Norris Geyser Basin - Part I

After we explored the park ranger museum we drove over to the nearby Norris Geyser Basin to explore the thermal features there.  Shortly after parking the car we discovered that the only restrooms were located adjacent to the parking lot--there were none within the basin.

I was surprised at the small size of some of the museums and bookstores in Yellowstone--but I guess it makes sense when you realize how old some of the buildings are, the harsh conditions, and the small amount of space available for some buildings (without impacting the geothermal features for example).  At least we were coming in the summer as in the winter only a few of the parks dozens of buildings are open for business.

The first building we saw, off to the left, was the bookstore. I  had to stop here at some point since I wanted a stamp for my passport book.

The day was a bit cool (okay, Amy called it COLD) and slightly windy.  Amy nevertheless forged ahead with me and did explore the area, well part of it.  We ventured into the Porcelain Basin area, but didn't really see anything in the Back Basin region--but that is something we can see on another trip I'm sure.

Before heading out into the basin we stopped by the Norris Museum.  It is an old log building, but has several small exhibits and there was a park ranger on duty to answer questions and present some demonstrations.

This map shows hotspots the world over--many of which are concentrated in the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Ocean.

It also gave a good definition for thermophile, the organisms that not only survive, but thrive in Yellowstone's thermal features:

Thermo = HotPhile = Love 

What is a Thermophile? 

Thermophile (therm-o-phile) - Microorganisms that "love" to live in a hot spring or other hot places are called thermophiles. 

Thermoacidophile (thermo-acid-o-phile) - Thermophiles that live in acid--and cannot survive in alkaline places--are called thermoacidophiles. 

Extremophile (extrem-o-phile) - Extremophiles are extraordinarily hardy.  They inhabit extreme conditions such as acidic water containing arsenic or aluminum.
--from Norris Museum signage

The nice thing about the museum building is that you walk right through it to venture into the Porcelain Basin portion of the geyser basin.

For some reason other people also shared Amy's view that the day was a tad chilly...

The sweeping view before you is named for its porcelain-like appearance--smooth sinter deposited by centures of thermal activity, continually glazed by minerals, hot water, and living microorganisms called thermophiles.
--NPS trail signage

One of the first things we saw was a fumarole belching steam into the chill air.

Norris definitely has its fair share of "bobby socks" trees that have been killed by the encroachment of mineral-laden waters.

There was also plenty of color to be visible even just on the ground.

Tomorrow we'll continue around the basin and explore just a bit more.

~Matt