kids saw.

                       There have been many fires in the park over the years.  In 1988 fire burned 1/3 of the park

Our driver asked me if I was nervous traveling along these roads since I was in the front seat. I said no that I was used to it, having traveled a few years in Colorado.

The Park also supports the oldest bison herd in the US. Bison has four stomachs for digestion and have to lie upright where the babies can lie on their side because they only drink milk.

                                                        Calcium combination in the distance

On to Norris . Here we saw Elk on the lawns resting in the shade and then on to see the Hot Springs.  

 Here is the Hot Spring Cone formed 20 years ago. It is now dormant  now water is flowing is at 180 degrees.  On the bottom where the white is like a tum taste but not good to have because never know what is also in it. The Elk can walk through it by then hte water is cool.

 Yellowstone Lake was a volcano 45 X 30 miles and still has underground thermo.  The deeper down the more the temperature of the rocks increases.  Water found on the rocks goes as follows.  Magma- boils..the fumarole- steams, and the Mudpots  are mixed acidic features with limited water.  The different colors are caused by either the depth of the pool or the bacteria growing in it.  The Magna layer is clogs to 6600. feet down,. 
                    There are 1000 geysers in the world and Yellowstone has 460 active ones here.  
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Then on to an area that had many boiling pots and geysers.  First one we came to was Canary Hot Spring.  The first pot was 27 feet and 180 degrees. It was white on the edge and blue in the middle for the depth. The next was a fountain geyser was tapped 1891.  The trees in this area  are called "bobby sock forest" and have been there since 1800s. The hot burns the tree and then the mixture around them is like cement.   

More paint pots at 140 degrees of sulfuric acid and  the Excellor Geyser produces 4000 gals out of it. 

At last we come to the mighty Old Faithful.  Just wonderful and fascinating that it erupts every 1 1/2 hrs without fail all these years. The pictures say it all. 

There is still time on the clock before the next
 eruption so go get your seat and watch her go!
We are headed back to the Lodge.
See you tomorrow