The Best for Last

Thurs, Aug 11      Happy Birthday, Berry!!

We’re on our way out of Yellowstone today, so we’ve saved some of the best geysers and hot springs for last.

Once again, Old Faithful had spouted before we arrived, so we took a walk around, seeing some of the nearby points of interest.

Just as we nearly caught up with the Ranger Walk around the area, Old Faithful rewarded our patience by erupting fantastically! The view from behind is even better than we had seen from the Lodge earlier.

We considered taking a classic Yellow Bus tour, in one of the antique vehicles owned and operated by the park, but the cost and timing didn’t fit our plan.

And of course, how could we leave without a meal at the Old Faithful Inn? So brunch in the dining room it was. And the opportunity to call and wish our “chosen” granddaughter Happy First Birthday! How we miss the smiles, giggles and hugs of this special little girl!

Best of all was Grand Prismatic Spring! While Grandpa parked the RV and returned phone calls (who knew we’d be in cell phone range here?), I hiked up the walkway camera in hand, and was blown away by the sights!

Turquoise Pool truly is!

Opal Pool is like looking into a fire opal.

Prismatic Spring’s color is the result of heat-tolerant microorganisms, yellow the hottest, blue the coolest.

 After those awesome sights, we headed for the west gate, and out of Yellowstone. Our plan was to find a sight recommended by our new friends Henry and Jan, near Lake Henry up Sawtell Road. We found the road, and the peak, but because we needed tire repair on the “toad” (the Saturn VUE), we were unable to climb to the top. But we could see that there must be incredible views up there.