Day 11: Yellowstone National Park

Once again, our tour starts early. We begin with the Norris Geyser Basin. The parking lots are empty and there are only a few visitors on the trails. We hike two loop trails totaling 2 km. Along the way, we pass by hot pools with boiling water, everywhere there is steam and hissing. The warm steam rises above the area, a fantastic natural spectacle. The temperature can be read from the color of the ground. For example, a blue hot spring is provided with a water temperature of 92°C and a green one with 35°C. This is due to the single-celled microorganisms. The largest geyser in the park - Steamboat Geyser - is also nearby. During an eruption, it spits up hot water 90 to 120 meters high, 2 to 3 times more than Old Faithful. Unfortunately, the last eruption was on Monday and the next one is expected next Monday. We finish our first hike and continue to the Fountain Paint Pot, Midway Geyser Basin, and Black Sand Basin. We get out at each stop and walk the one-kilometer loop trail. We are treated to a very beautiful play of colors with mostly orange and blue streams or ponds. Sometimes it boils, sometimes it steams, sometimes everything bubbles. There are mud pots, which are acidic phenomena with limited water supply. I have never seen anything like this before. We actually want to visit another basin, but the parking spaces are limited and it's not possible to stop with the large camper. Erik and David are exhausted, so we drive to Yellowstone Lake and have lunch in a picnic area. Erik falls asleep in the car and only complains while eating. Eventually, he recovers and is in a better mood again. We also visit the Visitor Center and Yellowstone Lake. The water is cold and with all the thermal phenomena in the park, I wouldn't swim anyway.
Actually, we want to go to another spot by the lake, but fishing without hooks is pointless for us, and David has fallen asleep. So we head back to Canyon Village. On the way, in Hayden Valley, we see a herd of bison with over 100 animals. They linger in the large meadows. Once again, all parking spaces at the canyon are occupied, so we stop at the Visitor Center hoping to walk from there, but 2 km one way is too much, so we'll do it tomorrow instead.
We let Erik explain his filled out Junior Park Ranger book and I pin a badge with his name on it. He is very happy about it. In an exhibition, we learn more information about the supervolcano that runs under a large part of the park. If it were to erupt, half of the USA would be immediately affected. It's unimaginable how it would affect the climate and nature. I buy a shirt for myself and we do laundry. Both kids are doing well overall. David is more relaxed now and flirts a lot with the Americans, and they are happy to see such a cute baby. Erik has his moments, so it can be tiring. But he has walked the trails every day. In the evening, we make a campfire again, the wood is just lying around from the picnic area at lunch. We brought it with us because it was only $8 for 5 pieces of wood. Unfortunately, it is too wet and smokes a lot.