** If you are reading these journal entries for the first time, please start from the beginning, on June 21. **

Dear All,

Today we leave Yellowstone and head home!

Although all good things come to an end, we have done our very best to experience and enjoy Yellowstone, with long days and physical exertion, a sense of discovery and exploration, and as never before captured it in words and photos, with a sense of fun and our feelings.

Despite going to bed at midnight, Joyce got up at 5:30 am. We all showered, packed, had breakfast and got in the car by 7:15 am, only 15 minutes later than plan. The drive was estimated by MapQuest at 4:15 hours and the flight departed at 1:15 pm.

As you know, we usually do not get out till after 10 am, so we never saw anything early in the day and boy did we miss a lot! The early morning and late afternoon light is the best for photography, the animals are out during those hours too. As soon as we got out, we immediately enjoyed the crisp morning temperature, the soft lighting and the feeling that the entire day was still ahead of us.

The route was simple - go south along the left side of the top of the Figure 8, from Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris, east along the waist to Canyon Village, south along the right side of the bottom of the Figure 8, along the Yellowstone River to Fishing Bridge then hug the Yellowstone Lake to West Thumb, from there due south to the South Entrance. Go through Grand Teton National Park, then to Jackson Hole airport.

As early as 7:30 am, there were already visitors in the YNP taking photos at hot springs. Elks were grazing and bison were rising from their sleep, and a flock of ducks floating on the Yellowstone Lake. Today's Yellowstone photos were not our best, however, they were just the right re-cap for the trip.

Because we were heading to the airport and Michael being an early morning person with a sense of urgency very different from Joyce's (always the last minute or late arriver), she took many photos right from the car. However, Michael was kind enough to allow 30-second stops at strategic points so she quickly snapped them with greed. There were always slow cars we had to pass and Michael tried to stay ahead of them, keeping an eye on the 'red car' that would catch up if he allowed too much time. This particular challenge made for a fun ride.

[Sidebar - Joyce's sense of timing has created many close calls but she rarely misses really important things. One time, in Germany, she nearly induced a heart attack in a friend on the way to the airport, but of course they caught the flight in time.]

After leaving the South Entrance, we got on the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Highway, heading directly into Grand Teton NP. Boy, if there is a drive to the airport that could rival the views by this one, we would like to know! The entire drive from when we got a glimpse of the peaks of the Grand Tetons all the way to the Jackson Hole airport was permeated with a sense of awe and disbelief of the grandeur and majesty of these most magnificent Rocky Mountains!!!

We started to wonder out loud - Why did Cathy tell us not to spend a day in Grand Teton? Was she out her mind? Oh well, too late, besides her reply was nuanced. She said Grand Teton was best enjoyed from afar (true) unless one hiked into the back country (we didn't have time), and the best time of year was the fall where the aspen leaves turn yellow against the crystal blue sky. However, we also discovered there was a 7 or 8 mile bike path right in front of the mountains which would've been a fantastic way to take them in.

Set against a crystal clear lake, Joyce got a perfect shot of the mountains and their reflected image, complete with foreground, all done in a few seconds to frame, focus and shoot. A lifetime of training has finally paid off.

While taking photos from the passenger seat, Joyce leaned out the window to get a better shot. The strong wind blew her visor off and of course Michael said, "We can't go back for it." Oh darn, all her visors were bought at one of two special places - in a hat store in Provincetown or a general store on Nantucket where we spend our summer week on Cape Cod. And to think, we got to Jackson Hole airport at 10:45 am (in 3-1/2 hours), with more than two hours to spare (before we got gas). Oh well, oh well!

Because we had to gas the car, we drove past the airport towards Jackson Hole. On route, we past the National Wildlife Museum. Again, right from inside a fast moving car, Joyce managed to capture the sculpture of the animals and the museum building to/from the gas station. Before the museum, wow, ski slopes also showed up. Of course, they are the world renown Jackson Hole where Joyce skied in 1994 and went down 'Portuguese Ravine' on her back.

The flowers were beautiful at the mini-mart but how could they compare to the wild flowers in Yellowstone? We then headed back to the airport, which is probably also one of the most beautiful in the world, thanks to Grand Teton.

Sitting at a window seat, Joyce didn't put the camera away and continued to take shots as we got air born. You can see the quality suffered from the cracks and distortion in the airplane window (starting with #123), nevertheless, they showed off the mountains and the landscape, even those close to Salt Lake City, well. The last few shots were taken at the airport pub where we had a delicious lunch.

Acknowledgment

Final thanks go to Yeedeh, for inspiring Joyce to write this journal. To Cathy for her helpful suggestions on all the YNP places dear to her heart (her favorite is Lamar Valley where we spent two full days). To Michael for all his technical assistance - the camera, the computer, and the CD.

Prologue

In Michael's opinion, Yellowstone was the best vacation we ever had. During this past week, Michael came home and asked Ryan how his day was. Ryan simply said, "It's not Yellowstone."

In Joyce's mind, she could not get The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, part of our 2007 Southwest trip, out of her mind. Yellowstone is the #1 national park of the world, but Joyce wants to hike the vast desolate wilderness of Escalante one day. http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand_staircase-escalante.html

OK, here is our 'Top Ten' for Yellowstone - only our rating:

1. Lower Falls, Canyon Village, complete with rainbow, for its emotional impact
2. Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, for the bright orange, gleaming yellow and deep azure with color mists to match
3. Yellowstone Lake from Craig Pass down to its shore, for the incomparable views and the wow factor
4. Hayden Valley along Yellowstone River, for its beauty and wildlife
5. Fairy Falls and Imperial Geyser, for the 7 mile hike and the private intimate feeling
6. Fountain Paint Pot for its multi-hued mud pots and erupting geysers, and Mammoth Hot Springs for its terraced mineral formations and reflective pools
7. The dessert mountains near Roosevelt Arch (North Entrance), for the grand scale and breadth taking views
8. Park Lodges - Canyon Lodge, Roosevelt Lodge and Yellowstone Lake Lodge (unfortunately didn't have a chance to have lunch there), for their old time charm and comfort
9. All the wildlife we saw - we counted 14
10. All the wild flowers we enjoyed

Boy, Old Faithful didn't even make it (a bit too commercial) - it does have a special place!

Photos

1. To the extent possible, Joyce did not doctor them.
2. When she does, they are usually appended as 'A' - only if the processed came out better without taking away the details.
3. Joyce will be updating the albums as time goes on.
4. The camera is Sony DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) model A100, with a 3.5-5.6/18-70 mm lens by Minolta. Remember - it is not the camera but the photographer!

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=936654023/a=668758023_668758023/

Multi-Media

After a few days of seeing bison (buffalo), a tune surfaced from deep memory and Joyce started humming it. It turned out to be 'Home on the Range', part of the lyrics goes " ... where the buffalo roam ..." Michael heard the tunes at the Roosevelt Lodge and bought a CD. We played the CD in the car over and over, and still do at home.

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Chorus:
Home, home on the Range;
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Ryan also took many video clips. If we want to get really fancy, Joyce could include video clips and play this song with the Journal, which she might still do. But for now, it's been enough labor of love!

That's it, folks, this concludes our Yellowstone Journal. Hope you enjoy it as much as we've labored over it.

Love, Joyce



This is a Chinese Lantern dripping with rain, taken on June 12, from Joyce's garden.

Dear All,

Hard to believe it is the last full day of our week at Yellowstone. As the Chinese saying goes - there is no banquet under the sun that doesn't end and what a banquet it has been!

Today's itinerary was almost a repeat of yesterday, but what a difference one day makes. Instead of a cold & dreary rainstorm, we woke up to brilliant sunshine and cool and dry air. Time to take a few shots right outside of our 3rd floor hotel room - what a view!

From Mammoth Hot Springs eastward towards Tower-Roosevelt, one traverses the Blacktail Deer Plateau. We stopped by the first major 'venue' - a self-guided tour of the Forces of the Norther Range. What a delightful stop this was!

The air was crisp and cool, with temperatures in the high 50's, dry with a mild breeze. It reminded one of those cool crisp New England autumn days. Keep in mind, Yellowstone is at 7,000 ft elevation so the weather not only changes quickly but never gets hot.

We were fresh from the night's rest, full with a delicious breakfast. There were only three cars, and one group came from New Zealand - that was when Joyce realized Yellowstone was a destination for the world! The tour provided explanation of the forces of nature, how volcano shaped the landscape and most delightful of all, some of the wild flowers Joyce had been photographing. Joyce really took to nature photography on this trail - charred trunks and closeup of flowers.

Back in the car, Joyce noticed there was a 6-mile one way Blacktail Plateau Drive and suggested the detour. We drove onto a dirt road, which soon climbed way higher than the paved road. But it was around mid-day, so not a creature was around. We speculated that perhaps on the way back, the animals would be out grazing or hunting at dusk, so decided to come back later.

By the time we got to Roosevelt, no one was hungry. But after checking out the sandwiches at the General Store, the food aficionado Michael said, "We had better have lunch!" So we again took a leisurely lunch, this time with lighter fare (and no dessert). The 2nd day around, we got very good at changing the aperture (~minus one stop) and played around taking photos with natural light by the fire.

We spent the afternoon driving eastward on the 29 mile stretch towards the Northeast Entrance. On the way, Michael wanted to stop at the Yellowstone Association Institute, which used to be a ranch that raised bison. As we walked up, there were beautiful fences, horses, log cabins, prairie dogs dotting back and forth, but the place was deserted.

Finally, this guy came out after hearing our voices. Michael and he chatted at length. Dave Syvert, a photographer and a water color artist, was very friendly and told us about this place. From our photos, you already know bison is the most plentiful animal in Yellowstone, therefore they've turned this place into a nature classroom. You can come for a few to several days, taking all sorts of classes, with your own sleep gear and cook for yourself. On average, $100/day/person. Joyce left with a course catalog, in which some of the photos were taken by Dave.

At the Lamar River Stock Trailhead, a huge congregation of wildlife watchers gathered. We walked up to the crowd trying to find out what everyone was looking at. There was a Grizzly bear lounging in the trees and a wolf and her cubs in another group of bushes. For all we could try with our binoculars, we did not see them!

Then we stopped by the Soda Butte stone where the Soda Butte Creek flowed by. By then it was a hot mid-afternoon, but we managed to track down a most cute duck with red & green bands on its head and another prairie dog.

By late afternoon we reached the Northeast Entrance. This time, we went out of it and checked out the two towns - Silver Gate just outside the park and Cooke City another 3-4 miles further. In comparison, Silver Gate at least had some nice houses whereas Cooke City was just a 'dump'. But the Trading Post was fun, with a Wildlife Museum and lots of tacky souvenir.

The best was we found a bison lounging on someone's lawn. We speculated that it was a 'senior citizen' who decided to retire there and present itself as photo op. On the way back, we drove through Blacktail Plateau Drive again, didn't see much wildlife (what a disappointment) but did spot two elks high on a ridge and got some nice shots.

After many late nights, Joyce gave out and fell asleep in the car at 6:30 pm. She didn't even go out to supper but planned to hit the sack at 8:30 pm. The boys soon returned with leftover pasta, she had some and then regained her energy and stayed up till midnight again playing with photos.

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=933890023/a=668758023_668758023/

Love, Joyce

Dear All,

All week long, Michael and Ryan had been agitating about seeing a bear. Not till today their dream came true!

Even their choice of the Day 3 hike was a thinly disguised ploy (a trail picked for the high probably of seeing a bear) which Joyce saw right through and cleverly redirected the plan.

First off, the weather took a sharp turn from just the day before where it reached a whopping 97 deg F. We woke up to cold and cloudy skies with the certainty of rain. As it turned out, the temperatures stayed in the 50’s (low 60’s at best), a 40 deg F difference from the day before!

Undaunted by the poor weather, we set out to explore Lamar Valley, our first day at the northern end of Yellowstone. The first order was to photograph those crazy signs again.

On the previous day, from midday to mid-afternoon, the bright sun and the haze from the heat rendered many of Joyce’s photos unattractive. Today, although there were no longer dark shadows cast by the sun, the flat lighting also created a comparable challenge.

Joyce was very taken by the ‘Flying Pig Camp Store’ for its imagination and creativity, especially in the context of the saying ‘all men are pigs’. While photographing the signs, she also discovered two guys lying in an inflated raft – wow, what a way to kill a slow day! Then the store’s bus came by, which Michael pointed out, and Joyce quickly snapped a shot with a smirk and a knowing smile.

Starting from Gardiner, we entered the North Entrance (the Roosevelt Arch), went through Mammoth Hot Springs and headed east – 18 miles to Tower-Roosevelt and another 29 miles to the East Entrance. Before long we saw lush green fields and just before Tower-Roosevelt, stopped at the ‘C’ grade (yes, we started grading the various venues) Petrified Tree. OK, let’s move on.

Pretty soon we arrived at Tower-Roosevelt. The complex has a charming lodge (lobby, dining room and gift shop, open 7 am – 11 pm, built in commemoration of Teddy Roosevelt’s 1906 camping trip), various cabins for in-park lodging and a general store. As we walked up to the lodge, people were sitting in rocking chairs on the porch contemplating the weather.

By now we learned to keep an eye on lunch time as most NPS lodges and hotels stop serving at 2:30 or 3 pm (but not cafeteria or grills). Although we were not that hungry, we felt it was a good time. We took in the ambience of the lobby/dining area waiting to be served, then enjoyed a delicious and reasonably priced meal. Joyce’s pork sandwich and Michael's & Ryan’s bison chili were excellent but our desert – Joyce & Michael shared a Yellowstone Caldera (a chocolate truffle torte filled with molten chocolate), at $6.95, and Ryan’s Lemon Sorbet with Fruit, at $4.50, were out of this world, which we savored till the last spoonful!

After we got on the road we took a wrong turn – instead of going straight we turned right and headed south towards Canyon Village (remember the Upper and Lower Falls, the latter with the rainbow on Day 4?). On that route is the Dunraven pass at 8859 ft. As we gained altitude, Ryan discovered our mistake with our GPS. So at about the highest elevation, where we stopped for photos, we turned back. On the way, we stopped at the Calcite Springs Loop Trail and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the Yellowstone River rushing through bleached cliffs and learned a bit about the geology. Lesson learned – in Yellowstone, one can not make a wrong turn. Every turn is a right turn!

As we drove along the 29-mile stretch known as the Lamar Valley (first the Lamar River, which turns south, then the Soda Butte Creek), the rain storm got to its worst. The storm came in from the east, so while standing in the field taking photos, we had lighting and thunder.

With protection by the excellent water-proof and breathable jacket purchased on the first day, Joyce was undaunted, taking photos of wild life, mostly bison, and the incredible rain clouds. The clouds and the mists reminded her of Chinese brush painting (in black ink of various shades of gray). She took many photos right from the car through both the front and side windows.

After we past Tower-Roosevelt, the sky lightened and the rain ceased. As we neared Mammoth Hot Springs, we were stopped dead on the road. The number of cars and onlookers told us it was a ‘major wildlife event.’ With a trained ‘wildlife eye’, Michael said, “It’s a bear!”

Ryan (videographer) and Joyce (photographer) jumped out of the car while Michael parked. Sure enough, it was the cutest black bear cub, all by itself, romping around in the meadows voraciously eating vegetation. From the time she spotted the bear, Joyce didn’t stop pressing the shutter. At one point, the bear stood up, looked around, and ferociously tore a piece of wood. It was so small and cute; one soon forgot all about the bear warnings and just wanted to cuddle the cute teddy bear!

Afterwards, Michael told us an encounter with a British guy. Michael said, “It’s a cub and we haven’t seen the mother yet. If she comes out, she will tear us to threads.” The British guy replied, “Well, there is a huge crowd here. Maybe she will tear someone else into threads. I will take my chances!”

With the bear experience, we happily returned to Gardiner, forgot about the cold and misery of the day, and enjoyed BBQ meals at the Raven Grill, where the food was really decent yet the ambience was a minus ten, with concrete floors and plastic covered picnic tables.

Joyce again stayed up till the wee hours playing with her photos. As each day went by, she got more and more sophisticated. On the first days, she left the photos untouched. But Day 5 (heat haze) and Day 6 (cloudy rain) presented some challenges so she started cropping, adjusting the brightness and contrast to make the photos come out nicer and sharper. Sometimes, being a perfectionist only enslaves oneself to one's passion!

So you are enjoying the fruit of her labor, which she happily did for all her friends and family! Again, some went out of sequence during the uplaod but you can probably figure them out.

https://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=904515023/a=668758023_668758023/fromupload=true/imagecount=101/videocount=0/

Love, Joyce

Dear All,

Hard to believe it was Day 5 already but frankly after the 7 mile hike the day before we were ready to take it easy.

Turned out it was the hottest day as well. Sleeveless shirt and shorts for Joyce and lots of suntan lotion for everyone. We packed and left the hotel at about 10:30 am and headed to Madison, turning north towards Norris. Stopped by Artists Paintpot before Norris, then the Norris Geyser Basin.

At Norris Geyser Basin is a museum featuring the national park system, the YNP and short introductions about geysers and hot springs. But we were decidedly unimpressed by the geological 'non-wonders' of the Norris Geyser Basin, having seen much more impressive phenomena south of Madison. Guess we were becoming jaded!

By the time we drove the 21 miles from Norris to Mammoth Hot Springs, it was past 2:30 pm when all national park service hotels stopped serving lunch as did the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We settled for the grille; although the Fish & Chips were decidedly non-gourmet, the ice cream was quite good.

Mammoth Hot Springs is the headquarters of Yellowstone National Park, situated in a wide open area surrounded by mountains. There are beautiful buildings and expansive lawn areas, bustling with people and traffic. It is difficult to imagine such a 'civilization' among the wilderness of most of YNP, but it is quite impressive.

At this time of the afternoon, 3:30 - 4 pm, the temperatures had reached the 90's (no kidding, the high was 97 F), we decided to check into the hotel first then came back to Mammoth Hot Springs. As soon as we drove out of Mammoth, the scenery changed to a desert arid environment. The mountains reminded Joyce of Sierra Nevada.

We quickly came upon a stretch of road with several small hills. We stopped and soon Ryan and Michael were climbing up a hill while Joyce was busy with photos. She followed suit. While climbing up she noticed cacti and desert flowers. By the time she reached the top, a strong wind was whipping and the view was incredible. Only on the hilltop could one see the Yellowstone River running at the bottom of the mountains in the back. Joyce took photos comprising nearly a 360 degree panoramic view.

When we drove into Gardiner, Joyce soon observed all the wild and crazy signs. Turns out this is indeed Gardiner's culture. Apparently the 'industry' is the YNP, with nothing much else going on residents and businesses chose to express their creativity this way.

After freshening up, we headed back to the YNP, this time through the Roosevelt Arch. After we parked our car, Ryan pointed out the elks he had noticed. We walked over to literally someone's front lawn and photographed many elks peacefully grazing, apparently perfectly at ease with human beings.

By the time we got to the Mammoth Terraces at 6:30 pm, it was considerably cooler than the heat of the day. We enjoyed yet another new geological wonder, terraced formation of minerals from hot springs, some dormant (like the Liberty Cap, which quite frankly looks like a well-known male body part). The lingering evening sun cast long shadows, which afforded beautiful light yet also presented challenges to photography.

Not only elks but cottontail rabbits also came out to eat, as we caught sight of one. This pretty much ended our tour around 8 pm. We headed back to Gardiner and ate at the Yellowstone Mine Restaurant (unimpressive) then came back after another long day!

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=874124023/a=668758023_668758023/

Love, Joyce

Dear All,

It would be very difficult to top Day 3, but Day 4 did it!

The previous day's hike having been foiled, Michael found another on line. We planned to visit Midway Geyser Basin and a nearby hike to Fairy Falls and Imperial Geyser. This time, we stuck with the plan and it worked brilliantly.

Midway is one of the geothermal wonders along the route from Madison (West Entrance) to West Thumb (to South Entrance). The attractions sequentially are - Lower Geyser Basin including Fountain Paint Pot, Midway Geyser Basin, Upper Geyser Basin including Biscuit and Black Sand Basins, Old Faithful, Lone Star Geyser, Craig Pass and West Thumb. We have visited many of these on previous days but never got into Midway.

We could always see the colorful rocks where hot water flows into the Firehole River. What we didn't know was the geological treasures hidden behind the teaser from the roadside. As the road is along the river (the lowest point), Midway attractions lie uphill, therefore, the treasures are revealed one by one as one walks up, but not before, the best way to be surprised.

First came the Excelsior Geyser Crater, a large pool with crystal blue water and a crater area with mostly brown tones, wonderful but not extraordinary after 3 days of acclimating to the wonders of Yellowstone. As we rounded the turn to the Grand Prismatic Spring, however, we were stunned. The first thing that strikes you is the colors - bright orange, gleaming yellow juxtaposed with the deep azure of the hot spring, a mist rising from the surface tinted with orange and blue. The second is the size of the pool (200 ft wide) and the incredible beauty set in the surroundings. The third is the varied textures formed by the thermophilic microbes along the sides of the pool.

Everyone who came upon the Grad Prismatic Spring had the same reaction. First, their breath was taken away (as we walked back we heard this over and over). "Oh my", they would say then immediately take out the camera. Everyone was mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the geological wonder! We took many photos but judiciously eliminated redundancy.

After Midway, it was still early but time for lunch. The only option, of course, was Old Faithful (a large visitor area with accommodations, a general store and food service). Remarkably, despite the traffic we were able to park in front of the General Store each time. This was not yet peak season but the crowds were pretty heavy at some places.

We drove back to Midway and found the trailhead. Fairy Falls is a 200-ft waterfall, not large but elegant, 2.6 miles from the trailhead, and another mile in is the Imperial Geyser. We started the hike about 1:15 pm, saw Midway from its back in a distance and walked along the trail in open area as well as young pine forests. On the trail was black fused silica indicative of the intense heat this area suffered from the 1988 fire, which devastated huge areas in the park.

The temperatures were in the high 70's or low 80's with brilliant sunshine, yet Michael could wear his hat all day long. There were lots of mosquitoes as soon as we stopped, especially in the shade. Needless to say we put on copious amount of bug spray. At 2:30 pm we arrived at Fairy Falls. This waterfall reminded Joyce so much of Ithaca.

Nothing spectacular yet still a beauty, people congregated below the falls. Joyce walked up to the very bottom of the fall, opened her arms wide and simply let the cool mist and breeze envelope her, which felt like air conditioning after the hike. A handsome blond guy nearby was fun and easy to talk to. Joyce wondered out loud about going into the cold water, he agreed. Joyce said, "Why aren't you going in?" He said, "I am waiting for you." Wow, a man after her heart! The guy from Sacremanto offered to take photos of us and indeed they turned out the best of all 3rd party ones.

We got mobilized to go to the Imperial Geyser at 3 pm, walked along the hot river with colorful rocks and beautiful flowers. As we walked upstream, the water temperature got hotter and hotter, from hot tub to finger boiling at the geyser pool. The best part about the geyser and the nearby mud pots was, it was entirely our own. No one, except a few hikers, was there except us. We could walk right up to these features without being warned (by signs) or constrained (by boardwalks), just like the old days (Michael came here in his childhood). Joyce's dream is to have the Imperial Geyser and the hot springs in her backyard, and invite all her friends and family to enjoy it!

We lingered and enjoyed this place till about 5 pm, then headed back and arrived at the trailhead at 6:40 pm. We drove back to West Yellowstone, had the best dinner to date (Yellowstone is not known for culinary delights, unfortunately) at Pete's Pizza and Pasta, enjoyed the evening with the street scene and some shopping, and ended another perfect day with real Homemade Ice Cream (the name of the little place).

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=869278023/a=668758023_668758023/

Love, Joyce

Dear All,

Each day gets better - Day 3 was spectacular!!

First, it finally turned sunny, a shorts and T shirts day, although still a bit cool. We also got on the road the earliest at around 10 am. After entering West Entrance, we immediately saw snow capped peaks and stopped dead in the traffic, all because everyone wanted to take photos of the West Entrance eagle's nest.

Madison River meadowland was as beautiful as ever, teaming with grazing elks. After Madison Junction, instead of turning south (to the southern loop) we turned north towards Norris. Due to road construction (some delays) we could not see the Gibbon Falls but did pull over and admire the rushing rapids of the Gibbon River.

Our destination was Canyon Village. Norris to Canyon Village constitutes the 'waist' of the Figure 8 of the park. We had a great lunch at the warm and inviting Canyon Lodge, with a huge copper fireplace and a stone chimney that reached to the ceiling, a large open dining room, and western style furniture on display.

The boys had picked out a hike, but soon after starting and having studied the YNP map, Joyce suggested an immediate change of plan. Although the National Park Service never tells you what to do, whatever they mark on the map, after years of reading them, Joyce has learned that these places are worthy of a visit.

Instead we headed to the Upper and Lower Falls. Joyce's hunch also included Cathy's mention of 'the canyons'. As it turned out, all these premonitions were insufficient to prepare her for the biggest Wow factor to date.

As soon as we got out of the car, we had a glimpse of the lovely Upper Falls through the trees from the parking lot. We first took the North Rim trail, which afforded beautiful views of the Yellowstone River and the thundering sound of the water. There were also nice photo ops for the Upper Falls. But the trail stopped due to landslide.

We turned back and walked down a steep trail towards the Lower Falls - in fact, the Brink of Lower Falls. We could hear the ever louder thundering sound as we approached it, but NOTHING could have prepared us for the view - and what a view it was!!!

As Joyce leaned over the rail, she saw a scene that could only exist on heaven. To the right was the Yellowstone River thundering down the cliffs (the Lower Falls is 1,000 ft long), hitting the bottom making a huge white mist of dancing sprays, rocks on both sides, the river meandering through the canyon making three turns into the horizon, and ... the most beautiful rainbow one could ever see!

We arrived at the Brink of Lower Falls at 2:15 pm, the sun was behind us and shone on the mist at just the right angle to form a perfect 180 degree rainbow. After taking countless shots, Joyce stopped to admire the scene because she didn't want to only see it through the camera lens. She took everything in and then burst into tears, moved by the incredible beauty and wishing everyone she loved could see this!

Eventually (3 pm) we moved on, to the Inspiration Point, another place to view the canyon. It was formed after the last ice melt about 14,000 years ago. The Ryolite rocks formed by the volcano have been eroded by the river and the weather. Above the Lower Falls, the erosion has been slow; below the falls, because of gases and high temperature, the erosion has been much more rapid. Therefore, the falls and the canyon below. It is called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River.

During late afternoon, we drove along the river to Fishing Bridge, where we had reached the day before through the southern loop. Along the river, Sulfur Caldron and Mud Vocalno Area were two attractions. What we did not expect, however, was the time of the day had brought out all the wildlife. We stopped by the roadside, drawn by all the cars parked there and saw the most beautiful water and meadow scene and herds of elks grazing in the distance (too far for our camera but OK with binoculars). This turned out to be our favorite wildlife area, the Hayden Valley along the Yellowstone River!

Sure enough, Sulfur Caldron and Mud Volcano Area, especially the latter, offered geological wonders to marvel at, biology and chemistry lessons to learn, and countless photo ops. We have now learned all these terms - geyser, hot spring, mud volcano, mud geyser, fumerole, and those microbes that love heat, acid, and/or extreme conditions.

You'd think one surprise was enough in one day, but oh no, there was one more in store. On the way back from Fishing Bridge, where we enjoyed really great ice cream, in Hayden Valley, we saw an entire herd of Bison with several calves grazing by the river. Thankfully the human and the Bison were on opposite sides. Needless to day, Joyce took numerous shots and only discovered afterwards that two calves took turns nuzzling (kissing) their mothers. On the way back to the car, being rushed by the tired driver, she even photographed small purple wild flowers on the meadow.

This was the longest day. Joyce could not keep her eyes open during dinner. She hit the sack without organizing her photos or writing any entry in the journal (and was thus one day behind from then on).

We topped the record at 267 photos in one day, which have been reduced to a mere 118.

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=861345023/a=668758023_668758023/

Love, Joyce

Dear All,

You may wonder why I call Yellowstone Fire and Ice. You will soon find out.

The weather keeps surprising us. We were greeted with sunny but blustery winds, which made Michael buy a hooded front zipped sweat shirt to wear under his summer jacket. Ryan on the other hand expressed no interest whatsoever in his parents' insistence to get him something warm. Well, he just entered teenagehood, so what can we expect!

Due to the cold windy weather, it made sense to plot a day mostly in the car. So we chose a route that went on the lower half of the 'Figure 8' double loop which is the primary travel route through the National Park. From the West Entrance, we went to Madison, headed south towards Old Faithful, east to West Thumb (from which one could proceed to the South Entrance), and northeast to Fishing Bridge.

Before we got to Old Faithful, we stopped to see Biscuit Basin. Well, you'd think seeing one basin is the same as the other. Wrong! Each has its treasures. The babbling Firehole River, the mineral deposits, the Sapphire Pool and various springs were different from the others. We also got smart and started taking photos of signs so we would know where we'd been to, unlike yesterday, when we had to try to figure out.

After Biscuit Basin, the only place to stop for a bathroom break was, voila, Old Faithful. Then we realized it was only 10 more minutes before Old Faithful was due to erupt, so why not get some shots against a blue sky? And this time the crowd was even bigger. But we didn't have to wait long and Old Faithful, as its name suggested, gave another spectacular performance.

Despite it was 2 pm, Michael was anxious to continue instead of having lunch at the same place as yesterday. We got on the road and started to climb the mountain. Joyce was wondering out loud - all these springs and geysers were wonderful, but she could not quite see the 'wow' factor for such a great reputation of Yellowstone.

Then it happened. The car climbed and climbed, pretty soon we saw snow on the ground. We reached the highest point at Craig Pass. We came to several spots marked as the Continental Divide. At over 8,000 ft, to see snow on the ground after summer solstice was still unusual. The skier in Joyce went a bit crazy. The scenery also changed to an entirely different world!

Very soon, we were greeted with breathtaking views of an Alpine crystal blue lake surrounded by snow capped peaks. We stopped at the first sighting and just could not believe our eyes. A picture indeed is worth a thousand words - you simply have to view today's photos. The Craig Pass Yellowstone Lake shots were 180 degree panoramic views. The highest peaks in the YNP are located in the the southeast, with many over 3,000 m and the highest Eagle Peak (3,462 m / 11358 ft) almost exactly at its SE corner. They serve as the backdrop of Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone is divided into several geographic areas. The western half has geysers and hot springs, and the eastern half has mountains, canyons and waterfalls. Yellowstone Lake is at the southeast. The lower central (the bottom of the Figure 8) is also the Central Plateau of the Caldera Boundary where it is the cone of a violent volcano with continuing volcanic activities. Yellowstone has the highest concentration of geysers and hot springs in the world.

On the second half of our drive, after the pass, we saw the first glimpse of the crystal blue Yellowstone Lake surrounded by snowy peaks. After that, we quickly descended to the shore of the lake, where volcanic activity took place on the shores of the lake. It was this scenery of the lake where the drive hugged its shore, continuously presenting ever changing heavenly vistas, that truly took our breath away and made us bow to the reputation of Yellowstone.

By the time we got to Fishing Bridge, at 3:30 pm, we were desperate for lunch. We found out there were a Lake Hotel and a Lake Lodge one mile back, as Fishing Bridge only had a lunch counter. Lake Hotel was an undistinguished yellow building, but oh my, Lake Lodge was one of those old-fashioned 1940's lodge, like the Zion National Park lodge where on its lawn one could dream away the very best afternoon one could ever want. You can see the front of the lodge, its idyllic front porch and the view, as well as the expansive hall, in the photo collection.

Of course, like all the National Park lodges, lunch stops at 2:30 pm and dinner starts at 4:30 pm. So we headed back to Fishing Bridge and devoured our sandwiches and fries. Then it was a long drive back to West Entrance.

Back in town, we did a little shopping, ran into a charming store that sold upscale hand crafted Montana copper bowls and wood carvings as well as beautiful knives. Due to our late lunch, we went to a local brewery for a light supper, with fresh ale and salads.

Very tired but pleased. There is more to discover in the nation's first national park!

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=935599023/a=668758023_668758023/

Love, Joyce