2.1 Million Years In The Making

We recently returned from an RV trip that covered some 5,200 miles over a five-week period.  Joining us on "The Great Westward Ho! Adventure were our friends Ralph and Adrienne.  Yellowstone National Park was one of our major destinations. While Mike did most of the trip routing and made most of the camping reservations, Addie made sure we hit the major highlights of the park - and made the always-important dinner reservations at several of the park's lodges.  There was plenty to see and do in the 2.2 million acre park, with over 10,000 hydro-thermal features including 300 geysers, not to mention the amazing scenery and abundant wildlife.

Old Faithful, the most iconic symbol of Yellowstone National Park, taken
from the second-floor balcony off the lobby at Old Faithful Lodge

Our friends Ralph and Adrienne, who accompanied us on "The Great Westward Ho
Adventure".  Taken at Biscuit Basin, near Old Faithful, on a chilly morning

Mike & Yvonne, taken at an overlook of the Lower Falls on the Yellowstone
River, in an area known as "the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone"

Yellowstone became America's first National Park in 1872, during the Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. The U.S. Army was given the responsibility of protecting Yellowstone beginning in 1886.  Many of the structures in the Mammoth Hot Springs area were built between 1891 and 1913 as part of Fort Yellowstone. Congress created the National Park Service in 1916 and by 1918 the military presence in the park was phased out.

Our first view of Yellowstone was the Roosevelt Gate, at the north entrance
to the park, coming in from Gardiner, MT.  The road goes through the arch,
but when we were there road construction routed us around the arch.

This building on Officers' Row was once home to Army officers.  It is now the Mammoth
Visitor's Center.  Mammoth Hot Springs is also the location of the park's headquarters.

Elk graze and lounge on the grass around the buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs

This cabin at Norris once served as a remote outpost for the Army,
then later as a home for early park rangers.  It is now a museum

Yellowstone has always captured the imagination of the public as well as the interest of scientists. In a letter written by Daniel Potts in 1820, the area known today as West Thumb -  including Potts' Basin - was described with much fascination. The first scientific expedition into the area took place in 1869.  Interest has certainly not waned.  During the first eight months of 2015, three million people visited the park, and July 2015 saw the highest number of visitors in a single month since 1916.

THE WEST THUMB AREA

Most of the hydro-thermal features of the park are within the ancient caldera resulting from a massive volcanic eruption some 640,000 years ago.  About half of the world's active geysers can be found in this area. Probably the best known feature is Old Faithful.  It has neither the highest eruption nor  the greatest volume of water, but it is, well...faithful!  It can be counted on to erupt on average every 88 minutes, plus or minus 10 minutes.

Old Faithful

Beehive Geyser erupted about 20 minutes after Old Faithful one day while
we were there but it is nowhere near as predictable as Old Faithful

A close-up of Beehive, right after its eruption

In this area the hydro-thermal system has a constant source of water from ground water, rain and snow melt.  The underlying partially-molten magma body releases tremendous heat.  The super-heated water has temperatures exceeding 400 degrees. The water remains in a liquid state rather than turning into steam due to the pressure and weight of the overlying water.

Biscuit Basin area

Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, and
the third-largest in the world, at almost 370 feet in Diameter

Firehole River, just downstream from Old Faithful, in the Upper Geyser Basin

 

On a chilly morning in the Middle Geyser Basin area, the steam rising
from the geysers creates a thick blanket of fog 

There are numerous other thermal features including mudpots, hot springs, fumaroles (steam vents), and travertine terraces.

Mudpots, such as Mud Volcanoes, Artist Paint Pots and Fountain Paint Pots, are acidic features with a limited water supply.  Hydrogen sulfide gas is usually present, giving mudpots their characteristic odor of rotten eggs.  Some microorganisms use the hydrogen sulfide for energy.  The microbes help to convert the gas to sulfuric acid which breaks down rock into clay. The result is a bubbling, gooey, odorous concoction.  The Witches of Macbeth would feel right at home cackling around these bubbling pots.

 

Bison grazing near Sour Lake in the Mud Volcano area

Artist's Paint Pots

Mud Volcano area

Fumaroles - steam vents - are the hottest surface thermal features in Yellowstone. There is so little water in the hydro-thermal system that the water boils away before reaching the surface. Fumaroles are super-heated to 280 degrees F.  At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees F.  At an average elevation of 8,000 feet, water boils at a lower temperature in Yellowstone.  Some of the thermal features have temperatures just below 200 degrees, yet still boil and bubble.  The Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most changeable area in Yellowstone.

Norris Geyser Basin area

Steamboat Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin

Travertine terraces like those seen in the Mammoth Hot Springs area are formed from limestone.  Thermal water rises through the limestone.  At the surface carbon dioxide is released and calcium carbonate is deposited, forming travertine.

 

Calcium carbonate deposits have a resemblance to stalactites in caves

Minerva Terrace, named for the Roman goddess of artists and sculptors 

Some of these features were formed as recently as the 1990's

Mammoth Hot Springs is the only major thermal area found outside the caldera in Yellowstone.

While the geothermal features are the major attraction in Yellowstone, the area has abundant wildlife and amazing scenery.

Bison grazing along the Yellowstone River

Sapphire Pool in the Biscuit Basin area

Large bull elk with a huge rack

Upper Falls on the Yellowstone, in the area known as the
"Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone"

Ravens are seen throughout the park

Middle Basin area, along the Firehole River on a chilly morning

Trumpeter Swans on the Yellowstone River.  These birds are the heaviest
living birds native to North America, and can have a wingspan of up to 10 feet

Following our chuck-wagon cookout one evening, our wagon drove through
a herd of bison on the way back to our starting point near Roosevelt Lodge

Mike and Sophie relaxing in front of the Fishing Bridge General Store.
We camped at the Fishing Bridge Campground, the only full-hook-up
campground in the park.

During our eight-day stay in Yellowstone, we explored most major roads in the park.  Around every turn and over every mountain pass, we found new and exciting Road Stories.

We crossed the Continental Divide at least a dozen times
during our exploration of Yellowstone National Park

The END
Bison have the right-of-way and often just stroll down the middle of the roads

The Seventh Wonder of the World

Within the dense jungles of northwestern Cambodia is the ancient city of Angkor, once the capital of the Khmer Kingdom which dominated much of Southeast Asia from AD 802 to 1432.  It is thought that 750,000 people lived in Angkor, making it the most extensive urban complex in the pre-industrial world.  Located in this 77-square-mile area there are at least 70 temples and other structures.  One of those is Angkor Wat ("Capital Temple" in the Khmer language),  the largest single religious complex in the world!  There is also the mystical Ta Prohm site shrouded in silk cotton trees, banyan trees and creeping fig trees. The delicate bas-relief of  Banteay Srei has lead it to be referred to as the Citadel of Women.  This temple was founded by priests, not by a royal family as the other temples were.  Due to political discord these magnificent edifices were not accessible to archeologists or tourists for decades, but it is once again possible to visit this amazing place.  In 2011 Mike and I had the opportunity to view and walk within the walls of some of the most awe-inspiring sites created by man.

Built AD 1080-1175 by King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat represents the mythical
abode of the gods and the center of the universe

Hindu Priests praying near the entrance to Angkor Wat Temple.
Angkor Wat is a holy shrine in both the Hindu and Buddhist religions 

A wedding party in front of the temple gives one a perspective of just how large the temple is.
The entire temple is surrounded by a moat, representing the outer edge of the universe.

Apsaras, celestial dancing girls, are a go-between between man and the gods.
At Angkor Wat, there are over 2,000 engravings similar to these.
One bas-relief panel measures 1,970 feet in length.

A view of the temple courtyard looking down from one of the towers,
gives some perspective on how vast the complex is.

These temples were "lost" for centuries, swallowed up by the encroaching jungle,
They became known  to the rest of the world when the French uncovered them
around the early 1940's and began restoring them. 

Ta Prohm was once a Buddhist Monastery, with 18 "High Priests"
and 12,640 temple "workers".  Note how the Kapok (silk cotton)
trees have grown around and into the building.

Angkor Thom Temple: Rows of gods lining the path to the temple's south gate.
154 statues, gods on the left (shown) and demons on the right (not shown)

Angkor Thom's central towers each have four smiling faces gazing
out in the cardinal directions.  This temple was built by King
Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century

King Jayavarman VII

Entrance to Banteay Srie, called the Citadel of Women, because of its
delicate carvings.  It is located 19 miles from Angkor Wat.

Inside Banteay Srie, the Monkey King, Hanuman, a Hindu god, guards the building.
This temple was founded in the second half of the 10th century by Hindu Priests

Another view of the Monkey Kings guarding the temple

It is amazing that so much of the bas-relief has survived, but this man's
wife (or mistress) has lost her head.

Phnom Bakheng Temple, ca. 889-910 AD.  Kings and priests gathered at this spot.
Now tourists gather here because the setting sun brightly illuminates the towers of
Angkor Wat.  There is concern about damage to this temple from all the people.

The amazing sites (and sights) of Angkor capture the visitor's imagination but, of course, the people of Cambodia are the real story.  Even though extremely brief, I feel it would be remiss not to touch on the history of Cambodia.  The people of Cambodia reflect the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.

We took an ox cart tour of this village, on a tributary of the Siem Reap River

The ox cart driver invited us to his home to meet his family.  They spoke very
little English, but we still managed to communicate with them.

Cambodia has been fraught with conflict since its inception.  Its history can be traced back to the 6th century.  By AD 800 under Jayavarman II, the great Khmer temples were built.  After several centuries of wars, a period of relative peace permitted the building of the elaborate capital, Angkor Thom.

Then came an extended period of foreign influence.  The Spanish invaded in 1596 but were soon defeated by the Siamese.  During the following centuries there was almost always combat with Thailand and Vietnam.  In 1863 the French sent gunboats into the area to create a French Protectorate.  In 1941 the Japanese took power and held Cambodia until the end of the war, when the country was returned to the French.  In 1953 King Sihanouk rose to power and established The Peoples Communist Party.  Cambodia remained neutral in the Vietnam War until 1965, when the Viet Cong were allowed to use Cambodian territory, leading to extensive  bombing by U.S. forces.

In 1970 King Sihanouk was deposed by one of his generals.  In 1975 the capital city, Phenom Penh, fell to the Khmer Rouge and their leader, Pol Pot. The following three years were some of the most horrific in history.  There was a systematic genocide against their own people.  Pol Pot decided Cambodia should return to a complete agrarian society so anyone with any type of education was killed or sent to labor camps in the rice paddies.  Anybody who had worked in a bank, a school, or for a newspaper, thousands of doctors or nurses, even people who wore glasses were killed.  It is estimated that nearly two million people - - between 1/5 to 1/3 of the population - - were annihilated.  Finally, in 1978 Vietnam invaded Cambodia and Pol Pot and his followers took refuge in the remote mountains.  In 1979 a new government was installed but civil war continued sporadically until 1990, when the country returned to a Constitutional Monarchy which is still in place today. 

At Wat Thmei, this "stupa" displays the skulls and bones of local Khmer
Rouge victims, as a reminder of the atrocities carried out by the Pol Pot regime

It is amazing how people are able to forge ahead with their lives and maintain a positive spirit. Those we meet were gracious and hard working with a very positive outlook for their future.

Despite becoming increasingly busy catering to the large number of tourists visiting the temple complexes, the city of Siem Reap has managed to retain much of its agrarian charm.

Fruit market onthe street in Siem Reap

Meat market in Siem Reap

Food vendor at Angkor Pyunyu Fair, a night street fair and
market near Siem Reap

Plastic wares and soda for sale at this booth at the night street market

Traditional dance being performed at the Angkor Mondial Restaurant,
where we enjoyed a buffet dinner one night

Gardens of a Buddhist Temple in Siem Reap

Buddha is depicted in several variations in Cambodia

Lobby of our hotel in Siem Reap

Hotel pool, Siem Reap

Tonle Sap is the largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia.  The floating village of Kompong Phhluk is home to roughly 600 families who live, work, trade and educate their children in buildings floating on large rafts in the lake.

Everybody does everything by boat...including live aboard...on Tonle Sap Lake

The floating village of Kompong Phhluk on Tonle Sap Lake is home
to about 600 families

Boats parked in front of a residence

Even the pigs live on the water.  This hog pen actually floats on a small raft.

School built by the United Nations for village children

Buddhist Monks looking at a crocodile that some of the villagers raised for meat

A family returns to the village

Transporting a load of millet back to the village.  The grain is
used for human consumption, and the husks for animal feed.

A child plays in a boat on the lake

An entire extended family returning to the village

We were awed by the magnificent archeological sites and buoyed but by the spirit of the people who we had the pleasure to encounter.  Our journey to see the Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World provided us with a plethora of memories and Road Stories.

Sunset in Cambodia...

...adding to the magnificence of the Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World