the pondering pomegranate: a mammoth day

i knew i wanted us to spend two of our four days in Yellowstone near the geysers, but i hadn't been particularly sure where to spend the other two days. i really picked Mammoth Hot Springs because it would be the best location for leaving the park on the long, long drive to the Many Glacier area (which is just six miles from the Canadian border). Mammoth also ended up being a good location for jumping into Lamar Valley, which is considered a prime area for seeing wildlife in the park, as well as being a nice place in its own right.

the travertine rock, forming (quite literally) as we watched, when the hot spring waters evaporate.

Mike had seen formations like this when he lived in Turkey many years ago, but it was the first look for the rest of us. unlike in the geyser basin, where the water is rich with silica, this hot spring water is coming up through limestone. as the water evaporates, it leaves behind mineral deposits as well as dead thermophiles (which, according to the ranger, can color the rocks depending upon what kind of bacteria they are).

another gray and drizzly day. really not too bad. just a light rain that would clear for long periods - which would allow us time to run out and see something, then retreat back inside to dry off again.

attentive, as always, at the ranger talk

view from above Palette Springs. we stayed at the hotel you can see in about the middle of all the buildings.

i went for vintage in all the parks. we stayed at the old, traditional lodges, much to the bemusement of the boys for whom newer is always better. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel was built later than the Old Faithful Inn, but not by much. many of the features (like the light buttons & such) reminded me of the house i grew up in, which was built in the teens (the 19-teens, that is). it had a much different feel to it than the OFInn, and it was (sorry) my least favorite of the three lodges we stayed in. but it had a few features i thought notable....

map of United States pieced together in various types of wood

we, generally, did not find the common areas appealing enough to linger. (unlike the OFInn, where we thoroughly enjoyed lingering in any nook or cranny there was an empty seat.) but we did gather for a sustaining breakfast one morning in the map room....

wonderful water fountain, of sorts.

boys tackle a puzzle in the visitor's center

Mammoth Hot Springs is the location of the former Fort Yellowstone, back before the park service was founded & in the early days when they weren't well-funded. (oh, wait.) nowadays, it houses the rangers and staff in this part of the park, as well as the park administration. it is quite an extensive complex, so we decided to take a ranger tour.