YNP: West Yellowstone to Mammoth Hot Springs

Today we entered Yellowstone National Park and headed for Mammoth Hot Springs in the northwest corner of the park.

Marlon hates it when Doug doesn't wait for him to pose.

These guys don't seem concerned about posing.

Enjoy a little scenery.

Wildlife is found abundantly in May at Yellowstone.

Snow lingers on mountaintops for much, and sometimes all, of the summer.

Gibbon River pitches over the eroded rim of an old volcanic caldera to form Gibbon Falls.

Marlon moves a boulder which was blocking the road. A doctor somewhere may soon be asking him to cough...

Beryl Springs water maintains a temperature just a few degrees below boiling.

The Norris Geyser Basin is one of the park's most colorful and dramatic geothermal areas.

A family in the midst of their whirlwind global bicycling tour...

The drive to Mammoth Hot Springs has a few twists and turns...

and a lot of wild animals if you are lucky.

A dormant hot spring cone...

Some of the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces...

Enjoy more of the landscape of Yellowstone.

These trees are so scared, they are petrified.

On the way back from Mammoth Hot Springs, we happened to spot this busy beaver.

No one will be able to resist taking pictures of the baby bison.

One last statuesque pose before we leave the park...

Take a look at our short video of our visit below.

For more pictures, click here .

To be continued...

First Day Working at the Yellowstone IMAX Theatre

Today we worked our first official shift of our new Workamper job at Yellowstone IMAX Theatre.

Marlon models his long-sleeved uniform shirt, which will soon be replaced with his short-sleeved polo shirt. Oh...and he also takes a quick nap.

The rest of the family is very impressed.

For more pictures, click here .

To be continued...

Hebgen Lake and Earthquake Lake, Montana

Just a block from the RV, we have this view.

Today we headed toward Hebgen Lake. Hebgen Lake is best known for the magnitude 7.5 earthquake which occurred nearby in 1959 which formed our other destination today, Earthquake Lake, nearby.

The earthquake, which had a final death toll of 28, holds the record for the most severe earthquake of the Rocky Mountains.

Read all about the quake at my favorite resource, wikipedia, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_Yellowstone_earthquake .

For now, enjoy the scenery.

Just outside the border of the Gallatin National Forest, where Hebgen Lake and Earthquake Lake are located, we found this group of bighorn sheep.

They couldn't decide which side of the road they wanted to be on.

A bird nested atop this pole. What type of bird? You tell us...

In Montana, watch out for buffalo crossings.

None were crossing but plenty were around.

30 minutes after washing the Santa Fe, it began to hail.

Here's a BRIEF video of some of what we saw today.

For more pictures, click here .

To be continued...

Chatfield Watches TV

Today we watched a wildlife program and Chatfield watched along with us.

For more pictures of Chatfield watching tv, click here .

To be continued...

Yellowstone National Park

Today we made our first venture into Yellowstone National Park using our America the Beautiful Annual Pass which we purchased at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge one year ago today. Support the National Park System by getting your own America the Beautiful Annual Pass for only $80.

Doug holds up his pass for everyone to see.

Yellowstone National Park is the 13th largest National Park by area and the 5th most-visited National Park.

Marlon points in the general direction of the nearest bear...pictures to follow soon hopefully.
Wildfires swept through portions of Yellowstone in 1988.
An elk searches for some tasty grass...

while a friend lounges nearby.

Next we found some bison.

This professional model took some time to give us a great profile shot...

as did this big guy.

Many elk bask in the sun beyond the stream.

Strolling down the highway.

This bison wasn't inebriated...he had no problem walking the line.

Portions of the park are still closed to humans in order to allow bears access to snow-free vegetation during the spring.

Thermal pool runoff fills many streams throughout the park.

Steam vents fill the air.

Spectators await showtime at Yellowstone's most famous geyser, Old Faithful.

Old Faithful erupts, on average, every 90 minutes.

This hot tub looks inviting on a cold winter day, but looks are deceiving. Has anyone seen "Dante's Peak"? Don't go in the water!

This one doesn't appear to be quite as warm.

Icicles prepare to bludgeon unsuspecting passersby.

Even geese can be found among the wildlife here at Yellowstone...

and they messy up the landscape here worse than at any city park we've ever seen.

Of course it was probably with the help of these guys, who held us up as we were leaving. They were NOT going the posted speed limit.

Catch some wildlife and geyser action...watch this video.

For more pictures, click here .

To be continued...