Yellowstone NP (6th to 8th of August 2013 )

On Tuesday 6th we drove from Utah to Idaho (Idaho Falls). It was a 7 hours drive, so it took us the whole day. Once arrived in Idaho Falls we met Brian and Melissa, our Couch Surfing (CS) hosts. They took us to an Irish pub for dinner where we also met their friends. It was a really nice and fun evening and we concluded it with a glass of wine at a local wine bar.

At Mammoth Hot Springs

The following morning we took off for Yellowstone National Park. We arrived at about 10 in the morning.  As we started from Idaho Falls, the nearest entrance was West Yellowstone, which permitted us to cross a corner of Montana state before entering Wyoming. We started with the northern part of the park. We passed Norris, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower-Roosevelt and Canyon Village. Along the way we could see different fumaroles (steam coming out of the ground) and richly colored hot springs. We also saw different animals, including 2 black bears and a moose. 

Moose

The following morning we got up very early and entered the park again at the West Yellowstone entrance. We drove up to Norris again because we hadn't see all the day before. As it was very cold in the morning (about 1°C) the hot springs were more impressive because the arising steam could be seen much better. We also saw some more wild animals, this time wolfs and elks. We then drove towards the Old Faithful geyser and saw a lot of other geysers and mud pods on the way. It was amazing to see how fast geysers change. They can be all quiet one second and the  next second explode and spit tons of hot water in the air!!! Also the different colors due to thermophile bacteria and algae are very pretty.

One of the geysers

Once arrived at Old Faithful we had to wait 1h for the next eruption, so we had time for lunch. The eruption lasted for about 5 min. This geyser in not the most impressive we saw, but the fact that it erupts regularly at predictable times makes it the most famous one. After the eruption we checked out the nearby visitor center, which had an interesting exhibit of geysers. After the Old Faithful stop we drove back up north to Canyon Village passing by Lake Yellowstone and stopping at Mud Volcano and Sulphur Caldron, the most acid place of Yellowstone. On our way up, we crossed a very big herd of buffalos. There were lots of them just nearby the street and in the middle of the street. One of them stood right next to our car and at some point we were afraid it would hit our car!! A park ranger had to come make them go away.

The most colorful geyser in Yellowstone

The following morning, on 9th of August, we left wonderful Yellowstone heading to Boise, ID. But before leaving the park we stopped once more in Norris and walked to the Steamboat Geyser. This geyser is the biggest active in the world but erupts impredictably. Intervals between major eruptions can last up to 50 years!!! The last time it erupted on July 31 2013, so we missed it by a few days!!!!