Drive 2009 Part 2 - Day 04 and 05

On my last full day in Yellowstone, I traveled counter-clockwise around the "upper loop" of the Park.

I began taking pictures while passing through the Mount Washburn area. I had seen a lot of deforestation during my trip and assumed it was due to forest fires, but at Mount Washburn I ran into a man who told me it was due to beetles. On returning home, I verified his claim - beetles had begun ravaging evergreens all along the western edge of North America. Their signature is the rust-coloured tint they cause the trees to take on (before dying entirely), and they have had such a dramatic impact that a petition has begun to list at least one species (the whitebark pine) as endangered.

Mount Washburn 1

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-12-27
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Mount Washburn 2

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-17
Version: 1.0

Mount Washburn 3

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-12-28
Version: 1.0

Shortly thereafter, I was again delayed by bison in the road. These situations are actually something of a hidden benefit, because they're one of the few times when it's possible to be relatively close to these animals while also reasonably safe inside a car.

Bison-Induced Traffic Jam 2

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1
Lens: Unknown
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Date Processed: 2010-01-17
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The Tower Fall area was as far northeast as I'd venture into the park during this visit.

Tower Fall

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-12-31
Version: 1.0

Yellowstone River 3 (Tower Fall Area)

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-01
Version: 1.0

Tower Fall Area Rock Formation

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-01
Version: 1.0

Yellowstone River 4 (Tower Fall Area)

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-01
Version: 1.0

I'd hiked to Wraith Falls when I stopped at Yellowstone in 2006, and I felt that I should visit it again this time. It's unusual in that it's not so much a water "fall" as a ghostly sheet of water.

Wraith Falls

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-02
Version: 1.0

Wraith's sister Undine Falls is a short drive west. It was here of all places that I ran into a couple that I work with (hi Mark and Holland) who were also visiting Yellowstone.

Undine Falls

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I've included both versions of the visible light shot ("short" and "long") to show the difference a dark neutral density filter makes for those who haven't seen it before.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-10-09
Version: 1.0

I'd intentionally left Mammoth Hot Springs as the last major unvisited section of the Park, because it had been the first area I'd seen in 2006. Mammoth is a staggeringly-large hill which is constantly expanding because of geologic activity.

Liberty Cap

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Liberty Cap is located at the base of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-03
Version: 1.0

Mammoth Hot Springs 1

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Mammoth Hot Springs is a spectacular and easily-accessible field/hill of bizarre geology. This shot was taken looking up the hill from near Liberty Cap. Unfortunately, the shadows shifted too much to allow a useful false colour composite to be made.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-09-04
Version: 1.0

Taking this next photo didn't exactly endear me to the large crowd of people who were trying to get into the exact same corner of the boardwalk, but hopefully the result is worth it. This particular boardwalk used to be part of a loop that went up the hill, but the continuing growth of Mammoth required the Park Service to convert it into a dead-end viewpoint.

Mammoth Hot Springs 2

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-03
Version: 1.0

Mammoth Hot Springs Detail 1

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A closeup shot of some of the bacteria mat growth at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-03
Version: 1.0

Devil's Thumb

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Devil's Thumb is an outcropping from the main body of the Mammoth Hot Springs hill/mound.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-05
Version: 1.0

After giving the crowd on the boardwalk some time to dissipate, I returned to get a closeup of the terrace structure.

Mammoth Hot Springs 3

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Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-08
Version: 1.1

Finally, I hiked up to the top of the hill and got a closeup of some of the surreal shapes built up by the microbes in the pools.

Mammoth Hot Springs Detail 2

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A close-up shot of some of the "fairy castle" formations created by bacteria in Mammoth Hot Springs. Bacteria from different areas will often create completely different shapes.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-08
Version: 1.1

Canary Lake

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Canary Lake is one of many smaller features on top of the main Mammoth Hot Springs hill/mound, although it is reasonably large on its own.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-09
Version: 1.1

Since I'd finished a little earlier than expected, I returned to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River to make another attempt at capturing even a little of its majestic appearance.

Yellowstone River Lower Falls

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This shot was taken from one of the few vantage points where the observation decks at the top of the falls can't be seen.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-10
Version: 1.1

I think I finally succeeded - if only a little - with the last two.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River 3

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The ultraviolet-A shot here is a little grainy due to the low-light dusk environment - it was a four-minute exposure.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-10
Version: 1.1

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River 4

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I took this picture near Grand View, in the last available light of the day. It was too dark to capture any UV.

Date Shot: 2009-09-02
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: LDP CC1, Hoya R72
Date Processed: 2010-01-10
Version: 1.1

I spent the last night of the trip in the Canyon campground, and it was my favourite of the trip due to its central location.

The next morning I got another early start and headed clockwise around the loop to see if I could get any pictures from the Golden Gate area.

Golden Gate Area 1

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Date Shot: 2009-09-03
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-16
Version: 1.0

Golden Gate Area 2

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This shot is from what must be the most brief "scenic route"-type detour anywhere. If you've been there, you know what I mean.

Date Shot: 2009-09-03
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E (unknown focal length)
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2010-01-16
Version: 1.0

I left via the North Entrance, and began the long drive home. Yellowstone strikes me as the sort of place that always has something new to offer, but I finally felt as though I'd seen enough to have a good feel for it. I definitely plan on visiting again, hopefully in springtime.

Maps of Days 4 and 5

Map of Day 4

Map of Day 5

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