Today was wildlife day! We were up bright (?) and early for a 6:15 am "Wakeup to Wildlife" trip- 13 people plus our driver/guide in a 1936 White touring car, named Hollywood, which toured Yellowstone in the 1930s. Needless to say, it's been refurbished completely- very cool. During the morning we saw bison, elk, pronghorns, coyotes, big-horned sheep, deer and ospreys. Our guide showed me how to take the osprey picture using my phone and his spotting scope. It was a wonderful morning, although cold. There was snow on the mountains.
This afternoon John and I went to the North Entrance of Yellowstone to see the Roosevelt Arch, built in 1903, dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt who enacted the Antiquities Act enabling future presidents to proclaim historic landmarks as national monuments, by executive order. This Act is the original authority for much of what is now the National Park System. It's amazing when you think of the millions of acres in the System which are protected and which belong to us!
Then we visited Mammoth Hot Springs where mineral water flows continuously, building ever-changing natural travertine terraces. Another example of the hydrothermal features which distinguish Yellowstone from other national parks.
Finally we saw the Petrified Tree, a 45 million year old petrified redwood tree. Wonderful day!