Seriously, when I went to bed the night before, I couldn't imagine how the next day could even compare to the day we had just had. But, this day turned out to be the best day yet...
We started out heading back North through the Hayden Valley (above). By this time in our travels, we had seen many, many bison roaming through the Park and had countless pictures of them. This morning however, they decided to cross the road up ahead and we were stuck in a traffic jam for quite a long time as they made there way along. We noticed our fellow Yellowstone tourists were most patient so we all enjoyed our "slow" morning...
The attraction for the day was The Yellowstone Grand Canyon. First stop of the morning gave us this view of the lower falls...
I only barely remember seeing this exact view of the canyon as a little girl...
Here is another view from a different place. A sign nearby read...
Before the earthquake of 1975, this observation platform extended 100 feet further into the canyon. The main tremor... shattered a portion of this cliff, tumbling it into the gorge... this section of the Yellowstone overlies a major fracture zone, and the park records thousands of minor tremors annually. Do not assume the scenery will be the same when your return.
Finally we stopped at the trail for The Brink of the Lower Falls. This lazy fellow was making his way through the parking lot. We gave him plenty of room...
Remember this view of the lower falls that we saw earlier?..
Here we are now standing at the top of it...
Yes, we felt like we were standing on the brink of being completely washed away...
Here is a video I took as we stood by...
There is no way to describe or capture the way it looked this time but this quote comes to mind...
"...As I took in the scene, I realized my own littleness, my helplessness, my dread exposure to destruction, my inability to cope with or even comprehend the mighty architecture of nature..."
~Nathaniel P. Langford, 1870, one of the first explorers to record his impressions of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
~Nathaniel P. Langford, 1870, one of the first explorers to record his impressions of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
After supper in Canyon Village, we headed back west to see the "Artist Paint Pots". Again we took many pictures of the sites but I like this landscape picture the best...
The kids thought this video of the mudpots was cool...
Back on the road and headed back to our camp we saw more bison and elk along the way...
We would see these Yellowstone busses often on the roads and I had been wanting to get a picture. Finally Randy was able to get one for me...
Back at our trailor, we headed to bed and crashed after another full day.
To be continued,
Alison
5 comments:
These pictures are so amazing. Thank you for putting these posts together and letting us come along on you tour of Yellowstone.
Have you ever listened to Mannheim Steamroller's "Yellowstone" Album? Looking at these photos and listening to your music reminds me of their work. As you listen to the songs, you can picture the beautiful scenes, the waving grasses, the hoof beats of running bison.
Another breathtaking view day! I certainly would like to visit in the summer - what a wonderful trip for your family.... great memories!
The quote by Nathaniel Langford reminds me of the way my dad appreciated nature and how it turned His thought to the Creator of it. We have similar thoughts he wrote in journals he kept. Thanks! :)
You captured some perfect photos here. I'm having flashbacks from our 2006 trip to Yellowstone... so beautiful!
sensational! we want to get there one of these years! thanks for the beautiful photo montage!
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