Wednesday, September 5th, 2012
We left Gardiner bright and early (8 am = early) and drove just a few miles to Mammoth Hot Springs. Just writing about it right now makes me wish vacation was still going. Just 20 minutes' drive, and we were in an amazing new world!!
Anyway. Mom went to Mammoth Hot Springs back in 1985 with her parents and sister, but what they saw was considerably different. (THIS is a site with pictures of Yellowstone taken in 1984/85.) Someday when I have more time, I'll hunt down the pictures my grandparents took and compare them to ours.
The Liberty Cap on top of a face. With a beard. And eyebrows. Could it be an early American Indian representation of Santa Claus?
I deleted several pictures off my camera because they looked pixely. As it turns out, it is not pixely, that is just the way the formations look!
Interesting how just a wee little change in temperature decides which color thermophile grows there.
We could have filled an entire album with pictures of Mom's odd poses--but hey, she'd always get the perfect shot in the end! See?
Some poor, unsuspecting dragonflies didn't look where they were flying, and landed in the pools. oops. At least that one is still in one piece!
The top of the hot springs was a barren wasteland with just a tree trunk here and there. I really wish it was safe to walk out there. The place was huge, so one could take an amazing picture of someone standing in the middle or on the edge! Ah well, I guess I'll just have to make do with Photoshop.
Doesn't it look like snow in this picture? I'm being all "macho Wisconsinite" here and braving the cold.
Dad is no wimp either.
Mom and Dad in awe at the base of the springs.
I'll do my best to finish up my vacation posts before the year is up! ;)
~Kiwi~
