Yellowstone explorers hit the road

© 2011 Lydia Hinshaw

Bison butts:  The morning rush alongside the Firehole River

Hey guys, there's a road, let's block it!

A colorful section of the Norris Geyser Basin

 OLD FAITHFUL, WY -- Sunday was our one day off this week and we made a run into West Yellowstone, MT, for lunch.  As on any road trip here, bison are to be expected.  The top photo shows the biggest (but not the only) bison jam we encountered.

 After leaving West Yellowstone and returning to the park, we wandered north toward the Norris Geyser Basin.  On the way, we spotted about 20 bison grazing along the Gibbon River.  Just after the middle picture was snapped, the whole crew lined up single file and plodded up the bank to wander along the pavement, stopping traffic.

 The Norris Basin, the biggest geyser basin in Yellowstone, had some nice scenery, in the third picture. Norris' highlight is Steamboat Geyser, the tallest in Yellowstone.  When it erupts, it gushes up to 300 feet or more.  It hasn't erupted in six years, however, and we didn't get lucky.  Just blowing off a bit of steam, it wasn't worth a picture.