Lets go on a Bearhunt.....

Day 17 - Saturday, June 29

While growing up, we used to play a game called "Lets go on a bearhunt!"  Well, today, that's what Jim & I did, because we hadn't yet seen a bear in Yellowstone.   We took the northern part of the grand loop and said "ok, lets go!"  It's an area we hadn't traveled yet, and veered off on a side road, called Blacktail Plateau.   It was a 6 mile stretch of narrow one-way dirt road--rocky, bumpy, dusty dirt road.  About 1/2 way through, we wondered if it was really worth it. 

But, then Jim saw it--"it IS a bear!!!"  We saw it in the distance, meandering through the hillside.  How exciting!  And, the best part was, it was in a remote area, so we pretty much had the "viewing" to ourselves!

After we exited the bumpy dirt road, we came upon another bear sighting.  This time, it was a mama and her cub, frolicking around a tree.  The cub would run up the tree and come down, and the mom would roll over and play.  What a terrific experience to see the bears in action!   Thanks to a borrowed camera from Jennifer and Kurtis with a zoom lens, we were able to capture a shot of the duo. 

In addition to the bear hunt, we came across some other remarkable sights:

This petrified tree is an ancient redwood, preserved by volcanic ash left over from a volcanic eruption thousands and thousands (maybe millions) of years ago.

The Golden Gate falls are next to an area where a wooden bridge was built to save a half day of travel for early pioneers.  The wood bridge has since been replaced by a paved bridge, and was part of our harrowing drive yesterday.

We visited the Mammoth Hot Springs area and saw an amazing display of travertine terraces.  Travertine is created from the hot acidic water on the limestone, which dissolves it, and it reforms as a solid mineral.  The water trickles over the surfaces and produces a fountain effect.  Because of the white color and sparse surroundings, it looks like it should be cold, but it is actually hot.  There are signs around that provide warnings that the water can scald. 

We learned a new word today:  thermophiles.  They are heat-loving organisms that live in the springs.  They thrive on the hydrogen sulphur gas (rotten egg smell) that comes up through the steam vents. Billions of these organisms chain together to form spongy-looking blankets around the springs.  I wish my science-teacher-sister was here to explain some of this stuff.

  My science-teacher-sister would also like to know that we stopped at the 45th parallel.  This imaginary line marks the halfway point between the North Pole and Equator.   In just a month or so, we'll be close to the North Pole..so I guess it's accurate to say, this is truely the halfway point!