The 366 Project: December

 

This is the last month of my 366 project - yes, I did it. I took at least one photo each day of the leap year that 2024 was (hence 366 and not 365). Many days it wasn't difficult at all, especially while traveling, but on some days I struggled and sometimes even only remembered to take a photo shortly before I went to bed.  I'm glad that I kept at it, but I'm also sure that I won't do any project similar to this anytime soon.

So, here's December:

As you can see, the month started with rather familiar images like the winter lights on our home,

and fall vibes we still enjoyed in the first month of winter.

On two Saturdays I worked as a substitute teacher in my old class which was a lot of fun. And then, when we were talking about whether we want to invite friends for New Year's Eve, the Geek came up with an "alternative idea", as he called it - why not a road trip to the American Southwest like we so often did in winter years ago and haven't done since 2014? It was a crazy, spontaneous idea, and of course we went for it.

We took Highway 50 through Nevada, the "loneliest highway in the US" and into Utah where we visited beautiful national parks like stunning Bryce Canyon,

crowded Arches (first in fog that eventually gave way to sun),

beautiful Canyonlands (this is the Needles District),

enjoyed the last sunset of the year over Grand Canyon in Arizona,

and visited state parks like Cathedral Gorge, Kodachrome Basin, Gobelin Valley and Dead Horse Point as well as Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

More about this in much later posts, because I would like to continue sharing more of our trip to Europe.

But I do need a drink for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday. Can you believe that I didn't take a single shot of a drink in December? So I need to turn to the jerk - unfortunately, when you go to national parks you also can't avoid a lot of jerks. One of them we saw on the last day of the year at Grand Canyon. While most people enjoyed the sunset quietly from the viewpoint, this guy went to the top of the rim, unfolded his camping chair in front of allof us and set there for everyone to witness how he drank his can of beer and being a - well, jerk. That's my drink contribution this time - I wish it was without the jerk.

Since I was away from Blogland for more than two weeks, I didn't have the chance to wish you a happy new year. All my best wishes to you for an enjoyable and healthy 2025.

It's a Wild World

A visit to Yellowstone isn't possible without seeing a lot of wildlife. This national park is home to so many animals, and for many of them it is a peaceful refuge where they are not hunted and killed for whatever reason (never mind that they were here first and this IS their habitat which we took away from them).

There is an abundance of bison - but of course it doesn't come close to the numbers when bison roamed freely this country. They are impressive animals, and while I love them, I always make sure to keep a very safe distance from them. They SEEM to be lazy and docile, but these are wild and dangerous animals. Everywhere in the park there are signs that warn people not to approach them (but of course there are too many humans who'd love to receive the Darwin award) and that you should use caution around them.

They are big and heavy, and at the same time they are incredibly cute. How can you resist such a sweet face?

Or this guy that we saw early in the morning in the Lamar Valley after we had seen the wolf pack.

What I love best, however, is watching a bison taking a dust bath. They do it with gusto!

Yellowstone is famous for its bears, both grizzlies and black bears. We saw both. This black bear checked out the area next to the road in the Lamar Valley (and again, some people were way too close).

Elk can be found all over the park - the population is huge, and it's good that there are several wolf packs in the park that keep the numbers limited. Often wolves and bears share the carcass of an animal. Nothing goes to waste here.

You find signs of the wildlife everywhere if you keep your eyes open.

elk

black bear

bison

Seeing wildlife makes me happy and is always an absolute highlight for me. So often we only see the "big" wildlife, but it was this little guy that gave me the biggest delight - a curious weasel we saw on one of our hikes through the beautiful meadows of Yellowstone. Isn't s/he adorable?

The Smell of Hell

Yellowstone is an excellent place to experience that our planet is very much alive. Here you can explore the beating heart of the earth, its spitting habits and its heat. Literally.

In my post about Mammoth Hot Springs I mentioned that the hot water that feeds that area comes from the Noris Geyser Basin. Today I take you right there.

Noris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most changeable thermal area in Yellowstone. It features the world's tallest active geyser, colorful hot springs, and microscopic life in one of the most extreme environments on earth.

Noris Geyser Basin is hot with all the steam hissing from everywhere, and it's smelly - sulfur! Ancient explorers referred to the odor of geysers as the "Smell of Hell" and you can smell it in many corners of Yellowstone, but especially in the Noris Geyser Basin. Funny enough though, I never thought it such a bad smell. Yes, geysers do emit a bit of a stench due to the elevated levels of sulfuric acid and hydrogen sulfide gas contained within the geysers themselves. For me this smell belongs to Yellowstone, it is a natural part of it and while not pleasant, it's not that bad either.

It bubbles and hisses everywhere.

The typical colors of Yellowstone - orange and emerald or turquoise - are found in this area as well, even though not quite as intense as we have seen these colors at the Grand Prismatic Spring. That place is pretty unique.

You can walk along the many pools and lakes. But remember to stay on the boardwalk! The ground is hot, not solid in all places (it's a thermal area after all) and there have been people who died here - most of them as a result of pure stupidity. You don't believe me? Well, read this story. Enough said.

So stay on the trails and enjoy this unique environment. The emerald color of the water tells of minerals,

and this water is colored with mineral and microscopic life forms.

Hot springs in something that looks like a cold environment (I think this is in the Porcelain Basin, but I don't exactly remember).

The mud puddles are so entertaining to watch. They bubble continuously and make like "blob" sounds. Sometimes they spill mud all around - it's a good idea not to get too close. They are particularly popular with children!

Even though it's smelly, this shouldn't keep anyone from witnessing one of nature's most incredible displays of raw, unbridled power.

Hot on the Terrace

Yellowstone National Park is full of the most interesting and fascinating natural features, one of them being Mammoth Hot Springs in the Northwest corner of the park. Well, it's not just hot springs - it's terraces composed of travertine (calcium carbonate). I have just one word to describe them: spectacular.

Some areas look like snow or ice, frozen waterfalls. But no, there isn't anything that feels cold or only cool here. It's darn hot, baby!

Wyoming, especially so far north as Yellowstone, isn't known for hot weather, but here on the terraces shorts and t-shirts are the appropriate attire. Man, it was hot! No shade around here, of course.

The ground displayed bizarre formations.

Some of the terraces reached almost the backyards of the houses in the tiny village of Mammoth - almost.

The elk seem to love this area. They come here, lick the ground (probably mineral rich) and even lie down and take a nap. They weren't bothered by the heat at all. Perhaps they thought it's their personal outdoor sweat lodge.

Even though the main color here is white followed by orange, I could make out my favorite color combination of orange and turquoise in some places. Not quite as intense and vivid as the Grand Prismatic Spring but still quite fabulous.

And of course at the same time you can take in the stunning surroundings.

Due to the nature of this place there were a lot of dead trees.

Ever changing ground formations and bubbles on the water that tell about the heat of the hot springs (the hot water that feeds Mammoth, by the way, comes from the Norris Geyser Basin).

You can walk the terraces on boardwalks, and the Lower Terraces Area has the most spectacular views. This part is by far my favorite one.

Doesn't it look like ice and snow?

But it's the dead trees that fascinated me the most.

Yes, we sure needed a little break to take all this in. This is only a rather small part of Yellowstone, but full of awesomeness. You need to take your time to let it sink in.