Porcelain Basin Hot Springs

Recently I made a trip to Norris Geyser Basin to meet a friend.  She had never been there before so we took a tour.  Norris is composed of two basins, the Back Basin and the Porcelain Basin.

Our first stop was a look at Steamboat which is on the Back Basin side.  I've never been lucky enough to see it erupt.  On this day it was pretty quiet so we moved on.

We viewed a couple geyser pools near Steamboat before making our way over to the Porcelain Basin.

I love this little pots that are bubbling with boiling water.

Then we came to the overlook for Porcelain Basin.  This is the hottest thermal area in Yellowstone.  The thermal features in this basin are above 200 degrees F.   The highest recorded temperature was 459 degrees.  Two years ago a man and his sister left the safety of the boardwalk and a tragedy occurred.  The brother slipped and fell into one of the pools when he leaned down to test the temperature of the pool.  The only thing that survived was his flip flop.

The pools have a baby blue or porcelain appearance.  This is caused by the siliceous sinter, a mineral that has been deposited by centuries of thermal activity.

Here I am with my friend Ellen from Louisiana.  She's not working here this year but came up to spend a week in the park.

The runoff from the pools is brightly colored.

This is caused by the living organisms, bacteria and algae, that thrive in this extreme environment.

Unfortunately I did not note the names of all these pools.  All I know is that they are gorgeous.

This is one of my favorites.

A final look at the basin before exiting.

Afterwards Ellen, her sister, friend and I had a picnic lunch at the Gibbon Meadows picnic area along the Gibbon River.  It was a fun time with a great group of ladies that included a bottle or two of wine.