39th day - 376 miles

Thunder and lightning woke me up this morning. But as I started to pack my bike, blue sky appeared and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Fly fisherman were casting their lures into the Gallatin River as I rode up the valley to get to Yellowstone.
Once I entered the park things got a bit busier. Yellowstone, the oldest of all American National Parks is also one of the most visited. Cohorts of over sized RVs and sightseeing tourists in their cars trying to negotiate their way through the two loop roads that connect the major attractions in the park. One elk or buffalo sighting accounts for a 5 minute delay, a herd of buffalo (5 or more) will cause a 10 minute holdup, a baldheaded eagle causes a 20 minute backup and when you see a Bear strolling along the road all bets are off. After I managed my way through construction zones and countless animal sightings and the delays they caused, I visited the Norris Geyser Basin. The scenery as well as the smell were unbelievable.
Chief Joseph Highway follows the route taken by Chief Joseph as he led the Nez Perce Indians out of Yellowstone and into Montana in 1877 during their attempt to flee the U.S. Cavalry and escape into Canada. I was looking forward to riding this scenic byway  for a long time as fellow travelers raved about the beauty of this road. They were not lying. If you ever plan to visit Yellowstone Park I suggest taking this beautiful scenic byway from Cody, Wyoming. You won’t regret it.

Galattin River Valley.

In the Norris Geyser Basin.

The colours in these hot springs are caused by bacteria thriving in these thermal features living of the minerals. Each spring hosts different bacteria because of difference in temperature and minerals. That is the reason why the colours vary from pool to pool.

Small geyser erupting.

A mud pot spouting.

Delicate flowers grow right up to the edge of hot water ponds.

Trees killed by the constant change of location of the thermal features.

Steamboat Geyser gurgles. Steamboat Geyser is the world’s tallest geyser that is currently active. Shooting water into the air up to 300 feet. It is very unpredictable and major eruption happen only happen once or twice a year.

Moos and grass growing in the basin.

Entering the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.

The next images are all taken on this byway from west to east.

Should I be concerned about this cloud. This is how it normally starts...

Back in the desert...weird after just coming from Alaska.

Oil well in Wyoming.