We also saw more bison along the road--bison seem to be everywhere, and usually are on or next to the roads. Today (the 22nd) we had decided to leave about seven and head directly to Old Faithful to beat the crowds. That strategy worked well, because by 10:00, it was hard to find a parking space at any scenic spot. It also worked well for spotting wildlife, such as that shown above, as well as two Sandhill cranes:
At Old Faithful, we learned that it was first-come-first served for the historic Inn luncheon, and so we planned to watch the geyser erupt, then explore back north along the section of the Lower Loop highway.
The above picture of old Faithful is before it erupts. I took a video of a portion of the eruption, then decided to just watch it and enjoy the view. There were few people seated on the benches (three in a row) encircling the geyser but by our return after lunch (about 1:00), there were so many people you could not SEE the benches because of the standing crowds. We still had a good view of the Geyser from the visitor center at the 1:00 eruption, as long as someone did not step in between us and the Geyser...
After the morning eruption, we left old Faithful, and drove to Black Sand Basin, where the first of several extraordinary boardwalk trails took us up close and personal to more geysers, bubbling pools, and deep blue springs, and other colors of the geothermal spectra. Next we went to Biscuit Basin, and all of the basins northward. On all of our walks, we saw most people wearing suitable walking/hiking shoes, but there was an occasional person who should have known better. The young lady in these seemed to be struggling on the Boardwalk:
The following pictures are only some of the hundreds I took, each one equally awe inspiring.
Tomorrow is another early day (earliest yet) to drive to the Haydon Valley to look for wolves. Then we will complete the Lower loop, passing by Yellowstone lake, and again past Old Faithful and back to camp for our last evening here.
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