Yellowstone National Park, West Thumb Geyser Basin, WY

We had a nice, leisurely morning in our cabin in Grand Teton National Park, and posted our last blast of blog entries from the cabin lounge where there was complimentary internet access. When we finished that, we headed north to Yellowstone National Park, entering the park from the South gate.

We had really nice weather on our first day. Blue skies, just a light chill in the air.

We drove through the park very slowly, most of the time well below the 45mph speed limit, keeping our eyes peeled for wildlife. Our first encounter was a beautiful elk buck and doe couple which we watched from high above.

We shot a handful of nice pictures and a video clip.

We watched them munching on grass, and drinking from the creek.

The park straddles the Continental Divide, which we've crossed nearly a half dozen times this week.

Our first real encounter with Yellowstone's amazing geothermal features was the West Thumb Geyser Basin -- a collection of fumeroles and paintpots on the western end of Lake Yellowstone.

Paint pots are my favorite geothermal feature. These burping, belching giant pimples remind me of the bog of eternal stench in The Labyrinth.

Aside from stinking, and looking rather disturbing, paint pots are really cool :-)

All of the colors around the geyers and steamy water are caused by various extremophile bacteria.

It's pretty amazing seeing places where trees and plant life thrived just a few years ago, but recently evicted by extreme temperatures and noxious gases.

The proximity of this geyser field to the lake provides a remarkable view of the steam and landscape.

The sulfuric accumulations construct some amazing natural crystals and structures.

We learned a bit about the different bacteria that thrive in these most inhospitable environments. The blue and green hot springs are "cooler" than the red and brown ones, as the red and brown bacteria thrive in hotter pools

The cave and tunnel system connect the surface of the geyser basic directly to the heart of the supervolcano that powers all of Yellowstone.

Some are creepier looking than others.

West Thumb was a great introduction to the park and the rest of the amazing, unique landscape. We couldn't wait to see what the next stops would hold.

:-Dustin