The jewels, the blues, the friends, the horse, the barn and home.

The Jewels, Keokuk Iowa - Geodes, jewels from the earth...

A couple of days of driving and here we are in Keokuk, Iowa to look for geodes. It just so happens to be the 25th Annual Blues Festival, go figure. We found a municipal campsite on the Mississippi River, just 2 blocks from where the festival is held. How is that for timing and positioning?

We ended up here because Doug mentioned geode hunting months ago when we were planning our trip. My vision included a scraggly-bearded prospector, laced leather boots to mid calf, blue denim bib overalls, leather gloves worthy of a linesman on a train, pick axes, hand carts, shovels, miners lights mounted on steel helmets, protective goggles… and a partridge in a pear tree. Doug's sundry comments over the ensuing weeks, led me to add three days of rations, crampons a three thousand pound nylon line, pitons, a heavy parka, a bucket to carry our treasures…..and a partridge in a pear tree. 

The morning of our departure found us loading our jeep, Doug only brought shoes…hmmmmm... I brought my carefully researched directions obtained from the locals "in the know." We were following what we were told when Doug suddenly veered off the road onto a gravel side road and stopped in a cloud of dust. To the side was a dry riverbed that the main road crossed via a small bridge. We walked to the bridge to get a bird's eye view and Doug points down and says "there's one right there." My comment was, "are you freakin' kidding me?" The scraggly-bearded prospector walked away in disgust and the rations were stolen by the partridge from the pear tree. 

We crossed the short bridge and found a little opening in the brush to get to the riverbed. The geodes were literally everywhere, once your eye became practiced at discerning their appearance, just waiting for us to pluck them from their muddy bed. We scored. We scored big time.

The next day we actually followed the directions and found a dry river bed that was full of rocks and much harder to find the geodes. This one had been thoroughly picked through, although we lucked out with a couple of good ones (which remains to be seen as you have to crack them open to see the innards).

The Blues - The Keokuk "Rollin' on the River" Blues Festival

Ahhhh…..Friday. The first night of the Blues Festival.

What luck - once again, serendipity was with us. Earlier in the year we had hoped to get all the way to Portland, OR to see friends and enjoy the Portland Blues Festival on July 4th. Alas, timing did not obey our desires. But now we were rewarded.

We envisioned multiple beer vendors competing for new customers, food courts brimming with delights from the area (fried corn, boiled corn, candied corn, husked corn, corn chowder, corn soup, corn fritters, kettle corn - you get the picture), multiple stages with artists embracing all the facets of blues from zydeco to main stream harmonica and electric guitar.

The festival was scheduled to start at 5:00 on Friday night. We were excited. We walked Bandit the 876 feet from our RV to the main tent. The only tent. The single tent. The tent where they served food and had the warm up performer (singular). To get a measure of the festival, the soiree was serviced by a total of six Port-o-lets (one was for the performers and was reserved backstage). As the evening progressed and the beer flowed, please realize that the Port-o-lets never developed any waiting lines.

People were fashionably late and everyone had a pretty good time. We refrained from joining the mosh-pit and remained, with Bandit, on the sidelines where we could see the performers (in profile) and still hear all the music. 

The most amazing part was the number of lace-winged nymphs (the bug, not the cute little girls in costume) that flocked to the stage lights. We're pretty sure the performers all got their fill on the inhale.

We did enjoy Keokuk. The people, as all we have met were friendly and easy to share smiles and good stories. Good people, once again.

We got back on the frost-heaved, eroded, cement road the next day and Ka-thump, Ka-thumped our way into Illinois rattling the cupboards, the beds, the tires and our bones for hundreds of miles.

The Friends - Onward to South Bend to visit friends and then a few days to home.

The Horse, The Barn and Home.

As they often say - when the horse smells the barn, there is no stopping it - we headed home, did some relatively long days and couldn't wait to see home, despite the fun, the sights, the good times and laughs.

We hope you enjoyed our trip, we certainly did.

Badlands, South Dakota

Mammoth Site at Hot Springs, South Dakota

Before heading for the Badlands we made a stop in Hot Springs to see the Mammoth Site where the largest collection of Mammoth has been found.  A building has been erected around the site, which is still being excavated, for protection of the on-going dig. Bones are still being found the deeper they go. We were told that it could take up to 14 years to dig the 100 feet to the depth of their last core sample that still showed fossils. 14 years sounds pretty accurate considering they are using whisk brooms and dental picks.

Badlands

Following our faithful, unerring, GPS, we drove through an area of the Badlands searching for the Park Visitor Center so we could secure a campsite. The visitor center was clearly marked on our detailed Rand McNally map. We drove miles and miles giggling, pointing, ewwwing and awwwing at the sights, which probably explains why we missed the Visitor Center. When it became clear that we were no longer in the park, we turned around to retrace our steps. Eventually we found a teeny tiny trailer, a tree, a fence post and a picnic table…. that was the Visitor Center. No wonder we missed it the first time.

We parked and walked up to the table sitting in front of the trailer where a sign, proclaiming "Indian Tacos" had lured Doug. After skillful negotiations, Doug paid list price and became lost in a paper plate, deep in taco. We sat and talked with the locals and the ranger, asking the appropriate questions and were guided to "the real" Visitor Center and campsites. We followed the directions and drove back out of the park in the opposite direction from whence we came and found Cedar Pass and the 'real' Visitor Center. That Center was huge; general store, restaurant, amphitheater, restrooms, gift shop, Ranger station, showers, etc. Somehow Rand McNally had overlooked this thriving metropolis in the center of South Dakota. I, Sharon, began to wonder if the other visitor center really existed, or was it in another dimension we stepped into to guide lost souls, was it in…….The Twilight Zone?

We found a spot to camp for a few nights with the sculpted Badlands peaks jutting like minarets into the sky all around us, in sharp contrast to the brilliant blue skies overhead.

Corn Palace

You readers that are seasoned travelers will know that prior to leaving South Dakota, we absolutely HAD to stop at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. (Plus, it was time for lunch.) What a cool thing is done every year on this building using 12 colors of corn, milo, rye and sour dock, called 'crop art'. Every year they strip the old design to create a whole new facade. The tradition started in 1892 so that South Dakota could demonstrate the fertility of the rich soil and the abundance that came from it. They begin and finish the creation each year as the plants are harvested. It costs $130,000 annually to decorate the palace. And that ain't just corn, son.

Next, we're heading to Keokuk, Iowa, to mine gems from the earth… Gather your shovels, ropes and lanterns...

Custer City, South Dakota

We made it to our campsite, at Echo Valley Park Campgrounds, which was sweet and quiet and just around the corner from the Crazy Horse Memorial.  Once we got all hooked up and settled in, we drove into the little town of Custer City.  As we drove through the center of town, wouldn't you know, we were greeted by Col. Custer with a wave and a smile. 

The town was rumbling and exciting. It, too, was full of bikers. The whole median strip was reserved for their parking. We enjoyed seeing the wide array of motorcycles, colors, styles and grinning bikers. There was one amazing bike that everyone stopped to take pictures of, including us. 

For those that are interested, the motor on this puppy was an eight cylinder caterpillar engine - probably off some field harvester or giant tractor. It's two chrome pipes had 4-5" diameters and rose well above the cab of the trike. A standard automobile road tire was used on the "springer" front end. As one gnarly biker commented to Doug, "That's a rig!" Yes, boys and girls, that was some rig.

We walked the town and looked at the stands for all of the Sturgis paraphernalia, rock and mineral shops, wine tasting and a bakery where we enjoyed an apple turnover and local camaraderie.

From there we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial, which could be seen from miles around and is in it's 75th year of creation. It is enormous. Commissioned by the Lakota Elders, to commemorate all of the indian peoples, this memorial was worked on single-handedly by Kroschak, who has now passed on the labor to his children. Started in 1941, millions upon millions of tons of rock have been removed. To get an idea of the scale and grandeur, you have to envision that the four heads of Mount Rushmore, (only 20 miles away), easily fit inside of Crazy Horse's head.

That evening, the dishwasher started acting up and making noise. Air had gotten into our on-demand water pump and made it sound like a jack hammer when operating. For some reason, that noise affected the dishwasher adversely. Luckily, after running a few quarts of water through the pump, plus sacrificing a bar of dark chocolate, resulted in the air being pumped out of the system and the dishwasher calming down. 

(Dishwasher repair technique #3)

Jewel Cave

After a great night of sleep, we went the whole 16 miles to the Jewel Cave.  It is the 3rd longest cave in the world, measuring in at 170 miles.  It was like being inside of an inside-out geode.  There was a 4-7 inch thick layer of crystal over the entire cave.  We walked up and down and up and down, to a total of 703 steps (Doug's knees counted every one), for an hour and a half tour, at a brisk 49 degrees.

(Crystals lined the walls of the caves in continuous bands)

(Small stalactites, or pipes)

(Flow stone - Yucky looking!)

After all of that exercise, we were starving, so we stopped at the Flintstone of Bedrock drive-in, one of Sharon's favorite tv shows. Doug enjoyed a massive Brontosaurus platter and Sharon was elated that they actually had a veggie burger with all the trimmings.  Yabba Dabba Dooooooooo !!!

Nap time... and then...

Mount Rushmore

That evening, Doug had the brilliant idea of seeing Mount Rushmore at night, because we had been told about the dramatic and patriotic lighting. So we had a quick bite and off for another adventure, just 20 miles away.

We saw the documentary film about the "construction, history and support over the years".  And then we went out into the gallery and we saw all the exhibits about the "construction, history and support over the years". Finally, there was going to be the presentation and we found seats among hundreds of others in the amphitheater as it darkened. The curtains opened with a fanfare similar to the unveiling of Kong in the movie King Kong. A ranger stepped out onto the stage and told us all about the "construction, history and support over the years". Then the movie started, which told us about the "construction, history and support over the years," followed by singing the star spangled banner as the lights slowly came on...these lights were a metal-halide or some other filament or gas that slowly warms up yielding ever increasing brightness. Certainly not the grand and stirring effects that children from the modern era expect from our nation's core edifice. The night just seemed to dragged on. Disappointed, we made it to our car in record time. Maybe it was just us?

On the return home, we paused at the entrance to our campground and watched the play of beautiful colored lights on the Crazy Horse Memorial.

In Custer City, the indians won the nighttime lighting battle - perhaps that was a fitting finale given the locale?

We're well, and moving East towards the Badlands National Park - for next time.

... Yes, we were in SERIOUS trouble!

If you're reading this entry, you should already know that our last episode ended with the Jeep failing to get into gear/park/neutral/reverse, plus we could not start and could not move except to roll slowly backwards into the travel lane of the local mini-mall...

So, that's where we start Today.

The Jeep emergency brake was set and throughout the rest of this tale the periodic motorcycles, cars, RVs and semis would meander around us (please add appropriate sound effects at your local location).

Doug realized that the automatic transmission was simply not responding to the floor-mounted shift lever, as a matter of fact, the lever acted like it was simply rocking back and forth (or is it to-and-fro).

Doug thought, "$3,500 for a new transmission plus a tow from the middle of next-to-nowhere-on-our-trip-back-to-civilization (you may not see another hyphen in the remainder of this tome) to someone's local auto-fixit (I lied) shop." With the outward calm of Burt Reynolds in his role starring in Deliverance, Doug explained that we might "be lucky" (unlike Ned Beatty in the same movie)

Please click the play button for appropriate background music - turn up your sound!


 -

Well, the console has two, different sized, spline bolts, unlike us, who had no spline tools. Luckily (the universe does provide) there was the Hill City Hardware store in the mini-mall (there's another one of them hyphens). 

A quick trip to the store and Doug came out with an assortment of sizes of spline wrenches as well as a store employee who had the same infectious smile as the fellow from the tire repair shop from earlier in the day!

The console came apart and the employee's boss/store owner came out to join us. Well, this unsung hero "had a friend" that "knew something" (banjo duel starts in Doug's head about now). And, as it turns out, the friend led the owner (by phone) under the car to where he found the transmission shift actuator cable had slipped off a small ball on the actuator arm.

Easy! However, the actual problem on the 100,000+ mile Jeep was that the nylon bushing that was supposed to grab the ball was worn out and the arm kept  slipping out. Gorilla Tape to the rescue. (Avid readers of our e-mails may recall that Gorilla Tape is the best thing in the world and has replaced Duct Tape in the tool kits of everyone {except Doug}).

A couple of strips of Tape and the assembly stayed together. We offered to buy the fellows dinner/beer/flowers but were refused. All we got was two big continuous grins and the explanation that "that was what you do for people." (The banjo stopped.)

We didn't even get their names - but if you are ever anywhere around Hill City, South Dakota let us tell you that you can feel at ease stopping at the Hill City Hardware store.

We turned around to go back to Rapid City, where the closest Jeep dealership was. Made calls to order a new actuator cable and ended talking to a service man that assured us to just "bring it in and they'd fix it permanently" (the banjos playing, yet...?).

Once again, we met some of the most earnest and genuine people on earth. The grins were there, waiting in the early morning and Doug was shown the fix for the problem that was a great improvement over the original design. The estimate was about an hour's labor - GO FOR IT!

Did I mention the funny clunking I've been getting from the front of the Jeep? Or, the little shimmy that my dealer back home just can't seem to find - nor can any tire dealership East of the Mississipp? Well, Les (my pal with the fix), came out and said, "I want you to see something." Les proceeds to stick a crow bar in the underpinnings of the Jeep, gives a little tug and the front tire clunks up and down - he demonstrated the other side and had the same result. Seems the upper and lower ball joints, as well as the tie rod ball joints and the steering damper (which was leaking) all had trouble. At 100,000+ miles - that's okay and to be expected. And, since the morning was shot and they had free coffee and Wi-Fi, we said - fix it.

A few hours later, we pulled out, grinning with a tight front-end. We were relieved and perfectly happy to have the repairs done by these good folks... So, our hats are off to Liberty Jeep in Rapid City, South Dakota - especially to Les, who has the knowledge and expertise to see a job done right.

Well, we got back on the road, drove to Custer City through all the motorcycles and found our new campground about 1/2 mile from the Crazy Horse Monument... and that will be posted tomorrow.

Pheeeewwww.

Did I mention the new tires or the "clunk" from up front?

We packed up on Wednesday morning with grand plans to get to Sturgis and grab some breakfast (brunch in our case) hopefully at the famous Full Throttle Saloon.

We knew that the "Ham and Jam" was happening today. "Ham and Jam" being a big thing for Sturgis Week when all the bikers would head to one location and party all day. Sooooo, we figured Sturgis would be pretty tame by the time we got there so a quick breakfast and new "T" shirts would be in order.

We bid farewell to the neighbor horses, but before pulling away, we noticed the camper tire being flat, but thought we might have just enough air in it to get to a station. Within 2 seconds of being on the road we heard the "thump, thump". Yup we had a flat tire on the Scamp. Hmmmm... 

A quick jack with our new pneumatic bottle jack, a spin of the lug wrench and we were back on our way, now in search of a tire repair shop rather than a bite in Sturgis. (Notice how we glossed over the; remove the spare cover, remove the generator and screen tent from the rear carrier so you can get at the spare, get a block of wood to add height to the bottle jack, throw the cover, the flat, the lug wrench in the Jeep, tie down the generator and screen tent - etc. - However, with teamwork it went swimmingly and we were moving in less than 10 minutes).

Well, we found a tire shop using the iPhone and pulled in to find a young fellow and four open bays in the garage. This guy had a grin like Doug had never seen - one that would not quit, even while telling us that he couldn't fit us in until well after 1:00 p.m. but he'd be reeeeaaallll happy to do it then. Doug joined him in grinning and asked about the local competition so that we could get back on the road - and the fellow kept the grin and super attitude going as he told us about the other shops and that they were all "real good guys."

We went to the nearest "real good guy" and immediately were scheduled, sympathized with and served quite well. Seems we had a bent rim - could be from long ago and the new tire's bead finally let go, or could have been that pesky invisible speed-bump in Yellowstone - or perhaps a time when Doug was trying to parallel park the Jeep + Scamp. Who knows? In short order, Bandit had an adventure in the local field and we got to see a tire technician that knew what to do and how to do it (refreshing tale!).

With smiles and appreciation for a job done correctly and quickly we got all fixed up and continued our hungry voyage towards Sturgis.

As we journeyed, we noticed thousands of bikes coming in our direction - "Great", we thought, "All the bikers have left Sturgis."  

Seems we had a little trouble with our math. It turns out that at few thousand bikers leaving Sturgis does not make a dent when there are well over 200,000 bikes in the area. Yup - it was crowded...

(From the entrance to town...)

(...to the nearest parking lot...) 

(...to a tour through downtown - it was all crowded.

This is a big file be patient!)

(Even the parking lots had been turned into RV sites...... jam packed on the outskirts of town!) This is behind the Full Throttle Saloon, where we 'thought' we would have breakfast. 

After cruising the strip with the rest of our Bro's, we moved on to find the campground we had found on the internet. It was amazing to still see so many bikers all the way through the black hills, from little town to little town. Parking lots, gas stations, stores, side of the road.....bikes. I, Sharon, kept thinking that the further down the hill we went the less there would be. Wrong.....They were like ants....they just kept coming and appearing out of nowhere.

Hoping to stock up on some more grub (we ARE still in cowboy country - hence we eat grub) we pulled off the road in Hill City, a few miles outside of Sturgis, into a cute little mall consisting of a gas station, market, hardware store and sundry offices for realtor/lawyer and haircuts.

Doug put the Jeep in park and turned off the engine, as he has done thousands of time, Sharon jumped out to run to the market. Doug took his foot off the brake and Sharon exclaimed, "You're rolling backwards! You're rolling backwards!" Doug checked and yes, we were in Park, but it had no effect, he applied the brakes manually as the engine was off and pulled the emergency brake to stop the jeep and trailer from rolling further backwards into the parking lot (already blocking the travel lane).

Yup - we were in serious trouble...

Fire Breathing Dragons of Billings, Montana and Iron Horses in Gillette, Wyominng

 OMG!

Leaving Yellowstone National Park was pivotal on this trip - it signified the return portion of out trip and headed us East and eventually South. We had hoped that we could actually make it to Seattle, Portland and Spokane, but alas, they must be saved for another day.

We had noticed one tire was a little low on leaving Yellowstone and simply "topped" it off on the way out of the park. Yes, as you may have guessed, there will be more on that later in the blog.

We rode East on I-90 to Billings, Montana and found the local Elks Lodge for a free night's stay and dry-camping in their enormous parking lot(s). The lodge is on a commanding bluff above the town and has a recently added indoor tennis center with four courts! The lodge was hosting two weddings PLUS a 50th anniversary the evening we arrived, so, we weren't allowed inside as all the bars/meeting rooms were booked. We roamed the town, following some recommendations and had an excellent meal to-go meal from a local Thai restaurant.  A movie on the laptop and early to bed completed the day...

About 7:00 a.m. the following morning Doug was startled awake by a repetitious sound, similar to that when opening a blast-furnace door or throttling a jet engine. Rising with the alacrity of the Dad in the Santa Claus Story ("Twas the night before Christmas..." you get to look up the reference) he threw on his pants, collared the dog and leapt from the Scamp. Once his eyes became accustomed to the early light, he heard the noise above - staring while shielding his eyes, he beheld...

THE FLYING FIRE BREATHING DRAGONS OF BILLINGS! (Please read this with an appropriate horror movie score playing in the background.)

ROAR - Hiss, Flames - Roar!

 (Hot air balloons on a morning flight - 

a second one can be seen in the background 

and others had already descended below the horizon)

Yes, the balloons were intermittently throttling their gas burners for the heat needed to keep them up in the air - The sound was quite like the fabled dragons of 'yore, or from the historically accurate movie, Shrek.

The story of Billings is far from over...

During the day, once Sharon finalllllly woke up, (apparently she could not sleep with Doug jumping around grabbing the iPhone to take photos of some darned sky dragons)(but I, Sharon, did wake up to the hissing and thought our water pump was on the blink) we travelled downtown to stock up on grub (we are out West). During the return trip, Doug spied movement down one side street and drove down to take a look - sure enough there were rabbits playing in the street. Upon our approach, they didn't run, they simply went into the front yards of a few homes and kept eating, hopping and whatever else they normally did. These were wild rabbits - loose... Our only thought is that they must not have many cats or dogs in Billings. (We were wrong - it's just that rabbits run fast and can make incredibly tight circles when chased - the chaser gets exhausted and the rabbit simply hops away... From what a local told us, the prey and starving hunter relationship has gone on for thousands of years - and yes, gentle reader, the rabbits continue to win.)

 (No, these are not lawn ornaments...)

Around this time, Sharon the Navigator, was planning our visit to Devil's Tower (of Close Encounters of the Third Kind fame) in Wyoming. With a surprise, she proclaimed - "the motorcycles are running to Devil's Tower - IT'S STURGIS WEEK in South Dakota!" Our lives/trip/future/hopes/traffic/meals/camping and attire had all changed in a moment.

We quickly included a leisurely cruise through Sturgis in our schedule and kept moving forward.

During the drive to Sturgis, et. al. we saw The Little Big Horn and pulled off to see where Custer had the last stand (and revisit all the Western actors that starred in the many Custer films).

The Custer National Monument hits home pretty quickly. There is a monument on "Last Stand Hill" which is were the final battle for Custer happened, but the trail around the location shows a grim story.

(Custer National Monument on Last Stand Hill)

The following pictures shows the monument in the far background - the little white mark at the back. Closer in, you will see a series of white markers strewn about the prairie. And, in the foreground you will see another white marker. These markers show were a soldier fell during the running battle. The markers start about 1/4 mile from the monument and stand singly and in groups of two, three and more along the line of the battle and the satellite skirmishes that ruled that sad day. Sobering when you pause and see the route, read the statements from the indians that were interviewed after the battle and realize that the two markers near each other could have been friends giving succor to each other as two worlds collided in anger. Sobering.

This is where we started seeing the motorcycles en masse. Many of the bikers of today are Nam vets and identified with Custer and the 7th Cavalry. They flocked to the site to sightsee, remember and reflect before moving on... as did we.

The journey continued to Gillette, Wyoming where we found another Elks Lodge and got set up to dry camp in their parking lot. The neighboring field had horses and Shetland ponies, all of which captivated Bandit's attention. At one point it seemed she had "gone over to the other side" when she started grazing on the grass the same as the ponies were doing. 

(Bandit - grazing - just like one of the guys...)

We learned that the Sturgis run was composed of day trips to a variety of sites in the general area of Sturgis - most of which quickly joined our list of things to do. Our primary goal was Devils Tower and so so it seemed with the bikers.

(Devils Tower, Wyoming, from the highway)

(The run to Devil's Tower, with ever-increasing numbers of

bikers on the road and parked by the sides)

(Getting to the center of "town" for Devil's Tower)

(Here is a quick movie at the parking lot for Devil's Tower.

When you start counting the bikes, please remember that about 10 times

MORE were on the roads, parked in the pull-outs and on the way back

down past the prairie dog towns at the base.)

The Devil's Tower was magnificent - much more dramatic than Richard Dreyfuss' sculptural study in mashed potato. The bikers were swarming around the tower's 1/4 mile loop and we had the chance to talk with folks from the UK and other states as we joined the procession and clicked photos from every angle - here's a good one!

And lastly, we stopped on the way out to enjoy the local residents in the park. We only wish Bandit could have been with us to ferret out one - or at least wear down her toenails trying. Alas, it was a national park and the Prairie Dogs remained safe - even as Sharon crept up and snapped the following picture.

I hear the words to the Bill Murray movie, Caddyshack, when the ground hogs danced and teased him, "I'm all right, ....."

And this ended our trip from Yellowstone to Devil's Tower. Tomorrow is another day and the adventures could lead us far afield from our well-laid plans.

'Till then - 

Yellowstone National Park

The Grand Tetons quickly gave way to Yellowstone National Park as we drove North. By getting on the road early we helped guarantee there would be a campsite open for us. 

We headed toward Old Faithful once the camp was set up and immediately got sidetracked by a "Groceries" sign where we actually found some fresh vegetables for stir fry that evening.

As we progressed down into the Yellowstone caldera we found waterfalls, vistas of wildlife, steam vents, sulphur pits, geysers and photo opportunities galore.

The mix of subterranean minerals created a myriad of colors once they reached the surface - here are some photos that represent a small number of occasions when our breath was taken away!

(Kepler Cascades)

(Old Faithful - may take a while to load)

(Black Sand Basin with candy-striped mineral runoff into the local stream)

(Black Sand Basin - crystal clear waters with mineral shelves as a border)

(Tortured roots exposed after fire-fighting several years ago) 

(Great Fountain Geyser - another example of the clarity and colors in the park)

(Great Fountain Geyser with three spouts)

(Great Fountain Geyser - yet another example of deposits and mineral combinations)

(Beauty and the Beast - with Upper Falls in the background.

No, not water pouring out of Doug's head.)

(Local Yellowstone Police directing traffic)

(Mammoth Falls - a hillside of white calcium runoff - spectacular!)

(Mammoth Falls - detail of a crystal pool created by the continuous runoff of minerals.)

(And unnamed, geyser, simply spouting and making iron-rich deposits by the stream)

(Steamboat Geyser - with renewed eruption started three days earlier -

we were lucky as this is twice as large as Old Faithful and

continuously blows steam out of several holes in the ground.)

(Steamboat Geyser basin - a collection of pools, mud pots and geysers) 

 (Your blog hosts - sans Bandit)