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Low cloud in the early morning |
After
weeks of near record temperatures, the weather has turned. Yesterday
afternoon, it rained. This morning a fine mist hung over the town. I
went for 6:30 breakfast to a nearby bistro where I was joined by a
group of cyclists rugged up in layers of clothing. They are on a
supported ride from Missoula, MT to Fort Collins, CO and I was able
to tell them about riding conditions in the park. One of them, Kent,
came over to my table and we had a good conversation about my trip
and his forthcoming ride over the big climbs of the Tour de France.
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Tour guide Jay |
I'm
staying in the good-value Pony Express motel, which is an annexe of
the Brandin' Iron Inn. That is where I joined my tour bus for a day
trip back into Wyoming and back to Yellowstone. The sun soon burned
through the clouds and it was a fine day though not so hot as in
recent weeks.
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Bison |
We saw
several matriarchal herds of bison and numerous lone bull bison
waiting for the rut to begin in the next fortnight. Bison live about
eleven years, winter here being very hard on them.
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Brink of the Upper Falls |
We made
two stops in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, the first at
the brink of the Upper Falls.
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Lower Falls from Artist Point |
Then
where we could see the Lower Falls. The power of the water rushing
through the canyon is awe-inspiring.
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Hayden Valley with geese |
Hayden Valley is often a good place to view wildlife.
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Old Faithful erupts the first time |
We spent
two hours in the Old Faithful area, witnessing two eruptions of the famous geyser. Their
timing is not precise. The first was predicted for 2:29 plus or minus
ten minutes. It occurred at 2:39.
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Old Faithful erupts again, 85 minutes later |
The
second one, forecast for 4:04 with the same margin of error, took
place at that time.
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Geyser Hill Trail |
Between
the eruptions I had time to walk the 2.1 km Geyser Hill Trail, which
passes through the largest concentration of geysers on Earth. By law
you have to stay on the boardwalk or face being severely scalded and
fined.
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Is this a chipmunk? |
I'm just now reading your blogs and enjoying them greatly.
ReplyDeleteYes...that is a chipmunk!