June 15, 2006
 After a fantastic breakfast buffet at Lake Hotel, we traveled to Yellowstone Lake where we hiked across an “Indiana Jones” bridge — a wooden walkway across a flooded bog. We were anxious but excited to be in this part of Yellowstone, because it is bear country. The weather was cold and invigorating. After hiking through the forest, we came out on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. It looked almost as rough as the ocean. The wind was blowing at 10 to 12 mph with a temperature of 45°F and a wind chill of 39°F. We had a white pelican flyover and made casts of coyote tracks.
 Driving down into the Upper Geyser Basin, we saw Beehive Geyser erupting in the distance. As we drove into the parking lot we could see hundreds of people standing around Old Faithful — a sure sign that eruption was imminent. The eruption was a sight to see, rising 90 feet in the air with steam billowing everywhere. Afterwards we toured the Basin with a Park Ranger, and saw the carcass of a bison who had succumbed to the harshness of winter.
We’ve had a great day learning about the 150 geysers at Old Faithful. We learned that there are approximately 600 geysers worldwide, with 400 here in Yellowstone. All geysers need three things: heat, water and the right rocks to create a plumbing system. Very few areas on Earth (Iceland, Russia, New Zealand and Yellowstone) have this combination. We are so thankful that our country had the vision to conserve Yellowstone and hope that it remains protected for future generations.
Q & A for June 15
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