Yellowstone National Park, 9/14

Even though it rained most of the day, we pressed on.  This photo shows storm clouds gathering over Yellowstone Lake, where we stayed (in a cabin, not in the storm clouds or Lake--specificity).

 

160,000 years ago, the Yellowstone River began carving the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  Stone currently exposed at the bottom of the canyon is 2 million years old.  “…As I took in the scene, I realized my own littleness, my helplessness, my dread exposure to destruction, my inability to cope with or even comprehend the mighty architecture of nature….”  Nathaniel P. Langford, 1870. 

 

 

Travel Tip:  When photographing canyons or gorges, move the camera away from your eye and look down before taking another step.  Death’s icy grip may be only inches away.

In some areas of Yellowstone, sulfur gas is emitted from the hydrothermal features (geysers, steam vents, mudpots, and hot springs).  The resulting rotten-egg stench can be nearly overwhelming.  Early white settlers described these features as “…a place where Hell bubbles up.”  Not surprisingly, Jim feels quite at home here.

 

 

Within some of these features, gazillions of thermophiles exist.  These microorganisms thrive and multiply amid lethal gases and incredible heat, each in a unique niche created by subtle differences (which is also an accurate definition of Target team members).  The stark color-contrasts found in hot springs and mudpots are a result of thermophile activity.  Native Americans travelled long distances to collect mud from variously colored mudpots to use as decorative paint. 

 

Thermophiles which survive in this hot environment turn sulfur gas into sulfuric acid.  This strong acid dissolves the rock creating mud which bubbles and spews as the gases push through it.  Some grasses can survive in this highly acidic environment.