I rose early with the intention of going straight to Mammoth Hot Springs to see about a hot shower. It was snowing. (At least it wasn’t raining!)
As I traveled the gravel road back to the main Yellowstone loop, I passed by two bison – or at least that’s what I thought… one of them looked kinda funny… wait, it’s a moose! He was about 75 yards from the road lolling around in his natural habitat, a marshy plain. I popped out of the car with my camera and tripod to get some close-ups and I shot to my heart’s content. Satisfied, I returned to the car at which point I realized my flash card (i.e. film) wasn’t in my camera – I had taken it out to download the images to my computer. None of the images had been recorded. Dang! I got the card from my car and then scampered back to the plateau where I stood with my camera and I watched as the moose disappeared over a hill. So I gave chase and followed him for about a half mile. It was an awkward, stumbling hike with my camera in one hand and tripod in the other. Finally, I caught up to him. He watched me watching him. I got some good close-ups, but managed not to get too close. At one point, he turned toward me, snorted loudly, shook like a wet dog, and lay down in the grass. I think he was saying either, “I trust you, come pet me” or “If you take one step closer, I will stomp you into a pancake.” I don’t speak moose, so I just left. I stopped a few hundred yards down the road to take a few more shots and a couple that was parked nearby point out a grizzly bear in the distance. A few more miles down the road, I drove right by a black bear, then some elk. Yellowstone is amazing.
So about that shower. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel offers them up for $3.25. I even saved myself a buck by bringing my own towel. Showers are wonderful, just like Yellowstone.
I ambled around Mammoth Hot Springs for a few hours, watched the tourists and visited the hot springs. The thermal activity all around Yellowstone (such as the hot springs) is a result of an enormous volcanic eruption 640,000 years ago. Much of the park is located in the crater of the volcano, although one would never realize it because it is so old and covers such a vast area. I learned that the Lewis and Clark expedition somehow missed the Yellowstone area. I was amused by the stories of the subsequent hunters and trappers who visited the Yellowstone area in the early 1800s and how their stories of “hot mud volcanoes” and “water running so fast it boils” were received by the skeptics in the eastern U.S.
It was interesting to learn that 36% of the trees in Yellowstone were destroyed by a forest fire in 1988. However, most ecologists do not consider the event a disaster; they view it as a natural event that introduces a new cycle of growth in the park. This was the guiding philosophy in 1988, although the decision was eventually made to fight the fire. The areas that burned still clearly stand out, because all of the trees and undergrowth were destroyed. What is really amazing was that nearly all of the seeds and nutrients located just under the topsoil remained intact and eventually started the new growth.
I made my way from Mammoth Hot Springs down to Canyon Village in hopes of finding a campsite. But it was snowing there and the campsite was closed. I followed along the Yellowstone River and made stops at the pungent Mud Volcano and Sulfur Caldron. All of the children around me were plugging their noses and accusing the other children of farting. I found a campsite in Lake Village, situated along the northwest bank of Yellowstone Lake.
My not-so-trusty Coleman camp stove conked out on me as I was preparing dinner. Flames were shooting sideways out of it. I tested it twice before I left Edina and everything seemed a “go”. Fortunately, I have a backup. It’s my MSR Dragonfly. It boils a quart of water in no time – and sounds like a jet engine while doing it. (I need something to warm my noodles.)
I plan to explore the lake and the geysers, including Old Faithful, on the west side of the park tomorrow. Then I’ll likely push on to Grand Teton National Park which actually borders Yellowstone to the south.
As I traveled the gravel road back to the main Yellowstone loop, I passed by two bison – or at least that’s what I thought… one of them looked kinda funny… wait, it’s a moose! He was about 75 yards from the road lolling around in his natural habitat, a marshy plain. I popped out of the car with my camera and tripod to get some close-ups and I shot to my heart’s content. Satisfied, I returned to the car at which point I realized my flash card (i.e. film) wasn’t in my camera – I had taken it out to download the images to my computer. None of the images had been recorded. Dang! I got the card from my car and then scampered back to the plateau where I stood with my camera and I watched as the moose disappeared over a hill. So I gave chase and followed him for about a half mile. It was an awkward, stumbling hike with my camera in one hand and tripod in the other. Finally, I caught up to him. He watched me watching him. I got some good close-ups, but managed not to get too close. At one point, he turned toward me, snorted loudly, shook like a wet dog, and lay down in the grass. I think he was saying either, “I trust you, come pet me” or “If you take one step closer, I will stomp you into a pancake.” I don’t speak moose, so I just left. I stopped a few hundred yards down the road to take a few more shots and a couple that was parked nearby point out a grizzly bear in the distance. A few more miles down the road, I drove right by a black bear, then some elk. Yellowstone is amazing.So about that shower. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel offers them up for $3.25. I even saved myself a buck by bringing my own towel. Showers are wonderful, just like Yellowstone.
I ambled around Mammoth Hot Springs for a few hours, watched the tourists and visited the hot springs. The thermal activity all around Yellowstone (such as the hot springs) is a result of an enormous volcanic eruption 640,000 years ago. Much of the park is located in the crater of the volcano, although one would never realize it because it is so old and covers such a vast area. I learned that the Lewis and Clark expedition somehow missed the Yellowstone area. I was amused by the stories of the subsequent hunters and trappers who visited the Yellowstone area in the early 1800s and how their stories of “hot mud volcanoes” and “water running so fast it boils” were received by the skeptics in the eastern U.S.
It was interesting to learn that 36% of the trees in Yellowstone were destroyed by a forest fire in 1988. However, most ecologists do not consider the event a disaster; they view it as a natural event that introduces a new cycle of growth in the park. This was the guiding philosophy in 1988, although the decision was eventually made to fight the fire. The areas that burned still clearly stand out, because all of the trees and undergrowth were destroyed. What is really amazing was that nearly all of the seeds and nutrients located just under the topsoil remained intact and eventually started the new growth.
I made my way from Mammoth Hot Springs down to Canyon Village in hopes of finding a campsite. But it was snowing there and the campsite was closed. I followed along the Yellowstone River and made stops at the pungent Mud Volcano and Sulfur Caldron. All of the children around me were plugging their noses and accusing the other children of farting. I found a campsite in Lake Village, situated along the northwest bank of Yellowstone Lake.
My not-so-trusty Coleman camp stove conked out on me as I was preparing dinner. Flames were shooting sideways out of it. I tested it twice before I left Edina and everything seemed a “go”. Fortunately, I have a backup. It’s my MSR Dragonfly. It boils a quart of water in no time – and sounds like a jet engine while doing it. (I need something to warm my noodles.)
I plan to explore the lake and the geysers, including Old Faithful, on the west side of the park tomorrow. Then I’ll likely push on to Grand Teton National Park which actually borders Yellowstone to the south.
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