nature photography

YELLOWSTONE – Part 2

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

The animals in Yellowstone National Park are magnificent and wild, but the thermal features are insane. I was not fully prepared for the crazy geothermal activity.

This area is known as Porcelain Basin
Colloidal pool at Porcelain Basin
Roaring Mountain
Old Faithful
Great Fountain Geyser – we got very lucky seeing this one erupt precisely at sunset!
Grand Prismatic Spring
Bubbling “cinnamon spring” at Black Sand Basin (this one really made me long for a hotel hot tub)

Related:

Bucket List: YELLOWSTONE – Part 1

Yellowstone – Part 3

Yellowstone – Part 4 (the Lodges)

Yellowstone Wildlife

Thankful Thursday

Bucket List Progress: YELLOWSTONE – Part 1

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

We’re flying home from Jackson, Wyoming later today.

We had an amazing trip—especially Yellowstone National Park. Many people told me how awesome and magical it is—and they were right. America’s first national park is absolutely spectacular.

Our first stop, after a quick visit to Bozeman, Montana, was Mammoth Hot Springs, which is known for its stunning thermal features.

“Minerva Terrace” in Mammoth
The sound was beautiful too.

We took a half-day wildlife tour out of Mammoth with a National Park Service ranger named Rachael. She was terrific. She took us through the Lamar Valley.

Rachael looking for wolves that were in the area feasting on a carcass
A sweeping view of a bison herd crossing the Lamar Valley
A closer view of the bison herd
A herd of pronghorn we spotted in Yellowstone’s northern range, which is sometimes called “America’s Serengeti”
We stopped here to check out an osprey nest through Rachael’s spotting scope.
I was able to get a photo of this young osprey, still in the nest, by holding my iPhone to the lens of Rachael’s scope.
Back at the hotel, a few elk were hanging out near our parking spot.
After two nights at the historic Mammoth Hot Springs hotel, we headed south towards the major geyser region of Yellowstone.

Stay tuned for Part 2 (and possibly Parts 3 & 4). I took so many pictures!

I look forward to catching up on all your blogs when I get back. 😊

Related:

Yellowstone – Part 2

Yellowstone – Part 3

Yellowstone – Part 4 (the Lodges)

Yellowstone Wildlife

Thankful Thursday