Yellowstone #1
Spasm Geyser
Great Pristanic Spring
Abyss Pool
Mammoth
Chipmunk!The motel that we are staying in now is fantastic - there is a microwave and a fridge in our room, we are sleeping on a queen-size bed each, there is free wireless Internet in our room, and a personal parking space just outside our door!
The best thing: we are paying only $59 a night. That is even cheaper than hostels in New York City!
Anyway, Yellowstone is gorgeous. You get a whole new set of scenery after every mile you travel, and the wildlife there is simply awesome. So far we have seen 1 brown bear, 1 black bear with 2 cubs, hundreds of bisons and elk, chipmunks/ground squirrels, a huge raven, swans/ducks, and a bald eagle's nest :D
Needless to say, there are numerous geothermal features that are awesome too! And after the microbiology course, I now know quite a bit about the thermophiles that thrive in the springs, the cyanobacteria that inhabit the ponds, and various chemolithotrophs that breathe hydrogen gas and hydrogen sulphide :P They can all be found in Yellowstone!
Though before arriving, I made the most serious navigation blunder in my life. We didn't read the Google Map directions properly - and assumed I-84W to be the the same as I-15N until Idaho Falls. It turned out to be different - which we realised only after 200 miles onto I-84W. We wasted $40 on gas to rectify the problem :P
The best thing: we are paying only $59 a night. That is even cheaper than hostels in New York City!
Anyway, Yellowstone is gorgeous. You get a whole new set of scenery after every mile you travel, and the wildlife there is simply awesome. So far we have seen 1 brown bear, 1 black bear with 2 cubs, hundreds of bisons and elk, chipmunks/ground squirrels, a huge raven, swans/ducks, and a bald eagle's nest :D
Needless to say, there are numerous geothermal features that are awesome too! And after the microbiology course, I now know quite a bit about the thermophiles that thrive in the springs, the cyanobacteria that inhabit the ponds, and various chemolithotrophs that breathe hydrogen gas and hydrogen sulphide :P They can all be found in Yellowstone!
Though before arriving, I made the most serious navigation blunder in my life. We didn't read the Google Map directions properly - and assumed I-84W to be the the same as I-15N until Idaho Falls. It turned out to be different - which we realised only after 200 miles onto I-84W. We wasted $40 on gas to rectify the problem :P
Labels: Travel
