Day 1 in Yellowstone NP

Our first day in Yellowstone it snowed as we drove through the park to Madison campground, which was fortunately not covered in snow. Watching the bison running in the snow was quite interesting:

After setting up our campsite, we headed out to see some of the park. It seemed to be shaping up to be a beautiful day, then I got out of the car and was nearly blown over. I took some panoramas as I tempted the fate of the forceful wind and made a little planet of Gibbon Meadows:

Though the wind was very forceful and the air temperature cold enough to push through our 3-4 layers of clothing, we walked the boardwalk around the fountain paint pots, where we watched Clepsydra Geyser erupt and the wind carried the fog quickly into the distance. I attempted several puzzles and a panorama into little planet of Clepsydra.

We then headed to the Midway Geyser basin, where the boardwalk took us around the Excelsior Geyser Crater and the Grand Prismatic Spring. Unfortunately the wind made it difficult to see much more than fog, but it was still impressive.

Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

The advice of a ranger led us to a walk of more geysers and pools. We took her suggestion, starting our walk on the boardwalk around Biscuit basin, where the sapphire pool was the most beautiful thing we saw (and later found out it's one of the hotter features which accounts for the stunning blue color).

Sapphire Pool, Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone NP

The ranger suggested we walk along the Continental Divide trail to the Upper Geyser Basin, which we did. It was a nice, peaceful walk, not including the momentary panic where we had to pass by buffalo around 10-15 ft from the trail! Yikes. We walked quickly!

By the time we got to Riverside Geyser, it was predicted to erupt within the next hour, so we thought we'd stick around even in the chilled air. But rather than simply sit and wait, we walked to Morning Glory Pool and over to the Grotto Geyser, which was erupting as we were there. Finally, after an hour of waiting and only within the estimate by about a minute, Riverside erupted.

 Grotto Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

Riverside Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

Since it was cold, and the sun was setting, it was time to head back to our campsite, where we had a great dinner and climbed into the tent as the snow started falling.

Stay tuned for 3 more days of Yellowstone, Grand Teton, then a twist in our original plans. To see more on the beginning of our trip, visit my previous two posts: Devils Tower and the Black Hills

All images copyright Katrina Kouba Boles

Next up: Day 2 in Yellowstone NP

This is a series on our 2011 vacation. Here are the previous posts:

• Devils Tower and Little Planets
• Hiking in the Black Hills AKA Custer State Park

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