Yellowstone!

Drove through some tiny towns in Wyoming today (Emblem pop. 10) on the way to Yellowstone. Made it to Yellowstone fairly early, so we got some more time there than originally planned. Our first stop was Old Faithful (we didn't really know where to go and that was the first sign along the road). It was still a while before it was supposed to go off so we went for a short walk around other geysers and then up an observation trail. We got a great view of the steaming landscape. On our way back down we saw Old Faithful go off. It was neat to see it from there because we avoided the crowds and still got a great view. On the way back to the main visitor center area we passed by the mobs that were suddenly flooding away from Old Faithful. Luckily we were going the other way; couldn't believe how many people we there. Definitely a different experience than the Badlands and Denali. I guess being the first national park and having Old Faithful made it a much more popular stop.

Our first geyser! Not Old Faithful, but it was still impressive.

There were at least ten other hot springs around Old Faithful. You could really smell the sulfur and feel the heat when you got close.

Kevin walking along the observation trail. He may like nature yet.

The Solitary Hot Spring.

Old Faithful! Hard to believe how large it was.

From there we made it to our campsite, Madison. A large camp area, especially compared to our last stop. We tried to go for a walk around the beautiful river, but an imminent thunderstorm cut that short. However, the weather did clear up and we drove to see more of the sights. We made it to Mammoth Springs - colorful terraces created by hot springs, and the Grand Prismatic hot spring. Since the park was so big it actually to a while to see these two sights and yet again we were exhausted when we made it back to camp.