Daily Journal

Saturday, January 14, 2006

We saw our first eruption of Old Faithful as the sun was beginning to peak over the mountains. Frost covered everything from lodgepole pine needles to a lone bison searching for food. Park Ranger Carolyn Loren told us about the park's thermal features: geysers, hot springs, fumeroles, and mudpots. We learned that two-thirds of the world's geysers are located in Yellowstone National Park, and there are about 150 in the Upper Geyser Basin. As we walked around the basin, we discovered tracks made by wolf, bison, elk, and snowshoe hares.

During our return trip to Mammoth Hot Springs, we saw several herds of bison, mostly females and their calves. Male bison tend to stay by themselves. To uncover the grass below the deep snow, which can be more than 2 feet deep in many areas, bison use their massive heads to plow the snow away. Along the road, we got stuck in an "elk jam"-everyone was stopped to look at a large bull elk feeding on aquatic vegetation in the Firehole River.

From sunrise at Old Faithful to sunset at Gibbon River, from the crunch of snow underfoot to the splashing of superheated geyser waters, our adventure has been amazing. We can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Yellowstone Images from Google Earth

Q & A for January 14