Yellowstone 2025: The Final Day

September 19th was the last day of our journey; Yellowstone greeted us with a marvelous if chilly sunrise. Several of our Off the Beaten Path group walked up a rise next to the lodge to observe the scene. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

This spot also holds the "Rockefeller Stone," which holds a plaque in honor of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., a key figure in preserving this region.

I walked to the edge of the hill for a wide panoramic shot.

Our vantage point was also an excellent location for spotting wildlife, including browsing elk,

and a moose! (On everybody's wish list).

Then we dropped down to the lodge, where other early risers were taking advantage.

A maximum zoom shot.

After breakfast it was time to depart for the Jackson Hole airport, about 40 miles away. You might not expect much -- the entire county's population was 23,331 in the 2020 census -- but Jackson Hole and its environs host many wealthy clients (we twice heard a story about Harrison Ford and a novice realtor). Five gates and well-decorated (you might say spiffy) baggage carousels, waiting areas, and a food court await. There is as much private-plane as commercial traffic, on a per-plane basis.

 

When boarding began, Joan and I took the brief but sunny tarmac walk to the portable stairway, entered a well-kept 737, and buckled in. Going home after a great trip that began here. 

Yellowstone 2025: A Float Down the Snake River (and more)

On September 18th our Off the Beaten Path group embarked on a morning float trip down the Snake River. We stopped at an overlook along the way. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Then we pushed on to Deadman's Bar, our starting point. (Quite an inspiring name!)

We'll ride the Snake down to Moose Landing.

The floating outfit began to unload the gear, including life jackets and two inflatable paddle rafts.

Getting ready for a sunny river run.

Onto the Snake!

We were eager photographers, and you can see why.

At one point the other raft was ahead of us, emphasizing the scale of the landscape.

A paddle in action.

Paddle, camera, river, turning colors, high mountains: such a striking shift of scale.

A closer look at those stony faces.

Ashore and thoroughly satisfied, we rejoined the vans and moved on to our next activity. We paused along the way to watch a young bear browse, fattening up for the coming winter.

While we were there, he/she decided it was time to move on.

We reached our parking area for more exploring. It also serves as the start and return point for a horse and bridle route.

The Cathedral Group of peaks was within sight. (Not that we're going to try to climb them!)

Jenny Lake was a good fit for us.

The trail above the lake was in good shape.

Everybody with a camera stayed busy.

The view was so expansive that you couldn't capture it in one photo and do it justice.

We spotted a tourist ferry across the lake.

Then it was time to return to the Jackson Lake Lodge, clean up, and have dinner at the Lodge restaurant. The sunset was marvelous,

and many guests came out for the view (and possibly a glimpse of moose).

I didn't see any critters in the dusk, but tomorrow morning, our departure day, will bring a final chance.

Yellowstone 2025: Old Faithful and a Grand Circuit

The previous post (here) recounted our morning activities on September 16th. Our next stop was the Old Faithful complex, where we arrived about noon. The Inn's exterior was impressive!

That bus is not us!

We had a little while to explore the astonishing interior,

and then had our lunch al fresco. The famous geyser "Old Faithful" is visible in this photo from our balcony perch.

We lingered and caught one of Old Faithful's eruptions. They last for several minutes; this video clip isn't that long.

Then we took to the paths to other features. Quite a few, there are! (Click on any image to enlarge.)

One of the first pots we encountered. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Iron and sulfur-rich waters flowed here.

What do we have here in these blue waters?

Let's zoom in and see ... bones!

Our explorations are taking us gradually away from the lodge.

Next, we reached the Anemone geyser.

There was interesting action here: at the eruption's end, all the water drains away.

This pool had translucent blue depths.

Further away stood the Castle geyser.

Zooming in:

Here's a video of the Castle geyser.

Next, the Spasmodic geyser. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

We waited a while at the Grand geyser, but it didn't make an appearance in the time we had. In this photo, Jack, one of our two Off the Beaten Path guides, is pointing out some features. (His missing hand is a quirk of taking a picture in panorama mode, where the photographer sweeps out the photo desired and the camera does the combining.)

Then it was time to move on: today we were engaged in a long loop from Canyon Village. You'll find Old Faithful in the bottom left corner of this map; at this point, we've completed almost half of the journey.

The route became mountainous; we even crossed the Continental Divide at 8,391 feet, or 2,556 meters. Needless to say, we were not zooming along! There was plenty to see, including some resting elk.

We arrived at the shores of Yellowstone Lake and had time to take a driving tour of a section of lakeshore. By now, the day's light had become more horizontal.

Our auto tour along the shore continued; later in the evening I took this photo of waterfowl cruising close to shore.

We had dinner at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Our group broke into several separate tables, but the food was among the best we'd encountered. That makes up for a lot!

Needless to say, by the time we returned to our rooms at Canyon Village, it was lights-out almost immediately. Next, we'll head south to the Grand Teton National Park.

Yellowstone 2025: Lower Geyser Basin

July 16th was a steam-filled day. It began early; our group left Canyon Village and reached the Beryl hot spring, our first stop, at 7:45. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

A walkway keeps visitors away from the road and extremely hot water.

A different angle on some of the vents.

Close-up of another vent.

Our next destination was the Paint Pots complex. (A link to a detailed description of each geyser is here.)

A locale with innumerable vents came into view.

First, Jack Noll, one of our two Off the Beaten Path guides, gave us the obligatory warnings and an overview.

A circular hot pool!

Blue depths, salt-encrusted borders.

The fountain paint pot. It's still only 9:00.

How does that work? (Click on any image to enlarge.)

And this one, the Red Spouter ...

 

Another kind of photo-op.

What's that ... a bison rubbing against a tree!

Walked away in profile.

The trail took us to a somewhat higher view, including the Grand Prismatic Spring.

Zooming in reveals its paths and walkers.

Then it was time to shove off -- and head for Old Faithful and the myriad other sights in its complex. Next post!