Friday, September 2nd - - The temperature was even cooler this morning – a rather brisk 29 degrees! There was some frost on the rear window. I drove down to Yellowstone Lake and found a drive that went along the shoreline for a little ways.
The sun had already risen above the mountain tops and there was a lot of haze in the sky. It was the perfect place for breakfast on this, my last morning in the park!
I decided to revisit the Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace, specifically the Upper Terrace where there was actually a road that wound its way through the area. Driving the “long way” around, going south then west then north, it took me nearly 3 hours to reach the Terraces. Of course, I did stop a few times along the way...
And, wow, what a difference a day makes! With a good nights rest and better lighting conditions, the terraces looked completely different than they did the previous day.
Prospect Spring, which flows into the Highland Terrace, and those microscopic thermophiles that make it so colorful.
Leaves and twigs fall into the shallow waters and are transformed by the minerals in the water.
Thermophiles (those heat-loving microorganisms) create tapestries of color where hot water flows among the terraces. Colorless and yellow thermophiles grow in the hottest water; orange, brown, and green thermophiles thrive in cooler waters. The colors also change with the seasons.
The terraces are formed by a combination of factors: The hot water beneath the surface dissolves carbon dioxide that makes a solution of weak carbonic acid. As the solution rises through rock, it dissolves calcium carbonate, the primary compound in limestone. At the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine, the rock that forms the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.
There is a constant state of flux as the water moves over the surface and the terraces grow.
Over the years, the terraces grow and expand, encroaching on areas where trees had thrived.
The above photo was taken when I visited the park in July 1979. It is a lower angle and doesn't show as much of the “face” of the terraces but, with the position of the mountains in the background, I think it was taken in the same area as the next two photos.
Of course, 34 years have gone by, and some change was to be expected, but this is a lot of change! The Park Ranger stated that the boardwalk in this area has been moved back twice and will have to be moved again within a few years.
Growth and change, dependent upon the flow of water.
I was enthralled by the various colors of the pools of water in the smaller terraces.
And by what is left behind when the water no longer flows.
This visit to the Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces was the perfect ending to my short stay at Yellowstone National Park!
Across the water, signs of “civilization” abound. In fact, condominiums, houses, and businesses are on three sides of the state park, but somehow it stills seems isolated and distant.
Clouds dancing above the observation tower.
Yes, I know, it is similar to the one above, but zoomed in and from a different angle. I like how the colors reflect off the railing and the water. The color changes in the sky during sunset never ceases to amaze me.
This is just a small sampling of the beauty here. This place was hands down one of the prettiest cities I've visited so far.
The other day we decided we take a walk along the Rio Grande River near the Alameda Bridge. The cottonwood trees were beautiful as many had turned a lovely shade of yellow. We parked in the parking lot and walked under the bridge that had car traffic on it and then walked across the foot bridges and along the river.
Next up was a mess of cards, letters, photographs, and travel pamphlets. Just tossed in the box haphazardly. Most of the cards and letters are still in their envelopes. Birthday cards (predominantly that 50th milestone), along with notes from cousins and aunts. I haven't sorted through them yet to determine whether I want or need to keep them. They will temporarily go into another box for sorting at a later date. With the travel pamphlets were post cards and souvenir brochures, all from our trip to Mississippi and Louisiana the end of June and into July of ... Pascagoula, New Orleans, Monroe, Shiloh Battlefield in Tennessee.
I totally do not remember this box! It may have been packed up when we sold the farm house in 1997, but I'm thinking it may have been earlier, back when I quit my job in Fort Wayne in 1986 and put all my belongings in storage for a year. Regardless, these are my treasures, rediscovered!
These little bees are helping 