Mountain Man Rendezvous & Yellowstone Midway Geyser Basin

Today we visited the Mountain Man Rendezvous being held on the old airport grounds.
Vendors from around the country set up booths featuring items that would have existed in the 1800's.

The festival has become an annual event in West Yellowstone.
The IMAX Theatre presentations of "Yellowstone", "Bears" and "Alaska", on the other hand, are daily events.

We ventured in the park and followed Firehole Canyon Drive.
Firehole Canyon Drive should be a great place to spot some big horn sheep.

Or some swimmers braving the cold water in the swimming hole.
No diving allowed here.

The old-fashioned swimming is warmed by the runoff from distant hot springs and geysers.
Wonder if he ever goes to the swimming hole to cool off.
A bacterial mat, such as this one, is a layer of bacteria that may form in environments where other organisms are unable to thrive.

The Fountain Paint Pots are thin and watery from abundant rain and snow in early summer and gradually thicken as the summer progresses.

Small Spasm Geyser is somehow connected to the larger Fountain Geyser. It is quiet during and just after the larger one erupts and then pretty much erupts continuously.
Some of the sites along Firehole Lake Drive...

Hot Lake appears to be non-inviting.

A big cotton ball appeared over the trees.

Marlon came prepared to swim but decided to obey the sign.
Enjoy some more thermal features of this area of the park...

Watch a short video below of the thermal features viewed today.

For more pictures, click here .

To be continued...

Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, Montana

Today we visited West Yellowstone's Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.

When we arrived, a very lazy bear was resting after a busy morning.

This one was so tired it had to be propped up by a rock.

Some of the wolves lounged around in the morning sun.

Others stalked their prey.

Others wondered what those things were watching through the glass.

Twice a day groups of children get the opportunity to hide food in the bear habitat for the bears to search for.

Once the children are clear, bears Sam and Illie, orphans from Alaska, are released to begin their scavenger hunt.

I smell some food under this rock.

Sam and Illie continued their search for about 30 minutes before tuckering out.

Watch the video of Sam and Illie searching out food below.

This is the humane way to trap a bear.

Marlon contemplates a new sofa.

Periodically, tests are conducted at the Center on containers to determine if they are bear-proof.

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center also has an exhibit area with informative, interactive exhibits and video presentations to educate visitors about the animals.

A brief drive up towards Big Sky produced this picture.

For a good meal, we visited Corral Bar & Cafe between West Yellowstone and Big Sky.

For more pictures, click here .

To be continued...