2019 08 15-08 18 Yellowstone National Park

West Yellowstone KOA Campground - 15 Aug 2019

A local ranch for horseback riding closes the road for their afternoon riders. Our campground is about a mile or so toward the mountains

Hike to Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - 16 August 2019

An early start for our 10am ranger talk and walk. She has collected a small pile of pinecones from the lodgepole pines which are very prevelant in the park. She also explained that lodgepole pine actually have two distinct types of cones. The standard cones which release their seeds after one year but the specialty cones are sealed with pitch which only open to release seeds after being heated (like during a fire). The lodgepole is one of the first trees to regrow after a fire. 

Lupine

Mountain Grape (very bitter but edible).

Finally reaching Beaver Lake we were disappointed to discover there are, in fact, no beavers living on the lake anymore. We were lucky enough to see several Red-necked Grebe.

Trek to Norris Geyser Basin along the road due to overcrowded parking lots. This geyser basin is the oldest and hottest of Yellowstone's thermal areas. The highest temperature recorded in any thermal feature was at Norris measuring 439 degrees just 1,087 feet below the surface. Norris shows evidence of having had thermal features for at least 115,000 years.  

Even in the heat and desolation there is life: butterfly on thistle. 

The features in the basin change daily, with frequent disturbances from seismic activity and water level fluctuations. Steamboat is the tallest geyser in the world at 300-400 feet. Its eruption schedule is unpredictable with intervals between major eruption of 3 days to 50 years. It began an active period in 2018 with more than 40 eruptions reported in a one-year period. Today there was a lot of steam but only 15-20 feet of water. Steamboat erupted on 27 August 2019 with its 33rd major eruption of the year. Timing is everything. 

Cistern Spring, which is linked underground to Steamboat Geyser, is drained during the Geyser eruptions. Usually a beautiful blue pool from which water continuously flows, it deposits about 1/2 inch of silica each year. By contrast, Old Faithful deposits 1/2 to 1 inch per century. 

Yellow Funnel Spring, a hot springs which last erupted 24 Apr 2019 which is 1 day, 23 hours and 49 minutes since its previous eruption. Almost 3 years had passed without any acitivity. 

Generally, steam rises from the cave entrance of this hot springs. From other pictures from the National Parks it appears the water levels have gone down which may account for the lack of steam.

Vixen geyser, at the end of the northern Basin Trail, has these really interesting formations that reminded us of coral. They are deposits that have been scarred by the falling acidic water. The upper right photo is not a formation but one of the many hats we saw around various features during this blustery day. 

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - 16 August 2019

A female bison crossing the road stopped traffic (as all wildlife has the right of way in all National Parks). Her calf followed but was reluctant to go down the rather steep drop off. Another female came over to encourage the calf who eventually had to check out what mom was doing. She was rolling in a wallow for a dust bath to keep bugs away. 

A section of lodgepole regrowth after the 2008 fire. As explained during our Ranger walk, the National Park Service does not attempt to control fires nor do they replant afterwards. Nature is allowed to bring back burned areas at her pace. Dead trees fall over to rot and replenish nutrients into the soil. Grasses and wildflowers regenerate. If regrowth is too thick, natural selection will allow some trees to grow and shade out lower trees which will die and leave space for the remaining trees to thrive.

Pronghorn resting during daylight and will begin grazing at dusk.

We were hoping to catch a glimpse of any of the estimated 9 wolf packs that call Yellowstone home. While we have previously been successful in this valley, today was not our day. 

However, we did get a close up view of this solitary coyote. 

Another horseback riding train heading back to the stables.

A mule deer buck grazing off the road. 

A section of the 22 fires that raged through the park in 2016. Burning more than 66,000 acres making it the highest number of acres since the historic 1988 season when approximately 800,000 acres burned from 250 fires.  

West Entrance, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - 17 August 2019 

Elk does wading across the Madison River to get under cover in the trees after morning grazing in the meadows. 

Firehole Falls on our way to Old Faithful. 

We took a detour around the Firehole Lake Drive.

A fascinating vent, Firehole Springs, is perpetually spouting caused by a combination of superheated boiling water and a mixture of some gas bubbles and rising steam. It looks like it should shoot up like a geyser but barely breaks the surface. 

Further along the Firehole Lake Drive is Fountain Geyser which looks like a very placid blue pool as water slowly rises and gives little warning of its pending eruption. It's considered one of the most beautiful geysers in the park when it erupts throwing water skyward 10-15 feet.

Young Hopeful geyser with Firehole lake in the background. The lake covers an extensive area as it seeps underground. The road and parking lots have not been compromised by the feature. 

Several varieties of flora and fauna were always popping up. Mayflies and Dragonflies, lupines and unspecified yellow flowers.

Runoff from the Excelsior Geyser Crater into the Firehole River.

The Excelsior Geyser Crater, a dormant fountain-type geyser is a steaming body of teal water running off into the Firehole River. For a time though, it was the largest geyser in the world. Estimated eruptions were 300 feet high and wide (that's the length of a football field in each direction). It ceased major eruptions in 1890. Or so it was thought. In 1985, Excelsior roared back to life, erupting continuously for 46 hours. A lesser version of its glory days with most spouts topping out at 30 feet. But as we know, nothing in Yellowstone stays the same for long. 

Layers of sediment and algae surround the Grand Prismatic.

Grand Prismatic hot spring, considered the crown jewel of the thermal features and the most photographed, even if Old Faithful is more well known. Extremely hot water travels 121 feet from a crack in the Earth to reach the surface of the spring. It is 370 feet in diameter. The hot springs have brilliant bands of yellow, orange and green which ring the deep blue waters in the spring.  The multilayered layers get their hues from the thermophile (heat-loving bacteria) living in the progressively cooler water around the spring. In 2014, a tourist from the Netherlands accidentally -and illegally- flew a drone into the ecologically fragile Grand Prismatic. The drone disappeared and has never been recovered. DO NOT MESS WITH MOTHER NATURE!

There is a cool way to view the Grand Prismatic. Further south along the main road is Fairy Falls Trailhead turn off that leads to a hiking trail and overlook. The perspective is from the opposite side on a half mile trail that rises 105 feet.

Opal Pool, a hot springs with temperatures of 132 degrees but is considered a fountain-type geyser. On 23 September 2014 the pool erupted and the next day it was practically a dry hole. A prior draining took three years to replenish. 

Old Faithful Lodge and additions. Built in 1903-04 with local logs and stone, it is considered the largest log structure in the world. 

In a historic log cabin ambiance, dinner at the Lodge. The meals are farm-to-table for authentic local and regional flavors. The whimsical etched glass partitions between the dining room and the Bear Pit Lounge were inspired by the original wooden Bear Pit Murals. The original lounge built in 1936 (and is now occupied by the Bear Paw Deli) was a small room known for its carved and inlaid wood panels featuring humorous scenes involving bears, created at the suggestion of the original architect, Robert Reamer. When the Lounge was moved in 1962 to its current location not all the original murals arrived.

Access to the Crow's Nest has been closed off since the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake (north outside the park). The towering lobby features a massive stone fireplace (85 foot, 500 tons) with a hand-crafted clock made of copper, wood and wrought iron serving as focal points. The lobby fireplace chimney was replaced with a single steel pipe after the earthquake. Two levels of balconies encircling the lobby provide space for musicians plus seating and writing desks for guests (perfect for writing a postcard to my mother). 

One of the Yellow Buses, which still provide tours to today's visitors, began conveying passengers in the 1920s. Prior to that, horses, stagecoaches and hiking were the modes of exploration. Eight vintage vehicles, down from 400, have retractable canvas roofs, large windows and wooden exteriors on 2007 Ford van frames and engines.

 

Our perch on the veranda above the extension of the inn's porte cochere created in 1927 and popular with geyser gazers. Stake out your spot early as this vantage point fills up quickly. Since we were there, three people have walked right up to the geyser for pictures. There are reasons for barricades around these exploding thermals. Sadly, you just can't fix stupid.

On our way back home, we spotted this pair of sandhill cranes foraging in a meadow.

18 Aug 2019

Lunch break at the precarious cliff names after Shosone Indians who ate Big Horn Sheep. The lava was deposited about 500,000 years ago during one of the periodic basaltic floods in Yellowstone Caldera, and later exposed by the Gardner River. No warning signs to stay off the cliffs but the large tumble of rocks at the bottom was warning enough. 

A pair of swans who ironically have taken up residence on Swan Lake with their cygnets.

Fort Yellowstone established in 1891 and administered by the Army until 1918. Mainly wood-framed "cottage-style" buildings and locally quarried sandstone were used and now are administration offices, residences for National Parks employees, museums and visitor center. Elk are also frequent visitors. 

Liberty Cap, a Hot Spring towering rock of travertine (a type of limestone deposited by a new extinct hot springs) which reminded Ferdinand Vanedeer Hayden during his 1871 Geological Survey of the caps worn by peasants during the French Revolution.

Travertine terraces, hot springs, mineral deposits, Palette Spring, Lower Terraces, Mammoth Hot Springs. In recalling our prior visit, the amount of water flowing over these terraces is considerably lower than it was.

Lower Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs

View of Mammoth Hot Springs Village from Lower Terrace. Much of these terraces are dry now while they were all flowing with water years ago. 

Behind the hotel is the old stagecoach road which leads up over the hills towards the north entrance. A small herd of pronghorn basking in the sunshine. 

The Roosevelt Arch just outside the North Entrance at the town of Gardner, Montana. 

2019 08 10-12, Hardin MT, 2019 08 13-14 Livingston, MT

Hardin, Montana - 10 August 2019

Cattle Brands Rest Stop showing many different designs on local irons that aren't as familiar as others. And warnings everywhere to stay on paths to avoid close encounters with rattlers who inhabit the grassy areas. 

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Crow Agency, Montana - 11 August 2019

The 263 soldiers of the 7th Cavalry encountered several thousand members of the Lakota, Arapaho and Cheyenne on 25 and 26 June 1876. Fought along the ridges, steep bluffs and ravines of the Little Bighorn River, it came to symbolize the the clash of two vastly dissimilar cultures. Nine years before, many Lakota leaders had signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie which created a large reservation in present-day South Dakota where tribes were expected to give up their nomadic life. Other leaders like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse rejected the Treaty along with roving bands of hunters and warriors.

Tensions escalated in 1874 when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer was ordered to explore the Black Hills inside the Great Sioux Reservation to map the area, locate a site for a future military fort and note all natural resources. Deposits of gold were discovered and caused an invasion of miners and others into the Black Hills in violation of the Treaty. The government attempted to negotiate the purchase of the Black Hills which was rejected by the Lakota. In the winter of 1875, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs required all Sioux to report to the reservation by 31 January 1876. The deadline came with virtually no response from the Indians and the military was called in. Three expeditionary forces were sent out from Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota under the command of Lt. Col. Custer.

The Indian Memorial, dedicated 25 June 2003, built to honor all the tribes defending their way of life at the Battle. 

   

This circular memorial is part of the redesignation of the park from a glorification of Custer's heroic fight against impossible odds to a more evenhanded review of the events, including the Indian side of the story. The Indian Memorial built near Last Stand Hill honors all Native Americans who fought at the what the Indians call the "Battle of the Greasy Grass (Creek)".

The Spirit Warriors stand above the circle which inner walls carrying the panels for each tribe which fought and lists their dead. Opposite the Spirit Warriors is the Weeping Wall where water trickles down to a pool representing the tears of the fallen warriors and soldiers. And centered perfectly within the Weeping Wall is the 7th Cavalry Monument. This Spirit Gate welcomes the fallen soldiers to enter the Memorial and join the fallen warriors in friendship: "peace through unity".

The mass grave of the soldiers of the 7th Cavalry. 

White markers locate the place where known soldiers fell during the two day battle. There are also several red granite markers which designate the location of a fallen Indian warrior. Few Indian locations are known because the family members nearby came and collected the bodies after the battle for ritual burial, leaving the dead soldiers as they fell.  

George Armstrong Custer, Brevit Major General (postumously), Lt. Colonel, 7th U.S Cavalry fell here, June 25, 1876.

Custer National Cemetery includes graves of known and unknown veterans of our nation's wars, including women and children from isolated frontier posts, Indian scouts, and Medal of Honor recipients.

Pictograph Cave State Park, Billings, Montana - 12 August 2019

The Pictograph, Middle and Ghost caves were home to generations of prehistoric hunters. Rock paints, called pictographs, are still visible and allows the visitor to imagine and contemplate the origins of human habitation in this area. The caves themselves were carved by forces of wind and water. Approximately 30,000 artifacts (stone tools, weapons, paintings) were excavated and allow researchers to to date when and which tribes inhabited the region. 

These hunters left behind artifacts and over 100 pictographs. The oldest rock art in the cave is over 2,000 years old.

The images of animals, warriors and rifles tell a story that has lasted thousand of years. Their interpretation is still subject to debate. 

Outside the caves, holes in the soft limestone cliffs has become home to a falcon family. 

Livingston, Montana KOA area - 13 August 2019

Absoroka Mountain Range highlighted our view from our campsite near Livingston. The Yellowstone River flowed along the back of the campground. 

Livingston Depot Center, Livingston, Montana - 14 August 2019

The historic Northern Pacific Railroad station built in 1902 as the launching point for travel to Yellowstone National Park. Even though service was established by the National Park in 1883, the third Depot reflected the apex of busy and graceful age of travel through 1979 when Amtrak suspended passenger service to southern Montana.

The Depot now houses historic exhibits of a bygone era of cross-country railroad travel, including this miniature of the country's largest wheel house built in Livingston for repairing and routine maintenance of railroad engines and cars.  

Conveniently located next door to the depot is the Murray Hotel and Cafe.

The upstairs rooms are dedicated to the movies which have been filmed in and around this area. Having interned in the editing room where my dad worked in St. Louis, I was thrilled to see an old film editing table. Different angle shots and sound were loaded on and marked for the final cutting. Some movies filmed on location near Livingston include: A River Runs Through It, Broken Arrow, The Horse Whisperer, Yellowstone, Rancho Deluxe, Wildlife and many others.

An entire floor of local railroad memorabilia brings home the extent that the railroad contributed to the citywide economy of the town and its citizens. 

Views near Farmer's Market, Livingston, Montana - 14 August 2019

Across the river, the mountains outside of Livingston.

A slower Yellowstone River and all along it we would see the River guides taking fly fishermen (and women) for world class trout fishing.

Mustang Fresh Food Restaurant, Livingston, Montana - 14 August 2019

A sweet reward of Quilcene oysters from Hood Canal (near Seattle) were fresh, meaty and tender. Quite the surprise for us in Livingston, Montana. I washed it down with a spicy Cock & bull Ginger Beer. Wish we had more days to relax in this area but Yellowstone (our favorite National Park) was calling to us.