Oregon Bound: pt.9

The second day at Yellowstone started with much promise, as the sun decided it was going to cooperate that day. As it turned out, this would be one of the best days that we had on the trip, and I'm glad that we had it at Yellowstone. We had saved many of the major things we wanted to see for this day, since we had hoped the weather would be better. After some breakfast with a great view from the Lake Lodge, we headed to Old Faithful.

the view from the parking lot of the Lake Lodge, where we ate meals

It would be safe to say that Old Faithful is easily one of the most popular destinations in Yellowstone, and it's easy to see why. See water squirt hundreds of feet into the air? For sure! It's the most famous and easily recognizable geyser in the park. That said, I actually found it less than impressive for all the hype. I've included a photo of what it looks like normally (the first one) and then some shots as the geyser started going off:

at rest

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As it turns out, you just don't realize how actually big it is. My dad opted to stand far behind the crowds, and here is the view from where he was:

That kinda puts it in perspective eh? So note to any future visitors of Old Faithful: the best view is actually farther away. There is a much bigger wow factor back there! I was sitting somewhere right around where that guy with the umbrella was. Also, another tip: If it's raining, wait in your car until you see crowds of people returning to their cars. Give it about ten minutes, and then mosey on out there. The geyser only goes off every 13-20 minutes or something like that! Ask the rangers and they'll give you an estimated time of when the next shoot will be.

Around Old Faithful there are other geysers along with volcanic activity, and also a lodge (which was probably one of the prettiest ones in the park). One of the highlights of the afternoon, though, was when a bison decided to wander right into the middle of all of this infrastructure. That patch of grass must have been awful good for it to walk right in amongst everything! Naturally, rangers immediately caught sight of it and made sure people stayed clear.

other activity around Old Faithful

the lodge 

blue lake or bottomless steam puddle?

bison chillin "I do what I want"

We cruised around a bit more, moving past more geothermal activity. Fact is, there's a lot of that stuff in Yellowstone and you can really find it everywhere. Unfortunately, this means that after you've seen so much it starts to wear off a little bit... but that didn't stop us from taking pictures of course! There is still always something new to see and appreciate.

a little steam here...

... and a little steam there...

and a little steam over hereeeee.

Some of the greatest sights were just the clouds, hovering over the plains like a fluffy blanket while the sun broke through. Out here, there are no lights, no telephone poles, no neon signs, no advertisements or billboards. It is nature in its purest form, and damn, is it beautiful. We found this little road off the main drag around the park and decided to pull off for a photo. With the river flowing through, it was a prime opportunity for a picture, and even had a few bison chilling nearby.

sleeping it up

The day is still far from over, but I think that's probably as good a place as any to take a break. More to come tomorrow!!