Pictures/Writing: Lyle Such
Camera: Canon 5d MkIV
Day four began with sunrise at Black Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin.
The air was cool, so the steam in the morning really was really thick, adding to the atmosphere in the sunrise.
A deer casually walked across the colorful runoff from Black Pool.
I don't think we've ever seen this intense mixture of blues and oranges in nature.
Contrary to what most people think, the blue areas of water are much, much hotter than the orange.
Self-portrait in a bubble.
Some small flowers thrive in this harsh landscape.
The colors were so intense everywhere we looked. Such strange mixtures and textures!
One of many heart-shaped pools.
As a distraction from the bubbling pools, we also did a little birding. This White-crowned sparrow was eating some sort of maggot for breakfast.
A Killdeer...named for its call, not for any particularly violent behavior towards deer.
After observing this male Red-shafted northern flicker feeding its babies, we waited for at least an hour to get some photographs. Luckily it paid off, and we watched as the hungry babies were given worms.
Painted Pool. This deer seemed to really enjoy the area around these pools, and didn't seem to mind the people on the boardwalk.
The mud pots were some of our favorite features of Yellowstone. Always creating some disgusting but fascinating textures.
Looked and smelled like rotten eggs!
We cooked up a quick breakfast of noodles in the parking lot.
After finally leaving the east side of the park, we were about to discover how busy and crazy the west side could get. Featuring some of the more iconic geysers, the west side is where the majority of visitors spend most of their time.
Our first stop was Grand Prismatic spring. We hiked up to a crowded overlook to see the colors from above. With just a little bit of sun, the blues and oranges were so intense.
From the path below, we could see the orange and blue tinted steam rising on the horizon.
Leaving the trailhead for the Grand Prismatic overlook, we walked past this nice heart-shaped pool.
To escape the crowds and rain for a little bit, we drove up the Firehole Road and found the colorful, bubbly Firehole Spring.
This geyser is the opposite of Old Faithful. No one could tell us when it would erupt, but that it would be magnificent if we were lucky enough to see it. Unfortunately, nothing happened.
Still, very colorful and was worth the stop.
Up the road a bit was the White Dome Geyser. This was a fun one, erupting pretty frequently and with a lot of pressure. It was a nice place to cool off in the mist.
After fighting our way through traffic, we found our way back to Grand Prismatic, but this time we were walking the path that would take us directly next to the pool.
We first had to walk past the Excelsior Geyser Crater, which had some of the most intense blue water we've ever seen. Standing in the steam made the temperature at least 15 degrees warmer, so we couldn't stay long.
One-way path. We walked it twice.
Mini-terraces leading up to Grand Prismatic Spring.
This really was an incredible landscape, no wonder Yellowstone is so popular.
Layers of steam and color.
No one really seemed to care, but the Opal Pool, near Grand Prismatic, was also really nice.
Finally, we made it to our hotel and found our way to Old Faithful. Impressive, and fun to see the crowd reacting as if they're watching a movie.
The eruption lasted around 10 minutes, so it was hard to miss if you are anywhere near the geyser.
Some huckleberry ice cream in between shows.
Next we just walked the area around the hotel and Old Faithful. I didn't realize how packed full of geysers this section of the park would be.
Sometimes the ground looked like it could be tasty.
Looking back at the hotel from up on the hill.
We caught another eruption of Old Faithful as the sun went down. This time we were far away from the crowds, and it was a much quieter show.
I think this was the Arrowhead Spring. Every once in a while it would gurgle and spit out some water.
The clouds were incredible, and kept shifting to form strange shapes as the sun went down.
Our best sunset in Yellowstone.