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June 18, 2005
Today was a day of diversity in which we saw a lot of wildlife
and many different geological features. We left Roosevelt early in the morming for
a day of driving down to the Yellowstone Lake area. On the way,
we made frequent stops to observe more wonders of the park.
 After breakfast at Mammoth some of the group walked up to the
hot springs. The smell of sulfur permeated the air as the steam
rose from the springs. Melissa noted how the terraces had changed
from just a few years ago.
Next, we drove to Golden Gate where we saw a raven's nest
on the rhyolite cliff walls. We watched as a mother raven fed
her 2 chicks a small rodent and we discussed the geological
makeup
of the cliffs. The tuff (ash from a volcano) that we saw indicates
to geologists that Yellowstone is a gigantic volcano that
has
erupted explosively three times in the last 2 million years.
At Obsidian Cliff, we were amazed at the way the volcanic lava
formed into "glass" over thousands of years and how
large the obsidian boulders were.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, which was carved by a huge flood
during glacial times, was awe-inspiring and breath-taking. At
the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River we were able
to observe the majesty of the wonders around us.
We enjoyed Dragon's Mouth, a fumerole where heat rises
from underground through the water and creates steam. Dragon's
Mouth was a cave-like feature which "roared" like
a dragon and shot steam from its opening.
 Wildlife highlights of the day were: three elk running across
Roaring Mountain; a bald eagle being chased by a red-tailed
hawk over the lush green grasses of Hayden Valley; harlequin ducks sitting on the
rocks amidst the LeHardy
Rapids; and huge cutthroat trout attempting to
jump the rapids in order to swim upstream and spawn.
All in all, today was an AWESOME day! We experienced so much
and are looking forward to the many adventures which still lie
ahead.
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