Well, here it is, Monday, already!! And this is our last day in Yellowstone.
We headed north again but this time toward the northeast entrance.
Should have put this in before, but here is a map of Yellowstone:
On the way we saw a alot of smoke in the mountains ahead of us, but, according to a sign along the road, they were controlled burns by the the Park Service and not to report the fires.
The first scheduled stop this day was - what else? - The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone!!
The most breathtaking sight inside Yellowstone Park is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Twenty miles long, the canyon is up to 4,000-feet wide and 1,200-feet deep in places.
Charles Cook explored the area in 1869, and is credited with discovering the canyon. According to Lee Whittlesey’s Yellowstone Place Names, Cook was said to have commented: “I sat there in amazement, while my companions came up, and after that, it seemed to me that it was five minutes before anyone spoke.”
The canyon, located below Lower Falls, is in a former geyser basin created by rhyolite lava flows, heat and faulting. Chemical and heat action resulted in hydrothermal changes that today can be seen in the form of active geysers and hot springs. It is believed that at the end of the last glacial period melting ice dams at the mouth of Yellowstone Lake caused catastrophic flooding and erosion that led to the formation of the canyon as it exists today.
Uncle Tom's Trail: Paved inclines and steps lead 500 feet down to a viewing platform for an intimate look at the Lower Falls. This walk is steep, and strenuous.
Look at this tree growing out of the rock!
The walls of both sides are extremely steep. Notice the various colors - due to geysers.
From the Grand Canyon we drove south to Yellowstone Lake, but before we got there, we came to this.
And here are a couple of views of the lake.
Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park, The lake is 7,732 feet above sea level and covers 136 square miles with 110 miles of shoreline. While the average depth of the lake is 139 feet its deepest spot is at least 390 feet. Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet (2,133 m) in North America.
In winter, ice nearly 3 feet (1 m) thick covers much of the lake, except where shallow water covers hot springs. The lake freezes over by early December and can remain frozen until late May or early June.
Here are steaming pools around the lake.
Scenery along the way.
We also came up on these guys enjoying a bite to eat.
After we left Yellowstone Lake we worked our way back to West Yellowstone and came upon this guy walking on the road.
This guy had a bad left back leg and by the time he got accross the road and into a field, he could hardly walk.
We also saw more elk.
And here we are, on the road back to West Yellowstone - getting dark.
And, shortly after we cross the state line into Montana, we are home for the night.
Reflecting on our travels thru Yellowstone - the weather was fantastic and the crowds were low, so we got to see just about everything we wanted to see and then some. If you have never been, you need to seriously consider a trip there in the future.
It was great traveling with Nolan and Barbara Klier and we hope to meet up with them again soon on another excursion.
Question for Julie - Have you noticed the absence of something in all of these blogs since Jackson??
Of course...it must be too cold to wear those softball shirts! Maybe you could wear one OVER a sweatshirt one day? hee!
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