Day 2 Oct 11 2021 Monday:

Under a brewing storm and drizzles of snow, enjoyed the boardwalks of Fountain Paint Pot , Grand Prismatic, Gibbon falls, Norris Geyser basin

Storm was brewing. West entrance gate loomed dark against the whited out sky

MADISON RIVER [RIVER'S BREATH]:

We could see the change in the appearance of the Madison river as we entered the park thru the West Entrance. The river is steaming exclaimed Son. Actually, it's the river's breath, when the relatively warm river water encounters the icy cold atmosphere; the water vapor escapes presenting a misty / smoky appearance.

BISON

The bison looked unmindful...

Hardy souls fishing in this weather!!

Fountain Paint Pot Geysers

The fascinating Fountain Paint Pot area in Yellowstone National Park contains all four types of thermal features that are popular to view - geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles

A .5 mile walk along a short boardwalk within the Fountain Paint Pot area to experience the wide range of geothermal attractions offered in Yellowstone.

Fountain Paint Pot - This is a classic mud pot. In the spring it is watery due to rain and runoff. In the late summer and fall it is very thick.

Red Spouter - This spring originated with the Hebgen Lake earthquake, and changes throughout the seasons. In the spring and summer it spouts red water and mud. During the late summer and fall it is a hissing fumarole.

Fountain Geyser - Starting from a stunning blue pool, the Fountain Geyser is an unpredictable geyser that can reach heights of 50 feet and last for 20 minutes. Not to be confused with the Great Fountain Geyser on Firehole Lake Road.

Morning Geyser - Although it seldom erupts, when it does it reaches 150-200 feet high!

GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING

Then, we went to the Grand Prismatic and again enjoyed the boardwalk. There was too much haze/mist to get the full impact of the sights

What Makes the Grand Prismatic so Grand?
It's Deeper than a 10-Story Building
Extremely hot water travels 121 feet from a crack in the Earth to reach the surface of the spring.
It's a Football Field on Steroids
The third largest spring in the world, the Grand Prismatic is bigger than a football field at 370 feet in diameter. A gridiron is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide.
Rainbow of Colors
The hot spring has bright bands of orange, yellow, and green ring the deep blue waters in the spring. The multicolored layers get their hues from different species of thermophile (heat-loving) bacteria living in the progressively cooler water around the spring. And the deep blue center? That’s because water scatters the blue wavelengths of light more than others, reflecting blues back to our eyes.

Bison sighting...

Next was Gibbon falls

Gibbon falls

The 80 foot tall Gibbon Falls is located halfway between Madison Junction and the Norris Geyser Basin and is easily viewed from the road.

Norris Geyser

We went on to Norris Geyser basin enjoying Emeralds Spring and Steam boat eruption.

The Colors of Norris

Many of the colors you see here are evidence of thermophiles (heat-loving microorganisms) and their activity.

Yellow deposits here typically contain sulfur. Some thermophiles live in these areas because they use chemicals like sulfur for energy, sometimes creating hydrogen sulfide gas (the rotten egg odor). They form communities of mats and streamers that look like waving clumps of hair, in the hottest acidic runoff, which measure between 140°F/ 60ºC and 181°F / 83ºC.

Dark brown, rust, and red colors abound in Norris and contain varying amounts of iron. Red-brown mats may also contain bacteria and archaea that help build the mats by metabolizing and depositing iron. These iron-oxide deposits often contain high levels of arsenic. These communities form in water below 140° F/ 60ºC.

Emerald-green mats color many of the runoff channels of hot springs and geysers here

Patches of brilliant blue are salts containing sulfur, arsenic, and boron.

Norris is one of the hottest and most acidic of Yellowstone’s hydrothermal areas. It is part of one of the world’s largest active volcanoes. Many hot springs and fumaroles here have temperatures above the boiling point (200ºF / 93ºC).

Water fluctuation and seismic activity often change features. Norris is near the intersection of three major faults. One runs from the north; another runs from the west. These two faults intersect with a ring fracture from the Yellowstone Caldera eruption 640,000 years ago. These conditions helped to create this dynamic geyser basin.

Steamboat Geyser.is the tallest geyser in the world and is spectacular. We had the place to ourselves but the path was icy and dangerous in the slick spots where people had trodden.

We drove on and again saw the river breath in some places, mirror like reflection in others...