On July 14th, our Off the Beaten Path group climbed into two vans, and we set out on our drive to Yellowstone National Park, sixteen guests and our guides, Jack and Steve. Along the way they shared historical background on the area between Bozeman and the park, including the 1805 transit of Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery Expedition, led in part by the Shoshone woman Sacagawea.
We headed east and then south, and it was time for a rest break and a leg stretch. (Click on any image to enlarge.)
This spot was near the Beartooth Wilderness. 
Continuing south, we passed many features that kept us glued to the windows, including this dike, a volcanic intrusion.
Wild pronghorn grazed.
Private property, largely ranching, sometimes abuts the Park. Not all roads lead to "Rome."
A crowd of elk rested by the irrigation sprinklers.
We reached the park boundary at the Roosevelt Arch, named for Theodore/Teddy, our 26th president.
The sunlit side of the arch. Check out that stonework.
An obligatory photo of us.
A cluster of shops inhabits this gateway, where we picked up lunch fixings.
We drove on to a "hidden" lunch spot -- a basalt formation known to Jack and Steve, usually empty even though only a few dozen yards from a busy parking area for a different attraction. We even saw a pika, hurrah!
Soon we arrived at the Mammoth Hot Springs area, to visit and to spend the night.
We explored several trails and boardwalks. (Click on the map above to expand). Heat-loving microorganisms, or "thermophiles," feast on hydrogen sulfide, while cyanobacteria harvest sunlight.
Calcite (calcium carbonate) is deposited here as hot water rises through limestone and evaporates, leaving calcite behind. If the hot water passes through igneous rock instead, it creates more colorful formations.
Half moon, tree, calcite.
Walkways abound and must be repaired or replaced periodically.
A broad expanse.
Calcite accumulates in the landscape.
Many viewpoints are on offer.
After exploring the farther reaches of the calcite plains, we descended to see more.
Formations and pools.
From the front, the appearance is very stratified or terraced.
Near the end, a hot spring remnant; mineral deposits built slowly for hundreds of years.
A mixed pile and the calcite's edge.
After dinner at the Mammoth Hotel Dining Room, Jack offered a postprandial walk. Joan and I joined in, and as dusk deepened, we heard elk bugling, saw a nearby landslide from recent flooding, and spotted a "Mormon cricket" -- a large, wingless katydid that can devastate crops and cause traffic hazards. It was quite dark by the time we retraced our steps to the hotel.
An extremely full day it was.
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