Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Westward Ho! Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs and Terraces

     A cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs was our second "home" in Yellowstone National Park. The cabins (and newly refurbished hotel) are part of a hub toward the northwest corner of this huge park. The hot springs and extensive natural travertine terraces formed from dissolved limestone are fascinating. Over a mile of boardwalks allow visitors to explore them safely. Our day for exploring them and other nearby thermal features was chilly, grey and sometimes forbidding looking, so my photos show a completely different reality from the gleaming, pearly look of the terraces in bright weather. Of course, you can click on any photo to enlarge it.

    






     The Mammoth region is home to some of the largest herds of elk in the park as well as a variety of other wildlife. We had seen a few female elk in meadows in other parts of the park, but we were not expecting the number of elk we could watch in Mammoth. Nor were we prepared for the degree to which we saw some of them "up close and personal". We had been as careful as possible to stay the recommended distance away from wildlife, but in our cluster of cabins, the elk came to within eight feet of us. Between six and eight does and yearlings regularly grazed on the green grass the cabins surrounded--guess it was sweeter than the sagebrush on the hills around us. A number of others settled in around the cabins--one large doe even blocking access to our rented vehicle for awhile one morning. 

      Since we visited in elk rutting season, we could hear the bucks' eerie high-pitched bugling at night. Several bucks were gathering harems in the area--one group hanging out often in Mammoth Village (cluster of ranger station, camp store, hotel, restaurants, etc.). Cars stopped, and some people came much closer than was safe to get the perfect photo--a challenge for the rangers to manage.

     I have been puzzling over how to adequately express our awe and fascination with the natural wonders of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to spend some time there. Since we were already near the Northern edge of the park, I had arranged for us to fly out of Bozeman, MT rather than drive all the way back to Jackson, WY. Oh my, we wished we had had a few more days in Bozeman as well. It's a hip, cultured college town surrounded by breathtaking mountains. After a quick lunch and stroll in town, we visited the amazing Museum of the Rockies, arriving just in time for a visiting production of Mongolian music and dance in dazzling costumes. The accompanying extensive exhibit featuring Ghengis Khan was eye-opening. I had not known that the fierce, brutal warrior became a progressive (for that time) leader. The museum's permanent exhibits include a stunning variety of local dinosaur finds and Native American art.

     Our itinerary worked well for us. We appreciated our time in Jackson, WY, and thrilled to the Grand Tetons. We were glad we had reserved rooms in two different corners of Yellowstone's expanse so that we could visit varied areas and features in a leisurely way without driving greater distances. You can view previous posts about our trip here. I hope you have the same opportunity some day.

Question of the day: Can you sometimes recall particular travel moments and experiences as vividly as if they had happened that day?

7 comments:

  1. The elk are beautiful and so interesting. The scenes are so bleak and different than the beautiful mountains. Thanks for haring all this info.
    I have had moments that you describe of something that could have happened yesterday. Doesn’t happen as often at my age. Ha.

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  2. Yes, Jo, the elk are beautiful, and I was awed to see them up close. They seemed unafraid, and we were careful not to disturb them. For one thing, the buck in charge was certainly within earshot! You're right about these scenes; the caustic chemicals in some of the hot springs calcify or destroy some of the trees and other vegetation. Other areas of the park are lush, with streams and waterfalls, or meadows. Different animals thrive in each environment. Loved seeing it all.

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  3. I just loved reading your post and seeing your photos. I really hope one day to get out there. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. I remember when we were in Alaska we saw a lot of animals up close. Like you stated some people got way too close to get a good picture and a bear was not happy about that. Many times I close my eyes and tranfer myself back to certain places and things with wonderful memories! Hope all is well with you and yours. Take care,

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  4. Nanny, I SO enjoyed your comments! Alaska must have been wonderful; we have not been there. We are all well, thank you, and hope the same for you and yours. We'll keep on living each day with all the contentment we can muster and also enjoy those vivid memories.

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  5. Mary thank you for sharing your lovely trip. Your photos are beautiful. I am going to your previous post and read more. I have never been to Yellowstone. My hubby was there as a boy. We are hoping to go there together sometimes. Thank you too for visiting me and taking time to leave a kind comment. Have a wonderful day.

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  6. It's lovely to hear from you, Debbie. Thank you. I hope you and your husband do visit Yellowstone--it is fascinating and unique.

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  7. Just stopping by to see what you're up to. Hope you and your family have a great Father's Day weekend!

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