Today was an adventure of the geothermal variety in the caldera of the continent’s largest volcano. We saw geysers erupt, mud pots bubble, and boiling hot streams roll over rocks crusted with colorful bacteria. Everywhere we went steam escaped through cracks in the earth and lifted from boiling pools the color of the Caribbean on a sunny day. Every once in a while, the air was softly scented with eau de sulphur. Did you guess that we visited Yellowstone National Park?

It’s a place that I’ve wanted to visit ever since I was a little kid watching Bugs Bunny cartoons. For some reason, Old Faithful seemed to come up a lot and I was desperate to see it for myself (that and Albuquerque). So I guess today was a little dream come true. Before we left we got to finally see the Tetons that were so elusive yesterday. They are gorgeous!

The Tetons reflected in Jackson Lake.

We arrived at the Old Faithful section at the park and noticed that there were hundreds of people just waiting for the famous geyser to erupt. These days, it puts on its spectacular show every 90 to 127 minutes. We were hoping we wouldn’t have to sit around waiting for it to do its thing. Would you believe that it woke up seconds after we walked up to it? The plume of water reached over a hundred feet and wafts of sulphur stung our nostrils. The cloud of steam was pleasantly warm on what was a very cold day. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over.

Do you see the rainbow?

It was time to go exploring. We found a trail that led to “Solitary Geyser” and took it. We were rewarded with a beautiful pool high on a hill. It was a crystal blue color and super clear. The sign said that it erupts every 5 to 7 minutes, but all we saw it do was bubble a little bit every now and then. It was very peaceful and welcoming. I could have hung out all day. But there were hundreds more geysers to check out and thousands of “geothermal features.” Time to move on!

Solitary Geyser was probably the highlight of my day! Look at the cool formations on the edges!

Everywhere we went, plumes of steam escaped from the earth. It felt very primordial. Every pool was different and had its own personality. The Celestine Pool looked like an opal with white lacy edges.

The water was clear, but you could not see the bottom.

Firehole Spring was blue and deep. The boardwalk let you get within a few feet of it. Every few seconds, large bubbles of gas erupted from its surface. We felt the bubbling under our feet as we watched.

The water is not only hot, but acidic also. The bottoms of the tree trunks are bleached from the acid.

Great Fountain, a giant geyser, is predicted to erupt on Saturday between 12:30 and 4:30 AM. We won’t be seeing that one in action, but it was an impressive sight, nonetheless. Its terraced borders were stained yellow and black by the bacteria and minerals that exist there.

Great Fountain is so large I couldn’t get it all in the frame!

By the time we got to Grand Prismatic Spring, it was late in the day and absolutely freezing out. The boardwalk system takes you past Excelsior Geyser Crater. It’s just what it sounds like: a giant crater with a bubbling blue pool inside.

Looks like a scene from another planet.

Unfortunately, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and the steam prevented us from seeing the famously colorful spring. The surroundings were amazing, though, and we did get a sense of what the borders looked like. We will return on a clear day so we can fully appreciate its rainbow goodness!

The entire area around the spring is covered in these terraces. They are full of “thermophiles,” organisms that like the heat and acidic water!

This is the only part of spring we could see…the edges. Can’t wait to see the whole thing!

By the time we got back to the Tetons, the sun was setting. The snow on the mountains brought out their character. We are lucky to be here at a time when fall is transitioning to winter and there are all the great attributes of both to enjoy.