Geysers!

Today we drove to the Old Faithful area--the most popular part of the park. Along the way we saw a magnificent bull elk browsing near the road, along with some bisons.

We got there in time to join the 9:00 a.m. hike up to Observation Point, from which we could see Old Faithful erupt. Our guide was very informative and made a compelling case for the protection of the thermal and other resources of the park.

The highlight of the day--the highlight of our visit here--was the eruption of the Grand Geyser. It was an amazing spectacle, a demonstration of the power and beauty of the forces pent up under the earth here. Water jetted up and danced like a monumental fountain, and steam plumed high in the air. Everyone was mesmerized. We had to wait over an hour to see it, but the wait was more than worth it.

We hiked out to the Morning Glory Pool, seeing more pools and geysers along the way. We drove to the Black Sand Basin, where we saw more wonderful pools colored by thermophiles in orange and yellow and brown and blue and green.

The visitor center is in a temporary building. We were sorry to miss the opening of the new center, scheduled for August. We did see an informative film about geysers and the Yellowstone Hot Spot.

Tonight we played Rummikub, had ice cream, and went to bed early (well, Chris and Annie went to bed early--I'm trying to catch up on blogging).