Day 47 was a big one... Equipped with loads of tips and suggestions from our stop at one of the parks half-dozen ranger station Lauren and I had mapped out an ambitious and fun day that would help us at least make a dent in our "to do in Yellowstone" list.
We started with a hike to Imperial Geyser. The hike had very little elevation gain and wasn't particularly scenic but the impressive but oft overlooked springs at the end were not to be missed. As a bonus, en route to Imperial we would also pass Fairy Falls which was also quite impressive.
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| Enjoying a refreshing mist at the base of Fairy Falls |
From Fairy Falls it was just a short hike to Imperial Geyser. When we arrived we knew at once that the park ranger had not led us a stray! The colors were almost too vibrant to believe, and as our guide indicated, there were hardly any people.
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| This way to Imperial Geyser |
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| "Are you coming or what?" |
Imperials eruptions were frequent and impressive but it was only after Lauren and I scrambled up an adjacent hill and saw it from above that we were able to truly appreciate the geysers beauty.
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| Another natural beauty |
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| One of my favorite pics of the lot... I love this way this shot shows the contrast of colors. |
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| A parting picture of Fairy Falls |
On our way back to the parking lot from Fairy Falls we passed Grand Pristine Geyser. While impressive from ground level, in order to truly appreciate the size and beauty of the geyser, you need to do a little up hill scrambling. There isn't a clearly defined footpath up the hill that flanks GP and the soil is loose and unreliable, but once you get even a quarter of the way up it is clear that the view is well worth the work.
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| Grand Pristine Geyser from ground level |
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| And from above! (if you look closely you can see people walking the boardwalk on the North face) |
That afternoon/evening we had one more big event planned, we were going on a game drive! When we stopped by the ranger station the day before they informed us that if we wanted to increase our chances of seeing big animals our best bets would be to check out a few of the scenic drives during sun rise or dusk. Since early mornings aren't our forte we decided that that evening we'd drive the Hayden Valley (famous for buffalo).
Before we even arrived at the turn for Hayden valley we found ourselves at a stand still as we waited for traffic in front of us to clear. As we were trying to figure out what was causing the delay a huge (and I mean HUGE) bull elk came trotting casually down the road in the left lane. I fumbled blindly with my camera bag, unable to take my eyes of the behemoth and was just barely able to get off this picture before he was out of sight down the road.
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| This picture does not do the animals size justice! |
After he was gone Lauren and I looked at each other in disbelief. We hadn't even made it to the valley yet and already we saw this amazing creature? This was going to be a great drive!
As we started down Hayden Valley it became obvious that we weren't the only tourists that the rangers told this "is a good place to see large animals".
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| Hayden Valley Parking Lot |
When we finally made it back to camp we were exhausted. Glad we were able to experience all that we had but very ready for bed!
-Dan
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