Yellowstone happened a week And a half ago, as in we visited quite a while back. However, due to increasingly difficult wifi conditions (much to my teenage dismay) I couldn’t upload the media required to justly depict the wonder of Yellowstone National Park. Thus, here’s my Yellowstone post. Soon to follow will be further updates encompassing our more recent travels.   

 Here we have some classic American wildlife: the seldom elusive bison. These guys showed up everywhere, and they look cute but are actually quite deadly. According to signage, they often gore people. Hence, this photo was taken from the safety of a car. 

   Along the roadways are frequent sites where one can stop and view scenic overlooks or even descend paths, such as the brief walkway my dad and I took to this river. Panoramas somewhat distort the perspective, so it’s hard to tell that this scenic overlook was along the curve of a meander. 
   

 What looked like fog from afar was actually steam rising from geothermal features along the road. It looks like a spa, but it’s actually quite deadly. In fact, it became very clear very quickly that most of the beauty in Yellowstone was also more than capable of inflicting death.  

  Warnings, while multilingual, were quite daunting. Caution is imperative when braving Yellowstone.   The elk really enjoy the grass by the buildings in Yellowstone more than the naturally occurring grass elsewhere. Many elk were grazing here, and out of view many park rangers were making sure no pedestrians got too close, as the proximity to nature can make people forget the legitimate dangers of wildlife. 
  After our stagecoach ride (which was quite different from the movie Stagecoach) there was a thematically consistent farewell sign. 
  Photo ops always make deadly pools of boiling water more festive.   Due to signs like this, I don’t think I ever embarked off a trail the entire time we were here, including sidewalks. 
    The Celestine Pool was fairly far away from the walkway, and in front of it was this warped dead tree. I wonder how it grew there in the first place, seeing as the ground upon which it grew is very unstable. 
    
 The geyser billowed steam continuously, and I was glad to be a safe distance away.   

  The “paint pots” we’re little bubbles of mud that rose onto the surface and then popped, splattering boiling mud everywhere.   

  This is one of the most famous views in the park. I actually took this photo standing on a bench at the edge of the walkway, which was objectively rather risky. Totally worth it though.  

  Next to the steam vents was this beautiful river. A lot of accidents occur in the rivers in Yellowstone because people don’t realize how strong the flow is.

 The hotel at which we stayed had tremendous historic significance, and we went on a lovely tour that delved into the past of the building and the park itself. This is a view of the dining room where we had breakfast and dinner.  

During our stagecoach tour, our guide, Alex, said that this valley was a prime spot to see Timber wolves and bears, along with other, less rare animals.  After Old Faithful stopped actually going off, the steam from it going off plus steam from other geothermic features coalesced to blend in with the wispy clod.