Another view of Yellowstone Lake along the southern shoreline. The ice was already cracking and beginning to melt, though that's hard to tell here. May 18, 2005

This is now along the eastern shore looking down on Yellowstone Lake. Since much of this area was closed, we did not spend a lot of time in this part of the park during our stay. May 18, 2005

Here is the Yellowstone River. May 18, 2005

Now by the Mud Volcano area. Genevieve was amazed by all the steam coming out all over the place. For me, it was like being home again. May 18, 2005

Here is a bison, not the first we saw but among the early ones, in the parking lot of the Mud Volcano area. May 18, 2005

This is Green Dragon Spring. It is a loud, beautiful mud pool. You can't tell by all the steam. It's remarkable how good some of these shots came out given that the steam created havoc with the pictures. May 18, 2005

This is the Mud Volcano. The gray mud, gray even in good weather, is a result of the acidity of the thermal feature. Where the feature is alkaline, the edge of the feature is clearly defined. When acidic like this, the thermal feature plops around like mud. May 18, 2005

The dead trees in this relatively recent thermal area at the mud volcanoes are evidence of the constant changes at the features. These trees were burned when the feature shifted. May 18, 2005

This is a feature that suddenly appeared several decades ago. It's grown and moved hundreds of feet since then. Where you see it bubbling, the mud is boiling, and that's the current center of activity. May 18, 2005

This violent mud spring also has had a history of destroying trees near it. May 18, 2005

This stunning shot is of Hayden Valley. The Yellowstone River flows through this picturesque wildlife area, and no matter the light, it's a sight to behold. May 18, 2005

Another great shot of Hayden Valley. May 18, 2005

The Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River. May 18, 2005

A close-up of the 109 foot Upper Falls from the same point. You can see the overlook.

The Upper Falls again from the very same point. You can see the power of the camera. May 18, 2005

Crystal Falls, a very beautiful waterfall visible from the lookout to the Upper Falls. Most tourists miss this sight because they never look for it. May 18, 2005

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, 308 feet high. Believe it or not, this shot is from Artist Point. May 18, 2005

Another shot from Artist Point, more typical of camera shots from this point. May 18, 2005

This shot gives better perspective of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point. May 18, 2005

From Artist Point looking down into the Canyon and toward one of the many thermal features in the area. May 18, 2005

Looking back at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point. Although the day was overcast, you can still get a sense of how vibrant the colors are. May 18, 2005

Genevieve at Artist Point. May 18, 2005.

Now, Jim from Artist Point. May 18, 2005.

Here we are in the Norris Geyser Basin. This I believe is Emerald Spring. May 18, 2005

Steamboat Geyser days before a major eruption. Did we see the major eruption? Find out. Steamboat has the largest geyser eruptions in the world. May 18, 2005

A minor eruption of Steamboat Geyser. A minor eruption goes anywhere from 8 to 12 feet. May 18, 2005

I believe this is the pool for Echinus Geyser, which used to be predictable but these days rarely erupts. I saw Echinus erupt back in 1998. May 18, 2005

Another thermal feature at Norris Geyser's Back Basin. May 18, 2005

Our first shot of an elk since arriving in Yellowstone. This one crossed in front of me while walking the boardwalks of Norris. May 18, 2005

Here I am standing at Norris. May 18, 2005

I'm not sure which geyser this was...will have to look at my notes. It may be Pearl Geyser. May 18, 2005

Many features don't seem to have names at Norris, but it's an intense region of activity. May 18, 2005

This tiny pool is in steam phase after spitting up a small amount of water in a constant stream. May 18, 2005

This is the run-off from Pinwheel Geyser in the Porcelain Basin. The green that you see is algae, the color correlating to the temperature of the water. May 18, 2005

Now not many miles from our campground along the Madison River, we saw many elk and other animals. May 18, 2005

On this rainy, drab day, the Madison River still looked picturesque. May 18, 2005