Pictures/Writing: Lyle Such
Camera: Canon 5d MkIV
Day three was probably my favorite day in Yellowstone. We explored the eastern side of the park, which is much less busy and has a quieter, more subtle beauty than the iconic west side.
We began day three at a spot we had scouted out the previous day on the banks of the Yellowstone River. We were hoping to catch a colorful sunrise over the water.
The river was teeming with birds, mostly geese.
The sunrise was nice, but what really made this scene perfect was the mist rising from the water. At times the sun would completely disappear, then come out in full force.
The sky would change from gray to pink to bright orange depending on the atmosphere.
This was probably my favorite scene from our time in Yellowstone.
We had to stop and check out the flowers along the riverbank.
We were in the Hayden Valley so we had to stop and check out the bison. They were up to their old tricks again...blocking the road and causing traffic jams.
It was such a peaceful scene with the bison grazing in the soft morning light. I couldn't help but think, when are the Grizzlies going to come out and do their job? We had yet to see a bear in Yellowstone.
Bison calves all over the valley.
Juvenile…
…and an old man.
Our next stop was the questionably titled Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It seems like they could have found a more elegant name.
It was a really nice canyon, with a really nice waterfall. Grand? Maybe a little.
The incredibly powerful river leading up to the falls.
We ran across a fox returning to our car from the falls. It was too quick, so all I got was a picture of this squirrel.
After an afternoon nap to avoid the heat, we stepped outside our hotel on Yellowstone Lake and this is what we found.
They sent a ranger over to warn everyone entering/exiting the building to be very careful. He seemed docile (the bison, not the ranger), but could easily charge at any time.
We drove over to the east entrance of Yellowstone. This whole area must have burned several years ago. New growth was starting to take shape.
We found a nice spot across the lake for lunch. One problem we found, as seen by the fly on the lens, was the amount of bugs. The more perfect the spot looked, the more bugs were there to make you think twice about staying too long.
We found this incredible meadow of flowers along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Of course we had to stop and take pictures.
Sulphur Cauldron.
You couldn’t miss the smell coming from here.
A very appropriately named spring.
The noises coming out of this cave were a little intimidating. It really sounded like a dragon breathing.
A short hike around the Mud Volcano Trail.
They really do a great job of directing visitors to all the major features.
A lot of the wildlife was seen while driving. Thu got a quick shot of a nice elk with some impressive antlers.
Finally, for the sunset, we drove down to hike the West Thumb Basin Trail. The bugs were terrible and the sun didn't do a whole lot, but we found it would be the perfect spot for sunrise the following day.
Fishing Cone.
Big Cone Geyser.
Fighting off the bugs as the sun disappeared.