On our last day at Grand Teton NP we had gone riding (we have become fond of trail riding!) through the lodgepole pine forests around Jackson Lake. We were the only ones wearing riding helmets. We have noticed a very lackadaisical attitude to horse and especially motorbike helmets in the States. The majority of states do not make it compulsory to wear a helmet so no-one does. Coming off a bike at 6o mph without a helmet is going to leave you pretty much brain dead. Why States don't make it compulsory to save your self and wear a helmet is beyond us esp. as most states have compulsory seat belt wearing laws. Possibly the motorbike lobby is very strong?
Yellowstone NP is a very big park, about 50 miles by 50 miles and situated on a plateau of the High Rockies, surrounded by mountains and with a huge caldera in the middle, a remain of an ancient eruption. It is a haven for wildlife esp. bison and bears. Bison were everywhere and at times we had to stop to let them cross the roads.
The weather was perfect but well below freezing at night. On our first day we drove to the Old Faithful Geyser Area. There were hundreds of tourists all sitting on the benches awaiting the next eruption. It was fantastic to see it erupt almost on time.
Then all the tourists bundled into their buses and cars and we went on a five mile walk almost by ourselves along the valley past even more spectacular geysers. We were very lucky. All the geysers have different cycles - some 90 minutes and some only once a day. We were lucky to see Grand Geyser erupt, followed by Riverside Geyser (below). There are so many geysers it was almost beyond comprehension.
Yellowstone has many different thermal areas with Old Faithful being the most famous. Certainly Rotorua in NZ more than rivals it for mud pools, terraces, fumaroles but Yellowstone has with out a doubt the world's best array of geysers.
In our seven days in Yellowstone we saw all the thermal areas and some lovely hot pools. The yellowy colour in the pools below is a cyanobacteria that lives there quite happily breaking down Hydrogen Sulfide and turning it into sulphuric acid.
The other main highlight of the Yellowstone area is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River which plunges through the caldera in two magnificent falls then carves it wave through a deep narrow canyon as it fights it way North to join the Missouri River.
The Norris Geyser Basin is another fabulous area in the park home to the world's highest geyser that alas blows very seldom these days.
On the days we weren't geyser watching we went wildlife watching. Saw lots of bears.
As the snow eased on the high pass into Montana, we were at last back in our home state where in 2011 we had bought the Chevy Silverado and started our long trek around the USA and Canada. After the high desert of Utah a couple of weeks ago, we were now in a green and pleasant land with flowing rivers and cattle ranches. We arrived at our lovely campsite in Big Timber, Montana where we setup alongside the fast flowing Boulder River, a tributary of the Yellowstone River. Idyllic!
We shall enjoy all that Montana has to offer over the next two weeks before we head into Canada.
