How could we pass that up? We couldn’t…
The Grizzly Encounter…
It was actually a Grizzly Bear rescue…the two Grizzlies we saw had been rescued - after being kept in a small cage together for 15 years! Apparently it is legal to buy and sell Grizzly Bears for private pets or zoos (??!?!??!!) Montana has strict laws but other states are not so strict so there are instances of cruelty towards Grizzlies…who knew? 
The number one threat to America...Bears!
Spunky is not afraid of Bears!
Back on the highway, it was a nice drive through mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, streams, and farms.
We arrived at Yosemite National Park, entering through the North Entrance 
At some point we passed the state line into Wyoming but we didn't see the marker. We did, however, find the halfway point btwn the equator and north pole: 
right away, we saw Mule Deer
We drove to Mammoth Hot Springs and walked around the Upper and Lower Terraces. The geological features seen here are quite different from thermal areas elsewhere in the park. Travertine formations grow rapidly due to the soft nature of limestone. As hot water rises through limestone, large quantities of rock are dissolved by the hot water, and a white chalky mineral is deposited on the surface. That white stuff is NOT ice...
More driving…passing waterfalls...
and cliffs and forests, until we came upon parked cars by the side of the road and people out of their cars, pointing and looking at something: a bear!
Back in our car driving along the Grand Loop, we arrived at The Norris Geyser Basin:
Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest, oldest, and most dynamic of Yellowstone's thermal areas. The highest temperature yet recorded in any geothermal area in Yellowstone was measured in a scientific drill hole at Norris: 459°F (237°C) just 1,087 feet (326 meters) below the surface! There are very few thermal features at Norris under the boiling point (199°F at this elevation). Norris shows evidence of having had thermal features for at least 115,000 years. The features in the basin change daily, with frequent disturbances from seismic activity and water fluctuations. The vast majority of the waters at Norris are acidic, including acid geysers which are very rare.
Nick officially becomes a geyser gazer...
Pearl Geyser...
Steamboat Geyser? Need to check maps for verification...
Check out the steam rising off the pools...gives you an idea of how hot it is! And it smelled worse than one of Jacob's feuf's!
Blue Mud Steam Vent...
In Canyon Village area...Lower Falls and Upper Falls
Upper falls view from a distance...
Mule Deer on our Upper Falls hike
Lower Falls...
more of the local wildlife...lemme tell ya, this thing was marching forward at a fast and furious pace...I had to move out of its way cuz clearly it wasn't moving for me!
On our way to the next geyser lookout we passed bison grazing...
...and more mule deer...
Artists Paint Pots (I think...gotta check - there was so much to see and I'm getting all the names mixed up) The bugs were terrible so we didn't stick around for very long...
On our way out towards the west entrance to spend the night in West Yosemite, UT...we had to share the road with the bison!
Too bad Dad wasn't there - then it would be a Geezer Geyser Gazer.
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