Yellowstone Park - upper half of the Mammoth Hot Springs - Part 8

Click here to see the bottom part of the - Yellowstone Park - Mammoth Hot Springs - Part 7

As I mentioned earlier, 10 minutes to drive and we stopped at the upper parking lot not really that far from the place we just left. We walked a few steps on the boardwalk and froze... Because everything around was covered with bright white snow... Snowy fields.... Hills of snow... but... how could it be? We took a closer look and found out that it wasn't snow at all, but salt and minerals. 

 

The lower part of the Mammoth Hot Springs looked more grayish and the upper part was snow-white. Probably because of the many hot springs there. They appeared and vanished quickly, constantly changing the location and... washing away the top layer leaving only fresh surface white and bright.

 

Active springs create small ponds filled with turquoise water and reminiscent of puddles on the surface of a frozen lake or river. This is the place where your mind plays cruel jokes with you, suggesting something that is not in front of your eyes...

And the bacteria matts are special here. Shades of brown are incredibly rich and vibrant. And the streams are so shallow and slow that they don't even move blades of grass but instead envelop them with deposits and create astonishing decorations.

The water is so clear that it is not visible and it seems that the leaves and small branches are floating through the air.

And... white minerals all around... so white your mind tells you only one word - snow...

A few more steps and another stream makes your heartbeat quickened.

That was, probably, the most magical place in the entire park. Not as impressive as the Great Prismatic Spring but with an incredible combination of pure white and rich colors not to mentions shapes...

We walked all the way around the whole valley and found another wonder at the other end of the trail - a huge stalagmite one would expect to find deep in a cave but not in open space...

Just look at this spot. Can you believe this is not a winter landscape? I couldn't even believe it wasn't... Another interesting thing about this place is that it remains unchanged for a long period of time. If you can find some photographs taken there a hundred years ago you will find out that it hasn't changed a bit! The same slopes, the same trees, the same snow-looking surface...

To be continued...

Pictures were taken on September 05, 2010.