Jacuzzi.....

Location: en route to Glacier National Park, Montana

After a night spent doing laundry and catching up on internet tasks, we went back to Yellowstone to spend one last day. We arrived early enough to secure a spot at Mammoth campgrounds, one of the most popular and fastest filling campgrounds in all of Yellowstone. It's easy to see why as Mammoth is in a drier section of the park meaning mosquitos are not a big issue, and the campground is set amongst some awesome scenery. After setting up camp and squaring away lunch, we went to see what mammoth is famous for, its own hot springs. The mammoth hot springs form step-like formations and are constantly changing unlike the geysers and springs near old faithful. This is because the rock near mammoth dissolves much faster and can build up to 4 feet a year, compared to the rock in the Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful area) that builds at the blazing rate of 2 in for every 100 years. In the last five years, the hot springs have shifted over and taken out one of the paths and boardwalks that used to go around the side.

After taking in the hot springs, we went on a short hike, and then went to seek out the second place in Yellowstone where swimming is permitted. Sitting on the confluence of the Boiling and Gardiner Rivers, this swimming spot is nothing like the first. The Boiling river is fed from a hot spring, making its waters very very hot. The Gardiner River is iced cold, but when they meet, the combination is just perfect. This was a natural jacuzzi, and as you moved around in it you could feel both hot and cold spots. The trick was to find a temperature that suited you and finding a rock to latch on to. After several days of hard hiking, a natural jacuzzi felt especially good, and may have been one of the coolest things we did in all of Yellowstone. Today we are on the road to Glacier national park, driving through the scenic state of Montana. Montana really is one of the best states to drive through as the interstate speed limits are 75, and the speed limit on 2 lane highways (1 lane in each direction) is a measly 70. This plus the combination of no sales tax makes it a great place to spend some time.

Chaitanya

Note: I'd love to get more pics up, but this connection is just putrid. I'll try and get them all up when I'm in Seattle next week. (This one picture took about 1 hour to upload....)