Yellowstone Day 3

  Friday, due to our late night Thursday we didn't get as early of a start but we were still on the road by 9 a.m.  However, right out the gate into the park we hit a traffic jam that took us 20 minutes to go 1 mile.  It was a little frustrating when we discovered the reason was an Elk and her baby,  not that that isn't awesome but considering how many Elk you see in the park not really a reason to stop traffic for 20 minutes.  Day 3 we decided to try to tackle the bottom loop.  Day 3 was by far the windest!!! We saw hats everywhere, we even saw a pair of sunglasses and an umbrella because it was blowing so hard it would blow the hat right of peoples heads into the geysers or pools!
Fountain Paint Pots  

   

Great Fountain Geyser  

  After the Fountain Paint Pots we did a quick drive across the main road to drive a quick little loop around the Great Fountain Geyser.

 Surprise Pool

Old Faithful
  We grabbed a quick lunch from the cooler before heading over to Old Faithful.  We decided to just grab a seat and wait the 45 minutes for Old Faithful to go off.  It did several small spurts and honestly Heather, Zach and I kind of wondered if that was going to be it but we patiently waited and got to see the full thing.  Most of the kids thought it was great and were excited to get pictures with their kindles, Justice was more entertained playing with the rocks on the ground lol!

 More smashed pennies

Midway Geyser Basin

  After Old Faithful us adults all had headaches from the wind and allergies so we decided to make our way back to West Yellowstone.  On the way back we stopped at Midway Geyser Basin.  By far my favorite and the most spectacular of all the sights!  I wish pictures even did it justice!

  

  Turquoise Pool has no apparent overflow channel, instead water drains through seepage. There is an underground connection with Excelsior Geyser. When Excelsior was active, Turquoise lowered nearly ten feet and took nearly a year to recover. In June and July purple fringed gentians are common and bloom on the barren ground surrounding this pool.

 This picture was included to show just how hard the wind was blowing!!!  It was soooo windy at the top I thought my sun glasses were going to come off my face!

  Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, and is considered to be the third largest in the world-New Zealand has the two largest springs. Grand Prismatic sits upon a wide, spreading mound where water flows evenly on all sides forming a series of small, stair-step terraces. Steam often shrouds the spring which reflects the brilliant colors. Grand Prismatic discharges an estimated 560 gallons per minute.

  

   

  Excelsior was once the largest geyser in the world. However, the last known major eruptions occurred during the 1880s, when there were numerous eruptions up to 300 feet. The violent eruptions of the 1880s may have caused damage to the siliceous center lining, allowing gas leakage and the loss of thermal energy. No observed eruptions were known until 1985 when it erupted for two days. However, it only obtained a height of 20-80 feet. Since its eruptive activity in the 1880s, Excelsior is now a productive thermal spring, presently discharging 4050 gallons per minute. Numerous vents boil and churn the water within the crater, covering it in a dense layer of steam.

  After Midway Geyser Basin we headed back into West Yellowstone for pizza and maybe a few more sweet treats : )!  Then it was back to the cabin to shower and hang out for a bit before bed!