Grand Prismatic Spring (Yellowstone)

This is my last Yellowstone post; it says something about the place that I'm still posting photographs a year after my vacation there. This is the Grand Prismatic Spring, which is a huge expanse of multicolored, steaming, other-worldly vistas.

The boardwalks take you right above this remarkable geothermal feature so the views are incredible anywhere you turn.

At times the sulfur-tinged steam completely covers you.

All this water flows into the Firehole River.

This is my Scenic Sunday post for the week, and I don't think it gets much more scenic than this. I think it also works as a Water Wednesday post. I'm a little sad that there are no more Yellowstone photos to post, but you can revisit them at any time all by clicking on the Yellowstone tag below, or on the right column of the blog.

Yellowstone's Fountain Geyser

My favorite geyser at Yellowstone was the Fountain Geyser, which erupts a couple of times a day. It looks like a wild fountain as it erupts, with constant explosions of water. It's definitely worth seeing if you get a chance.

Enjoy more beautiful locations from around the world at Scenic Sunday.

Petrified Tree (Yellowstone)

Volcanic eruptions create large-scale fossils. In the case of Yellowstone, this includes the stump of a fossilized tree, which I think is a good Scenic Sunday blog post.

In the past, there was more to this, but souvenir hunters used to take pieces of the trees home with them. A fence was finally built around the site, and this is all that remains.

Yellowstone's Artist Point

The view at Artist Point in Yellowstone must not be missed. It's one of the best views I've ever seen anywhere, and neither words nor photographs can do it justice. But here's my attempt to show it, for the wonderful Scenic Sunday meme.

Scenic Yellowstone

Well, it looks like Blogger is back after its problems, although several comments that people left for me have disappeared - hopefully they will return as Blogger finishes restoring lost data. Anyway, here are some random scenic photos from Yellowstone.

First up are some huge basalt columns next to one of the rivers.

And here's another view taken very near the first photo.

And finally, a valley that I thought was very pretty.

For more scenic views around the world, visit Scenic Sunday.

Yellowstone's Palette Spring

We're going back to Yellowstone for this week's Scenic Sunday post. This time we're visiting the Mammoth Hot Springs area, where the Palette Spring was looking magnificent when we were there last year.

I'm finally running low on Yellowstone shots, just a few more posts and I'll be done. But you can always look back on them by clicking the Yellowstone link on the right side of the blog.

Yellowstone's Streams

For this week's Scenic Sunday post, here are some photos of various streams at Yellowstone. This first one is near Old Faithful.

And these are in the Lamar Valley.

There's stuff to see wherever you look in Yellowstone.

Lamar Valley (Yellowstone)

For Scenic Sunday, here are a couple of shots of the Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of Yellowstone.

And here's the Liberty Cap, in the northwest corner of the park, in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

I can't believe I'm still posting photos from last summer's Yellowstone trip, and some of my favorite photos are still to come. Yellowstone is beyond amazing - it's the most scenic place I've ever visited in my life, and that includes the Grand Canyon.

Yellowstone's Silex Spring and Fountain Paint Pots

Next to the roads in Yellowstone are various boardwalks that take you on short walks to interesting sights. For this week's Scenic Sunday post, here are a couple of photos from one of these boardwalks. First up is the Silex Spring.

And here are the Fountain Paint Pots, bubbling mud pots. They're much more impressive in person than in this photo.

There was more to see from this boardwalk, particularly the fabulous Fountain Geyser, but that's for another post.

Yellowstone's Upper & Lower Falls

First, my thoughts are with the Japanese today after the terrible events there.

The Yellowstone River plunges over two major waterfalls that are accessible to the casual tourist - the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. Here's one of the best views of the Lower Falls.

The above view is from the bottom of the Uncle Tom's Trail, which descends 328 steps down this steep, iron staircase.

Of course, once you're at the bottom you have to climb back up.

You can get right up to the top of the Upper Falls, right next to the river.

The power of the water as it goes over the falls is incredible.

This is a must-see part of Yellowstone, and it's my Scenic Sunday post for the week.

Yellowstone's White Dome Geyser

Believe it or not, I've still got dozens of Yellowstone photos to post, so here are some more! It may not be the most famous geyser in the park, but Yellowstone's White Dome Geyser is worth seeing, particularly since it typically erupts every 30 minutes or so. It's very close to Firehole Lake Drive, and is thus easily accessible.

For more scenic shots, visit the Scenic Sunday meme.

Inspiration Point (Yellowstone)

Near where the Yellowstone River goes down two large waterfalls are two overlooks, one on either side of the canyon. Both were among my favorite places in Yellowstone, and here are a couple of shots from the northern one to illustrate why. This one is known as Inspiration Point.

For more scenic shots, visit the Scenic Sunday meme.

Yellowstone Wet Springs

A couple of weeks ago I posted some photos of dry springs at Yellowstone. Here are some wet springs.

Visit Scenic Sunday for lots of gorgeous scenery from around the world.

Burned Forest

Wildfires are an unfortunate part of the American West - back in 2002 the Hayman Fire burned over 138,000 acres and 133 homes just 35 miles from Colorado Springs. The smoke blanketed the city. We make sure we keep an area around our house that's free of trees and dead grass, in case a wildfire goes through our neighborhood. The following photos are from Yellowstone this summer, showing the results of a recent wildfire there.

For more pleasant views of the world, visit the My World Tuesday meme.

Yellowstone Dry Springs

Many of the hot springs at Yellowstone only flow intermittently, and here's what they look like when they're dry. The patterns made by the minerals are very interesting.

In places it can look like a moonscape. The shadows are me and my father.

Finally, here's an active hot spring near the Grand Prismatic Spring called Turquoise Pool.

I hope that all my readers who celebrate the holiday have a very merry Christmas. I'm not sure if the meme will be updated this weekend or not, but this post is for Scenic Sunday.

Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn

Yellowstone is one of the most memorable parts of my world this year, and here are a few photos of the famous Old Faithful Inn within the park. This is the largest log building in the world.

For more sights from around the world, visit My World Tuesday.

Yellowstone's Geyser Hill

Near Old Faithful a short walk takes the Yellowstone visitor to Geyser Hill, a very active area where boardwalks safely link the various attractions. There are various springs, of which Heart Spring was my favorite.

A little further away is Castle Geyser, which we were lucky enough to see erupt, although not up close.

Lion Geyser erupted while we were right next to it.

In fact, we were so close I took a photo while standing right under it's spray! I was surprised that it wasn't boiling hot, otherwise I wouldn't have gone this close.

Here are Lion (closest)and Castle geysers together.

Finally, here's Pump Geyser, named because it looks and sounds like a pump, sending bursts of water up regularly.

If you're in the Old Faithful area, don't miss this easy nearby walk. And that's my Scenic Sunday entry for this week.