The sun rises bright and strong in a clear sky this morning as we eat breakfast and share a little time with Tim and Dan, again. It is Saturday and we have an appointment for a second breakfast at 10:00 at the Yellowstone Mine. Wow, what an early hour. Before breakfast, which will be lunch for our bodies which are still on Eastern Time, we head up to Liberty Cap and explore the board walk. The morning sun sparkles on a million diamonds of water as it flows down the pink, orange, white and tan travertine of Pallete Springs. Tim calls it Sherbert and I must admit that is exactly what it looks like. The steady pleasing sound of trickling water is everywhere. Steam rises near the top of the springs softening the deep blue sky.

From above the springs the morning view is breathtaking. Far to the north the clouds make patterns of shadow on the high green meadows. The snow shines brightly on the peaks. The south face of Mt. Everts is still untouched by the morning rays. Minerva Terrace is completely different than Pallete Springs with it's dry brillant white to dirty gray. The fragile formations stand silent and crumbling. A beautiful little bird of the most startling bright blue lands on a small tree in front of us and poses for pictures. We wander back to the car and head out to Gardiner through the scenic canyon that seperates the town from Mammoth. At one point we drive under a shear cliff with many large rocks laying by the road. I realise that this was the site of the landslide we all read about. I look up apprehensively, but we are quickly past the cliff.

After driving by it twice, I find the restaurant and park next to a big truck with this little yellow flag on it. Inside at we meet the "gang." Geri and Bruce at last! The two are tall and tanned with smiles as big as the beautiful lake they live on. There is an immediate feeling of warmth and friendliness. I extend a hand, but it is a useless gesture of habit as there are hugs all around. Mark is there, tall, redheaded and handsome with his father, Carl. Carl just fits right in from the very beginning, with his easy going manner and pleasant light touch of a southern accent. Dan and Tim A are to my right, Dan already swapping stories and taking everything in (maybe we will all be in one of his books!) with his smiling eyes and bearded grin, and Tim whom I can tell that all those backpacking stickers on his pickup truck are not just show, than Jay and Tim II. To my left is Mark and his Dad, then Geri and Bruce. We drag together a couple of tables and settle in.

It is strange, but unbelieveably pleasant, to meet old friends for the first time. The initial feeling is unusual, but it passes almost immediately as we all continue the relationship started on the Total Yellowstone Chat Page. The group talks of homes, the trip, meeting for the first time and our common bond. We talk of the Loons we love who cannot be here. We share other Loon sightings, adventures already experienced and plans for the coming week. Each of the Loons make Carl and Jay feel at home and they both throw themselves into the "fray" with good humor. Soon we are wolfing down some great food from the breakfast bar. Eggs, bacon, french toast, home fries and more! While relaxing after breakfast and "filling up the corners," as a hobbit would say, Ballpark Frank and Cathy Montana show up. More hugs, smiles and warm greetings. Little did I know at the time that this was just the tip of the Loon attitude and feeling. Ballpark couldn't stay, but we talked of plans for the Loonion on Sunday and said our temporary goodbyes. Well, it was time to go. Several of us were heading south to take Dave M's geyser tour and a long drive was before us.

Our expedition hits the road once again entering the famous stone arch entrance dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt and winding up the hillside. Climbing above Mammoth we pass through the narrow gate at Rustic Falls that opens on Swan Flats. The Blazer handles the rough roads with ease as it is guided past Norris Geyser Basin and Steamboat. No signs of Steamboat activity and nothing else could stop us at this time. Gibbon Falls, at 84', is one of my favorites and a beautiful sight as we drive past. At Madison the blazer turns due south and follows the Firehole river.

At Fountain Flats our trio encounters several large bull bison traveling the side of the road and a huge herd. The picture is perfect and we pause for just a moment to capture the wide flat grassland covered with several dozens of bison and many cinnamon babies playing, napping and nursing. This pleasant scence has the the Lower Geyser Basin and it's steam plumes as a postcard perfect backdrop. At one point a large, sharp edged rock, several feet in diameter sits on the edge of the road. One bull bison has found it to be the perfect tool to get at that nagging itch just behind his ear. His efforts are comical as he swings that massive shaggy head back and forth over the rock! In an instintive moment of bonding I reach up to scratch my head. We do not stop as time is short, so on to Old Faithful!

We are barely on time as we run to meet in front of the Old Faithful Visitor's Center for our tour. It had taken several minutes to find a parking spot because the Memorial Day Weekend crowds had gathered. We find the group and get to meet Dave M and his parents. Dave is friendly and quiet and maybe even a little nervous, but the group is anxious to hear his every word. Those who haven't met before make their introdutions with much joy, chatter and hugs. That "Loon feeling" is evident again.

When all are assembled the group turns to wave at the webcam. Several people sitting on a bench directly between us and the web cam look at us strangely and wave back!! Hah! I wonder what they were thinking. Dave leads the way past Old Faithful and down the path with his parents, Mark R, Carl, Mark's Dad, Tim A, Geri, Bruce, Dan, Sandi, Rick, Shelby (Sandi and Rick's niece), Jay, Tim and me. On Dave's cue, Old Faithful erupts and we get to see it from the uncrowded back side.

We continue on as Dave explains the workings of thermal features and the art of geyser gazing. He is a wealth of information and an entertaining guide. The geyser basin is a wide long open area cut by the firehole river and dotted with small patches of trees. On the west, in the distance, are steep cliffs. Down hill and to the north is Biscuit Basin. On our right, and to the east, the basin is bordered by tree covered hills. We can see the overlook that looks down on the Inn and Old Faithful, high up on the rocks.

As we walk the open basin, scraggly growth is broken by various thermal features, barren earth and wide areas of runoff that shine with different colors according to the temperature of the water and type of bacteria that live there. Oranges seem to predominate. Above all this steam spouts from tiny holes and huge geyserite formations as far as the eye can see. Here the earth literally DOES breath, although looking around, I am unsure this is still the earth!

With a few short stops along the way our tour makes for Riverside geyser; a favorite that most want to see. True to form we arrive and get situated and Riverside geyser goes off, once again on Dave's cue. Perfect. Hey, it's all in who you know, so I'm hanging with Dave! The eruption is wonderful. A formation on the otherside of the small river spews jets of water up and over the river. Steam is blown away to our left by the breeze and the water falls with a hiss into the river.

The base of this geyser has several openings and the one above and to the left of the main vent is bubbling and splashing away in time to the geyser. There are several strong gusts of wind that take away all the steam and even most of the water! The group adjusts position for shots from different angles. Several of us note that the geyserite formation that is Riverside's large color-steaked base looks like someone at Disney did a bad job making fake plaster-of-paris rock! We get a chuckle out of this thought.

Our tour group moves on down the boardwalk as Dave imparts information, explanations and answers to our questions. Morning Glory is examined with it's deep blue hues as well as several unnamed features that I would not have noticed if Dave hadn't explained their interesting workings and history. As we head back toward geyser hill, Grand goes off in the distance. Dave informs us that those wishing to run would probably make the second burst.

The race is on! Tim A takes an early lead by several lengths as Jay keeps pace with him. Geri and Dan run neck and neck followed by Mark R and me. The rest choose to walk and relax. Tim A stretches his lead then Jay is running strong followed at a distance by Geri, Dan, me and Mark. Tim wins easily with Jay second. The rest of the pack catches up at the benches. We take a break and wait for a second burst which doesn't materialize. Dave explains the workings of Grand as Turban puts on a nice little show, then we move on.

It is a beautiful day, although cool and windy. The wind blows the steam plumes into interesting patterns. Lew and Deb join us as well as a geyser gazing friend of Dave's. I am sorry that I did not remember her name. Life is teaming everywhere, we learn, as Dave explains the ecosystem in miniature that exists on the bacteria mats that surround thermal features. We could clearly see several "lumps" a few inches in height that were teeming with flies. These were nests with eggs of a species of fly that lives on the mats. There is also a wolf spider that lives on the mats and hunts the flies. One type of dragonfly eats the flies and spiders, and, all are eaten by the birds! Dave points out that while they don't watch bears, they do get to see SOME predation in the geyser basin. Predetors and prey in miniature! Behind the boardwalk and features, on the hillside in the trees, several coyotes wandered by trying to catch the large sunning reddish brown marmots unawares. As far as we know, they were unsuccessful. This time.

Next is geyser hill and Plume Geyser. Tim and I both particularly enjoy this geyser as it boils up pushing the water aside, spouts and then subsides. In a few moments it boils up and repeats the cycle. I find entertaining displays coupled with varying sounds to be far more entertaining than a high shooting eruption. The group gets to see a second eruption of Old Faithful from another good vantage point on geyser hill. We are paying for this fine day of geyser gazing with narration by having to endure a strong cold breeze, but it has really been worth it! Dave ends the tour here and people say their good-byes and begin to leave. It has been a wonderful three hours during which we have learned a lot. Just another day of school for Tim!

Jay, Tim and I jump in the car only to discover, once out of the wind, that our faces and ears are sun and wind burned! The expedition members will need to take better care of themselves during further explorations! After a quick discussion the team decides to continue south and finish the bottom loop of Yellowstone's figure 8 road system. We say good bye to Old Faithful and head up and across the Continental Divide, twice, on our way to Lake Junction.

Not far from Old Faithful we pause and walk out a short boardwalk and stand on the platform that overlooks Kepler Canyon and Cascades. It is a lovely vantage point hanging out over the canyon where you can look straight down. The trees cling to the rough rocky canyon sides. Dead fallen trees form a giant's crazy un-played game of pickup sticks at various places. The water tumbles and roars over several drops then plunges over the falls to the canyon floor. It is peaceful here and we have the place to ourselves.

As we climb out of the basin, I pause at a pullover and look longingly out across the forest top to the small shimmering sliver of water in the distance. Shoshone Lake! It is the largest lake in North America without road access and we can see a portion of it several miles to our south! Someday I will visit that Lake and it's geyser basin, but, alas, not this trip.

The road winds through forest and past scattered snow banks and begins to descend toward the lake. The glimpse of mountains through the trees is breathtaking. Hey! We DROVE across those yesterday. This is a big deal to the eastern members of our expedition. We arrive at the junction and pull into the West Thumb Parking lot. This is my favorite Geyser Basin because it's beauty is accompanied by expansive views of Yellowstone Lake and the Absarokas on the lake's eastern shore.

As we tramp down the boardwalk we are treated by two small formations that attract me. Two white peaks, maybe 18" to 24" high, tapering at the top to just an inch or so wide, and looking like the Chimney Rock of the Oregon Trail rendered in miniature. They also are smoking, hissing and spitting from their tiny tops. My favorites, already! The pools and bubbling mud pots are intriguing but those located IN the lake are the most fascinating. The famous fishing cone rises above the lake but seems inactive.

The mountains are gorgeous as the clouds move and allow the sun to strike the western faces covered in snow. Mt Sheridan beckons to our right, another future goal. We wander around for a while and then head back to the car, but on the way we photograph the strangest bacteria mat made up of 2 to three inch tall hair or carpet like fibers whitish yellow on top and yellow to orange or red on the insides. Very unusual and fascinating!

A short distance north we see a few cars and a huge black bear right next to the road. We pass by and stop along the road. This big boy is big, fat and happy with a wonderfully healthy rich black coat. His light tan nose stands out clearly with the little button nose. He wanders around digging at the ground and ignoring the people. A touron gets out of her car and stands not 20 feet from the bruin. Tim makes a comment about possibly getting some good mauling video but fortunately the bear ignores her. We watch as he wanders by and up along the road.

When our bedazzled team drives on and passes him again he is walking right beside the car. Tim gets some great video as the bruin calmly plods along looking to his left and right, climbing over a log. He appears to be headed down to the lake. We stop at a pullout and wait. The bear comes back and crosses to our left between us and the road and then walks right between a few vehicles and up into the trees on the other side. In seconds he is out of sight. Wow! Tim is ecstatic about this 10 minute long close encounter of the bear kind.

We continue north along the lake as the clouds thicken and began to eradicate any remaining rays of sunshine. At Canyon we make a quick drive out to Artists point. Even on this cloudy day the view up the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is awesome. The yellow walls, streaked with reds, pink and white make a perfect frame for the 308' Lower Falls roaring in the distance. We do not make other stops at the canyon, preferring to wait for a sunny day. The expedition will save Dunraven Pass and Mount Washburn for better weather, also.

I point the blazer toward our campground. At Norris we turn north as the light begins to fade. At Swan flats the expedition paused. The haunting call of the sandhill crane can be heard across the open grassland surrounding Swan Lake. Tim and Jay jump to attention and tell me they can see a coyote stalking an elk! I set up the camera and try to zoom in on the predator. As the light dims I pick out the low form moving through the grass. "GOT 'EM! I have the coyote." Then the sandhill crane lifted his head! Ha! I wonder if we are the first to mistake a crane for a coyote. Maybe this one won't make it into the official expedition report!

Further up the road on the right, at the base of Bunsen Peak, we find a mother moose and her large calf. Dusk is approaching but the light is sufficient so I set up the camera and get some good video of the two moose wandering and feeding. They are beautiful and the evening sounds give a pleasant, tranquil atmosphere to the moment. After 10 or 15 minutes I quit filming and turn off the camera. Immediately to the southeast in the woods we hear a long deep howl followed by several more howls. I freeze while at least 5 or 6 voices sing to and with each other. Jay and Tim hear it, too. I set up the camera again but then the voices fall silent. I heard no yipping or high pitched barking and assume it is a wolf pack. I will never know for sure, but it sounded like it to me. What a breathtakingly eerie and beautiful sound!

Jay, Tim and I hang around for a while with a young couple to listen and watch in case the wolves appear or call again, to no avail. The light is almost gone and it is late so we call it a day and drive down to our campsite. Dan and Tim are there so we sit and talk for a while. Notes are compared and experiences shared. The conversation wanders over many subjects including absent Loons and our meeting tomorrow. Bed calls and we collapse again, wakened only by the early morning storm bringing hard rain. Soon follows rolling thunder that ricochets off Mt Everts and rolls in waves through the campground and our tents. Not a drop enters and sleep overcomes us again.