Because we arrived a day late, we only had one full day in the park, and we decided to maximize our one day by getting up early. For us, early was an alarm at 7:00, a leisurely breakfast, and heading out a little before nine. Fortunately, the rest of the campers seemed to be about 45 minutes behind us, which meant we had a jump on the crowds.
Yellowstone is something like a big square area with roads in something like a figure-8 pattern. We stayed in Madison campground, near the left intersection of the middle of the 8. We decided to go north around the top loop, and Norris Springs was the first stop. At the end of the day we talked about what was the favorite thing we saw, and Norris was at the top of our list. It is a fairly large geothermally active area with bubbling mud pots, spraying geysers, and steaming ponds all over the place. Water colored deep blue disappears into the inky depths, while bright red and yellow mats of thermophile microbes (heat-loving bacteria) line the edges and grow where the water flows in little streams. Dead trees from the huge 1988 wildfire form creepy lifeless forests, each trunk bleached white by the acidic water and steam. Yellowstone is the place on earth that I have been to, which is the least like any other place on earth, and Norris Springs is a perfect illustration of that imagery.
Further north is Mammoth Springs, which is a big hill of little terraced pools formed over countless years. Mineral springs trickle out of the top and thermophiles grow in rings in the hot water. Over time, the minerals and generations of dead bacteria build up and form rings of hardened gray rock, containing pools of running water. Most of the pools are a few square meters in surface area; some are larger; some are as small as a hand or even a coin. Altogether these form a huge area of astounding height. The park service has built walking paths on the hill. Of everything in Yellowstone, I think Mammoth Springs is the most amazing.
There is a village at Mammoth Springs where we bought a gigantic cup of ice cream for under three dollars. We had mint chocolate chip. The weather suddenly turned from pounding heat to blustery wind and rain, which meant the rest of our trip was heavier on car touring and lighter on strolling around. We drove up a side road to the trailhead for Mount Washburn and ran up the trail just long enough to get a single picture. Even the shortest of walks or hikes took our breath away, which might normally be attributed to our being out of shape, but I think it had more to do with the elevation -- just short of 9000 feet. Even a small expenditure of energy would leave me huffing and puffing. The last stop on our tour was the Grand Canyon Of Yellowstone, where we took a couple pictures and some movies of the upper and lower waterfalls. After that, tired, we headed back to Madison Campground, had some dinner, had a nice relaxing fire, and hit the hay.
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