Americana Day 5 - Yellowstone Park

This is the day we went through the rest of the park.  The waterfalls, canyons, and geysers. 

 

OK.  Before we go any further, I 'd like to put this old myth to rest.  This is, in fact, bear shit and I found it, in fact, in the woods.  So lets put that eternal question...... "Does a bear shit in the woods?" to rest.  Yes he does and there is the evidence.  (BTW.  It was fresh enough that we were a bit nervous.  Just saying)

 

 

The weary travelers by the Mammoth Hot Springs.

 

 

A petrified tree.

 

 

On the way back from the petrified tree, Jen spotted this bear and her cubs.

 

 

Almost immediately, all these people came running up with all these fancy camera's.  They said they had been waiting for hours to get a shot of this family.  I didn't say anything but I was thinking that it only took us a couple minutes and that they were doing something wrong.

 

 

We saw our fair share of waterfalls.

 

 

This is at the top of one of the waterfalls.  Just don't get near the edge.

 

 

Pretty.

 

 

This is the same type of geology that we saw at the Devils Tower.

 

More waterfalls.

 

 

Scooby by the waterfall.

 

 

This was about the coldest we had to endure.  Note the shorts that Kris insisted on wearing.  She regretted that choice during the day.

 

 

 

But that didn't stop her from wanting to climb every trail we found.  I told her if she wants to do that, she'd have to come back some time.  I think she's planning on getting Uncle Pat to come out with her sometime.

 

 

Uncle Tom's Trail.  For those of you who don't know him, the Bruen's have an Uncle Tom.  On the other hand, what Irish family doesn't.

 

 

More water falling.

 

 

I don't think this deer thought much of us.  Sticking his ass up like that.

 

 

Obviously, this is the Steamboat Geyser.  We walked around the Norris Geyser Basin for a bit.  It was a two mile nature hike that meandered around a whole bunch of geysers and hot springs

 

 

Another angle of Steamboat.

 

 

These signs were all over the place.  Some kid fell through a geyser and lost a leg.

 

 

Oh no.  Jen lost one too.

 

 

Jake, you poor thing.

 

 

I don't think I'd want to drink this water.

 

 

There was a nasty hissing sound coming out of this hole.

 

 

Am I going bald?

 

 

How would you like to have one of these open up in your backyard.

 

 

They have a raised walkway for you to get nice and close to geological explosions.  Nice.

 

 

This spring went the wrong way.

 

 

Notice water is running into it from the pond to the right and left of the picture.  Then the water just disappeared.  Don't know where it went.

 

 

This is where the water from the left side of the picture, above, was coming from.

 

 

Anyone up for a swim?

 

 

I hear the water's really good for your skin.

 

 

Puff 'n Stuff.  The name fits.

 

 

These claw marks looked really fresh.

 

 

Maybe he was cleaning his paws off after taking a shit.  These wasn't a rabbit around.

 

 

Old Faithfull in all her glory.

 

 

Self Shot.

 

 

The travelers.  I think Jake might pass Kris soon on that whole "Taller" thing.

 

 

For some reason, I've always been fasinated by the Continental Divide.  I've flown over it many times and you can see the big picture of water flowing east or west.  But seeing it on the ground was pretty cool.

 

 

This pond was behind a sign explaining what the Continental Divide was.

 

 

Water was running to the west.

 

 

And also running to the east out of the same pond.  I wonder if the fish make a choice.  "Do I want to go to the Mississippi River or the Colorado River?"  Hmmm.

 

 

Yep.  I was there.

 

 

Jake tried his own experiment.  He poured water out in front of the sign to see which way it went.  It just puddled up then evaporated.  Fail.

 

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