Colors

DAY FORTY-SEVEN: We're in Bartlett, IL and it's a beautiful day, sunny but relatively cool and low humidity for the mid-west.

Continuing my narrative - going back to Sunday - after breakfast at Old Faithful Inn we went on a short hike through a geyser basin to Mystic Falls. The colors of the geyser basins, created by bacteria, are stunning, as is the deep blue of the water. Wildflowers blanketed the hillsides. I made a discovery: that I could take a photo with my iPhone through a magnifying glass and get some very nice closeup photos of blossoms.

After our hike, we drove to the Mammoth Hot Springs area and went to the one TV screen in the park - at a lounge at Mammoth - to watch the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina. The room was packed, and there seemed to be a lot of Germans and Argentinians in the crowd, so the atmosphere was electric. The game went into overtime, 0-0, but Germany finally got a score late in overtime, and won 1-0. The Germans were overjoyed and the Argentinians took their defeat with civility, all as it should be. During the game, I bought an hour's Wifi time (no free Wifi in Yellowstone), and made a motel reservation in Billings, MT., and after a little picnic we drove over to Roosevelt Lodge, through the Lamar Valley (lots of bison), and out the NE entrance, over the Beartooth Scenic Highway to Red Lodge, MT where we ate supper, and on to Billings. Here are some photos from Yellowstone:

Vivid colors

Nice closeups

Carpets of flowers

World Cup excitement