Another feature in Yellowstone that is practically unmatched anywhere else in the world is it's collection of geysers, and other thermal features. They are magnificent to view along side the road. You can see the steam coming up on the horizon as you drive along the roads leading you around the park.
As we get out of the car to view them up close, we are greeted with the "sweet" scent of hydrogen sulfide gas. The kids didn't care for the rotten egg smell and tried to cover their noses as we walked the trails around several different geyser basins. And so we coined the phrase, "you smell like a geyser basin" instead of "you stink."
Sulphur Caldron along the Yellowstone River
Bubbling Mud or Paint Pot
Cone
Spring
Grand Prismatic Spring
The colors and intensity of these sights is not easy to put into words. The pools of azure color water look so inviting, but would be dangerous to touch. The heat coupled with the low oxygen content make it difficult for most living creatures to survive here except the smallest bacteria and algae that contribute to the colors in this picture.
Weddings are an easy way to grow an extended family very quickly. One day, in a matter of minutes, you are hitched, and are now a member of a whole other family(like the one you had already wasn’t enough!). And so, like with a wedding, we are inviting you to become a member of a whole new family. We will meet and come together around the laughing table as stories, opportunities, adventures and day-to-day “stuff” come up.
Our first adventure of the next 15 days actually does start with a wedding. As we began to plan this trip that will ultimately take us over 4000 miles and through at least 9 states, we were excited to take into our plans the wedding of Ty & Heather. Once the date of the wedding was secure, then planning the trip could start. Would we venture to drive all the way across the United States from Massachusetts to California , seeing sights as we went, and then fly home? That was the original plan. Yet after some deliberation, we decided to fly to CA and then planned out a route that would take us from San Francisco to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Disney Land, and up the California coast. Just as the bride and groom took several months to plan their wedding, so did we. And if our trip turns out to go as beautifully as their wedding, we’re in for a fantastic time. Sure it was hot; what wedding in July wouldn’t be? And there was a torrential downpour with lightening and thunder that threatened to flood the dance floor and drive everyone to scurry for their cars, yet in the scheme of things that didn’t last too long and there was plenty of dancing and fun to be had. And, in just a matter of hours, our family had grown! How many new friends will we make on this trip, and how many will reconnect after being disconnected for too long?
Our first day is a long and busy one. Getting up at 4:30am to depart and get to the airport for a 6 hour flight and then immediately grabbing our rental car for a 6-7 hour drive so we can make it halfway to Yellowstone by tonight. It’s an aggressive way to start a vacation; it’s going to be worth the effort. We can’t wait to see the majesty that awaits us.
in Yellowstone that is practically unmatched anywhere else in the world is it's collection of geysers, and other thermal features. They are magnificent to view along side the road. You can see the steam coming up on the horizon as you drive along the roads leading you around the park.
Sulphur Caldron along the Yellowstone River
Bubbling Mud or Paint Pot
Cone
Spring
Grand Prismatic Spring
