Day 12: Mammoth Hot Springs and a Final Goodbye

 Had a pretty sunset last night.  Today is our last day at Yellowstone.  We didn't plan to travel far because tomorrow and the next three days afterwards we will be driving.  Mammoth Hot Springs is only five miles inside the north entrance to the park and we had saved it for last.

Every day that we went into the park, we passed this sign but today we finally stopped and got a picture.

The Mammoth Hot Springs are divided into two terraces - the upper and lower.  We found parking at the lower so we started there.  According to the trail guide, these terraces are formed  because of a network of fractures and fissures that form the plumbing system and allows hot water from the underground to reach the surface.  They are living sculptures shaped by the volume of water, the slope of the ground and objects in the water's path.  About 10 percent of the water in the Hot Springs system is on the surface; the other 90 percent is underground.

This formation is called Minerva Terrace.

This is called the "Devil's Thumb."

Keegan taking one of his many rests on the trails.

Papaw is happy to join Keegan so they both can rest.

This one was called "Orange Spring Mound."

We spotted this pronghorn antelope as we were driving into the park and Keegan spotted this elk as we were leaving.

We saw another black bear as we were driving to the Upper Terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs.  He ambled across the road in front of us.  We were the first to spot the bear before the two trucks came into view.  It happened so quickly that I didn't have a chance to pick up my camera with the telescopic lens.  I was only able to snap these pictures with my phone.

 

After viewing the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, we said our final goodbyes to Yellowstone.  We drove into Livingston for lunch and pick up some groceries.

We ate at MacDonald's and had to use the kiosks because it was understaffed.  This was a first for us but some how we managed.  There was a sign outside the MacDonald's advertising for workers starting at $20 per hour.  It is hard to believe there is no one in this city that wants to work for 20 an hour!

Back at camp we loaded the car in anticipation of moving out tomorrow.  Keegan finally took a swim in the pool.  We will relax the rest of the day and try to go to bed early.  We did have to turn on the air conditioning.  I think our cool sleeping nights are over for this trip.  We talked to a couple who were headed to Glacier National Park.  They were not able to get reservations for the "Going to the Sun" Road because all the reservations were taken.    The positive side of this would be controlling the crowds in the park. The negative side would be that visitors would have to have plans in advance to visit the part.  You wouldn't be able to just drop in.  I am glad that we were able to see all we wanted to see at Yellowstone.