Idaho Falls (Idaho, United States) | Fascinating Geology - 25 Oct, 2023

 

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the 3rd largest hot Spring in the world. The blue water is 188 F (87 C). The Spring is approximately 300 ft (91 m) in diameter and 121 ft (37 m) deep. As the water cools, different bands of bacteria thrive and give this Spring its fabulous colors.

"Want to go to Yellowstone National Park with us today? Dylan and Daniel don't have school today." says my sister. I haven't been to Yellowstone and Grand Prismatic Spring in several years. "Our plan is to enter through the West Yellowstone and work our way down to the Old Faithful Geyser," she continues. Count me in!

With our late start this morning, I know we will only see a very small part of Yellowstone. Nevertheless, it is another opportunity to spend time with my sister's family. Our first stop is Grand Prismatic Spring in the region of the Park known for its geyser activity. Yellowstone represents the most extensive collection of geysers in the world, with > 150. 

Yellowstone National Park is an incredible place to visit. The Park is also well known for its abundant wildlife, and I've been blessed to observe many of its large mammals, like grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, moose, elk, and bison, in the past. But today, we are going to focus on geothermal features. Yellowstone is a hotspot for many different kinds of geothermal features because it is located on an active supervolcano, making the western part of the Park fascinating. 

While returning to the Grand Prismatic parking lot, I pass this beautiful mat of bacteria. The subdued oranges and brilliant yellow greens have a strong smell of sulfur.

Our next stop is Balck Sand Basin, between Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful. Cliff Geyer erupts every few minutes from a pool of water. This is an excellent example of a fountain geyser. Cliff Geyser erupts upwards of 30 ft (9 m).

Black Sand Basin is named after the obsidian gravel (i.e., crushed volcanic glass) found in this area. Emerald Pool is like a mini version of Grand Prismatic with a deep green center. Emerald Pool has an average temperature of 136 F (58 C) and an average pH of 9. The deep green center of Emerald Pool is a result of the spring cooling slightly through the years, 

Further south, we join the crowd gathered at Old Faithful Geyser. Today, there are only a fraction of the people you might encounter in June or July. Old Faithful has had predictable eruptions every 60 to 90 minutes since the Park was discovered.

Our timing is good today. We only have to wait about 20 minutes for Old Faithful to erupt. I always enjoy seeing Old Faithful. It is one of the landmark features of Yellowstone. Check out this video if you want to learn more about why Old Faithful is so predictable.

Red Spouter, located on the Fountain Paint Pots trail, is a relatively new phenomenon in Yellowstone. Following a nearby earthquake in 1959, a steam vent opened at this spot. Red Spouter has been growing ever since, and it changes with the season. It alternates between a fumarole (i.e., a vent on the earth's surface whereby volcanic gases escape) and a mudpot (i.e., acidic hot springs whereby microorganisms decompose rock into mud). The Red Spouter alternates between these two states depending on the height of the water table.

We had a great time in Yellowstone in spite of the overcast and cooler weather. Unfortunately, this trip was rather short, so we didn't have the opportunity to visit other fascinating parts of Yellowstone. It takes several days to drive around the entire Yellowstone Loop if you stop to visit the sites. In the image below, we entered the Park from West Entrance and explored the area from the West Gate to Madison Junction, then south to Old Faithful. The distance covered was 30 mi (48 km) one way. 

I am glad to have shared this day with my sister's family in Yellowstone. I've spent a great deal of time in Yellowstone when I lived southeast of the Park in Lander, Wyoming, between 2000 and 2014. Yellowstone is one of many places worth visiting in this part of Wyoming, but it is the best place to see this fascinating geology.  

This will be my last post on Afootwithmartin. I've been on a fantastic adventure for the last year and a half. And, as I write this, I know I have a lot more adventure ahead of me. Unfortunately, when I left for Italy last Spring, I realized the time I spent writing often detracts from other things I want to accomplish during my travels. One of those things is being present with people while I travel. I also need to allow more space for myself and the things that nourish me.

When I started this blog, I told myself I would continue writing as long as I enjoyed it. At this point in my travels, I feel myself being pulled in a different direction. Lately, though, writing feels more like a "have to" than a "want to." Lately, I have had less interest in documenting where I am and what I am doing during my day. The pull, I feel, is guiding me to focus more on introspection. Introspection is a process that takes time and is difficult to do when I am devoting my energies to outward expression, like writing for my blog.

In reflecting further, I have diverged away from what my original purpose of this blog was when I created it. Although I still had some adventures afoot over the last 6 months, most of my travels lately have centered on other modes of travel. Do I still plan to walk? Absolutely! I have many adventures ahead of me, and I look forward to them. Walking was important to me before I started this adventure, and it will continue to be. However, during the last year and a half, I've also learned that walking with a 3-pound (1.4 kg) computer in my pack is not something I want to continue to do. It's dead weight that serves me no purpose while I am walking. Additionally, writing frequently kept me from enjoying the evenings after my arrival, as I needed to pound keys on my computer instead.

So what's next? I believe my mom said it best, "I recall when you were little, and we moved to the United States. You always told me that you didn't want to live here. You said you would live somewhere else someday. I didn't think about what happened at this point in your life, but here we are. You've lived the American Dream for most of your life. It is now time for you to live Martin's Dream." 

So, as I am set to leave the United States once again, my plan is to continue to chase Martin's dreams by doing the things that fill my heart with joy as I continue to explore living abroad. I hope you've enjoyed this blog. Please contact me via WhatsApp at +1 9706 981 066. I love hearing from you. Thank you for following along!

One last photo as I close this post. I've seen some amazing sunsets during my travels. Each part of the world has its own unique sunset. This was an incredible sunset I observed near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The world is full of amazing places. Get out and experience it!