Sep 15 2007
Yellowstone Southern Loop
We headed back down to Old Faithful again on our drive around the southern loop of the park. Our stop at the inn was intended to be a restroom break, but, once we got there, we decided to walk a bit of the trails in the vicinity, including a hike up to an overlook above Old Faithful.
Looking down the Firehole River from a bridge over it.
Buffalo near the trail up to the overlook.
An elk along the trail.
Old Faithful eruption viewed from about 1/2 mile away.
Solitary Geyser. In 1915, the spring was tapped with a pipe with the idea of putting some of the hot water in the park to use. The level dropped about 5 feet and what had been a calm spring became a geyser erupting every few minutes. The pipe was removed, but the disruption of the balance caused over 90 years ago continues today.
A raven that visited us at lunch.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel - a panorama. Click on image to see a larger image (it will open in a new window).
The hotel dining room.
The hotel’s “Sun Room,” adjacent to the lobby and overlooking the lake.
View of Lake Yellowstone from the shore in front of the hotel.
Churning Cauldron - The roiling of the water is not boiling; it’s huge bubbles of hot gases from deep within the earth.
This lady was way too close. If these buffalo had started running, the could have been on her before she had a chance to react. We’ve seen people who were even closer than this to buffalo.
