Monday, November 8, 2021

YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON TRIP REPORT: TRAVEL DAYS 0.1, 0.2, AND DAY 1

Day 0.1 Oct 8 2021 Friday:

Houston to Amarillo

Stay: Camelot inn, 1 n,

Day 0.2 Oct 9 2021 Saturday: Amarillo to Casper

Stay: Motel 6, 1 n

Day 1 Oct 10 2021 Sunday:

CODY:

Bought bear spray at Cody Walmart and some provisions. Town is so cute

BUFFALO BILL RESERVOIR

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK:

Bought the $80 America the beautiful pass valid for a year at all national parks at East entrance.

Drove along Yellowstone lake, West thumb, saw Old Faithful erupt and reached our hotel , 1 minute drive from West entrance.

OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER

The park’s hydrothermal system is the visible expression of the immense Yellowstone volcano. Heat from the volcano is transferred to the groundwater, which makes makes its way to the surface as a hydrothermal feature.

Thermal basins are areas where several hydrothermal features are found. Sometimes features are connected, exhibiting distinct behavior based on the activity of a connected feature.

There are four main types of hydrothermal features in Yellowstone: hot springs, mudpots, fumaroles, and geysers. There are also travertine terraces, which form where the water of hot springs travel through limestone bedrock.

Old Faithful was erupting just as we arrived.

Watching Old Faithful Geyser erupt is a Yellowstone National Park tradition. People from all over the world have journeyed here to watch this famous geyser. The park’s wildlife and scenery might be as well-known today, but it was the unique thermal features like Old Faithful Geyser that inspired the establishment of Yellowstone as the world’s first national park in 1872.

Old Faithful is one of nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone and one of six that park rangers currently predict. It is uncommon to be able to predict geyser eruptions with regularity and Old Faithful has lived up to its name, only lengthening the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the last 30 years.

Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, although it is not the largest or most regular geyser in the park. Its average interval between eruptions is about 91 minutes, varying from 65 – 92 minutes. An eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700 – 8,400 gallons (14,000 – 32,000 liters) of boiling water, and reaches heights of 106 – 184 feet (30 – 55m). It was named for its consistent performance