Pleasant two hour drive to West Yellowstone. Scenery spectacular. Rivers running through alpine like plains. Just stopped before I head for Old Faithful! The McDonalds here is full of Chinese workers!!! They cannot understand a word I say!! What are they doing in the middle of nowhere working in a fast food restaurant??
More to follow....
As drive towards Old Faithfull, stopped at Fountain Paint Pots and Biscuit Basin. Its like the end of the world!! Steam rising among petrified pine trees and a strong smell of sulphur dioxide!!
Why its called the paint pots, they look like them. There were many over a wide area.
Old Faithful was spectacular, even though had to wait a bit in the heat, but worth it! It blows every 1½ hours and goes up at least 50 feet. Remember all the visitors are kept at least 500 feet from it because the water is super heated well above boiling!! Spray can seriously burn someone.
Crossed the Continental Divide twice on the way to Grant and a glimpse of West Thumb and Yellowstone Lake, like crater lake, but with overflows etc and huge. This whole area is a giant caldera and you can see that. But unlike Crater Lake, the earths crust is very thin and geothermal heat is seeping out of the surface.
Headed south over the Continental Divide yet again!! Stopped at Lewis falls which was spectacular!!
Kept heading south out of Yellowstone and into Grand Teton. Spectacular mountains formed from a fault which rose, while the other half sank forming a lake. Drove all the way to Moose taking pictures, then headed back up the way I came to find a camp site. On the return witnessed thunder storms and lightening over Yellowstone, but it did not rain where i was.
Mt Moran, highest peak in the Grand Tetons
Finally found a spot in Colter Bay Village. As I was so late I never paid! The attendant had gone for the night and I pitched in the dark. Stick it to the man!!
