Climbing up switchbacks on Beartooth Highway, dubbed the most scenic highway in America |
Stopping in the cool refreshing mountain air |
Beartooth Pass at almost 11000 feet (3300m) |
Whitebark pine trees being attacked by mountain pine beetle |
View into the valley |
Up on a wide plateau after the pass |
Poles are used to outline the road in heavy snows |
Another scenic view |
More winding highway and vistas |
Allison in the chilled air |
Switchbacks on the other side of the pass |
More varied landscapes |
On the way to Cooke City, the NE entrance to Yellowstone |
Colourful hills... |
Lots of reminders of previous park fires |
Roaming herds of American Bison (aka buffalo) |
Roaming free |
Basalt columns along Yellowstone River |
Pinnacles formed from erosion |
Looking down on river |
Pillars have been used for nesting by ospreys |
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone |
Canyon close-up |
Scree slopes |
Allison, looking towards Lower Yellowstone Falls |
Canyon |
Lower Yellowstone Falls |
close-up |
More beautiful colours |
Upper Yellowstone Falls |
Allison posing |
Hayden Valley, prime wolf and bison habitat |
More roaming bison |
Bison |
Bubbling mud and sulphur pools |
Hotsprings feeding the river |
Dragon's breath, complete with growling sounds from expelled water |
More geothermal features |
A traffic jam caused by roaming bison |
The bison seem to be approaching us at the mud pools |
Grazing near |
Bison coming closer... |
...and dusting off... |
...and coming closer! |
The tourists observe the docile-looking animals |
People clear a path for them to move |
IMGP9125_resize.JPG |
Captivated tourists (including myself) |
Allison hanging out |
Home on the range... |
Me and the bison |
More grazing |
The hordes or herds of watchers |
Mud pool nearby |
The crowds waiting for the Ol' Faithful geyser |
Erupting every 92 minutes or so (+/- 10 minutes) |
Going off.... |
... up to a couple hundred feet high |
geyser-watching |
Some of the thousands of geothermal features |
Interesting bacteria colours |
colourful streams |
Beehive geyser |
pool with Old Faithful Inn in the background |
Another pool |
A victim of falling in... or a lost hat on a blustery day |
blue colour is where its too hot for bacteria to live |
A geyser erupts |
A geyser at Firehole River erupts for 20 minutes |
Riverside geyser |
Scenic viewing |
bubbling cauldron |
close-up |
Castle geyser |
some bison hanging out nearby |
View of the geyser area |
Inside the Old Faithful Inn |
beautiful woodwork |
dining hall |
Ol' Faithful erupts... again |
Interesting feature north of Old Faithful |
Roosevelt Elk females grazing in distance with calves |
An osprey soars overhead |
Some falls along the roadside |
A male Roosevelt Elk stops traffic |
Roosevelt Elk |
Roosevelt Elk |
Roosevelt Elk |
Roosevelt Elk |
Chipmunk |
Another male... |
...a smaller male |
A roadside bear stops more traffic |
...looking for tasty pine seeds |
...her 2 cubs were high up in a neighbouring tree |
coming down... |
...tourists still weren't moving despite this |
A hazy morning... some smog from a forest fire in Washington |
Rock formations on the road |
Yellowstone River |