Nature is a Trip!

Guess who went to Yellowstone? What a wonderful trip! Wildflowers, animals, cooler weather, mountains, lakes, what more could a girl ask? We rented a car and drove up from Salt Lake City. Very much worth the long drive. The territory in between is quite lovely. The Rockie Mountains personality is very different personality from that of the Blue Ridge.
The first photo is of some of the wild flowers. There are a lot of things in bloom up there. The second photo is one of many great views we stopped to enjoy (all the photos in this posting were taken inside Yellowstone National Park).

Third is a photo I took of the stairs leading down to the Mammoth Hot Springs area. I just loved the way the pattern in the railings looked against natures twisty trees.

This fourth Photo shows part of the Mammoth Hot Springs. No, that isn't snow and it was not cold. It was, intensely atmospheric. Yellowstone was once, (many millions of years ago) a giant volcano. Most of the park fits into the caldera. That is why they have so many geothermal features in one relatively small area.

The fifth photo
shows another one of those great views and the sixth is a Momma Bear. She had two cubs with her. I will attempt to include video here also.

Seventh is a Heron and Eighth shows two different boats with names I just could not resist. Hubby and I took a boat tour of the lake. It was a fun ride and the guides were excellent.

Water view.

Look at the inset for the picture of the bridge, it shows the sign that is clearly posted on both ends of the bridge. The sad thing is, this is "The Fishing Bridge". My hubby has fun memories of not catching anything from it. There are other places in the park where fishing is allowed and we saw plenty of people who were indulging in the sport. It is no longer allowed here because this is a spawning ground for the native Cutthroat Trout and they are disappearing.
The three ducks are swimming on Twin Lakes, I love the reflections in the water. (This photo also allows me to show that at least once in my life, I had all my ducks in a row).

This video is just buffalo, not doing anything brilliant, just being themselves. If possible, turn the sound on while it plays, they do make a funny noise.

Last but never least, this cute little guy is called a "Whistle Pig" because of the little whistling noise they make. I believe they are related to Guinea Pigs. Cute! Not at all shy either. I also took video of Old Faithful spouting off. If you are interested you can view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cSbBiMup6I We were there a couple of days before the President and his family. There is a live web cam aimed at Old Faithful and I have managed to catch it going off several times. You can find it at http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/yellowstonelive.htm That is all for now, stay tuned for more photos from the rest of the trip. We drove through the Grand Tetons and spent time in Ogden and Salt Lake City. The trip was great, but it is good to be home.

See ya,

Kat