Geysers abound on Firehole Lake Dr.

Just past Midway Geyser basin is Firehole Lake Dr. The concierge stressed that I should be sure to take this side loop.  At first I thought it was just more thermal features. But it turned out to be a great drive.

Great Fountain Geyser

I missed Great Fountain Geyser. I think it had just gone off. I could see the steam clouds ahead of me but when I got there it was over. This is one of the four  highest spouting geysers in Yellowstone. It’s fairly regular too but where I’d just missed it I’d have about 12 hours to wait for the next eruption so I waved at the steam and moved on.

White Dome Geyser

I passed some steaming lakes and springs then turned a corner to spot a geyser that had built up quite a cone at the base. This is White Dome Geyser. According to my Gaperguide the eruption cycle is about 10 minutes so I pulled over to go on Geyser watch. It must have just gone off before I arrived because it took the full 10 minutes before erupting. I was much closer to White Dome than I had been to Old Faithful so in some ways this was more exciting.

There’s a board walk that goes around the base of this geyser. Some tourists were reading the information boards when it went off. Their reaction was priceless. I guess if I’d been sanding there and been surprised I’d have looked funny too!

Paint Pots or Ravens

As White Dome subsided I moved on. I drove past more steaming hot springs and possibly some geysers. I passed Firehole Lake. Looks inviting but you’ll scald you skin off!  As Firehole Lake Dr connected with the main loop road I spotted a sign for Fountain Paint Pots. I was anxious for a chance to try photographing those bubbling mud holes.

In the large parking lot I was greeted by a huge raven. These large “crows” are everywhere around Yellowstone and this fellow was particularly friendly. After a brief chat with Mr. Raven I followed a long boardwalk out of the parking lot past steaming hot pools of water. I didn’t see any bubbling mud. And the wind was cold!