YELLOWSTONE - PART II - AUGUST 1982

TRAVELLING AROUND THE "OLD FAITHFUL"



"OLD FAITHFUL erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers in the park. Its average interval between eruptions is about 91 minutes. An eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 14,000 to 32,000 litres of boiling water, and reaches heights of 30 to 55 meters"


"OLD FAITHFUL INN was built during the winter of 1903-04, with a project of Robert C. Reamer, who wanted the asymmetry of the building to reflect the chaos of nature. The lobby of the hotel has a 20 meter high ceiling, a massive fireplace, and railings made of pine. With the additions made to the hotel in 1915 and 1927, there are today 327 rooms available to guests"



"YELLOWSTONE LAKE, a natural lake situated at 2357m above sea level, covers an area of 342 square km, and is the largest lake at high elevation in North America. It is frozen nearly half the year, from late December or early January through late May or early June"


"BULLMOOSE - Another Park employee"


"UPPER FALLS - One of the two famous Yellowstone River waterfalls, this one is shorter in height than its downstream neighbour, the Lower Falls - only 33 meters"


"YELLOWSTONE CANYON - It seems that, about 600,000 years ago, huge volcanic eruptions occurred, and lava flows blocked rivers forming lakes that overflowed and cut through the rhyolites to create the canyon. Later it was blocked by glaciers, and when these melted, about 10,000 years ago, the canyon took the present form. Afterwards, it has been the work of erosion: water, wind, earthquakes, etc."



"LOWER FALLS - The tallest waterfall in the park, 94 meters high"


"ANOTHER FAVOURITE - Together with a photo at the Plitvice lakes this is one of the photos I like best"

YELLOWSTONE - PART I - AUGUST 1982

ENJOYING THE FIRST NATIONAL PARK IN THE WORLD

YELLOWSTONE is the oldest national park in the world and covers 8,980 km², mostly in Wyoming: ninety-six percent of the park is located in Wyoming, another three percent is in Montana, and one percent is in Idaho.


"PETRIFIED TREES are evidence of the park's volcanic history. Trees buried by volcanic ash slowly had their organic structure replaced by minerals"




"MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS - Heat, water, limestone, and a rock fracture system through which hot water can reach the earth's surface contribute to create the Terraces. Minerva Terrace, with its wide range of bright colours and its ornate travertine formations, is one of the favourite spots"


"NICE ROAD"


"LIBERTY CAP - This 11 meter high hot spring cone was named like that in 1871 by the Hayden Survey party because of its resemblance to the caps worn during the French Revolution"


"BULLMOOSE - Park employees for photo opportunities..."


"ROARING MOUNTAIN is a large, acidic thermal area that contains many fumaroles. It is located on the Norris-Mammoth section of the Grand Loop Road"


"NORRIS GEYSER BASIN is the hottest and most changeable thermal area in Yellowstone. The view from Porcelain Terrace is magnificent"


"EMERALD SPRING - Usually, the hot spring's colour indicates the presence of minerals. In Emerald Spring the 8 meter deep pool is lined with yellow sulphur deposits which combine with the reflected blue light to make this magnificent emerald green"


"MADISON RIVER LUNCH BREAK - The Madison River flows along the West Entrance road into Hebgen Lake outside the park. It has it's origin in the high plateau region of Yellowstone Park, which is notoriously cold. However, running through the most thermally active region in the United States, the water temperature on most sections of the river is remarkably warm, often more than 20 degrees Celsius in summer"


"FIREHOLE RIVER is one of Yellowstone's best known rivers due to the Firehole Lake Drive. Actually, along the drive there are several geysers worth seeing, including the Great Fountain Geyser, which erupts every 8-12 hours, spraying water over 30 meters in the air"


"PAINT POT FOUNTAIN is one of the mud pots found in the Yellowstone. In early summer the mud pots are thin and watery from abundant rain and snow. By late summer they are quite thick"



"MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN: Runoff from Excelsior Geyser to Firehole River"

WILD WEST - AUGUST 1982

FROM DENVER TO YELLOWSTONE


"COLORADO STATE CAPITOL BUILDING - Built in the 1890's at the Mile High City - Denver. In 1908, 24 karat gold was used to plate the dome"


"COLFAX AVENUE - Thirty-mile-long Colfax Avenue was in 1850, when Denver was founded, the major artery linking the miners of the Gold Rush to the riches of the Rockies. Today, Denver still has gold around the corner: at the U.S. Mint, which turns out 50 million coins a day on Colfax Avenue"


"WYOMING CAPITOL BUILDING - The domed state capitol at Cheyenne, the largest city in Wyoming, was designed in 1887 and is one of the points of interest of the state capital"


"CASPER, the second-largest city in Wyoming, was settled on the banks of the North Platte River in the late 1800's. Currently, fifty thousand people live there"


"WYOMING - Ninety seven thousand square miles, half a million inhabitants: a lot of space there! Five persons by square mile... (average US: 80). There I saw a town name on the road with the relevant information: POP. 4 - Population? Four!!!"


"THERMOPOLIS is located near the middle of Wyoming. It was founded in 1897, and they say it has excellent climate, beautiful surroundings, and friendly people - a population of approximately 3,200 people"


"CODY - William Frederick Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, was born on February 26, 1846, and died on January 10, 1917. He was a buffalo hunter, U.S. army scout, and an Indian fighter. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center, a complex of museums, includes the Buffalo Bill Museum, which features general western articles and tells the history of «Cody's» life"



"CANYON LODGE, YELLOWSTONE. Convenient place to sleep, without the stress of getting a room at the Old Faithful Inn"



"GETTING SUPLIES for the night. Next morning, Antonio knocked on the door asking to get in: the heater on his cabin was not working, and he was freezing...""



"PARK EMPLOYEES..."