Jun 26 (Fri) Yellowstone – Lake Butte, West Thumb and a Hike to a Natural Arch

We decided to try a slightly shorter day today.  We first drove out to Lake Butte View point that had great views of Lake Yellowstone and the surrounding mountains.  The blues of the sky and lake were incredibly vivid.

We could even see the Grand Tetons in the far distance.

Part of the area around the view point had suffered a significant fire in recent years and there were large areas of burned and downed trees.

There were a lot of flowers in the area.

And we saw a Mountain Bluebird. 

Thank goodness for all of the birders in the park…we are all learning about more of the avian life in the park.

Next stop was the West Thumb Geyser Basin (so named because, when viewed from above it looks like a hand with the thumb sticking out into the lake).  The geyser features weren’t quite as dramatic as those seen in other areas...

although some of the pools were very deep and very blue.

A nice added feature was that the area was right on the lake, making for great views. 

There were even a couple of the geyser vent holds in the water just off the boardwalk.

After lunch we went back to the hotel to drop off Mom and Mary so that Mom could get a nap.  The rest of the group headed back out for a hike to a natural stone arch.

We were finally able to get reservations (at a reasonable hour) at our hotel restaurant.  Yummy food and great time had by all.