Sadly, today marked our final day at Yellowstone. We had to make trails before Labor Day Weekend to (hopefully) get a camping spot in The Grand Tetons National Park. Before we left though, we had two last stops to make. A trip to Yellowstone wouldn’t be complete without visiting Old Faithful and The Grand Prismatic.
We set out late morning with the intention of completing a hike and heading over to Old Faithful after dinner, when crowds and hopefully died down. We’d park somewhere along the way and make dinner in the van. It sounded like a great plan, so off we went.
Well, hike choice number one was closed due to a recent forest fire in the park. Ok, no problem, we understood. So we drove a little farther down the road to Lone Star for hike option number two. We felt lucky, nabbing a parking spot in the small lot, geared up and headed out. Only to be disappointed again – this hike also went towards the wildfire area and was therefore closed. “Ok, deep breath. We can do this,” I thought. We are flexible people, right?
Well, unfortunately we continued down the road only to miss several poorly marked trailheads. We finally turned around and stopped at one, but it was a 14 mile roundtrip hike to a small lake. Nope – not enough energy nor excitement. However, we did use the map to plan out a tentative Plan D. We’d drive over to Black Sand Basin, hopefully park, and hike around that area before going to Old Faithful in the evening. We all had our fingers crossed this would work – frustration was running a little hot at this point.
Fortunately, we did find a parking spot. I took a few deep breaths, tried some positive self-talk, and headed out with my parents. We crossed over the road to another poorly marked trail and hoped for the best. We walked down a barren trail into the unknown and were pleasantly surprised.
First, we came across Black Sand Pool, a hot spring steaming seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Ok, Plan D was off to a good start. Then we stumbled across Punch Bowl geyser, set atop a small hill with water spilling over and down the sides. With the steam rising and floating across the top, it looked perfect for a spooky Halloween party. With spirits lifting, we continued on and came across a boardwalk circling several small, interconnected geysers. They weren’t spouting much at the time, but they were still intriguing. From here we realized we had wandered into the geyser basin that was home to Old Faithful. Funny how things work out sometimes!
We meandered around for a while, not really sure exactly where we were headed, until we came across Riverside Geyser. This is one of several geysers in this area that erupt with some regularity and it was set to erupt within the next 30 minutes. Score! We found a spot to settle down and wait. Our patience (and earlier flexibility) was rewarded. Riverside geyser erupted powerfully, throwing hot water and steam into the sky again and again for nearly 20 minutes. It hissed and bubbled and sprayed, releasing all the pent up heat and energy from the magma below.
Energized and excited, after the eruption we moseyed through the rest of the area, exploring other geysers boiling, sparkling pools, gurgling mud pots, and floating steam. Soon we found ourselves unintentionally at Old Faithful with eruption about 20 minutes ahead. Despite fairly large crowds, we decided to stay, with masks on, and spread out over a bench to do our best to socially distance. We waited patiently, happy to rest our tired legs. Well, Old Faithful wasn’t entirely faithful. Its predicated eruption time passed, and passed, and passed. About 10 minutes later, the show did finally begin with a big blast straight up into the bluebird sky. It was another powerful display of nature (although I think Riverside Geyser was more impressive). We admired the show and waited for the crowds to disperse afterwards before moving on.
Eventually we started to retrace our steps to the car, and as we passed by Daisy Geyser, she began to erupt! We were the only ones around and enjoyed a private showing of this interconnected geyser system. Our Plan D was turning out to be a pretty wonderful day.
Back at the car we rested in our chairs for a while, enjoying the sun off to the side of the parking lot. Then we ate dinner and drove over to Midway Geyser Basin to catch The Grand Prismatic before the sun disappeared behind the mountains.
My mom and I hiked up to the overlook, racing the setting sun. Up top, we had a bird’s eye view of the largest thermal pool in Yellowstone. The center, a deep blue transitioned into a cerulean blue, then electric yellow, and finally fire orange around the rim. The circular rainbow was one I could have admired all day. The steam rising off the top gave it an extra special other worldly look.
Well, for a day that started off quite frustratingly and tested my flexibility, it wound up pretty darn wonderfully. A good reminder for me to embrace a little spontaneity now and then and embrace the journey.
Tonelli's Travels 