Yellowstone National Park – Day 2 (2021)
It was another great day in Yellowstone. I’m so glad we have a few days here. They have it so well done that you can drive around and see snippets of every major area in a day, or visit major areas by hiking and getting close. Areas are so different that it is like many parks in one.
Interesting Factoid – The 45th Parallel was mentioned as the supposed border between Montana and Wyoming. Technology wasn’t so good back in the 1800s. So, they goofed by a couple miles. When GPS really became exact and regular folks like us could get exact coordinates, they moved the sign to where it should be regarding the 45th parallel. But wait; they really put it a bit in the wrong place on purpose so a parking pullout would be possible.
We spent the morning hiking Mammoth Hot Springs Upper and Lower Terraces to fully see things. It is different than the other thermal areas of the park because hot water rises through limestone causing large quantities of rock to dissolve, and a white chalky mineral then is deposited on the surface. It is like being on another planet.
Canary Spring was our favorite.
Even the elk like Mammoth Hot Springs.
The wide open Hayden Valley is a perfect place for animal viewing as we did this afternoon. Many bison were here along with some elk.
Just as we were finishing for the day, we ran into these elk out for a stroll. The park ranger strongly chastised Allyn for getting too close. Who knew?
