Silver Cord Cascade
Sulphur Caldron & Mud Volcano
Wednesday, July 13, 2005: I started the morning at Sulphur Caldron and Mud Volcano. All of the thermal features were generating a lot of fog this morning. Sulphur Caldron was pretty much obscured.
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| Buffalo near Mud Volcano | American Buffalo |
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I walked the Mud Volcano area trail. At a couple of points, buffalo near the trail made it difficult to get through. Although they look placid, they can actually move very quickly and you don't want to annoy them. Two Mule Deer were near the trail as I returned to the car. One of them posed for a photo.
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| Buffalo near Boardwalk | Mule Deer |
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Silver Cord Cascade
I then returned to Canyon and the Glacial Boulder Trailhead. The trail leads to seven-mile hole, but I wasn't going nearly that far. My target was the Silver Cord Cascade, which is the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone at over 1000 feet. The best view is about a mile from the Glacial Boulder.
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| Glacial Boulder | Silver Cord Cascade |
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Pelican Creek
After this activity, I drove down to Fishing Bridge where I walked the short (1 mile) Pelican Creek Trail. Pelican Creek itself had a good collection of ducks. A Wilson's Snipe sitting on a snag was a surprise as the trail circled back to the creek. I visited Lake and Bay Bridge before returning to Canyon.
My afternoon project was to wash clothes. The laundromat was surprisingly empty when I started and when I moved my clothes to the dryer. What a surprise when I came back to collect them. The place was packed. After a rest, I had an early dinner.
Hayden Valley
That was not the end of the day. I went to the Hayden Valley for wildlife watching and photography. I took lots of buffalo photos as them came right by (even through) the turnout I was in. Several of us then climbed up a hill across the road to get a better view. We were soon rewarded by a distant grizzly! A bit later, a coyote passed by. As it did, it kept looking toward us and we heard a yelping that seemed to be closer than the coyote. Then we noticed the pup about halfway between us and the coyote!
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| Buffalo in Traffic | Hayden Buffalo | Buffalo and Cowbird |
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| Buffalo at Overlook | Buffalo Calf | Dust Bath |
Birds: 144. Mammals: 24.
Canyon, WY
North Rim of the Canyon
Thursday, July 14, 2005 (morning): I slept late this morning, and it was after 8 when I got started. First up was photography along the north rim of the Yellowstone's Grand Canyon. I stopped at Inspiration Point and Lookout Point before taking the Red Rock Trail down 500 feet into the canyon.
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| Yellowstone Gorge | ||
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| Lower Falls | ||
After returning, I used the North Rim trail to get to the Brink of the Lower Falls Trail. It goes 600 feet into the canyon to the brink of the lower falls. Although both canyon trails are supposedly the same length (yielding a 30% average grade to the lower falls), I found the Red Rock Trail tougher on the way back. You'd think the second and steeper trail would be tougher, but it didn't feel that way. I did both as continuous ascents. After walking back to the car, I headed west toward Norris and Madison to pick up a couple of spots I'd missed before.
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| Lower Falls | Upper Falls | Downcanyon View |
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| Brink of the Lower Falls | Uncle Tom's Trail | |