The roads in Yellowstone Park are good. And it's a real pleasure
moving from one place to another so we really enjoyed it. There are some
sideroads running out here and there so we took one of them to discover
something outside of the main road. We were rewarded with another
waterfall we could see not far away.
Actually when we had a better look we realized it wasn't really a
waterfall. Just a shallow creek running fast on the almost vertical rock
bed. But it looked like a waterfall from a distance.
When we walked close we figured out the creek was really small and
below the "waterfall" one can easily cross in by foot. It was just ankle deep but
rolling water made an impression of the wild river...
We made our next stop at the Porcelain Basin, named because of the
color. White minerals are covering the surface there making it look like
a huge porcelain plate.
The basin is big... and white... so white it feels like it is covered with a thin layer of snow. Magnificent view!
And it was a place where we finally saw how colorful Yellowstone
is. Can you imagine 5 ponds of different colors? And you can see all
five just in front of you. Sky blue water in one and green-ish in the
neighboring one. Clear like a tear in the next and cloudy in another... not to mention the tints and shades... Amazing!
But the most impressive thing is how clear the water is. I mean in
the pools where it wasn't like milk ;) It is so clear you cannot see it
and only small leaves or twigs show you the pool is not dried up but
full of water.
You can move all around the basin using the wooden boardwalks. And
this is important not to step off it. First to protect the unique
beauty. And the second because this white surface is not really solid.
Or at least not solid all the way around the valley. In many areas it's
just an inch thick crust of the minerals and soil and if you step on it
you can find yourself in a big hole... And you will be very lucky if the
hole is just empty. And you will be lucky if there is water in the hole
and it's cold or warm. But what about the boiling hot water? So, if you
walk there - don't leave the boardwalk!
Here and there small geysers spewing water. Sometimes just a few inches tall and sometimes a few feet tall.
But the most amazing thing you can see there is bacteria mats.
These are really mats, running along the water streams and so colorful
you cannot believe what you see. The color depends on the water
temperature and bacteria type. So you can see emerald, brown, orange,
bordeaux, yellow and all in between.
The bacteria mats follow the streams and are constantly changing.
Today this area is green and tomorrow is orange. Today it's straight and
tomorrow is curvy. And they look like something absolutely unreal
(honestly, I had no idea the colors in nature could be so bright and vibrant until Yellowstone trip).
Another unimaginable thing is the trees in the middle of the ponds
of the water. The trees are mostly dead (that is not surprising) but how
were they able to survive and grow in this saturated mineral hot water
in the first place?
This is a good example of clear water. If it were still, you would
have an impression it's dried out. Only ripples tell you it's full of
water!
The minerals sediment can create unearthly landscapes. You can find
mountains and forests here... meadows and plazas. But
it builds up really slowly... just about an inch of the sediments every
century...
Another boiling pond and the sign reminding not to leave the
boardwalk if you don't want to break the fragile crust and find
yourself swimming in the hot water.
Click here to find out what else we saw this day - Yellowstone Park - a very alone buffalo and more geysers
Pictures were taken on September 04, 2010.
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