Yellowstone – Sept 2019 pt2

Yellowstone Part 2: Continuing to the Mud Volcano, Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb, then Firehole Lake Drive and home. Saturday 9/7/19

At this point in the year the Lake area has fewer tourists since it is too cold to swim or do much boating. We were able to stop and hang out at the lake for a bit. At West Thumb there were more people but not an unreasonable number. Lots of driving, talking, laughing, getting out and looking/walking/photographing. And quite a number of photographs had to be taken from inside the car including the bison, coyote, and elk photos.

The coyote was a special challenge. He was on the passengers side of the car and I was driving and had stopped illegally. I knew I could only pause so the camera was on full automatic settings and full zoom and I used one hand to hold it (with the big lens) and shoot. Most of the photos the grasses in front of the coyote are in focus and he’s just the background. But there is one that’s not too bad. I keep telling myself to grow stronger. This type of photography will clearly help that process.

Bison

Mud Volcano

Mud volcano and Dragon’s mouth are along the same board walk. We could hear the dragon over at the mud pot. Steam comes roiling out of the cave in large puffs and the sound it makes as water also pushes out like waves is so very much like a dragon snoring. It was AWESOME. There’s an inner child of mine that was completely delighted by and believed there was a dragon there.
Dragon’s Mouth Spring

This Killdeer was just hanging out by the parking lot in one of the pools down from the Dragon’s mouth.

Great gray owl!!! My first sighting of this bird. I am so excited.
We stopped at a ‘bear jam’ only to discover that it wasn’t for bears. A Great gray owl had landed in the grasses!!! I’ve never seen one before. This was so cool.