Yellowstone (part 3)

Our second day in the park began with us hurrying to Yellowstone Falls.  There was a hike there that Diana wanted to try which involved lots of steps to the base of the Lower Falls, so of course we were thrilled to join her.  Unfortunately, it was closed.  Added to the closure yesterday, I think she was beginning to get a complex.

So we lined up for the picture of the Upper Falls.

Then went to Artist Point for the classic shot of Lower Yellowstone Falls.

Let me zoom in some.  It almost looks fake, doesn't it?

Don't forget to turn around.  The colorful canyon is gorgeous too.

We drove to Lookout Point on the North Rim where Diana took the obligatory picture of us with the Lower Falls.

If you're really observant, you noticed there was a patch of snow on the previous picture.  I confess I erased it out of this one because it was just too distracting.  LOL

And I took what is probably the worst picture ever of a nesting osprey.

While driving between the South and North Rims, we saw lots of cars pulled over and knew something was up.  Sure enough, some bull elk were resting in the shade - not great for pictures, but we'll take what we can get.

As you probably know, much of Yellowstone NP is a caldera from old volcanic eruptions.  I was interested in this map in the visitors center which shows how the volcanic hotspot moved over the years due to movement of the North American Plate.

On our way home, we stopped at Gibbon Falls where we unsuccessfully looked for apes..