National Park. Here is John by Old Faithful
. We arrived just in time to see it erupt. As we were there early in the morning most of what we could see was the steam rather than the water. Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, although it is not the largest or most regular in the park.We walked along the Upper Geyser Basin. John said that by the end of our walk that he had seen enough geysers to last him for a while.
Doublet Pool is known for its series of ledges, elaborate border and deep blue waters. Periodically, Doublet produces vibrations, surface wave motion, and audible thumps - most likely caused by collapsing gas and steam bubbles. With temperatures above 199*F, the extreme heat prevents most bacterial growth, resulting in exceptionally clear blue water.
Long a favored destination for park visitors, Morning Glory Pool (third photo) was named in the 1880's for its remarkable likeness to its namesake flower. This blue pool soon became victim to vandalism; over the years people have thrown tons of coins, trash, rocks, and logs into the pool. Much of this debris became embedded in the sides and vent of the spring, which reduced the water circulation and thus the water temperature. Vandalism has decreased, but remains a problem. Natural changes may be cooling the water too. Cooler temperatures allow orange and yellow colored bacteria to thrive. Each year the park cleans out the geyser and still pulls out coins and debris that people toss regardless of the fact that there is a sign that says not to throw anything into the geyser!
By the end of our walk through the Geyser Basin, John said that he had seen enough geysers to last him for a while.
Yellowstone's world famous hydrothermal features - the spouting geysers, the terraced springs, the steaming fumaroles, the boiling hot pools and bubbling mud pots - are the most dramatic examples of geology in action that we can easily view. Few other places in the world have similar collections of hydrothermal features. The most famous of these are in Iceland and New Zealand, neither of which matched Yellowstone.
There is a feeling of the primeval, of being whisked back in time to the formation of the earth. Watching the active hot waters a visitor feels he is seeing geology in action. He is!
Yellowstone contains approximately one half of the world's hydrothermal features. There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features, including over 300 geysers in the park.Have to say that the weather had been great with clear blue skies!
That is all for today.
Candy and Johnny
