June 15, 2007
 Our morning began with a short hike along the Pelican Creek Trail. Along the way we found and made plaster casts of grizzly bear, coyote and elk tracks. The trail took us down to Yellowstone Lake, where we spent some time journaling and writing haikus. This one sums up our experience:
Peaceful, tranquil blue
Yellowstone Lake renews souls
Nature at its best
 After lunch we experienced the wonders of West Thumb Geyser Basin. The colors in the hot springs were exquisite, ranging from dark rust to turquoise to mustard yellow. Some of the hot springs had water that was Caribbean blue. Although the hot springs looked somewhat like a hot tub, numerous warning signs—and the knowledge that the temperature was 145°F—kept us from touching the water. A hot spring typically has a range of temperatures, being hottest in the center and relatively cooler at the edges. A hot spring’s wide range of colors comes from the different microscopic organisms that can survive at the various temperatures. In the center, where nothing lives, the water is turquoise blue. As you look from the center outward, the colors change from turquoise to yellow to red.
We left West Thumb and headed to Old Faithful. What a sight! The eruption was magnificent. After the eruption we walked a short distance to Geyser Hill, the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. Here we had a glimpse of why Yellowstone was set aside as the world’s first national park, as geyser after geyser erupted, as if putting on a special show for us. Yellowstone never ceases to amaze us!
Q & A for June 15
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