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Yellowstone National Park


8/23/2010	Our location - Island Park, ID Yellowstone National Park
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	Day one in the last National Park we will be visiting this year, the First National Park, Yellowstone. Our first sight of geothermal activity.
	At the Artists Paint Pots, we only got to the first level where we could see colored ponds.
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	We have to return to see the color mud pools.
	This is what you come to Yellowstone for, the wildlife. Here a Bison.
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	At roaring Mountain we saw the effects of the steam and sulfur gases flowing out of geothermal hole covering the side of the mountain with thermophile microscopic organisms which leave the ground barren.
	The forest fires is recent history wiped out a major part of the Yellowstone forests. However, forest fires are part of the eco-system. Here you can see that new growth lodgepole pines have started with the burnt out reminders of the old lodgepole pines sticking out above.
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	As we travel towards the North Park Entrance, the road wraps around the wall of a deep valley. At places the road is cantilevered off of the wall.

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	Just above the Mammoth Hot Springs Center are the Terraces created by the geothermal outflow.
	The Mammoth Hot Springs Center. The signs are necessary because the Elk have no problem coming right into the Hot Springs Center.
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	This is the original Fort Yellowstone building, now the Visitor Center at the Hot Spring center. The Park Service is working on being Green, now these Priuses need to be replaces with US made Chevrolet Volts.
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