Click on the map to enlarge it. About This Site Planning Your Trip -- Detailed Expanations Old Faithful & the Geothermal Areas Road South to Old Faithful Old Faithful and Geyser Hill Upper Geyser Basin Old Faithful Village Mud Volcano Area Norris Geyser Basin Yellowstone Lake Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Mammoth Hot Springs Wildlife Safari in the Lamar Valley Grand Teton National Park This travelogue is one family's experience in Yellowstone. To see a photo in a 1024 x 681 size, just click on it. We hope you enjoy the record of our journey, and that you get to experience your own. Note: Stock photos of these and many other images with reproduction rights are available in their original 3008 x 2000 size. We also have a screen saver. Click here for more information. We entered Yellowstone at the western entrance in West Yellowstone, MT. This is a shot along the Madison river. Many of Yellowstone's roads run parallel to rivers, so this is a very common scene in the park. Here's a shot of the Madison river as we headed towards Madison junction, which leads to the Old Faithful area. Firehole Canyon drive is a scenic, one-way road that takes you through a beautiful canyon with a small waterfall. There's also a swimming hole with water warmed t0 75-80 degrees. It's about 2.5 miles down the road from Madison junction. Our first encounter with a buffalo took place a few miles after Firehole Canyon drive. This old guy wandered on the road and stopped several cars. The first geysers are in the Lower Geyser Basin, which are about 10 miles from the Old Faithful area. The parking lot was so jammed that we kept on going and stopped at Midway Geyser Basin, which is about five miles above the Old Faithful area. Here's information about the Excelsior geyser, which hasn't erupted since 1985. To read it clearly, just click on the photo. Here's a shot of the hot spring the has developed in the Excelsior geyser's crater. Here's a shot of the absolutely amazing Grand Prismatic Spring, which is Yellowstone's largest and one of its most brilliant. The aqua color is almost indescribable. It is created by water that is heated by magma several miles below the earth's surface. The water flows into the spring from fissures in the rocks. The colorful minerals surrounding the spring are dissoved in the heated water and are deposited as the water cools when it reaches the surface. Here's a shot the the spring from another angle. The water, incidentally, continues on and pours into the Firehole river at a rate of about 500 gallons a minute. Another interesting feature is that the spring and surrounding area is alive with microorganisms. Read the exhibit (next photo) at the spring for a more detailed explanation. Click on the photo to read the detailed information about microorganisms living in the Grand Prismatic Spring. Click here to continue on to the Old Faithful area.>

© 2009 by Stephen Caswell. All Rights Reserved.