May 16, 2023 – Trip Day 11
Short drive over to Yellowstone National Park from the cabin. Whole new experience for me today. I realize many people that I know have visited Yellowstone National Park, but not me, that is until today! Had only seen photos of Old Faithful, seeing it up close was a special thrill.
Old Faithful is one of nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone and one of six that park rangers currently predict. It is uncommon to be able to predict geyser eruptions with regularity and Old Faithful has lived up to its name, only lengthening the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the last 30 years.
Thermal features change constantly and it is possible Old Faithful may stop erupting someday. Geysers and other thermal features are evidence of ongoing volcanic activity beneath the surface and change is part of this natural system.
Yellowstone possesses close to 60 percent of the world’s geysers. The Upper Geyser Basin is home to the largest numbers of this fragile feature found in the park. There are at least 150 of these hydrothermal wonders within one square mile. Only five major geysers are predicted regularly by the staff. They are Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside, and Old Faithful. There are many frequent, smaller geysers to be seen in this basin as well as numerous hot springs and mud pots.
Yellowstone National Park is of course centered around Old Faithful but there is an abundance of more to see there. On the drive in we saw beautiful scenery and hundreds of Buffalo. Had so many photos to choose from but didn’t want to bore you with all of them. 🙂
We also visited the Old Faithful Inn which is very near Old Faithful and the place many stay while visiting the park.
The Old Faithful Inn was designed by Robert C. Reamer, who wanted the asymmetry of the building to reflect the chaos of nature. It was built during the winter of 1903–1904. The Old Faithful Inn is one of the few remaining log hotels in the United States. It is a masterpiece of rustic architecture in its stylized design and fine craftsmanship. Its influence on American architecture, particularly park architecture, was immeasurable.
The building is a rustic log and wood-frame structure with gigantic proportions: nearly 700 feet (213 m) in length and seven stories high. The lobby of the hotel features a 65-foot (20-m) ceiling, a massive rhyolite fireplace, and railings made of contorted lodgepole pine. Stand in the lobby and look up at the exposed structure, or walk up a gnarled log staircase to one of the balconies. Wings were added to the hotel in 1915 and 1927, and today there are 327 rooms available to guests in this National Historic Landmark. (National Park Service)
The Upper basin was fun to visit, with it’s boardwalks, small geysers and volcanic landscapes. So interesting and exciting to see. Yellowstone National Park with Old Faithful and all the amazing wonders are another bucket list item attained.
Summary, we had a fantastic day at Yellowstone National Park, saw lots of Buffalo, hot geysers, watched Old Faithful erupt, ate sandwiches in the car for lunch, came back to the cabin for a short nap, went out for pizza, played our new card game “Golf”, laughed until it hurt and finally went to bed around 1:00 AM. The short version is we are Having a Blast! Can’t wait til tomorrow.
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