Date: May 20, 1998
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No matter where we went, if the kids saw snow, our plans got readjusted. Here Sammy is at the top of a 6 foot snow bank and he's throwing snowballs at Sarah while she tries to climb up as well. She's not having any luck climbing as she falls on her bottom every time and slides back down. |
Once in Yellowstone, it's hard to miss the rising steam from the ground. The "geothermal" features of this place are amazing and here we see the West Thumb Geyser basin where many pools of boiling water are present. Algae live in the pools and give them some very unique coloration. |
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Here's one of the West Thumb geysers that was spouting some water when we walked by. It's not throwing the water very high, but it is very active and turbulent. The water gets heated by Magma in the thin crust around the Yellowstone Caldera and this heated water explodes out of the ground as either geysers, fumeroles (which just release steam) or mudpots which bubble alot. |
Here's the family at the West Thumb Geysers. There is a lot of sulphur in these geothermals so it can smell bad at times. Sammy didn't like sitting in the steam while I fumbled to take the picture. |
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The Algae produces pools and streams of incredible colors. The colors can tell you how hot the water is since different types of algae live in the different water temperatures. |
Of course, we have to include a picture of Sarah playing in the snow too. The temperature today was over 65, but the snow was still very visible and the kids locked onto it. Sammy constantly asked "Can we play in the snow at our campsite?" Also everywhere we stopped to see wildlife or some majestic waterfall, Sammy would say "Can we go play in the snow over there?" pointing to a tiny patch of snow left by the plows. We only get a small amount of snow at home every year and they love it everytime it falls, so I guess this is to be expected. |
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