Craters of the Moon National Monument

Lunar? Or Idahoan? Actually, probably more Big Island Hawaiian.

A few hours west of Yellowstone, in Idaho's Snake river Valley, is an area that 10,000,000 years ago was Yellowstone.  Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.

The landscape is not so much lunar as it is volcanic.  Yellowstone sits on a major "hot spot" where large amounts of magma from the earth's core sit (but not idly) way too close to the surface.  Due to plate tectonics, the land masses atop earth's crust float.  Craters of the Moon was atop this hot spot 10,000,000 years ago.

This is the short climb up to overlook a viewpoint.  The view is of the campground.

This is the short North Crater Flow Trail.  The last eruption here that gave Craters of the Moon its lunar/Idahoan/Big Island look was a mere 2,100 years ago.  Less than a nanosecond in geologic time.

This is proof that this landscape is not the least bit lunar:

After seeing video and pictures of the Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon, we know for certain that that type of tree does not grow on the moon.

But the park was named pre-Apollo 11.

The next trail was Devil's Orchard:

The dead trees do add a hellish element.

Next was the long walk up the Inferno Cone to get a view of ... well, I won't know until I walk the walk.

At the summit, with a view of the whole of Craters of the Moon:

And tree grows at the summit.  Life always finds a way.

Right behind me was a huge group of elementary school children (two bus loads) on a field trip.  I am so lucky that I just barely beat them into the restroom back at the Visitor's Center.

Next, as my calf muscles slowly recover, was the very short walk to the Splatter Cone.

It's a hole in the ground.  From which molten lava once splattered.  And, likely, will again.

Peering into the abyss:

Looking across to the next viewpoint:

Which is the Snow Cone Trail and another volcanic hole:

And, looking for the viewpoint of the Snow Cone Trail over to the Splatter Cone Trail:

And, with that, Craters of the Moon fades off into the sunset.

Well, not quite sunset since it's only noon.  But I do have a long drive back to Las Vegas and there's only one Culvers between Craters and Vegas.  Off to Twin Falls, Idaho.

Final Two Stops in Yellowstone

Beryl Spring. Yet another really awesome attraction that I only knew about by driving past it.

The final stop of the Yellowstone visit was supposed to be Artist's Paint Pots.  But, again, major traffic back-up in the parking lot.  The Geyser Basin area in the southwestern part of the Figure 8 seems to get a whole lot more traffic than the rest of the park.  So I decided to skip it.

But, as I was driving along, this caught my eye.

Beryl Spring.  It certainly was letting off a lot of steam.

It was named for the fact that, at certain times of the year, when the sun is at the correct angle in the sky, the color of the pool is the blue-green of the beryl gemstone.

Even if it is not the right time of the year, it was worth turning the car around to take a look-see.

Yellowstone is full of places like this.  They're not prominent in any guidebooks, yet they grab your eye when you are driving by and you immediately do a U-turn to check out the place.  This is why the automobile will always be the best way to see America's national parks.

And befitting that theme is the final stop on my Yellowstone tour:

Gibbon Falls.  Yet another place I only learned about by driving past it.

Gibbon Falls is so named because this is the Gibbon River and there is a waterfall:

Gibbon Falls in all its glory.

And that concludes my visit to Yellowstone.

Another item crossed off my "Before They Cut My Feet Off" list.

Last Day at Yellowstone: Biscuit Basin and Lower Geyser Basin

Sapphire Pool is the star attraction at Biscuit Basin

On my third and final day within Yellowstone, I am picking up the sights that were missed on the southwestern segment of the Figure 8 driving loop within the park.  Next stop:  Biscuit Basin.

To get there, you have to cross the Firehole River, the river that meanders alongside Old Faithful.

First attraction:  the Black Opal Spring:

Then the Black Diamond Pool:

And this little rivulet coming from the Black Diamond Pool deserves its own theme music.

The walking loop at Biscuit Basin is only a half of a mile.  Here is the Sapphire Pool.  Digital photography from my small camera does not do justice to the deep sapphire blue of the pool's water:

There was a stain in the corner:

This was a sad sight:

Shell Spring.  Apparently corporate sponsorship has come to the national park system.  And named for an oil company no less!

Moving along:

And this too apparently has a corporate sponsor:

Mustard Spring.  Sponsored by America's third favorite condiment (after ketchup and mayonnaise).

I am kidding about the corporate sponsorship thing.  Next stop:  Midway Geyser Basin brought to you by General Motors.  Just kidding.  Unfortunately, Midway Geyser Basin might as well have been sponsored by a car company as there was a traffic jam to get in.  First time in Yellowstone I saw overwhelming crowds.  I skipped it.  I will save the most photographed sight in Yellowstone, the giant Grand Prismatic Spring, for the next trip.  On to the Lower Geyser Basin:

This is the Celestine Pool, so named because of the sky blue color.  Someone had to dig deep to come up with words for "blue" to name all the pools of water in the geyser basin.

This is Silex Spring.  Corporate sponsorship by half of Proctor Silex Company.  It would make sense for the maker of toasters to sponsor hot springs, but in actuality "silex" is a synonym for silica.

Next up, what was supposed to be the star attraction of Lower Geyser Basin:

Fountain Paint Pots.

Lower Geyser Basin is quite impressive.  Fountain Paint Pots?  Not so much.

Fumarole:

Next up:  Spasm Geyser:

And it was having a spasm!

I got there just in time for the unscheduled show:

Not all of the geysers go off like clockwork.  In fact, only one does, which is why it is world famous.

And once more past the Celestine Pool.

One last planned stop before checking out of Yellowstone:  Artist's Paint Pots.