Video -- to see how long it takes!

Just a couple of short videos to share....

I am primarily trying to see how long it takes to upload short segments of video and how it looks when published.

It takes longer than I'd like to upload them.  The first video took about three minutes for the ten seconds.  This bottom video is 20 seconds long and it will take almost ten minutes.  Most of that has to do with the amount of bandwidth I am permitted to use for uploads by the supplier.  Here in Yellowstone we are staying at the Snow Lodge, a property managed for the NPS and at Old Faithful.  They sell bandwidth.  $25 for three days.  Download speed is ok, not great.  Upload speed is choked down pretty substantially.  

I also notice that Blogger dulls the video down.  These are shot in 1080p but they will not publish in that resolution.  It will look better when I get home and edit the vacation video.  Thanks for your interest.

Ranger Talks

The National Park Service continues a tradition of presenting information, in a fun way, to visitors of our parks.  At virtually all of the National Parks the Rangers are part guides, part safety officer and part teacher.  Every evening somewhere on the grounds a Park Ranger tells a story.  Tonight, ours was about plate tectonics, which sounds very geeky, but he presented it in a meaningful and practical way for everyone.  At most parks the Ranger talks are held outside around a campfire.  At the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone the Ranger talk took place in the new auditorium, which is part of the new visitor center.  No fire, but we did sing Home on the Range.

What did we learn?   Technically, Buffalo don't roam around Yellowstone.  They are Bison, but everyone calls them Buffalo, so they go along with it.

As many people know Yellowstone is actually a giant caldera and active volcano.  All of the interesting geysers and other geological wonders are the result of a large magma chamber that is close to the surface.  The magma chamber below the surface currently is not nearly as large as the one from the last eruption which took place about 72,000 years ago.  Still, it constitutes a super-volcano.  Typically, these types of volcanoes give fair warning before they erupt in many forms.

The certainty of Yellowstone as a caldera is the result of the space program.  I was once told that the Space Shuttle made the discovery, but that isn't true.  NASA and the defense department were working on spy satellite technology in the late sixties and were looking for places to photograph.  Yellowstone turned out to be one of the places.  That's when the pictures from the satellite showed them the ring of rock around the park that is the ridge of the volcano.

How likely is it to erupt tomorrow?  Not very likely even though anything is possible.  Would we have a very bad day if that did happen.  Only for a second because the way super-volcanoes erupt is to let go with a giant blast.  The park would disappear.  It would also eject enough ash into the sky to cause significant health impact (aka death) in many adjacent states.  If the magma chamber grows, well, then we have a different kind of event.

To remind us that it's all about geology here, there were about 3 temblors today.  They are all very small.  Californians probably don't even consider them legitimate earthquakes.  It feels like someone is running down the hallway in the hotel or that a large truck is driving by.

As the park ranger told us, there isn't anything we can do about it.  Plate tectonics and geological forces like these cannot be shaped by the earths inhabitants.  In the meantime he recommends we appreciate the park for what it is, appreciate our lives for what they are and enjoy the family and friends we so often bring to Yellowstone with us.

The Best Ways to Visit a National Park

Ken Burns did such a good job with his PBS documentary on the National Parks that people show up to explore them.  Yellowstone can be very crowded.  However, most visitors tend to concentrate their exploration to the middle of the day.  If you try to get somewhere between 11 AM and 3 PM it can be frustrating.  Move around before or after those times and you might find yourself all alone.

Artist Point is like that.  We went there at sunrise and were joined by a few, very serious photographers who were interested in the light that time of day.  It did mean that we launched ourselves out of bed, ready to roll down the road by 3:45 AM.  Then we all napped during the mob scene and we'll go back out during the late afternoon.  Those times also are excellent viewing opportunities for seeing wild life.

Artist Point is one of several areas where you can look at The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (not The Grand Canyon).  The rock of the canyon contains plenty of sulfur, which makes the stone look yellow.  Yes.  Got it right away!  At one end of it is a waterfall.

Pre-sunrise, the dim light of dawn shows all the different colors of rock.

The sun comes up at the opposite end of the canyon from the falls.

Even in the chilly 42 degree air of the morning (typical) Tom and Carol were ready to smile for Laura.

It's not hard to find Buffalo.  Just take I-90 west from Albany for 5 hours.  Or check our Hayden and / or Lamar Valleys in Yellowstone.  They roam freely.  You may again cue up Home on the Range.

There are Osprey chicks in the middle of the picture in the nest on top of the rock.

The Buffalo do not care that you are there.  It's not that they are friendly and cordial.  They simply do not care.  They are large, strong and can do what they need to do.  We are not in as much risk with these images as it might appear.  The top image of the Buffalo was taken by Jan from the passenger seat of the rental car with the window down.  The bull was sunning himself right along side one of the car turnouts.  You only needed to slow down to EZpass speed and then move along.  In the bottom image I am on an elevated walk way with a substantial railing in an area called Mud Volcano.

Yellowstone National Park

We made it to Yellowstone in the early afternoon with a full agenda.  However, things change during the day.  Roads are closed.  Traffic is heavy.  We visited some thermal features and then went to the top of the Old Faithful Inn to take down the flags.  Jan made the reservation months ago.  The Bell Captain is in charge of the event and he turned it into a tour of the upper floors of the Inn.  It was thoroughly enjoyable.  Plus the view is special.  You can see the entire Geyser Basin.  While we were up there three of the geysers erupted including Grand Geyser which is an all day wait.  We capped it off by watching Old Faithful.

 The Great Chromatic Pool at the Midway Geyser Basin.  So large I wish I had a drone to hover over it for the shot!

 A view seldom seen by visitors to the Old Faithful Inn, this is the look down from the Crows Nest on the way up to the flags.

 Just before the flags were lowered, Charlie, the Bell Captain for the evening, took our picture.  Old Faithful is in the background, not erupting.

 Jan set it up so Jan lowered the American Flag.  There is video of the event you will get to see in the future.

I took video of most of the eruption of Old Faithful.  Towards the end I snapped this picture.

Goodbye Grand Tetons

Sunset in the Grand Tetons.

 Doesn't need anything else.
We got up early to head over to Oxbow Bend (I spelled it incorrectly in my Instagram Post) to see wild life and watch the sun come up.  We walked outside our door and found three elk grazing in the tall grass.  I thought we would need to be church quiet.  We did not.  They looked in our direction from time to time, but I assume they are now accustomed to being photographed and find it acceptable as long as they get to eat.

 Oxbow Bend is typically still in the early morning and that creates a beautiful reflection.  Sometimes moose come down to drink, but not this day.  Still, the image is reversible.

 The next image is from a turnoff just before you get to the Signal Mountain Lodge.  Jackson Lake is the body of water here.

Jenny Lake, Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point

You will see lots of family pictures from our afternoon excursions.  The Santacrose's are with us.  Originally, all of both families were planning to travel together.  But we traded that happiness for two grand children to be named later, due the first week in September.  Both of the daughter-in-laws not travelling by airplane to the west coast.  You will see them in the second half of the trip when we go to Acadia National Park in Maine.

This afternoon we did some touring and hiking and touring.  Jenny Lake is a popular spot, especially the south side of the lake.  You can either hike a 3 mile trail around the south side of the lake to reach the trails to Hidden Falls and Inspiration point or you can take a ferry.  We took the ferry and then hiked up to the 7800 foot level (at least according to the map).  But before that we stopped at Oxe Bow Bend.  The purple flowers and the photo of Jan and me are from that stop.

We also stopped at a couple of lookout or turnout spots as we drove the Jenny Lake.  The family picture of the Santacroses's and the picture of Jan are from that stop.

 The hike up to Inspiration Point did not seem as taxing as the hike we took on Sunday.  Maybe we are acclimatizing or maybe it wasn't as warm.  The rushing water and the falls are very pretty.

 Somewhere along the trail, Brian scaled up the rocks and posed in the woodlands.  No animals nearby.

 Hidden falls is not only pretty, is bathes you in cool mist as you hike.  It's outdoor air conditioning.

The adults in the group didn't quite make it to the very top of Inspiration Point.  We were satisfied by stopping a few feet short an avoiding the last, very steep climb upwards.  Before Brian and Laura scaled that last few meters, I took this picture looking out over Jenny Lake.

We plan a sunrise excursion back to Oxe Bow Bend in the morning.  It's an animal rich feeding area in the mornings.  Also, as the sun hits the mountains they reflect in a surreal way on the water.

The Snake River

Adjusting to the time change hasn't been difficult.  We are on mountain time.  The phone updated immediately upon arrival.  This computer is set to east coast time and I left it as such.  This morning I panicked when I awoke and looked at the clock on this instead of the phone.  I thought we were late for our trip down the Snake River.  Instead I was early.  There was a benefit.  I got to see sunrise over Jackson Lake.

 Hashtag: No filter!  That's the color in the morning.

Our morning activity was a soft ride down the Snake River in a raft.  If you want to see wildlife early morning and dusk are the best times.  No bears, but we saw Prong Horn Deer (Antelope), Mule Deer and Eagles.

 It's also a great perspective for mountain viewing.

 This afternoon we plan to do a loop around the park.  This evening we plan to hike up to Inspiration Point because you can get an even better view of the surroundings from there.