Midway Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Overlook, Firehole Lake Drive, Fountain Paint Pots, Black Sand Basin, Upper Geyser Basin, Ranger talk
We slept much better in the absence of buffeting winds. Thankfully the lodge had hot water to make instant coffee, and with cereal bars and apples we were off to cover the Old Faithful area.
Midway Geyser Basin starts with a footbridge crossing over a flowing, fantastically colored riverbank. While the main attraction is the park’s largest hot spring, Grand Prismatic, the other features also hosted a variety of thermophiles amassed to create pools of unexpected color. The steam and viewing angle make it hard to get a good look at Grand Prismatic from the boardwalk so we took the Overlook trail, which starts a short drive away. I read that the afternoon is better for photos because of the obscuring steam but it sure looked nice mid-morning too!
Afterward we took the three mile Firehole Lake Drive, which is less of a drive and more of a drive-stop-walk-drive-stop-investigate experience. There’s a lot to see.
Nearby, Fountain Paint Pots was another nice boardwalk walk. We appreciated the big signs reminding people to stay on the boardwalk. Our guidebook mentioned a case where a dog strayed into the thermal area, its owner went after it, and they both died. Of course, pets are not supposed to be on the boardwalks at all.
We returned to Old Faithful for a late lunch and another eruption viewing. Still having no cell reception, I entered a time warp to use one of the lodge’s land-line phones to make a booking for the next day. There is something satisfactory about holding a receiver.
For the next couple of hours we walked the Upper Geyser Basin area. The further out we went the fewer people there were. We saw a couple of “geyser gazers”: people who set up camp chairs and wait for hours (or days!) for unpredictable eruptions. We were tired, but It was worth the trek out to see Morning Glory Pool. It was like a tiny version of Grand Prismatic, with gorgeous color gradation and depth.
Most nights there are talks scheduled at the major visitor centers and campgrounds. After dinner we attended one about thermophiles. It was interesting but perhaps one item too many on the itinerary.
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