Scenery 2

How we (friends from England, Linda and Tony, and myself) enjoyed ourselves at this wonderful hot springs location in Yellowstone National Park on 13 September 2012! The colours and patterns were spectacular, though this particular photo doesn't show the vivid orange colour. "The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin. Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors include blue, green, yellow, orange, red and brown, and recall the rainbow disperson of white light by an optical prism. The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature of the water which favors one bacterium over another. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.... The spring is approximately 250 by 300 feet (80 by 90 m) in size and is 160 feet (50 m) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prismatic_Spring

I got back last night from an absolutely amazing week away with my friends, Linda and Tony. Believe it or not, this was only my second holiday in about 30 years! Some of you may remember that when my Brother in England died almost two years ago, several of my long-time friends who lived in the same city all stepped forward and helped me deal with everything long distance, from my Brother's funeral to finding everything possible in the house a good home (sold or donated). All my parents' belongings were there, too, so it was a mammoth task to go through everything and put aside every single personal item or document, which were then shipped to me here. Just one of the priceless things was when Linda went through all my Father's old movies, picked out every inch of them that she thought I would want to have, and then took them to be copied to DVD. Of course, everything was done thoughtfully and lovingly - and it still has me shaking my head that anyone could spend so much time doing SO much for someone else. There are still a few things that Linda is seeing to! Anyway, to cut a very long story short, Linda told me many months ago that she and Tony were coming to Canada again and Linda really hoped I would join them for a week getting down to Yellowstone National Park and back. Because I hadn't been away in so long, I was extremely hesitant : ) However, I did go and had the most wonderfully enjoyable (and spectacular!) time going to not only Yellowstone, but also Grand Tetons, Glacier and Waterton! Can never thank Linda and Tony enough for this! I've known Linda since she was a baby (she's about four? years younger than I am, around my Brother's age), so we had a week's precious time to "catch up". I'd only ever met Tony once, when they came to Canada for a holiday six years ago. He deserves a medal for putting up with me for a whole week!! And now I have over 2,500 images (plenty of repeats, though) to go through, lol, so please bear with me, especially when it seems that "all" I have to post are these holiday shots! Gosh, I miss my friends' company already! I visited Mammoth Hot Springs and the rest of Yellowstone National Park 30+ years ago, when my kids were very young. Loved Mammoth Hot Springs, so was thrilled to get the chance to see this fascinating area again. The photo above shows part of the Main Terrace, taken on 12 September 2012. "Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park ... It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas... A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Hot_Springs For a diagram of the Hot Springs layout: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MammothHotSprings.JPG Map of Yellowstone National Park: hfc.nps.gov/carto/PDF/YELLmap2.pdf

However, when I look out my windows this morning, everywhere IS covered in snow. My photo was taken at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US, on 12 September 2012. This was the second day of a great week away with friends from England. We had driven from Calgary to Great Falls the day before, then visited Mammoth Hot Springs on the Wednesday. It had been 32 years since I had been to Yellowstone, so I was absolutely thrilled to get this wonderful chance to visit the park again. I think this view was taken near the main terrace, looking over the snow-like mineral deposits. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Hot_Springs

Such amazing formations can be seen at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. I thought it would be so easy to remember, or at least place on a map, each of the different formations we saw and photographed. However, I'm finding it more difficult than I thought, especially as many of the formations change over the years and so other photos on the Internet often look different. I think this was Minerva Terrace, but would really appreciate it if anyone out there can either confirm or correct my ID - thanks! I visited Mammoth Hot Springs and the rest of Yellowstone National Park 30+ years ago, when my kids were very young. Loved Mammoth Hot Springs, so was thrilled to get the chance to see this fascinating area again. "Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park ... It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas... A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Hot_Springs For a diagram of the Hot Springs layout: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MammothHotSprings.JPG Map of Yellowstone National Park: hfc.nps.gov/carto/PDF/YELLmap2.pdf

Took this photo a year ago, on 3 October 2011, when I went with friends to Larch Valley. We welcomed the bit of sun and blue sky when we went west of Calgary, to hike up to Larch Valley from Moraine Lake, though it turned cloudy for a good part of the time later. After climbing 360 meters (1181.088 ft) in elevation with ten uphill switchbacks to "endure" and hiking 2.6 kilometers, you enter Larch Valley near this spot, where it opens up into a huge meadow. There is a window of just two or three weeks in which to see these Larches at their best - they were past their prime when we were there, but still beautiful. The Bear ruling was in effect - you must hike in a tight group of four or more people. Those Grizzlies sure have a spectacular place to call home : ) We were very fortunate to be there on a relatively "quiet" day. Someone else, who went on a different day, said that people were having to park 2 km (or miles?) down the road, away from the start of the trail by Moraine Lake! We were able to park in the actual parking lot by Moraine Lake. We would never have made it if we had had that extra 4 km to walk, lol! It is one of the most popular places for people to visit, especially in the fall. hikealberta.com/hike/larch-valley-sentinel-pass-trail

Nothing too inspiring, but this is vibrant colour here in Calgary : ) We don't have the beautiful Maple trees that turn a glorious red in the fall, so any splash of deep orange or red tends to catch my eye. When I was driving out of Fish Creek Park late yesterday morning (14 October 2012), the colours on the hillside made me gasp and I just had to pull over and take a couple of shots.

One of the many thermal areas at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. A view taken from near the Canary Spring area, photographed on 12 September 2012. I loved the setting of this one, as it first showed up as a short, thin, orange-brown line in the far distance of the Main Terrace. The closer we got, the line turned into a spectacular display of delicate deposits and hot steam. I visited Mammoth Hot Springs and the rest of Yellowstone National Park 32 years ago, when my kids were very young. Loved Mammoth Hot Springs, so was thrilled to get the chance to see this fascinating area again. "Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park ... It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas... A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Hot_Springs For a diagram of the Hot Springs layout: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MammothHotSprings.JPG Map of Yellowstone National Park: hfc.nps.gov/carto/PDF/YELLmap2.pdf Why Nature's beauty gets destroyed and why people get killed: youtu.be/oVKqXsIs2mw

Another photo taken at Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, on 13 September 2012. The colours were just so spectacular. "The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin. Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors include blue, green, yellow, orange, red and brown, and recall the rainbow disperson of white light by an optical prism. The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature of the water which favors one bacterium over another. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.... The spring is approximately 250 by 300 feet (80 by 90 m) in size and is 160 feet (50 m) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prismatic_Spring Why Nature's beauty gets destroyed and why people get seriously injured or killed. I just don't understand the mentality of some people!! This YouTube video, of a young Oriental woman who had climbed over the railing and was walking all over the delicate and dangerous deposits just so she could get closer photos, was taken at Mammoth Hot Springs, and was accompanied by the following words: "In Yellowstone park it's dangerous AND illegal to leave the boardwalk near geothermal features. Not only is there risk of serious injury or death from acid burns, but this destroys the fragile mineral deposits, ruining the experience for future visitors.... Update: The Park Ranger I reported this to contacted me to let me know the girl was cited and fined $125." youtu.be/oVKqXsIs2mw

A very pale sunset, which still looked beautiful in person, but difficult to capture. Taken at the end of the third day of a week's trip with friends, down to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. There were a number of forest fires burning in Yellowstone, resulting in a lot of haze and "blue" mountains.