Day 8 Sept 9 - Colter Bay - Canyon Village

Day 8 Sept 9 Colter Bay to Canyon Village (Yellowstone National Park)

After breakfast we did a stroll around Jackson Lake then headed towards Yellowstone National Park. We arrived through the South Entrance, past Lewis Lake and then stopped at West Thumb Geyser Basin which is a caldera within the greater Yellowstone caldera. It overlooks Yellowstone Lake, the largest lake at high elevation in North America. This is our first taste of the geysers of the Yellowstone Park. Did the Circular Walk, past the Abyss Pool, Lakeside Geyser but my favourite was the Thumb Paint Pots. The colours are created in part by thermophiles (heat loving organisms that can live in the hot water. Apparently green and brown indicate cooler water; orange and yellow in the warmer water. The deeper clear pools reflect the blue of the sky.

After leaving West Thumb, we drove to the Mud Volcano, spews mud and hot water and gradually builds up the out cone, then onto Sulphur Caldron before eventually arriving at our accommodation at Canyon Village at 8:30 PM and went straight to the restaurant but had to wait about ½ hour to get a table. Food was lovely. Off to the cabin but it was very basic compared with Colter Bay.