Westward Ho! Part III. Yellowstone Thermal Feature Guided Tour

Nope, this is Fountain Geyser, which erupts on an irregular schedule

Fountain Geyser and its small twin in back

We were lucky to catch their eruption

     In Yellowstone National Park this past September, we were fortunate to get seats on the last Firehole Basin Tour of the season, which we had reserved in advance at a visitor center. On the way from Grant Lodge near Yellowstone Lake (see earlier posts) to our cabin in Mammoth Hot Springs, we saw a late morning Old Faithful geyser eruption and then took the afternoon Firehole Basin guided tour of a number of other thermal features.

Heart Spring

Microbial mats make the colors on the ground

The mineral rich waters feed the microbes

     

     
     

     
             The tour was amazing, completely exceeding our expectations. Our guide shared his passion for Yellowstone's unique bubbling mud pots, geysers, hot springs, and steam vents, providing a wealth of fascinating information about the geology of the area. Driving our group in a restored 1938 yellow White Motor Co. bus, he answered a range of questions, provided bird and wildflower charts for those interested, and entertained us with stories of events from the amusing to the tragic that had occurred in this dangerous terrain.  

The walls of the rapids came from lava flows

Falls in Firehole Canyon

     Photos will show you a few of the wonders we saw, although photos do not capture the sulfur fumes, the odd sounds, or the weird activity of each feature. If I begin to describe all that we saw, this post would be waaaay too long, but I can't resist a bit of information. Yellowstone sits atop an active super-volcano which last erupted about 640,000 years ago. We are safe from another eruption for awhile because of these thermal features that literally let off steam from the huge 125 mile deep plume of molten rock. In many areas, the earth's crust is very thin, to the point that a person walking on it could break right through. The only safe access to many sights is on the extensive network of wooden walkways built above the ground.

Our funky bus, with hubby in the foreground

Question of the Day: Are you interested in geological wonders?