Day 5 (Mud Volcanos and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone)

Here are some pics from the Mud Volcano area and the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" (copy and paste the link...)

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1606292026/a=3145779026_3145779026/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/


Day 5 (June 14) began on a rather chilly note. Because the previous day was overcast and cold, temperatures dipped into the upper 20s at night, and we did not run the heater because generators are to be turned off between 8:00 pm and 8:00 am. Julie and I woke up about 7:15 and stayed under the covers until 8:00 and promptly fired up the generators for heat and coffee (we didn’t realize until later that our heater worked off our propane tank—should’ve read the operator’s manual!). This was our first day that didn’t require that we have breakfast on the road, so we took advantage of being sedentary by enjoying a nice bowl of cereal and some fruit with our coffee at the dinner table. Bryce and Collin were awoken in time to have Pop Tarts while the generator was still going and then we all gathered our things to head to the registration building for $3.25/person showers. Upon our refreshment, we unhooked the RV and headed to Canyon Village for some sight-seeing. Along the way, we stopped by the Mud Volcanoes area for a quick view of geysers, caldrons, and fumaroles. Along the 2/3 mile trail, we experienced all the sights and smells the area had to offer. The highlights were Dragon’s Mouth Spring (so named because of the terrible growling and hissing the bubbling spring makes), Black Dragon’s Caldron (which is a thermal boil of mud and water), and Sour Lake (a seemingly benign and peaceful lake to take a dip into, but will literally eat the skin off your bones because of the sulfuric acid content in the lake). Once we had all had our nasal fill of the rotten egg odor, we left for Canyon Village. Along the way, we stopped for a few shots (with the camera!) of herding bison and even managed an up-close-and-personal view (almost too much for Julie’s liking as she was only about 15 feet away) of a singular bison standing at the roadside. Upon entering Canyon Village, we stopped by the Visitors’ Center for a look around and some tips for trail walking. After receiving our final instructions (and bear warnings), we headed out on a 5-mile loop that began along the Yellowstone River and finished in the basin of the South Rim. Our first few steps were a sign of things to come as we saw two beavers playing at the river’s edge. Along the first part of our trek along the South Rim Trail, we witnessed the majesty of the Upper and Lower Falls as well as the canyon that has been carved out over the past million or so years. We braved the Uncle Tom’s Cabin Trail, which is a very steep decent from the rim of the canyon to the river (and over 300 steps and 500 feet) for some other-worldly views. The camera had to be reloaded with batteries due to the number of snaps that were taken. Words cannot even begin to describe some of the views we had today, nor could pictures do justice to what we saw. There were countless times when the camera was ready to shoot, but the 2-D picture was just plain inadequate. After finishing up the South Rim Trail, we set out towards Lily Pad Lake and then Clear Lake, which was a trek that heightened our fears of potential bear encounters. Along this path, we witnessed more geologic thermal spots and eventually an open plain where we were hoping to encounter some bison or a moose or two. We eventually made it back to the RV (much to the delight of an exhausted Collin) without a wildlife run-in and made it back to our campsite. Buffalo chicken sandwiches hot off the grill with corn on the cob and watermelon helped to refuel our bodies after this tiring day. Julie and I have enjoyed a couple of barley pops and we are about to begin a family game of Apples to Apples. We will all rest easy tonight and greatly anticipate tomorrow’s activities…