Stunning and surrealistic, I thought, as I entered Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. This national park is located mostly in the northwest of Wyoming, a small part of Montana and a little in Idaho. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, thus making Yellowstone the first national park in our country -- and some say – in the world. 
 

 I entered the north side of the park through the charming town of Gardiner. It was late in the season and some shops and restaurants were closing for the season but the weather was perfect. In hindsight, it was most fortunate as there were no crowds and it seemed Mother Nature was gifting me a great visit before she dumped a snowstorm.
 

 I like camping but now I have a new word to add to my vocabulary -- “glamping” -- camping in an RV. I assume a coined word for glamorous camping. I also liked having my national pass card; otherwise it is $35/auto for entry fee. The 2.2 million-acre park’s elevation range is from 5,282 feet to ll,358 feet. I was surprised to learn that the entire region is on top of a caldera, a volcano which collapsed into itself. 
 

 One could spend a week -- or months -- visiting Yellowstone and its companion, Grand Teton National Park. So, with just a couple of days, I concentrated on my interest –- the geysers and perhaps some luck to spot wildlife in the park.
 

 My first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs, a large complex of hot springs and a geological wonder from long ago past volcanic eruptions. At Mammoth’s Travertine Terraces, mingling water and limestone create chalky-white travertine from the minerals in thousands of gallons of hot water that forces its way to the surface and creates tier over tier of travertine deposits. It has been creating itself over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. Over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution. Because of the huge amounts of geothermal vents, travertine flourishes and many features change constantly and quickly due to the deposits. I note here that, in our Rim Country, we have travertine being created at our own Tonto Natural Bridge. 
 

 At Mammoth, fractures and fissures allow hot water to bubble up. Water and snow from the surrounding mountains seep deep into the earth where it is heated. Limestone, deposited millions of years ago, adds to this mixture. Hot water and dissolved carbon dioxide make a solution of weak carbonic acid. As it comes through rock, it dissolves calcium carbonate and, at the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine, creating terraces. Such an interesting scientific explanation but I like the magical results that look like an alien fairytale place. 
 

 Around the geysers, there are signs to stay only on boardwalks as below your feet hot boiling temperatures sizzle and spout. There are upper and lower terraces and one can walk the mile-long boardwalk around both in about an hour. It gives the visitor an up-close and personal experience of these geothermal geysers. At Mammoth Hot Springs, there are about 50 springs.


Yellowstone Park has almost 60 percent of the world's geysers. Within one square mile, there are at least one hundred and fifty of these hydrothermal wonders. 
 

 Old Faithful Geyser is the most well-known geyser because it is predictable. It draws huge crowds. It was the unique thermal features like Old Faithful Geyser that inspired the establishment of Yellowstone. This is a rare phenomenon but park rangers can predict every 90 minutes this geyser’s eruptions. Old Faithful has lived up to its name, only lengthening the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the last 30 years.
 

 The average interval between eruptions of Old Faithful Geyser is approximately 94 minutes -- with intervals ranging from 51 to 120 minutes. Old Faithful can vary in height from 106 feet (32.3 m) to more than 180 feet (55 m), averaging 130 feet (40 m). Eruptions normally last between 1½ to five minutes and expel from 3,700 gallons (14,006 l) to 8,400 gallons (31,797 l) of water. At the vent, water is 203ºF (95.6ºC). 
 

 As I drove through the park, I was entranced at the mesmerizing display of geysers and the geothermic active volcanic activities. That is what makes Yellowstone’s history stunning and awe inspiring
 

 It is thought that other humans had inhabited the area we now called Yellowstone National Park maybe 11,000+ years ago. The park area is part of the receding ice age coverage. I learned that glaciers covered most of the park area and, when they receded, the humans may have followed to hunt the mammoth and huge bison. (Note: They are “bison”-- not buffalo -- that inhabit this park. I know in the song ‘Home on the Range,’ it is buffalo roaming but not here. They are bison, I was told, as bison have beards. The buffalo are from South Asia and Africa and bison are in North American and some are in Europe. Yellowstone’s herd of bison is the largest in North America. Other mammals include: the wolf, black bear, pronghorn antelope, mountain lion and wolverines.