This (and the next photo) are "mudpots". They were taken along a trail that connected to the trail coming from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone parking lot (which was the site of the last photo in Part 1). It is a bit off the beaten track. These bubbled continuously and we took some interesting video as well. The large inverted bowl in this photo was about 10 inches across.
Again, more mudpots.
We have left the park via the northeast entrance. We headed up the Beartooth Highway. This image was taken maybe a mile into a hike. The entire area was filled with wildflowers and gorgeous lakes and streams.
This is a waterfall which was along the same hike. We got a bit wet that day but it was worth it.
This is part of one of the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs . I had been at Mammoth briefly one year earlier. It had changed alot. Some previously wet areas were now dry and vice versa and some previously living trees had been killed by boiling water reaching their root systems.
This is in a runoff channel from one of the geothermal features in the park. I am not positive but it may be in an area referred to as Sentinel Meadows.
This was part of a runoff channel in Sentinel Meadows. The water has clearly deposited minerals as it flowed leading to bumpy ground and some sharp "miniature stalagmites" (right center).
This was in a runoff channel in Sentinel Meadows. This is very near the pool itself so the water is too hot for most of the thermophilic bacteria. The wave crests are reflecting the sunlight nicely and the water was moving quickly enough that it is a bit blurry.
This photo and the next three are in an off-trail area. I won't tell you exactly where they are. We followed a stream from its sources in pools (like the one shown here) for a couple miles downstream. The stream is certainly cooler downstream and is really only "luke warm" by the end.
We have traveled downstream a short distance from the pools and here are some colorful bacteria growing in the stream.
This is still further downstream. I will let you decide what this is....
As we reached cooler sections of the stream, there were incredible algae mats.
This is a Trumpeter Swan floating in the Madison River. We were staying outside the park so we saw him/her every day as we drove into the park. You usually see these in mated pairs so this one must have lost his/her mate.
This is White Dome Geyser in the Lower Geyser Basin. We saw this erupt several times. The hole through which the water exits is gradually shrinking as minerals are deposited. It is only about 4 inches across.
This is (I am pretty sure) Emerald Pool in the Black Sand Basin. The fantastic color changes there reflect different bacteria living in different temperature water.
We are now back in the Grand Tetons. This is Taggart Lake which you reach via the Taggart Lake Trail. We did this hike twice the same day. The first time we started at maybe 11am. We got halfway there and turned around to avoid getting drenched. We came back at maybe 4pm and started again. We got to the lake, relaxed, took a dip in the cold water, etc. - and the next thing you knew huge black clouds were rising above the Tetons. We got drenched and hailed on on the way back to the car. Don't you just love mountain weather!
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July 12, 2011 - ( milsom@physics.arizona.edu)