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Such a problem: too many good photos to share! So, even though we did make it to Yellowstone Falls and the Norris Geyser Basin, the collection for today will describe only Mammoth Hot Springs. The others will surface in leaner times.
This first shot is a reminder that there are many steps to climb at Mammoth Hot Springs. Initial impressions are of a mound of dirty snow --- you’re seeing what’s left of mineral deposits laid down in the distant past by pools that have since dried up.
To find the gold in all that heap, you have to climb. Only then can you appreciate the terraces built up over long, long periods by hot, mineral-laden water bubbling to the surface:
A sign we read said that any spring can go through dry periods and wet periods in a given year. Variation over the years is also common. When you do find a wet spring, the terraces can be remarkably colorful:
Depending on flow characteristics, these mineral deposits can be in other strange shapes, not just terraces. For example, here’s one imaginatively called “Cleopatra”. I can also imagine it to be an explosion caught in mid-boom.
Finally, our favorite, called Orange Spring Mound, can be approached by car, one of which is right next to it, helping you to appreciate the mound’s size:
This beauty is actively growing with steaming water oozing down over almost all sides.
Yellowstone has so many facets, it's a challenge to experience all of them in a day or two. In any case, tomorrow, it will be time for us to leave Gardiner and Yellowstone behind. Heading east, we hope to drive the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge and beyond.