The Wild Images

Dale Chihuly is a master conductor of glassblowing. Through a team of master craftsmen, his creations are usually produced on a grand scale. His sculptures can be enormous in size, but due to the nature of the medium, glass, they can often look very delicate with the extensive streamers and fronds of glass extending outward in a complex fashion from the dense center of a sculpture body. From a distance, his sculptures look intricate in the various ways that the streamers and fronds often curl around themselves. But as a viewer moves closer to the sculpture, the intricacies of the the glass begin to take on a different form. No longer are complexities of the outward shapes the dominant feature. Instead it is the various textures of each glass surface. The long streamers are often ribbed along their lengths, while other sections have concentric ribs reminiscent of a cornucopia, some of the spherical shapes have ridges that give an appearance of a variety of gourds with stem pieces, whereas yet others have serrated edges and openings that are more reminiscent of various seashells. The above close up view of a large Chihuly glass sculpture was captured by The Wild Images Team during one of our visits to the Desert Botanical Garden of Phoenix, Arizona. This gives a unique view into the details taken just to create each little portion, of which there are hundreds comprising the entire sculpture. Another Chihuly sculpture photographed is this sharp glass sculpture with cacti which is available for sale in our store. Some of our other blog posts document the many images we captured of Chihuly glass at the Desert Botanical Garden. There is this multicolored boatload of glass, the mass of blue and white glass atop a wall, this lighted view of purple stem vegetation glass, and this lighted view of red stem vegetation glass. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Arizona, such as the colorful storm buildup in the painted desert, the stark view of an incredibly tall monsoon cloud over desert, the sky covering massive anvil cloud over the mountains, the isolation in the curtains of rain over the Navajo Nation, the deep red lightning scene in the Mazatzals, the moment Zeus throws a bolt over Cave Creek, the network of colorful bolts over the Sedona ridges, the rainfall created colorful dry wash in bloom, the dangerous stripe-tailed scorpion climbing plants, the deep desert late night glowing bark scorpions, the dynamic image of a honeybee on an exotic wildflower, the view of a hummingbird among the thick wildflowers, a lucky shot of a great horned owl roosting in mesquite tree, the evening view of an organ pipe cactus, the serene scene of ocotillos and saguaro cacti, the view from Bell Rock of scrub brush and phenomenally colorful cliffs, this precarious Wupatki box canyon dwelling, a look up at the very majestic Wukoki Pueblo ruins, a chance encounter with a thunderstorm through a Wukoki Pueblo window, and the spiny sharp glass sculpture with cacti, each of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Arizona have documented the close up of a large stripe-tailed scorpion, the animated behavior of a great horned owl, the nearly daily encounters with the multitude of rattlesnakes, the mysterious darkness created by a very prominent Alexander’s Band between two brilliant rainbows, the crazy late sunset when red rain fell over the Mazatzal Mountains, monsoon season forming rain curtains hanging in front of the sunset, the sunset moment when delicate rain curtains fell in front of a darkening sky, spring rainfall creating a colorful desert bloom in a dry wash, the dynamic view of a honeybee equipped with dual pollen baskets among the blooms, the red sunlit clouds with a rainbow over the foothills of Black Mountain, the massive spectacle of a giant spiderweb of lightning over Black Mountain, near Sedona where red cliffs are framed by cane chollas, the reddish glow of sunset lighting an organ pipe cactus, the precarious location of the cliff edge Box Canyon ruins, the strategic location of the majestic Montezuma Castle Sinagua dwellings, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at a scenic Grand Canyon overlook, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina in front of the Wupatki Pueblo, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tombstone and the Original Bird Cage Theatre history, its interior eponymic Bird Cage balcony seats, its secretive hidden door beneath the stage, through which lies the underground hidden gambling room, next to a hidden room for a lady of the night, the OK Corral Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp and Wyatt Earp and their gun fight with Tom McClaury, Frank McClaury, and Billy Clanton, the Boothill Graveyard headstone of Lester Moore and the headstone of John Heath, the reflective multicolored boatload of glass, the mass of blue and white glass atop a wall, the lighted view of purple stem vegetation glass, the lighted view of red stem vegetation glass, the closer view of the textures and shapes of Chihuly glass, the overlook view of Comet Neowise with a saguaro, which was brightly shining over the town of Cave Creek, eventually with its bright green coma and tail, as it appears to drop down into a saguaro grove, the day when rare snow fell in the Sonoran Desert and covered Black Mountain in a white blanket, the weeks of a devastating large record setting Bush Fire that continuously raged through the Superstition Mountains, the day when the Aquila Fire burned through Desert Hills causing massive destruction to a few structures, the day that the East Desert Fire nearly burned into the Cave Creek area, and then two weeks later the day when the devastating Ocotillo Fire did burn down into and throughout the estates which were protected by spectacular firefighting around the town of Cave Creek leaving behind this iconic image.

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Glacier National Park is found in extreme northern Montana, along the borders with the provinces of both British Columbia and Alberta, across which the mountainous terrain becomes known as Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada, and where the Rocky Mountains continue northward forming the border between British Columbia and Alberta for hundreds of more miles. Glacier National Park is as stunning as its name implies. There are glaciers and extensive icecaps. But even more noticeable is the effect that the much larger glaciers of the last Ice Age have had on the area. Glaciers consist of tons of ice, what was once snow has been compressed down into much more dense ice, which slowly slides down the canyon gradients created by the melt water underneath and beyond the snout, the downhill terminus of the ice. The canyons there are very steep-walled, forming the characteristic deep U shapes seen in mountainous regions that have experienced heavy glaciation in the past, and a signature of the Rocky Mountains from here northward. The famous park driving route known as Going-To-The-Sun Road is as extreme as can be imagined, especially after it rises out of the McDonald Creek canyon eastward beyond the giant switchback obvious on a map. At this point the road is either not at all guarded from the sheer drop of several hundreds of feet to the distant valley below, or has a low wall that provides little comfort. But the views are completely unhindered, and are breathtaking. Perhaps lesser known in Glacier National Park is the wildlife, which can often be just as dramatic as the scenery amongst which they scratch out a living. One example is the yellow-bellied marmot, pictured in the above photo atop a large rock along a remote section of trail. Yellow-bellied marmots only live in high altitude regions above about 7000 feet up to at least 14000 feet, and in areas that are mainly clear of vegetation, so this was a perfect setting to find one. Due to the harsh winters at these altitudes, marmots generally hibernate for about eight months of the year. The other other four months are spent partially in their den and partially outside, where they become very active. They are known to emit an extremely loud whistle, one that belies their size, though they actually are a very large type of ground squirrel weighing up to 11 pounds or slightly more. The above image was captured by The Wild Images Team just as this large male had been whistling, which was replied to somewhere further down the steep canyon, though in the image the marmot appears to be smiling, as though this was some kind of joke directed towards us silly humans. Either way, the colorful lichen covered rock and background scree composed a great image. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images from Montana such as a group of white mountain goats as they graze the highlands, an expansive view of rocky ridges extending to the horizon, the colorfully massive wall of Hidden Lake, high altitude view of tundra and glacial lakes, a very remote reflective alpine lake covered with rocks, and an ominously approaching heavy downpour over the green foothills, all of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Montana have documented the very deep blue waters of McDonald Creek and the panoramic view of The Wild Images Team at Hidden Lake. In neighboring Wyoming, The Wild Images Team has captured images such as the contrast found in the colorful grasslands and background Grand Teton National Park peaks, the varying landscape of Grand Teton National Park rocky peaks and clouds, the large antlers on display as an elk takes a look back in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the vertical abruptness as Devils Tower rises above the red rocks and green pines, and the many hues found as the colorful badlands cover over this very remote region, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Wyoming have documented as the rugged snowy peaks rise above wildflowers, and as The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome poses for a picture at the Meeteetse “Where Chiefs Meet” welcome sign. In neighboring South Dakota we have captured images such as the bright flash of a colorful lightning strike over the badlands, the moment that a pronghorn displays its phenomenal physique, and the time that a massive bison bull came meandering past, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from South Dakota have documented the centuries long carving of the massive Crazy Horse Monument, the very majestic Mount Rushmore and the Avenue of Flags, the expansive view as wild burros walk through the rolling prairies, the ever wary prairie dog stands at attention in the prairie, the amazing location of the granite roadways through Custer State Park, when The Wild Images Team encountered a remote end of trail sign in the middle of nowhere, this close up image of textures in a colorful badlands mound, the interesting time when a flock of turkeys photobombed our image, and The Wild Images Team sunset shadows over Badlands National Park. In nearby North Dakota, we have captured images such as the contrast created by the horizontal color bands cross through yellow badlands and the entire herd as a group of wild horses cluster together on a hilltop, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts of North Dakota have documented the herd of bison grazing in the grasslands and the ever changing colorful badland mound that caps a rolling ridge.

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The Wild Images Team spends a large amount of time exploring areas without a definite itinerary. We find this to be especially useful in our quest for great photographic opportunities, since you never know when you may encounter an unexpected scene around the next corner, or perhaps down the path that is not often followed. With that thought guiding us one day, we found ourselves deep in the bayou in south central Louisiana, far west of New Orleans. In particular, this day found us in the area of West Cote Blanche Bay, one of the many marshy bays that form the shoreline to the Gulf of Mexico in this remote part of Louisiana. Coming out of the thick trees, we were surprised to encounter this isolated cemetery. Similar to the land around New Orleans, in this region the water table is also very high, meaning that holes dug around here will immediately fill up with water and become a pool. For this reason, coffins are not placed in the ground but rather they are laid into above ground stone mausoleums, creating a common sight in the cemeteries of southern Louisiana. Seizing the opportunity, we spent some significant time there taking photos of the various features. In this direction we were struck by this view of the white statue through very ornate gates. The gates are of extraordinarily intricate design. Close inspection of the above image will reveal that the flower vines lacing their way through lattice of the the front gates are themselves also part of the iron work! The vines are painted green and the flowers are oxidized into reddish hues. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images in the bayou such as the alligator with cypress tree reflections, a group of alligators with dragonflies, a very large cypress tree and Spanish moss, a thick cypress tree grove reflects in the still water, a large swarm of dragonflies congregate on a marsh plant, a very red sunset through the cypress trees, and a reflective sunset through the Spanish moss, each of which is available for sale in our store. Another image captured further away to the south along the Gulf of Mexico coast is this very remote cemetery near Cote Blanche Bay, and much further away to the north up the Mississippi River is the Myrtles Plantation front yard walkway, each of which are available for sale in our store. We have also documented much of our time in Louisiana in many different blog posts such as in the Atchafalaya Basin where we encountered an open style honeybee hive and Spanish moss and down near the gulf coast with another view of the remote cemetery near Cote Blanche Bay. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images much further away to the east in New Orleans including the prominent Hotel Monteleone and surrounding buildings, beautiful French Quarter ironwork view through the cornstalk fence, intricate designs of a house facade and lamp shadows, nice reflection of a bridge in the Louis Armstrong Park, dynamic view as a Canal Line streetcar passes a St. Charles Line streetcar, the eerie nighttime view of Pirates Alley of the French Quarter, an example of an urban art sign stenciled on the wall, the distant building and colorful lights of the French Market, chance encounter with a teddy bear silhouette in French Market window, more north can be found an ornate mausoleum of Greenwood Cemetery, elsewhere is a heavenly scene over Cypress Grove Cemetery, more south was a sunset over the Mississippi River delta, all of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts of New Orleans document the midnight crowd at always busy Cafe du Monde, the dimly lit stocked shelves of Loa Bar in the International House Hotel, the colorful French Quarter Wedding Chapel at night, the happy couple leading a wedding procession on Chartres Street, far down the French Quarter where intricately colorful balconies stand above Chartres Street, the moment when entertainers welcomed crowds to the Jax Brewery, the street performer human statue Uncle Louis poses with a visitor, the pink hues of a rare colorful mausoleum in Greenwood Cemetery, the long shadows of bikes chained to old pump lamp posts, reflections of the bus commuters in front of a St. Charles Line Streetcar, a view of the city reflected in the Steamboat Natchez searchlight, the nighttime view of lighted tugboats along the Mississippi River, the steampunk view of the PBF Petroleum Refinery along the Mississippi River, the St. Charles Avenue Irish House Guinness Toucan Time For A Pint clock, the humorous but serious condominium listing warning that the place for lease is haunted, the listing that creates relief by being not haunted, our always entertaining Team Coordinator Christina in Cafe Maspero, and again our Team Coordinator under the Guinness Toucan clock.

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Here is a view of Mount Rushmore from beyond the Avenue of Flags taken by The Wild Images Team during one of our treks through the Black Hills of South Dakota. Gutzon Borglum chose these four particular presidents, in order from left to right, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, as he felt they each represented the four most important moments in the history of the United States at the time when the sculpture was completed on Halloween Day eighty years ago, October 31, 1941. It is a curious thought of which presidents would be included if additional faces were carved or if a new monument were to be constructed today. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan all immediately come to mind. Undoubtedly the four presidents that are currently depicted on Mount Rushmore will always remain at or near the top of the list of the greatest presidents to serve the United States. George Washington, known as the Father of our Nation, was appointed by the Continental Congress to be the Commanding General of the Continental Army which found victory in the American Revolutionary War and later presided over the Constitutional Congress that drafted the Constitution of the United States and established its federal government. Thomas Jefferson was the principle author of the Declaration of Independence, served as the very first Secretary of State during the George Washington administration, and organized the Louisiana Purchase that doubled the size of the nation. Abraham Lincoln led the country during its greatest moral and constitutional crisis, the Civil War, delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, and instituted the Emancipation Proclamation, effectively ending the practice of slavery. Theodore Roosevelt established the Square Deal, which included policies for conservation of natural resources including the establishment of the National Parks system, control of corporations such as bad trusts, and consumer protections. The original intent of Mount Rushmore was to carve the presidents from head to waist, but a lack of funding forced construction to stop after their 60 foot tall faces were carved. Even just with the faces being carved out, it required 410,000 tons of granite rock to be blasted off of the mountain. Most of that rock forms the massive rock scree pile that can be seen at the center of the above image just below the carvings, where only a few pines have managed to find stable enough ground to grow on top. In front of the monument itself stands the Avenue of Flags, representing the 56 governed interests of the United States. Out of the 56, most of them, of course, represent the 50 states. But also included is one district, namely the District of Columbia, two commonwealths, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and three territories, the Territory of Guam, the Territory of American Samoa, and the Territory of the Virgin Islands. The Avenue of Flags is organized in alphabetical order with those that begin with A nearest in the above image, finishing with those that begin with W furthest away. Nearby in the Black Hills is the ongoing Crazy Horse Monument, which involves the carving out of an entire granite mountain, detailed in this previous blog post. Work on the Crazy Horse Monument began in 1949, and has continues since, with it expected to be at least another 150 years before completion. Also in the area of the Black Hills is Custer State Park, with its wild burros detailed in this blog post and its granite roadways covered in this blog post. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images from South Dakota such as the bright flash of a colorful lightning strike over the badlands, the moment that a pronghorn displays its phenomenal physique, and the time that a massive bison bull came meandering past, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from South Dakota have documented the centuries long carving of the massive Crazy Horse Monument, the very majestic Mount Rushmore and the Avenue of Flags, the expansive view as wild burros walk through the rolling prairies, the ever wary prairie dog stands at attention in the prairie, the amazing location of the granite roadways through Custer State Park, when The Wild Images Team encountered a remote end of trail sign in the middle of nowhere, this close up image of textures in a colorful badlands mound, the interesting time when a flock of turkeys photobombed our image, and The Wild Images Team sunset shadows over Badlands National Park. In neighboring North Dakota, The Wild Images Team has captured images such as the contrast created by the horizontal color bands cross through yellow badlands and the entire herd as a group of wild horses cluster together on a hilltop, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts of North Dakota have documented the herd of bison grazing in the grasslands and the ever changing colorful badland mound that caps a rolling ridge. In neighboring Wyoming, The Wild Images Team has captured images such as the contrast found in the colorful grasslands and background Grand Teton National Park peaks, the varying landscape of Grand Teton National Park rocky peaks and clouds, the large antlers on display as an elk takes a look back in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the vertical abruptness as Devils Tower rises above the red rocks and green pines, and the many hues found as the colorful badlands cover over this very remote region, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Wyoming have documented as the rugged snowy peaks rise above wildflowers, and as The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome poses for a picture at the Meeteetse “Where Chiefs Meet” welcome sign. In neighboring Montana, The Wild Images Team has captured images such as a group of white mountain goats as they graze the highlands, an expansive view of rocky ridges extending to the horizon, the colorfully massive wall of Hidden Lake, high altitude view of tundra and glacial lakes, a very remote reflective alpine lake covered with rocks, and an ominously approaching heavy downpour over the green foothills, all of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Montana have documented the very deep blue waters of McDonald Creek and the panoramic view of The Wild Images Team at Hidden Lake.

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A geyser that needs no introduction, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser never ceases to amaze! Does Old Faithful Geyser of the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming deserve all of the attention and praise that it receives? Absolutely. Why? Because it is easily the tallest, most predictable, and most frequent geyser in the world. It is not the tallest geyser in the world, that title belongs to the mighty Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser of Yellowstone National Park. It is not the most predictable geyser in the world, that belongs to Daisy Geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. It is not the most frequent geyser in the world, there are some that erupt every few seconds or are perpetual spouters, geysers that never cease erupting at all. But among the tallest geysers in the world, Old Faithful Geyser is the most frequent performer and the most predictable. As its name suggests, it is very faithful to its timely eruption schedule and it erupts very frequently. Its eruptions occur almost like clockwork, but in what is known as a bimodal distribution schedule, where the interval between eruptions can be one of two possibilities, either 65 minutes or 90 minutes. The duration of the previous eruption will determine which of the two intervals it will follow for the subsequent eruption. The eruption can last anywhere between 1.5 minutes and 5 minutes. Those that last less than 2.5 minutes will predict the next eruption to be 65 minutes later give or take about 10 minutes, and those that last more than 2.5 minutes will predict the next eruption to be 90 minutes later give or take about 10 minutes. Before it erupts, it will begin throwing bursts of water out of its cone. Sometimes it will rise up several tens of feet, before dropping back down again. Eventually it will lock into an eruption, and the water column will rise up to at least 150 feet, often times reaching up to 200 feet, and hold there for several minutes. After this, its height will slowly diminish until it becomes a gently steaming cone. It is a surprisingly difficult geyser to produce a great photograph during the height of its eruption due to the enormous amount of steam that envelops the superheated water column. Most photos of Old Faithful Geyser will appear as just a flat mass of steam. But with the right time of day, usually late afternoon at the earliest though closer to sunset is often the best, coupled with a beautiful sky can create a great setting as viewed from the west side of the geyser. But most importantly, and the one that is often not present, a stiff westerly wind must be present to blow away the steam curtain and expose the fine details of its water layers as seen in the above image and also in this absolutely gorgeous sister image captured moments before that is available for sale in our store. This blog post represents our final entry (though it will appear at the top due to the reverse order) in the Geysers of Yellowstone National Park series that we have been writing over the last several months. In this series we have covered the details of many geyser eruptions that we have had the privilege to observe and photograph while spending several months in Yellowstone National Park each season over the span of 5 years. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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The Wild Images Team has often been asked: what are the most difficult subjects you have photographed? We will begin this topic by stating that no subjects that we have photographed have been easy. There is always an entire set of factors that have to be accounted for in order to compose a great image. Lighting is super important, and since much of our photography is of the outdoors, lighting is something that we cannot control other then wait until the moment presents itself. Many days can pass by with flat light due to a thick cloud layer especially during rainy or snowy weather. Then there is the background to consider, which often includes the sky. Depending on the time of day and the angle of the shot, the sky can be washed out from the intense light from the sun. Other times planes will streak the sky with vapor trails that can take forever to dissipate. Wildfires are very common, and if the wind is from a certain direction, the sky can be hazed out for days and days. Then there are the clouds themselves, constantly moving and changing, and alternately covering up the lighting source. Then there is the foreground, which can have plants and water surfaces moving around due to wind or falling debris. Once all of this can be factored in, a great landscape photo or urban architecture photo can be captured. If the subject is wildlife, extra time has to be spent waiting for the wildlife to do something interesting on top of all the aforementioned factors. But for The Wild Images Team, the most difficult subjects of all to photograph are the geysers. Why? Geysers spend most of their time not even being present to capture an image. Some of the geysers we have photographed only erupt once per day, once per week, once per two weeks, or even less. Many will not erupt at all for years. When they do erupt, they are as likely to erupt in the dark of night as they are during the day. And most importantly, when the eruption finally occurs after waiting for days or weeks, it often lasts for only a few short minutes, with some even lasting less than a minute. And all aforementioned factors have to all be met at this very moment. Then, if that is not enough, geysers often produce enormous amount of steam that will often completely cover up the eruption itself. Geysers are our toughest subject to photograph. Hands down. But no single geyser has been tougher to capture than Oblong Geyser, seen in the above image. Why Oblong Geyser? It isn’t a super rare geyser, though it isn’t very frequent either, erupting once every 5 to 16 hours, at least when active. It does become less active or dormant other times. As it leads up to an eruption, Oblong Geyser will cycle through periods of low water below its crater rim, and brief high water pouring out of its pool about every 20 minutes. Oblong Geyser originates from an oval shaped pool, measuring 40 feet by 10 feet, from which it earned its name. It is a fountain type geyser, where the steam originated in vents submerged under deep water and bursts through the surface carrying large volumes of water upward with it. But Oblong Geyser is surrounded by runoff channels and also continues to push out enormous amounts of water during an eruption. With all of that boiling water comes a large amount of steam. As can be seen in the above image, an Oblong Geyser eruption is surrounded by steam in all directions, masking the water texture in its eruption. It took several months of attempts but we finally captured this absolutely stunning Oblong Geyser blue burst image available for sale in our store! It was taken on a different day, actually exactly 19 days later than the image seen above. So there it is, our most difficult subject to photograph, Oblong Geyser. Not the other geysers have been easy either. Even Old Faithful Geyser, with its frequent eruptions, is difficult to capture in a great photo. But we succeeded in doing that in this captivating image of Old Faithful Geyser also available for sale in our store. This required many months of work! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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And then there is Uncertain Geyser. Not the tallest geyser, nor the largest, nor the loudest, nor the most frequent. As a matter of fact it, as its name suggests, it is quite uncommon and very difficult to predict. But when it does erupt, it probably takes the cake as the most narrow geyser! It originates from a small hole only a couple of inches in diameter, that is strangely enough locate in the geyserite platform of Sawmill Geyser, of which a very detailed previous blog post was devoted. Unlike Uncertain Geyser, Sawmill Geyser itself is a very frequent performer, at least during times when it is active. Strangely, during the winter of 2016-2017, the entire Sawmill Geyser Group including Penta Geyser, Churn Geyser, and Old Tardy Geyser went dormant, catching everyone by surprise. Only Spasmodic Geyser continued to show any life, though it stayed way below its normal water level and only gently bubbled from a couple of vents as opposed to its usual very vigorous activity in its various vents from which it earned its name. Nearby Tardy Geyser showed some small water pushes, but nothing more. After a few more years of dormancy, it was wondered whether the Sawmill Geyser Group was ever going to erupt again! Going back to the events leading up to the strange dormancy, there were subtle hints that not all was right with the Sawmill Group. Months before the entire Sawmill Geyser Group shut down, Uncertain Geyser had already stopped erupting. Being that it was Uncertain Geyser, and not one of the more active geysers in the group, it was assumed at the time that it was just Uncertain Geyser doing what it does: being uncertain. However, the other geysers also began to show diminished activity, though this was during the late fall and winter months in the high altitudes of Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming, when feet of snow covers the ground and very few observations can be made for a distant and remote geyser group. But it was obvious come that next spring and summer season that the Sawmill Geyser Group had become dormant. Their usually vibrant siliceous sinter platforms and runoff channels covered with colorful thermophile bacteria had all dried up, leaving behind just dull gray crumbling material. During these years since, they have been monitored closely for any sign of activity, with hope that someday everything will return to normal. During the years of normal active eruption behavior, the Sawmill Geyser Group begins with activity from Spasmodic Geyser and continues usually with activity from Sawmill Geyser as a frequent and long lived eruption. Other times it continues instead with activity from both Penta Geyser and Churn Geyser. After hours of eruptions from the group, it will cycle through brief periods of quiet before starting up again. Occasionally the brief periods of quiet become longer by several hours, during which time all of the Sawmill Geyser Group features will drain almost completely. Known as a deep drain, water will barely be visible in the system. It is during these rare deep drain periods that the lone Uncertain Geyser can suddenly spring to life out its small nondescript hole in the geyserite platform of Sawmill Geyser. In the above image, an Uncertain Geyser eruption was captured by The Wild Images Team sporting an early morning rainbow in its steam. In the foreground on the bottom right can be seen the vent of Sawmill Geyser, completely devoid of water during this deep drain period. In the background can be seen steam gently rising from a quiet Churn Geyser vent. So this one thin geyser is stealing the show from the entire geyser group that is almost always found in eruption. By comparison, Uncertain Geyser only erupts once every 2-10 days! The boardwalk in the background heads left towards Castle Geyser, of which was detailed in this previous water phase blog post and this previous water-steam phase blog post. The boardwalk in the background also heads right towards Grand Geyser, of which was detailed in this previous pause burst blog post. It continues on past there and eventually reaches Oblong Geyser of which is detailed in this detailed blog post. A distance beyond there it finally reaches the Grotto Geyser Complex, of which several previous blog entries detail its stages as Grotto Fountain Geyser, Grotto Geyser, Rocket Geyser, and finally Spa Geyser. We are happy to report that just this past summer Sawmill Geyser suddenly sprang back to life in mid-June, with Uncertain Geyser finally making its first appearance on July 31! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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No, Depression Geyser is not named for the state of its mental health. Instead, it is a very active and lively geyser named for the deep, vertically walled crater from which the eruption arises: a depression in the siliceous sinter, the material that covers the entirety of Geyser Hill, the prominent hill near the southern end of the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park of northwestern Wyoming. It is located within sight of the giant Beehive Geyser, of which is described in depth in this previous detailed blog post and also highlighted in an even earlier blog post. In the opposite direction, it is also in sight of the mighty Lion Geyser, the fascinating series type of erupting geyser. More distant away, and not within sight due to the rise in Geyser Hill, is the location of the ephemeral Aurum Geyser of which the eruption is described in depth in this previous detailed blog post. Then there is the high point of Dome Geyser, which is again is distant and out of sight due to the rise in Geyser Hill, but its interesting series type of eruptions are discussed thoroughly by this previous detailed blog post. The centerpiece of Geyser Hill, and a very powerful thermal feature, is Giantess Geyser, which spends most of its time as a large boiling pool constantly overflowing. Even though it is usually years between eruptions, once it does erupt it can continue the eruption for multiple days. There are several other geysers dotting the landscape of Geyser Hill, including Depression Geyser. While its eruptions are much smaller than some of the other aforementioned geysers, it is an entertaining thermal feature to observe, especially in between successive series eruptions of the somewhat nearby Lion Geyser. Like many other fountain type geysers, Depression Geyser continues from a previous eruption by slowly filling its emptied crater pool, which generally takes a few hours. Once full, it will begin cycling between low water, where the water level will sit inches below the crater rim, and high water, where it will begin pushing out significant amounts of water over the crater rim and down the steep runoff channels. The eruption will only begin from an interval of high water, but it is unpredictable during which high water interval it will erupt. The eruption can be anywhere from 5 hours apart to as long as 30 hours apart. Fortunately, the moments of high water are entertaining to observe, even if the eruption does not occur yet. The amount of water that is pushed out of its relatively small pool is quite impressive! Each high water interval lasts for a few minutes and are separated by low water intervals that last for much longer. As the cycles continue, they will begin pushing out even larger amounts of water and will start to show bubbles emanating from the two vents, one on the left and one on the right, both near the bottom of the pool. The eruption itself is always produced by at least the left vent, so bubbles emanating from the left vent can indicate that the eruption is either imminent or at least getting closer. Sometimes the right vent will also join in, but this is not always the case so bubbles from the right vent do not help to determine its activity. Eventually during one of its high water intervals, significant bubbles will begin flowing out of the left vent when suddenly the entire pool will be pushed up reaching heights of up to 10 feet. It will continues for several minutes of periodic bursts rising out of its pool while it continues to push out large amount of water down its runoff channels. As the eruption continues, the amount of water being pushed out of the crater will diminish until the water level drops below the rim of the crater. The heights of the bursts will decrease to just mere inches. However, it is worth the wait for the end of the eruption. The remaining water suddenly drains out through the two vents. If the right vent was active during the eruption, it will churn and gurgle with a sound reminiscent of a dishwasher. At this point all that it left its empty steaming crater, surrounded by vertical walls. The above image was captured during an early portion of its eruption when the runoff water was still significant. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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Roasting hot lava rocks, jagged and menacing, rise out of the ground like spear tips of an army from the depths, ready to cut apart anyone who inadvertently falls among them. Everywhere around are needles, prickles, and thorns. Deadly powerful bolts strike down from above, bringing an explosion of light and sound. Gigantic hairy creatures, covered with eyes and enormous fangs, scamper across the landscape in search of others. Armored beasts hiss in the darkness from mouths full of gnarled and deadly poisonous teeth. Eight legged creatures grasp out with giant claws and enormous tails that end in an incredibly sharp stinger which can kill with one strike. There are the slithering serpents of all different colors, silently coiled in dark recesses, completely camouflaged among the terrain, with fangs that can deliver fatal poison in the blink of an eye. For almost two years, this was the daily reality for The Wild Images Team. This isn’t poetic symbolism for our life during a particularly dark time, though ironically this was during the COVID pandemic, nor is it our epic tale of a descent into the underworld. Instead this is an accurate description of our time spent in the Sonoran Desert, where we hiked daily for nearly two years straight. The hikes here are not for the faint of heart. Daytime temperatures often soar above 115 degrees Fahrenheit, sometimes even reaching up to or above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, baking the rocks and sand that have little shade cover in such a stark land. After the sun sets, the same rocks and sand emit the stored heat back to air, keeping the temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit through the night. The high temperatures create massive updrafts that pull the minimal moisture into billowing cumulonimbus clouds, which flash with bolts of lightning and boom with thunder over the terrain. The surrounding landscape was once covered by active volcanoes. Now the extremely sharp lava rock stands in large veins covering over most ridges and along our trails. Sharp needles, prickles, and thorns cover nearly everything. And yet somehow, a large variety of wildlife eke out a living in such inhospitable conditions. Most are endemic only to desert land, and many are the stuff of nightmares: tarantulas, giant hairy spiders that measure six inches across; gila monsters, giant ten pound lizards with deadly poisonous teeth and a loud, unmistakable hiss; scorpions, with their eight legs, a pair of claws, and a tail tipped with a giant stinger that delivers deadly poison; and rattlesnakes of about fifteen different species, which can remain unseen among the rocks and vegetation, and yet can kill anything with just a single bite. During the heat of the day, most of these creatures remain under rocks or in ground nests, only emerging once the sun has set. And that is exactly the time when The Wild Images Team would head out into the Sonoran Desert. Yes, we encountered all of them on a daily basis with the exception of the extremely rare but deadly gila monster, which we only encountered three times. It is amazing how you become used to the fact that any step may find yourself standing next to or even face to face to a coiled rattlesnake (they are all deadly poisonous), which happened many, many times for us. Or to have tarantulas slowly amble next to you (they are harmless, just creepy), or scorpions (they are all poisonous, some are deadly) scurry into your feet, again a very common occurrence. Why did we do this then? For the amazing photo opportunities of course! The above image is a stripe-tailed scorpion. Measuring a moderate 3 inches long, they are not generally deadly to humans with their poison, but a sting is excruciatingly painful. We captured a beautiful sister image of this stripe-tailed scorpion, which is available for sale in our store. Then there are the deadly poisonous ones. No, not the largest ones. We will detail them in a future blog post. Actually the smallest ones, the bark scorpions. We took this incredible late night photo of bark scorpions glowing in the deep desert, also available for sale in our store. Nicely, we are happy to report we survived without being bit, stung, or struck. On the other hand, as for being pricked by needles, we long ago lost count. Ouch! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Arizona, such as the colorful storm buildup in the painted desert, the stark view of an incredibly tall monsoon cloud over desert, the sky covering massive anvil cloud over the mountains, the isolation in the curtains of rain over the Navajo Nation, the deep red lightning scene in the Mazatzals, the moment Zeus throws a bolt over Cave Creek, the network of colorful bolts over the Sedona ridges, the rainfall created colorful dry wash in bloom, the dangerous stripe-tailed scorpion climbing plants, the deep desert late night glowing bark scorpions, the dynamic image of a honeybee on an exotic wildflower, the view of a hummingbird among the thick wildflowers, a lucky shot of a great horned owl roosting in mesquite tree, the evening view of an organ pipe cactus, the serene scene of ocotillos and saguaro cacti, the view from Bell Rock of scrub brush and phenomenally colorful cliffs, this precarious Wupatki box canyon dwelling, a look up at the very majestic Wukoki Pueblo ruins, a chance encounter with a thunderstorm through a Wukoki Pueblo window, and the spiny sharp glass sculpture with cacti, each of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Arizona have documented the close up of a large stripe-tailed scorpion, the animated behavior of a great horned owl, the nearly daily encounters with the multitude of rattlesnakes, the mysterious darkness created by a very prominent Alexander’s Band between two brilliant rainbows, the crazy late sunset when red rain fell over the Mazatzal Mountains, monsoon season forming rain curtains hanging in front of the sunset, the sunset moment when delicate rain curtains fell in front of a darkening sky, spring rainfall creating a colorful desert bloom in a dry wash, the dynamic view of a honeybee equipped with dual pollen baskets among the blooms, the red sunlit clouds with a rainbow over the foothills of Black Mountain, the massive spectacle of a giant spiderweb of lightning over Black Mountain, near Sedona where red cliffs are framed by cane chollas, the reddish glow of sunset lighting an organ pipe cactus, the precarious location of the cliff edge Box Canyon ruins, the strategic location of the majestic Montezuma Castle Sinagua dwellings, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at a scenic Grand Canyon overlook, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina in front of the Wupatki Pueblo, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tombstone and the Original Bird Cage Theatre history, its interior eponymic Bird Cage balcony seats, its secretive hidden door beneath the stage, through which lies the underground hidden gambling room, next to a hidden room for a lady of the night, the OK Corral Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp and Wyatt Earp and their gun fight with Tom McClaury, Frank McClaury, and Billy Clanton, the Boothill Graveyard headstone of Lester Moore and the headstone of John Heath, the reflective multicolored boatload of glass, the mass of blue and white glass atop a wall, the lighted view of purple stem vegetation glass, the lighted view of red stem vegetation glass, the closer view of the textures and shapes of Chihuly glass, the overlook view of Comet Neowise with a saguaro, which was brightly shining over the town of Cave Creek, eventually with its bright green coma and tail, as it appears to drop down into a saguaro grove, the day when rare snow fell in the Sonoran Desert and covered Black Mountain in a white blanket, the weeks of a devastating large record setting Bush Fire that continuously raged through the Superstition Mountains, the day when the Aquila Fire burned through Desert Hills causing massive destruction to a few structures, the day that the East Desert Fire nearly burned into the Cave Creek area, and then two weeks later the day when the devastating Ocotillo Fire did burn down into and throughout the estates which were protected by spectacular firefighting around the town of Cave Creek leaving behind this iconic image.

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The Wild Images Team has spent significant time walking the streets of San Francisco while searching for photo opportunities. We would intentionally plan our routes to take us up and down through all of the major hill districts there, looking for the perfect spots to capture images of scenic views that can only be found in the steep streets of San Francisco, a few of which are available for sale in our store such as this beautiful image of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay captured from the steep portion of Hyde Street as it descends towards the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park or this stunning image of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street taken from where the street briefly becomes horizontal at its highest point next to the Ina Coolbrith Park, which can be seen as a portion of the green space below the tallest buildings on the upper right portion of the above image. That upper right portion is Nob Hill, one of the most famous hill districts in San Francisco. The most prominent feature on top of Nob Hill is the 22 story, 237 foot tall Clay-Jones Apartment Building that is topped by a 121 foot radio antenna, making it stand at an impressive 358 feet above the hilltop! The RCA radio antenna was included as part of the original art deco building design to provide a clear radio signal to the discerning clientele that were being catered to in this ritzy part of old San Francisco. To this day the radio antenna is still used, no longer for radio programs, but for public safety broadcasts and taxi company communications. This building is located at the intersection of Clay Street and Jones Street, each of which lends their name to its title. To its immediate right, almost appearing connected to it but much lower is the Crest Royal Apartment Building. A little distance to the right is the Bentley Nob Hill Building, another art deco building with a narrow pyramid shaped top which marks its water tower pavilion. The massive darker structure behind both of these is the more modern Comstock Apartment Building, which is located directly across Jones Street from each. Meanwhile, to the left of the Clay-Jones Apartment Building, the next tall structure is the 1200 California Street Building. Next to that, though much lower, can be seen the iconic Grace Cathedral with its 237 foot tall fleche, the thin spire topped by a cross that rises above it. The Wild Images Team has photographed the Grace Cathedral, and will likely feature it in a future blog post. Directly behind Grace Cathedral in the above image, stands the beautifully ornate Cathedral Tower. There is much to see and photograph in San Francisco! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos from California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps. From our travels in the nearby Oregon and Washington, we have captured photos such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations.

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North Dakota is situated in the wild northern Great Plains of the upper interior Midwest of the United States. Together with neighboring South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, it comprises the four states with the lowest population density in the contiguous United States, with only the giant, far northern state of Alaska being lower. Each of these are some of the last territories to finally achieve statehood. Interestingly, it is unknown which of North Dakota and South Dakota was admitted to the Union first. The papers declaring statehood for each were shuffled by U.S. President Benjamin Harrison before signing them, so traditionally they are placed in alphabetical order with North Dakota being declared the 39th state and South Dakota being declared the 40th state. The Wild Images Team has visited both Dakotas and the surrounding states on many occasions. We have stayed within and explored all sections of North Dakota. Being part of the Great Plains, North Dakota is dominated by rolling prairies through the majority of its area. But as you make you way across the state from east to west, the landscape begins to change into a more wild and colorfully rugged area. These are the North Dakota Badlands, some of the most scenic in the world, home to the rare yellow colored badlands that are the subject of this colorfully stunning badlands photo available for sale in our store. Much of the North Dakota Badlands are located within the three separate sections comprising the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. In this sparsely populated region, herds of wild animals roam freely about, often following the narrow grassland valleys carved through the surrounding landscape by millennia of precipitation. An earlier blog post detailed this herd of bison grazing in the grasslands below the surrounding rugged badlands peaks. Sometimes the animal herds will climb to the top of the less dramatic peaks in search of fresh grasslands, such as what occurred when we captured this beautiful image of wild horses gathered together in a tight cluster on a hilltop, also available for sale in our store. The above photo was taken in one section of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and details the continuing geological process of badlands formation. At the top of the ridge stands a typical badlands peak, almost always distinguished as being very steep-sided, carved vertically down all sides by deep fissures formed by erosive runoff, streaked horizontally with colorful bands of many exposed layers of soil that were laid down several millions of years ago, and almost always completely devoid of vegetation. The surrounding ridges, with a much less dramatic profile, allow vegetation to take root on the more gentle slopes. Close inspection of the above image will reveal further geological processes taking place. Just below the fully formed badlands peak, and slightly to the left, is a series of horizontal bands that themselves are almost completely devoid of vegetation due to their steep sides and vertical runoff fissures. This is another badlands peak slowly being carved out of the grasslands. Over thousands of years, the fissure covered bands will be carved further inward, rendering the landscape to steep to allow vegetation to root, and the bands of vegetation that currently exist will disappear, leaving yet another steep yellow banded peak towering above the grasslands. To its right is yet another peak that is an earlier stage of formation. While some hints of bands can be seen, they are not nearly as steep, nor as prominent. Furthermore, the red rock and soil capping it will eventually itself erode away further before itself becomes a badlands peak. The shallow gully that currently separates the two will likely become much deeper as these evolve further. The back ridge also appears to show some hints of other badlands mound formation, such that eventually this scene will become a collection of bare badlands mounds separated by deep channels where the little amount of vegetation may grow, with the central peak likely retaining its status as the highest point around. It stands to reason with all of this ongoing formation that the North Dakota Badlands will be around for a very long time, albeit in an ever-changing state. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images from North Dakota such as the contrast created by the horizontal color bands cross through yellow badlands and the entire herd as a group of wild horses cluster together on a hilltop, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from North Dakota have documented the herd of bison grazing in the grasslands and the ever changing colorful badland mound that caps a rolling ridge. In neighboring South Dakota, The Wild Images Team has captured images such as the bright flash of a colorful lightning strike over the badlands, the moment that a pronghorn displays its phenomenal physique, and the time that a massive bison bull came meandering past, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from South Dakota have documented the centuries long carving of the massive Crazy Horse Monument, the very majestic Mount Rushmore and the Avenue of Flags, the expansive view as wild burros walk through the rolling prairies, the ever wary prairie dog stands at attention in the prairie, the amazing location of the granite roadways through Custer State Park, when The Wild Images Team encountered a remote end of trail sign in the middle of nowhere, this close up image of textures in a colorful badlands mound, the interesting time when a flock of turkeys photobombed our image, and The Wild Images Team sunset shadows over Badlands National Park. In neighboring Wyoming, The Wild Images Team has captured images such as the contrast found in the colorful grasslands and background Grand Teton National Park peaks, the varying landscape of Grand Teton National Park rocky peaks and clouds, the large antlers on display as an elk takes a look back in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the vertical abruptness as Devils Tower rises above the red rocks and green pines, and the many hues found as the colorful badlands cover over this very remote region, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Wyoming have documented as the rugged snowy peaks rise above wildflowers, and as The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome poses for a picture at the Meeteetse “Where Chiefs Meet” welcome sign. In neighboring Montana, The Wild Images Team has captured images such as a group of white mountain goats as they graze the highlands, an expansive view of rocky ridges extending to the horizon, the colorfully massive wall of Hidden Lake, high altitude view of tundra and glacial lakes, a very remote reflective alpine lake covered with rocks, and an ominously approaching heavy downpour over the green foothills, all of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Montana have documented the very deep blue waters of McDonald Creek and the panoramic view of The Wild Images Team at Hidden Lake.

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The Wild Images Team has stayed in New York City on multiple occasions, usually opting for a hotel in mid-town Manhattan nearby to Times Square and the Broadway Theater District. Such was the case during this visit, when we opted for the Hilton Times Square. Being a Diamond Club member with the Hilton chain brought us several perks, and one of them was the luxury of being reserved in rooms on the highest floors and with the best views. So we were thrilled when we arrived in the evening to find a phenomenal view towering over the Garment District, of which a beautiful image captured during a snow squall is available for sale in our store. While that view is directly south, also from the vantage point of our room, just slightly to the southeast stood the famous Empire State Building, which remained lit through the dark nights. We loved the way that it shone like a beacon during the long, cold winter nights. We even captured images that we will post at a later date of it standing up into the thick clouds, and yet its beam still shines through. The noticeable bright green beams emanating from it mark the original top of the building when it was first built as the tallest building in the world in 1931. The early thirties, as in the early years of the Great Depression. Yes, the tallest building in the world was built during the start of the Great Depression! Naturally, this caused several issues during its construction and subsequent grand opening, not the least of which was the fact that most of the building designed for corporate office space remained unoccupied for the next several years. But the fact that it was the tallest building in the world drew an enormous amount of attention to it, and throngs of people visited it everyday to ride to the top observation decks for a cost of one dollar. The first few years, the revenue generated by tourists visiting the observation decks equaled all of the rent combined! But eventually tenants began to fill up the unoccupied spaces. In 1933, the building became a cinematic and cultural icon when King Kong scaled it to the top with Fay Wray in hand, in a scene that will be remembered forever. The original top, where the bright green beams emanate in the above image, was originally designed to be an airship docking station, where passengers could ascend to the top observation platform and the climb a ladder into the docked airship. However, the first attempt to dock there nearly ended in disaster due to the strong upper level winds that constantly occur around New York City, and the turbulent updraft created by the building itself. After circling around the building twenty five times, followed by the dumping of ballast water to the streets below, winds rocked the airship into a near collision with the Empire State Building, so future plans for an airship docking station were not carried out. Due to some of the unfortunate situations encountered in its opening during the Great Depression, the building did not break even until 1950. It was that same year that the construction of the radio antenna was begun, adding another 222 feet to the structure, and creating the iconic art-deco building that we see today and that dominated our view from our room. As with everywhere else that we travel, we spent our time there wandering the streets by foot. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos throughout New York such as in the Corning Museum of Glass antique cruets and dishware overlap, then in New York City itself the sudden snow squall over the Garment District, the scene of the Sherry-Netherland towering over a sculpture, and the opposite directed festive view of West 58th Street, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our New York blog posts document the Corning Museum of Glass plate of colorful giant glass fruit, the intricate stained glass vines and bubbles over a figure, and the suspended glass knives in front of a red stack tower, then in New York City itself the Empire State Building shining like a beacon, the perpetual hustle and bustle of Times Square, the impressive bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture, the memorial bronze statue of legendary Balto and its accompanying dedicated to the indomitable spirit plaque, the animated bronze animals and the Delacorte Clock, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina with Spongebob SquarePants, the festive view of a large toy train in Rockefeller Center Station, the late night giant holiday lights on the sidewalks, and the piles of giant holiday ornaments in Liholts Pooley Pool. In nearby Pennsylvania, The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos including the postgame fireworks over the Andy Warhol Bridge, the colorful bursts of Independence Day fireworks over the Ohio River, the view as delicate flowers bloom in the Laurel Highlands, and the very early lantana at the University Park Flower Gardens, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Pennsylvania have documented the Halloween moment when hundreds of witches converged on Mellon Park and then later performed a choreographed dance routine, when The Wild Images Team attended an interfaith wedding ceremony during which our Coordinator Christina Orban was a bridesmaid, a look inside of the ornate St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica, the side yard greenhouse vividly reflecting light displays, the scene dominated by vibrant strands of holiday lights on a tree, the many hues of a very festive holiday house along McColly Street, the colorful view of the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Fall Foliage Train, the burst trails of fireworks over the Allegheny River, the red, white, and blue trail fireworks over the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the palette of colors with fireworks bursting over the Ohio River, the hundreds of American flags flying over Blairsville Cemetery, the fall leaves surrounding the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania System World War I Monument, the many colors of a flower soaking up sunshine, and the dichotomy created by a floral battle of yellow versus red.

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This eruption of Grand Geyser makes the surrounding pine trees look tiny. But they are fully grown pine trees of significant height. It is just that Grand Geyser is that large, dwarfing everything else around it. As one of the largest geysers in the world, it is located on a large siliceous sinter platform abutting a tall ridge that forms a natural amphitheater with runoff channels emanating in all directions away from the ridge to accommodate the significant output of water from its eruptions. It is a fountain type of geyser, with the eruption emanating from a vent located under feet of water in its filled pool. Actually, Grand Geyser is technically comprised of three separately named geysers that contribute to its eruption, either before, during, or after its main bursts. In the above photo, captured by The Wild Images Team during a late afternoon eruption, the other two geysers are completely hidden in the sheer scale of the water burst and accompanying steam coming from Grand Geyser. But believe it or not, on its left side sits a higher pool, with beautiful light blue water ringed by bright yellow geyserite, with its own submerged vent. Also a fountain type of geyser, it is named Turban Geyser, and it is a very frequent active geyser that can reach up to 20 feet in height. Before an eruption of Grand Geyser, it will be found passing through cycles of eruption activity, where it is bursting for about five minutes, followed by about fifteen minutes of calm, after which it will begin bursting yet again for another five minutes, followed by yet another fifteen minutes of calm. This will continue for the hours leading up to the eruption of Grand Geyser. During and after the eruption of Grand Geyser itself, Turban Geyser will be found in continuous bursting activity, with no calm pauses. It only becomes quiet for an extended period about an hour after Grand Geyser has ceased its eruption, though it begins its cycle of eruptions again about an hour later and will continue up to, during, and for an hour after the successive Grand Geyser eruption. In front of the raised ringed platform enclosing the pool of Turban Geyser sits an opening in the geyserite that is named Vent Geyser. It begins to erupt only after Grand Geyser has itself been erupting for several minutes, and it tends to build up height as Grand Geyser diminishes, reaching up to over 70 feet. As a vent type geyser, it does not burst like Turban Geyser, but instead holds a steady stream of water. Like Turban Geyser, Vent Geyser will also continue for about an hour after Grand Geyser ceases its eruption. You would think that such an awesome display of geysers would be rare and unpredictable. However, it is exactly the opposite. Grand Geyser erupts up to four times a day, and the window of eruption is only about an hour and a half. So while it is not nearly as predictable as Old Faithful Geyser or Daisy Geyser, the beauty of it makes it worth the short wait required. While it technically erupt anywhere between four hours to eight hours after the previous eruption, it is much more likely to be between five and a half hours to seven hours, narrowing the eruption window significantly. And more than just that, it will almost certainly initiate within minutes of one of the starts of Turban Geyser. The pool of Grand Geyser pulses in height following the exact cycle of Turban Geyser. Every twenty minutes or so, the pool of Grand Geyser pushes itself up to slight overflow. Shortly thereafter, Turban Geyser begins its next round of bursting activity. Within a minute after that, the pool of Grand Geyser will do one of two things: either drop back down, meaning no eruption will occur this time and not until it at least rises again twenty minutes later, or subtle wave ripples will start to form on its surface. Nearby observers, often using binoculars, may call out “waves on Grand”, indicating an imminent eruption. The pool of Grand Geyser will suddenly burst upward into the sky, reaching up to and over 200 feet, hold there for a brief period, before dropping back and bursting upward again almost immediately. As a general rule, the longer the pause before the next burst, the larger the next burst will be. So The Wild Images Team strategically captured the above photo after one such pause, and shortly thereafter this gorgeous sister image of a large burst available for sale in our store after a successive pause. Eventually the bursts of Grand Geyser will lower down in height until it stops. As this happens, Turban Geyser and Vent Geyser will start to become more noticeable as they emerge from the massive flow of Grand Geyser and themselves continuously erupt for the next hour. This will be featured in a future blog post. However, within the next few seconds up to minute Grand Geyser can surprise by suddenly bursting upward in a massive pause burst, reaching very large heights. And then after this, it is possible to happen a second time. If a few minutes have passed with nothing happening, it is likely done. Turban Geyser and Vent Geyser will then own the show. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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Fan and Mortar Geysers are a very infrequent erupting pair of geysers, but when they do erupt, they are extremely impressive. The are not the largest geysers in the world, nor do they output the largest volume of water. They are not the loudest geysers, nor are they the most explosive. Eruptions do not last exceptionally long. They are very infrequent, with an eruption once per every three days at best, sometimes as long as ten days between eruptions. During many seasons they will remain completely dormant with no eruptions at all. And yet, they will be observed constantly for days on end, often even by a few hardcore individuals through the night, just to have a chance to catch an eruption. So why are Fan and Mortar Geysers such a desired eruption? It is all about their structure. Fan Geyser is comprised of at least seven vents. And Mortar Geyser has its own three vents in and around a siliceous sinter cone on the left. Fan and Mortar Geysers are located on a shared geyserite platform along the Firehole River, but far down towards the end of the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. They are located on the left side of the trail, after crossing the Firehole River, just before Morning Glory Pool, documented in this blog entry, that will sometimes draw visitors this far down and who may just happen to end up in the right place at the right time for an eruption. The odds of this are very low, of course, so usually it requires patience and close observation. While the eruptions can happen as short as three days apart or as long as ten days apart, they are most likely to happen around four to seven days apart, but this is by no means a guarantee. And of course this is assuming that they are active at all. Many summer seasons they will remain dormant for either the entire season or until early to late fall. It is thought that this may happen when the Firehole River is higher and perhaps floods into its underground reservoir, rendering the water too cool to reach the steam flashpoint required for an eruption. By late season, the water level may have receded enough to stop the flooding that hinders the eruption. So if everything is going right for Fan and Mortar Geysers, and they are active, their shared reservoir will slowly fill up and begin to heat up. During these days, they will appear as gently steaming and splashing such as in this phenomenal image of mammatus clouds in a nearby passing storm, taken over the Fan and Mortar geyserite platform during their gently splashing phase, with the Firehole River and a distant ridge also included, available for sale in our store. After the reservoir fills up and heats up, Fan and Mortar Geysers will begin to display cycles of activity, the most notable of which are named the event cycles. The reason these are the most notable is that an eruption of Fan and Mortar Geysers will almost always initiate during an event cycle. The event cycle involves splashing from possibly all seven vents of Fan Geyser, though only four are used to define it. The seven vents of Fan Geyser starting from nearest to the Firehole River are River Vent (nearest the river), High Vent (the highest one), Gold Vent (yellow colored geyserite), Gold 2 Vent (also yellow colored geyserite), Angle Vent (water exits diagonally), Main Vent (the largest), and finally East Vent (the most east or away from the river). The event cycle begins with the start of splashing from River Vent, followed by the start of splashing from High Vent, followed by the start of splashing from Gold Vent, followed by the start of splashing from Angle Vent. If River Vents stops splashing before Angle Vent starts, it is known as a river pause, and if High Vent and Gold Vent stop splashing before Angle Vent starts, it is known as a gold pause. But if both High Vent and Gold Vent continue splashing and reach to heights of at least five feet, it is known as a lock, and the eruption is almost definitely imminent. Within minutes, the entire set of vents in Fan Geyser and Mortar Geyser rise up simultaneously over a large area, with Angle Vent launching water up to and clean over the trail, creating the fan shape that lends its name to the geyser. The view of all vents simultaneously erupting is absolutely breathtaking and worth the effort. The water will hold for several minutes before dying down back into the vents, defining its first pause. Minutes later, all vents will once again simultaneously erupt for several more minutes before dying back down into the vents. It will repeat this for a few more times before transitioning into a short puffing steam phase. In the above photo, The Wild Images Team captures Fan and Mortar Geysers as they begin their initial eruption, with the scene being dominated by the diagonally launched water from Angle Vent, captured at the moment of sunset. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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This is Aurum Geyser, which is found on the eastern edge of Geyser Hill, which itself is in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Blink and you will miss it. Alright, it is not quite that short lived! But walk away and you will miss it. Literally. This geyser sits almost completely by itself, with just a few bubbling hot springs nearby to keep it company, so not too much is happening in the area until it erupts. And it erupts only about once, at most twice, a day during the short summer season in the altitudes of Yellowstone. The time of the eruption is completely unpredictable, it will usually be at least 10 hours or more until the next eruption; often it may not happen for 24 hours or more. When it does finally erupt, it lasts for only 80 seconds at most! It is over almost before it even began. So Aurum Geyser is an extremely difficult one to observe and photograph, at the very best. Its nearest regularly erupting neighbors of significant size are Lion Geyser, the series erupting geyser of which was written about extensively in an earlier blog post and of which a beautiful early morning rainbow photo is available for sale in our store, and Beehive Geyser which was also written about extensively in an earlier blog post during which the small group of observers were captured under the rainbow in this iconic blog entry image, and of which this enormous sunset rainbow photo is also available for sale in our store. However, each of these geysers are quite distant away from the solitude of Aurum Geyser, so that even running at full speed will not reach Aurum Geyser in time to see even the end of an eruption. In the very far distance, Old Faithful Geyser can be seen when it erupts, though it will appear small, very different from this gorgeous closeup photo captured at sunset and available for sale in our store. Considerably more nearby is the best viewpoint of Dome Geyser as detailed in this previous blog entry, but will require turning away from the direction of Aurum Geyser and it may erupt before turning back. As The Wild Images Team has learned from experience, it will do this often. We have spent hours waiting for it to erupt, only to have it happen as soon as we turn our back on it and walk away to watch one of the other geysers erupt. We have found that it is best to pair off Aurum Geyser with Lion Geyser, which has a large initial eruption, followed by a second eruption a little over an hour later, followed by a third eruption about an hour after that, and this pattern can continue with up to nine total eruptions each about an hour apart. This will allow a chance to get away when a nearby geyser is somewhat predictable, yet still keep a good percentage of the time devoted in the vicinity of Aurum Geyser. As we have already mentioned though, it will often erupt just after you walk away. So the only way to guarantee observing an eruption is to remain next to it for how ever many hours it may require. This can be up to an entire day spent in just this area, so patience is required and this is not recommended for those with limited time in Yellowstone National Park. Is this worth the wait? Absolutely, if you have the time. Aurum Geyser is named for the yellow colored geyserite surrounding its small cone, with Aurum being the Latin word for gold, hence it being designated as Au in the periodic table. Combine this with the surrounding orange geyserite, the yellow, orange, and red background grasses, the green pine trees, and the bright blue sky dotted by white clouds, and this is a perfect setting to capture a beautiful photo, such as this very stunning sister image taken just moments before and which is available for sale in our store. Its eruption can reach heights approaching 30 feet, and observed from such close proximity can be quite impressive. Just after a previous eruption, Aurum Geyser will be very briefly quiet. Within a few minutes, however, it will fill back up and begin gurgling and splashing from its main vent. Unfortunately, it will look essentially the same for the next 10 or more hours, so it is not possible to determine if an eruption is imminent. If it is seen splashing and gurgling, it may erupt within seconds or it may erupt 24 hours later, there is not much of a way to determine. The splashes do tend to become slightly larger as the hours go by, and there are two small side vents that tend to splash more as the hours go by, so very close observation can help to narrow down the interval to within perhaps 6 hours or so if you are lucky. The Wild Images Team has devoted many hours to photograph several eruptions of Aurum Geyser, and the series represented by the above photo is our favorite. Sadly, Aurum Geyser has appeared to have gone dormant this season, not having erupted in over four months. Only time will tell if this will end up being a long term dormancy. But at least you can enjoy the above photo and the link to the image available for sale in our store, with no wait required. Oh, and as an extra advantage, you can either blink or walk away and it will still be there! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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Whirligig Geyser is located in the heart of the beautifully exotic Porcelain Basin in Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. By being located in such a region, its surroundings are dominated by bright piles of geyserite gravel and large sheets of white siliceous sinter, from which the basin gets its name. Very little vegetation grows here due to the very high surface temperatures and high water acidity. Instead, the area is streaked through by runoff channels, colored orange and green by thermophile bacterial mats and red by iron oxide deposits, contrasted by various thermal features including several milky blue hot springs. Directly next to Whirligig Geyser is another similarly shaped pool, partially seen on the right side center of the above image, that is the location of Constant Geyser, of which a gorgeous eruption is written about extensively in a previous blog post. Also next to Whirligig Geyser is the runoff pan of Constant Geyser, of which The Wild images Team captured this absolutely breathtaking reflection photo that is available for sale in our store. The pool of Whirligig Geyser can be partially seen in each of those images on their left center. Close inspection of each of the photos will reveal very little vegetation in the basin itself; instead it is found only on the safer high ground of the surrounding hills and ridges, where the ground temperature is lower due to the additional insulation of the extra ground underneath and the water is much less acidic as it does not originate out of the thermal features nearly as much. However, there still are thermal features located in certain spots of the surrounding ridges, such as Ledge Geyser, an extremely rare eruption written about extensively from a viewpoint in the ridge in a previous blog post and from a viewpoint in the Porcelain Basin in a previous blog post. That same series of photos also produced this stunning image of Ledge Geyser, also available for sale in our store. One thing to notice in each of these images is the abundance of vegetation nearby, especially in the uphill direction where conditions are much more conducive for growth. Back down in the heart of the Porcelain Basin and its colorful yet barren ground, Whirligig Geyser and Constant Geyser usually appear as nearly identical twin pools, Whirligig Geyser on the left and Constant Geyser on the right. Their behavior leading up to an eruption is much the same as well. Neither of them are predictable, and both will spend years in dormancy. But during the seasons when they are active, each will begin with a pool that slowly fills up after a previous eruption. Their pools will appear calm, but closer observation will show that they pass through cycles of lower water and higher water. During the periods of lower water, some of the textured raised ridges of geyserite in each of the pools will protrude and become visible above the water level. An eruption will never initiate from a low water stage. Eventually the water will raise back up, covering over all of the raised ridges of geyserite and reaching to the noticeable pool edges. This is the high water stage, and significant water flow will be noticed in its runoff channels. An eruption will begin from one of the successive high water stages, but it is unpredictable during which high water stage it will occur. The only way to ensure seeing an eruption is to patiently wait as each passes through many cycles. Fortunately, each of these geysers have frequent eruptions during the seasons when they are active. It can be as short as 20 to 30 minutes until the next eruption, but it can also be up to 2 hours or more with no real observable explanation. In the seasons where both geysers are active, it is possible that either one will erupt, doubling the chances of witnessing an eruption. In the above image of Whirligig Geyser, The Wild Images Team waited until the very low setting sun created a deep red light over the landscape, highlighting the nearby iron oxide deposits on the side of the pool, while also drawing out the very dark red colors from the pool bottom, which are noticeable as the red colors in the water waves encircling the eruption. Whirligig Geyser is named after the swirling effect created in its pool during an eruption, making it a distinctive geyser that is enjoyable to watch. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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This blog entry is dedicated to Gabby Petito. May her spirit shine on the peaks with the sunlight, pass through the trees with the winds, and run through the canyons with the rivers. The Wild Images would also like to acknowledge that there are many more individuals missing out there whose cases have not become so prominent in the media. May they never be forgotten! Everyone deserves a chance to be featured and be found, regardless of race or gender. While The Wild Images Team never knew Gabby Petito, her life really strikes a chord with us. We follow a similar path and dream as her. We want to document nature in its natural state. We have spent five months a year, out on the road, capturing our photos. Since 2013 we have explored the wide open wilderness to bring to you images and stories of the wild. Grand Teton National Park is one such place, known for its rugged peaks that literally rise above the Snake River Valley on the eastern side of the Teton Mountain Range. There is an obvious contrast from the gentle rolling hills and flatlands, covered with sagebrush fields and wildflowers, and through which the Snake River slowly meanders, to the steep, jagged, snow covered peaks that literally touch the sky by rising into the clouds. In the above photo, we wanted to capture all of this in one complete scene. This image is slated to be available for sale in our store in the near future, and marks the very first photo in what we will always remember as a special twenty four hours, where conditions came together to produce nothing less than a full ten images, captured in the short span of twenty four hours, that were deemed good enough to be featured for sale in our store! While this may or may not seem like much to the reader, we will point out that there can be times when weeks or even months can pass by without conditions being right for a great photo. But we had a great run of them during one of our visits to Wyoming. A quick glance at our images will show that we have a passion for the Grand Teton National Park, the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, and the Yellowstone National Park area. We started the day in Grand Teton National Park, where it all began by us taking the gorgeous photo seen above that focuses on the sun covered peaks above the wildflowers and sagebrush. A few minutes later, we captured a nearby beautiful picture that focuses on the grasslands with the jagged peaks of the Tetons as the backdrop. We had a hard time choosing between the two for our store, but we had opted to start with this on, only to decide later that the other one deserves to be included. About an hour later, we shot this incredible image of the changing landscape in the foothills around the peaks. About an hour after this, we encountered this beautiful elk scene while exploring the Targhee-Caribou National Forest. The next set did not happen for several more hours, as we had a destination of reaching Grant Village in Yellowstone National Park, which is a bit of a distance away. We arrived there in the evening, so there was not much time to head out anywhere. Instead, we stayed around the Grant Village lake shore when the clouds formed into an incredible shelf reflected in the lake, and then shortly thereafter reddened into a fantastic symmetry. Any visitors to Yellowstone Lake will tell you that it rarely takes on such a calm, mirror like reflecting surface. But that is how it appeared that night at sunset. Later that night, we photographed the moon rising over the Lake House in Grant Village, while the lake was still appearing mirror calm. The next day we visited the West Thumb Geyser Basin, catching this stunning image of Abyss Pool. This was followed about two hours later by this shot of the wave patterns around Fishing Cone Geyser, as the lake had returned to its typical rippled appearance sometime overnight. Three hours after this found us in the Upper Geyser Basin, where we captured our image of a massive Grand Geyser pause burst. Twenty four hours had produced ten phenomenal photos! It is important to note that this situation is highly unlikely, and cannot be expected on any given day. Many days have to be invested to find the right conditions and lighting. This was not our first time to the area, nor was it our last. As a matter of fact, we have spent several months worth of time in the area during our yearly stays there. It is also important to know that while we did capture ten amazing images, we also captured many other photos during that twenty four hour span that while also good, were not deemed store-worthy. We have several other images from the area in different years that are also found in our store, but so far we have not yet again encountered so many great opportunities in such a short span of time. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images from Wyoming such as the contrast found in the colorful grasslands and background Grand Teton National Park peaks, the varying landscape of Grand Teton National Park rocky peaks and clouds, the large antlers on display as an elk takes a look back in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the vertical abruptness as Devils Tower rises above the red rocks and green pines, and the many hues found as the colorful badlands cover over this very remote region, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Wyoming have documented as the rugged snowy peaks rise above wildflowers, and as The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome poses for a picture at the Meeteetse “Where Chiefs Meet” welcome sign. In neighboring Montana, we have captured images such as a group of white mountain goats as they graze the highlands, an expansive view of rocky ridges extending to the horizon, the colorfully massive wall of Hidden Lake, high altitude view of tundra and glacial lakes, a very remote reflective alpine lake covered with rocks, and an ominously approaching heavy downpour over the green foothills, all of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Montana have documented the very deep blue waters of McDonald Creek and the panoramic view of The Wild Images Team at Hidden Lake. In neighboring South Dakota we have captured images such as the bright flash of a colorful lightning strike over the badlands, the moment that a pronghorn displays its phenomenal physique, and the time that a massive bison bull came meandering past, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from South Dakota have documented the centuries long carving of the massive Crazy Horse Monument, the very majestic Mount Rushmore and the Avenue of Flags, the expansive view as wild burros walk through the rolling prairies, the ever wary prairie dog stands at attention in the prairie, the amazing location of the granite roadways through Custer State Park, when The Wild Images Team encountered a remote end of trail sign in the middle of nowhere, this close up image of textures in a colorful badlands mound, the interesting time when a flock of turkeys photobombed our image, and The Wild Images Team sunset shadows over Badlands National Park. In nearby North Dakota, we have captured images such as the contrast created by the horizontal color bands cross through yellow badlands and the entire herd as a group of wild horses cluster together on a hilltop, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts of North Dakota have documented the herd of bison grazing in the grasslands and the ever changing colorful badland mound that caps a rolling ridge.

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What sounds like the horrors of a bad visit to the dentist and a crazy collection of buildings in some ancient man-made city is actually a crazy collection of natural monuments in an ancient geological formation. This is Zion National Park of Utah in all of its glory. Layers of sandstone have been slowly carved away by the silt heavy Virgin River in the valley floor, and its tributaries such as Oak Creek and Pine Creek. It is an amazing landscape of sheer cliffs, colorful and towering such as seen in this beautiful image from the valley floor, and covered with intricate patterns such as in this stunning image from the uplands beyond the Great Arch, both of which are available for sale in our store. However, perhaps one of the best viewpoints in the entire park and that which is shown in the above photo is the Pine Creek Canyon Overlook, located on the upper altitude land directly above the Great Arch. Some of the most famous named features of the park can be seen in this image, as it covers the entire span of The Towers of The Virgin plus so much more. Beyond the foreground sandstone platform, starting on the far left is the lower reaches of Bridge Mountain, whose peak is out of the view to the left. Behind this closer formation is a series of more distant formations, the leftmost of which is The West Temple, seen as the flat-topped red mesa left of center. It is the highest feature in the entire area, at an altitude of 7810 feet and towering a whopping 3800 feet above the valley floor. To the immediate right of it, in dazzling white, is The Sundial. Standing 3600 feet above the valley floor, its shadow was long used as a sundial to synchronize clocks by the residents of Grafton, a ghost town since 1944 found just south of Zion National Park. To the immediate right of The Sundial is a narrow, jagged peak, also in white, called The Witch Head. Standing 3300 feet above the valley floor, it is named for its resemblance to a pointy witches hat with a craggy face underneath. The smaller jagged white peak to the right of The Witch Head is known as Broken Tooth, named for its similarities to a broken molar. To the immediate right of Broken Tooth is yet a third jagged white peak, this one a bit more covered with dark vegetation, reminiscent of a cavitated tooth, for which it has been named Rotten Tooth. To the immediate right of Rotten Tooth, near the center of the photo, is the famous formation known as The Altar of Sacrifice. It is a prominent flat-topped mesa in contrast to its nearest neighbors The Witch Head, Broken Tooth, and Rotten Tooth. Standing at 3500 feet above the valley floor, it is one of the more prominent features from the valley floor, especially when viewed from the south. It is also colored in white, like its neighbors, but has two very dark red streaks dripping down its sides, evoking a gruesome image of blood pouring off of a table after a sacrifice, though in actuality created by dissolved iron oxides being deposited by runoff water. Though each of these named features look small from this distant viewpoint, to give a sense of the awesome scale here, the distance across The Sundial, The Witch Head, Broken Tooth, and Rotten Tooth is one whole mile! In front of The Altar of Sacrifice is shaded land sloping upward, which emerges from the cloud shade before topping out in a conical peak, a feature named Bee Hive for its resemblance to an old wicker hive. While from this perspective it appears that Bee Hive is taller than The Altar of Sacrifice, it is an illusion created by it being much closer; in reality The Altar of Sacrifice is actually a full 600 feet higher! Directly to the right of Bee Hive, behind the small curved depression can just be made out the top of Meridian Tower, while to the right of this depression the land rises up to the flat mesa that forms part of The Sentinel. Directly below Bee Hive is a sheer rock face covered by hundreds of dark vertical streaks, just to the right of the deep cloud shadow. This is the famous Streaked Wall. Finally, at the far right of the image, and much closer, rises the lower portions of The East Temple. Collectively these are some of the most well known and visible formations in Zion National Park. The Wild Images Team purposely captured shadows in this photo to give a sense of depth to the formations, and it further draws the focus on The Sundial, being the brightest feature towering above its u shaped opening, which itself stands above two shadows themselves forming parallel u shapes in the valley, broken up by the u shape created by Bridge Mountain, the sandstone platform, and the rise up to Streaked Wall. All of this is beyond the foreground u shaped sandstone platform. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Utah including the competition between cliff colors and clouds in Zion National Park, the intricate designs of the high altitude patterned wall in Zion National Park, distant rain curtains over the colorful cliffs of Bryce Canyon National Park, cloud shadows defining the colorful pinnacles of Bryce Canyon National Park, the scenic view as the full moon rises over Red Canyon, the Goblin Valley State Park thunderstorm and lightning strike over goblins, the impenetrable colorful rim wall of Goblin Valley State Park, the gravity defying balanced rock with snow in Arches National Park, the moment in Arches National Park when a winter storm clears over pinnacles and the La Sal Mountains, the very bright but fleeting rainbow beyond The Hand in Arches National Park, the instance In Arches National Park when lightning strikes near the Three Gossips, the green slopes of Sandy Mountain guarded by red lichen rock sentinels, the wild clouds over the elevated plains of the Grand Staircase-Escalante, and finally in Midway where the five flags of the military fly over Memorial Hill, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts documenting our time in Utah include the road towards the extremely remote Valley of the Gods, an expansive view of the major formations of Zion National Park, the road winding through Fremont cottonwoods in Zion National Park, the road through intricately carved highlands in Zion National Park, the road through red and white rock cliffs in Zion National Park, The Wild Images Team vehicle on a dirt road in Red Canyon, the high altitude scene where a thistle soaks up the brief summer season sunshine, the moment a snake slithers over water plants in Cascade Springs, The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the entrance to Cascade Springs, The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome standing proudly in Goblin Valley, The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at The Brick Oven Restaurant, The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at an overlook of Bryce Canyon National Park, The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome in front of the rock pinnacles of Bryce Canyon National Park, The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the entrance of Zion National Park, and finally The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome in front of the cliffs of Zion National Park.

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This is a region known as Little Yosemite Valley, a river canyon formed by the wild upper portion of the Merced River just before it has Tenaya Creek and Yosemite Creek join it in the much flatter terrain of the main valley of Yosemite National Park in California. This image was captured by The Wild Images Team from arguably the best view in the entire park, Glacier Point. While most visitors are enraptured by the main Yosemite Valley floor that is dominated by El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Dome, and North Dome, few realize that the dramatic cliffs and waterfalls are also found in some of the surrounding canyons as well, such as in the northern Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, and then in the Little Yosemite Valley. No roads lead into the upper portion of the Merced River and the Little Yosemite Valley, but there is Mist Trail, a hiking trail that will lead to each of the large waterfalls found in the canyon as well as connecting to other trails in the uplands network. The first waterfall encountered along the trail, found in the bottom center of the above image, is Vernal Fall. It drops in a single leap of 317 feet over the granite cliff wall, before landing in a jumble of fallen rocks below, kicking up enormous curtains of misty spray, after which the trail is named as it rains down on it in the area. Close inspection of the above photo will show the dark area just to the right of the base of Vernal Fall, right where the trail is located, that is continuously splashed with water spray. The Wild Images Team has hiked in the area, and you can end up soaked in this region. But the trail does continue into drier stretches beyond here, as it climbs out of the base of the falls and up into the portion of the Merced River just above the Vernal Fall. It is here that the Emerald Pool is located, and can be seen with its dark green color in the image as the pool partially obscured by trees just upriver from the cliff edge. Also located here is the Silver Apron, another waterfall that spreads out over a granite rock face that is gently sloped at about 20 degrees above horizontal, dropping down into Emerald Pool. It is more heavily obscured by trees, but is found just to the right of Emerald Pool. The trail continues onward from here, working its way toward Nevada Fall. While Vernal Fall was named for the heavy pour of water created by the runoff of snow melt in the spring (vernal) time, by contrast Nevada Fall was named for its similarity to a snow avalanche and its proximity to the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nevada Fall drops for a total of 594 feet, the first of which is a single leap of 200 feet before it slams against the steep rock wall before continuing the remainder of the way down as a turbulent white flow in contact with the rock face. The cliff over which Nevada Fall drops is more or less level to the left until it rises dramatically above the riverbed to become the most prominent feature in the photo, an enormous granite face known as Liberty Cap, rising an impressive 1700 feet above the valley floor in a near vertical cliff! To the immediate left and slightly in front of Liberty Cap is Mount Broderick. The two together completely dominate the top center portion of the image, while to the right of these the Merced River headwaters originate from off the top of the photo. All of this can be viewed from Glacier Point, an often overlooked grand viewpoint that is accessed by 20 mile long nondescript road that turns off the main Wawona Road near Indian Creek, and is often bypassed by visitors in their hurry to reach the Yosemite Valley. But the view is absolutely phenomenal from here, and is highly recommended during a visit to Yosemite National Park. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos from California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps. From our travels in the nearby Oregon and Washington, we have captured photos such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations.

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Mine! Mine! Mine! This singular word spoken in rapid succession by the seagulls in the Finding Nemo series of Pixar movies rings true to life in this image of a floating island of seagulls forming due to a feeding frenzy in the icy blue waters of Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. It is a scene that The Wild Images Team has observed and photographed on several occasions. To capture such a photo at such a low profile to the water and in such a state of action requires us to have the mobility and maneuverability that can only be provided by exploring Kenai Fjords in ocean kayaks. Kenai Fjords National Park is a section of the northern Pacific Ocean coastline and surrounding land in Alaska that maintains the Harding Icefield and the Kenai Mountains. The snowy mountains rise straight out of the ocean up to soaring heights among the clouds, as depicted in this beautiful image and also in this gorgeous shoreline photo, both of which were captured by The Wild images Team and are available for sale in our store. The icefield sends numerous outflowing glaciers carving through the coastal mountains, many of which still have their snouts directly contacting the ocean. The glaciers calve continuously into the ocean water during the short warm summer season, so that the water through the fjords is constantly filled with icebergs, such as captured in this stunning reflection photo, and therefore is a very suitable habitable for seals, such as in this very icy natural scene, in this gorgeous composed shot, or in this beautifully dynamic image, and is also a habitat for Dall’s Porpoises, all photographed by The Wild Images Team and found for sale in our store. The glaciers carve canyon rock down into microscopic particles known as glacial till or rock flour, which is deposited into the ocean through calving around the glacier fjords, imparting a milky blue color to the water. The minerals carried into the ocean ecosystem by the rock flour create a prime location for the proliferation of smaller ocean living organisms such as phytoplankton, which in turn bring in other species higher in the food chain, which in turn bring in other species yet even higher in the food chain. So it is very common to find many different types of sea birds that are adapted to a cooler northern climate, such as bald eagles, peregrine falcons, horned puffins, tufted puffins, common murres, thick-billed murres, marbled murrelets, and of course seagulls. These birds feed primarily on ocean life such as small fish, which are found in large groups known as schools that are almost always on the move. In times when the schools move closer to the surface, birds will suddenly swoop into the region, creating a chaotic scene of diving, splashing, flapping, and vocalizing. This particular day seemed very conducive for this behavior, as we encountered a dozen or more scenes just like this above and captured hundreds of images detailing their behavior. As a matter of fact, close inspection of the above photo will show another distant feeding frenzy occurring on the right center, appearing as a flat island of white but actually comprised of hundreds of seagulls, similar to the one shown here in the foreground. For this shot, we silently glided closer in our kayaks, and waited for the right moments to catch some of the birds in action above, as others float together in a large group.One thing that is very apparent while kayaking through glacial fjords is the awesome scale of everything. While the shoreline in the background appears nearby, it is actually an entire mountain that is miles away. The entire landscape is truly awe-inspiring, and the variety of wildlife are absolutely fascinating to watch in such a pristine environment. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images while in Alaska including the terminal moraines of a glacier winding down from the Chugach Mountains, the many splendid colors of the Sheep Mountain chromatic peaks in the Talkeetna Range, as a seal watches over the thick floating ice in Kenai Fjords National Park, as very fast moving seals cut tracks through the ice, as an entertaining seal strikes a pose on Northwestern Lagoon ice, the many miles of Northwestern Glacier reflecting over the turquoise waters, the awe inspiring rumble when a glacier calves of the cliffs in Kenai Fjords National Park, the moment when clouds crown a peak in Kenai Fjords National Park, the long summer days when fireweed enjoys the land of the midnight sun, and as a very playful Dall’s porpoise breaches the ocean surface in Aialik Bay, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Alaska document the moment we realized that no bananas on a boat is a very serious rule, as our kayak carrying water taxi Michael A launches from Miller’s Landing, the chaotic scene during a feeding frenzy floating island of seagulls, the majestic bald eagle scanning the coastline from a tree, the expansive view of a colorfully banded rock island reflection, the chaotic jumble of very noticeable blue ice of Northwest Glacier, the reflective view over briefly calm waters of the far northern Pacific Ocean under the Harding Icefield, when The Wild Images Team was photographed at the mouth of a glacier draining tunnel, the intimidating view from the snout of a very large and very steep glacier, and when our Coordinator Christina Orban keeps tradition by kissing the snout of this glacier. The Wild Images Team has also captured many photos during our journey up to Alaska through western and northern Canada including colorful canoes standing at the edge of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, a moment of isolation as a canoe crosses Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, the scene when a grizzly mother is grazing with two cubs, a practically newborn grizzly cub is shorter than the grass, near the Rancheria River where a massive blonde grizzly steps out of the brush, where the remote Liard River wanders through woods and mountains, an action shot when two bison calves are learning to spar, and another action shot as a large bull moose runs through the woods, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from our journey through Canada document the dark background storm clouds while the grain silos shine in the sunlight of Saskatchewan, the sheer terrain of Cascade Mountain towering over the Bow River valley, the velvet covered antlers of an elk as it passes by in Jasper National Park, the welcome sign declaring you are now entering the world famous Alaska Highway, the very iconic mile 0 signpost found at the start of the Alaska Highway, the desolate road of the Alaska Highway drops down into clouds of the Yukon Territory, the very remote road of the Alaska Highway rounds a mountain within clouds of the Yukon Territory, as the Alaska Highway heads straight towards a giant peak along Kluane Lake, the tall snow-capped peaks along the Alaska Highway west of Whitehorse, the shore lining patterned designs of mudflats from the missing A’ay Chu, as The Wild Images Team Photographer Jeremy Robinson hides in the Signpost Forest, and as The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina hides in the Signpost Forest.

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Two unconnected major geysers in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming are erupting in this image. The more prominent eruption seen in the foreground is that of Lion Geyser. Its early morning initial eruption is producing a vibrant double rainbow in the steam curtain. An absolutely stunning sister image, captured moments before in the same eruption, is available for sale in our store. That is how special this morning was. The Wild Images Team has observed and photographed dozens of Lion Geyser eruptions in a variety of different atmospheric conditions and at various times throughout the day. Unlike several other geysers in the area that have a more preferable time of day for lighting, Lion Geyser tends to be ideal all day long from sunrise through afternoon for front lighting shots, and from late afternoon until sunset for back lighting shots. Many of the photos have been considered as candidates for our store, but this set was our first choice. Lion Geyser is one of the largest geysers that has a series type of eruptions. Like most series type erupting geysers, its first eruption in the series is the largest, with the subsequent eruptions all being about the same size but lower in height and water output compared to the initial. However, all eruptions in the series can be amazing to watch. The Wild Images Team spent this entire day watching every single subsequent eruption, starting with the initial eruption which is shown above, through 8 more subsequent eruptions for a total of 9 in that series. We did take photos of all of the subsequent eruptions throughout the day as lighting, background sky, and weather conditions changed. And of course we have captured images of series on different days and different seasons, all of which will eventually be posted here. Lion Geyser is located on the northern end of Geyser Hill, just before it drops off into the lower fields and forests. Geyser Hill itself is barren, with little vegetation except for small patches of grass here or there, so no shade is available. We always have umbrellas in our gear, and will use these for shade during the long waits. Nearby are three other geysers in its group, the dormant Big Cub Geyser, the dormant Lioness Geyser, and the perpetually erupting Little Cub Geyser to provide something to watch. The eruption of Lion Geyser is unpredictable and does require a good deal of patience. It interval between eruptions can vary anywhere from 10 hours to 17 hours, and does require knowledge of its previous eruptions. But there is a small vent on its front face that will begin to spurt and bubble out water during the last few hours before an imminent eruption. If the vent is not yet bubbling, the eruption is no time soon. But if it is bubbling and gurgling, it is worth the wait. As the eruption is about to happen, Lion Geyser will start to throw water out of its large vent and a deep underground boiling can be heard, reminiscent of a teakettle. Its initial eruption will eventually burst upward out of the cone up to heights of 80, often raining down over the surrounding boardwalks. It will hold this height for several minutes before dying away into a short steam phase and then going quiet. However, a little over an hour later it will come back to life in its second eruption of the series. Before this second eruption happens, it will send out a loud huff of steam, similar to the sound of a lion’s roar, hence the name of the geyser. The second eruption will be a bit shorter, but still very impressive, and will also die down into a steam phase. About an hour later, the third eruption will occur, and each successive one will also be about an hour apart. Each eruption of Lion Geyser will also begin with a lion roar, followed by the water column reaching similar heights before dying down into the short steam phase. It generally will produce somewhere between 3 and 5 eruptions, though it can be as many as 9, such as what occurred on this day. The end of the series will often occur with several lion huffs of steam that diminish in loudness, before the geyser goes quiet. Close inspection of the above photo will also show a simultaneous eruption of distant and unconnected Castle Geyser, found between the Lion Geyser cone and the left side of the lower rainbow. A very beautiful image of Castle Geyser, captured on a different day, is also available for sale in our store. In the viewpoint of that image, a quiet Lion Geyser can be seen in the distance as the feature on the lower right with a small cluster of pine trees grouping around its base, while above it and to the right of it is a portion of Geyser Hill. Castle Geyser has also been written about extensively in the two different previous blog posts. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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White Dome Geyser stands like a solitary beacon in the remote Tangled Creek region of the Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming. About a half mile away from the nearest geysers in either direction, Great Fountain Geyser to the southwest, and Pink Cone Geyser to the northwest, it stands out in its isolation. While it technically does have four small companion geysers in its group, Pebble Geyser, Crack Geyser, Rejuvenated Geyser, and Gemini Geyser, White Dome Geyser is by far the most prominent feature in the area. Standing atop a ten foot tall mound of eroded geyserite, covered at a distance with grasses, is yet another fifteen foot tall mound of geyserite, this one more rugged and colorful, from which the geyser erupts and from which it has been named. The siliceous sinter geyserite composing its structure is very old; it has been estimated that White Dome Geyser has been erupting in this same location for tens of thousands of years at the very least. Over that lengthy span of time, it has been slowly adding to its geyserite formation by depositing thin layers, atom by atom, during each eruption. The tall formation that has resulted can now be seen from miles away. Since it is a very active geyser, thermophile bacteria has colonized over a substantial portion of its geyserite, adding the orange hues that are especially prominent near its top where water is more likely to splashdown. The eroded geyserite on which it stands is covered with yellow grasses to add further color to the scene. White Dome Geyser has been a favorite photographic target for The Wild Images Team. We have captured photos at different times of the day and in a variety of weather conditions. For this particular image, we waited for many days until several conditions combined together. We wanted to capture an eruption at sunset, so that the reddening light draws out the orange and yellow tones of the scene. But we also wanted a sky that had darker and denser water bearing clouds in the background of the vertical column of water, to greatly contrast its evening glow in the sunlight. All of these came together on this particular night! An absolutely breathtaking sister image of this above photo was captured in the same series and is available for sale in our store. This was a tall order for White Dome Geyser. While it is a very active geyser, not having any recorded periods of dormancy, it is also very unpredictable. It can have intervals between eruptions as short as 10 minutes, and as long as several hours. From our experience of observing many of its eruptions, it tends to have intervals between eruptions most commonly around 40 minutes, give or take about 20 minutes. The only way to be sure to see it is to patiently wait. But compared to the many other geysers that we have waited for, this one tends to be a short and manageable wait. As it approaches closer to an eruption, water will often start being thrown out of its opening on top of the sinter cone. This can happen for several minutes before that start of an eruption. Other times, however, it may just start erupting without any indication. The eruption start is obvious, as the vertical column of water rises up to about 30 feet above the top of the cone, and continues to be held for the next few minutes until it slowly dies down into a short steam phase. It is a beautiful eruption to witness, though few visitors take the time to watch it. The White Dome Geyser Group has a huge importance in modern science. A nearby thermal hot spring named the Mushroom Pool is where Thomas D. Brock and Hudson Freeze of Indiana University first discovered the thermus aquaticus bacteria that is the source of the heat resistant enzyme Taq DNA polymerase, one of the most important enzymes ever discovered. The heat-resistant enzyme Taq DNA polymerase is used in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) DNA amplification technique, which has an enormous amount of applications including the monitoring of genetic disorders, the early detection of cancerous cells, the forensic science at crime scenes, the parentage testing and ancestry analysis, and the diagnosis of infectious diseases, not the least of which is the testing for COVID-19. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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If there is one thing constant in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming, it is change. thermal features will suddenly open up in the ground, while others will suddenly go quiet even after centuries of activity. It is this consistent change that makes the park such an enticing place for photography. Sawmill Geyser is one of the many thermal features found in the Upper Geyser Basin, and has been around for a long time, nearby to the mighty Grand Geyser, a stunning image of which is available for sale in our store. Sawmill Geyser is loved by all. As a matter if fact, there is an entire network of nearby geysers that are collectively called the Sawmill Group. All of the geysers in the Sawmill Group seem to be interconnected underground, as their eruptions are at the very least influenced by each other in some type of complex pattern, while some of the geysers will not erupt at all until the others are quiet. Sawmill Geyser was named during the Hayden Geological Expedition of 1871 by Antoine Schoenborn for two of its unique characteristics: due to its vent shape, bursts of water are sent upward in a rotating fashion, while the sputtering of water in its filled pool produces a constant background whirring sound. Put the two together, and it is reminiscent of the sights and sounds found in sawmills that were prominent in the country at the time. And through recorded history since the early surveys, Sawmill Geyser has continued to be a frequent performer, with long eruption intervals followed by quiet periods of only 1 to 3 hours. Like a reliable friend, Sawmill Geyser could always be counted on to be putting on a display. That is why it caught everyone by surprise when during the winter of 2016-2017, it just ceased erupting altogether. Sometime in very late January or very early February of 2017, Sawmill Geyser had one final eruption and just went dormant. The Wild Images Team visited Yellowstone National Park that 2017 season, and already the difference in the region around the Sawmill Group was apparent. The vibrant colors created by the extremophile bacteria were no longer present, as water was no longer running off of most of the geysers in the group, and the bacterial mats had dried up leaving a stark gray and white landscape. Sawmill Geyser would have a partially filled pool at most, never high enough for overflow, and it would just gently bubble. Nearby Penta Geyser, Churn Geyser, and Old Tardy Geyser were also completely silent. Spasmodic Geyser and Tardy Geyser were both very subdued. It was a sad sight, shutting down an entire section of thermal activity in the central part of the Upper Geyser Basin. But then just this past summer season, on June 24, 2021 sometime around 2 AM, Sawmill Geyser suddenly sprang back to life after four and a half years of dormancy! And furthermore, it has continued to erupt regularly since then almost as if the previous four and a half years never happened. But we say almost, because it still was not quite the same. On the same siliceous sinter platform of Sawmill Geyser is a small opening that drops rapidly down into the depths of the earth. Only during the times when Sawmill Geyser is not only quiet, but is in a deep drain characterized by no visible water in its pool, this small opening can rarely and unpredictably erupt in what as known as Uncertain Geyser. However, Uncertain Geyser had gone dormant before Sawmill Geyser did, and did not return when Sawmill Geyser started erupting again. That is until July 31, 2021, when out of nowhere it erupted again. Now that everything seems more or less back to normal there, Spasmodic Geyser initiates the system, by starting to spout through all of its crazy vents and pools, followed by Sawmill Geyser erupting most of the time, though rarely it will instead remain quiet while nearby Penta Geyser and Churn Geyser take over the eruption duties in what is known as the rare Penta-Churn mode. The Wild Images Team captured this image of Sawmill Geyser bursting from its colorful pool before it went dormant. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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On the western flanks along the extensive runoff channels surrounding Artemisia Geyser in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming are found two siliceous sinter mounds a few feet apart. These two mounds comprise Atomizer Geyser, which despite its proximity to such a large geyser as Artemisia, is actually an independently erupting geyser with no influence from Artemisia. It is also a much more frequent performer than Artemisia Geyser, and is often the focus of attention during the long intervals of time between Artemisia eruptions. While the unpredictable Artemisia Geyser generally erupts once per day at most, Atomizer Geyser is a series type of geyser, where the eruptions happen in regular intervals until it eventually goes quiet for an extended period of time before repeating the whole process all over again. In the case of Atomizer Geyser, it all begins with its pool in the west cone overflowing into the runoff channels every few minutes. This will continue for the next few hours until it finally has its initial eruption. Unlike other series type geysers where the initial eruption is often the largest, for Atomizer Geyser it is one of the smallest. Its initial eruption will only last for about a minute or so, and will be characterized by water jetting out of the west cone up to heights of about 30 feet, while the east cone will send up a fine spray mist reminiscent of a perfume atomizer bottle from which it earned its name. After the initial eruption, it will remain quiet for the next hour, until it will suddenly burst to life in its second eruption of the series. Again, this will last for about a minute or so. It will continue in this pattern for the next 6 to 8 hours. All of these eruptions are known as minor eruptions, as its largest, known as the major eruption, is always its very last. At some point after it has performed 6 to 8 minor eruptions, it will erupt with all of its remaining energy in a single, final, major eruption. It can occur anywhere between 15 and 90 minutes after the previous minor eruption, and it is never certain which minor eruption is the final one before the major eruption, so it requires patience to observe a major eruption. When an Atomizer Geyser major eruption does occur, it is unmistakable, as the water column reaches much higher to about 50 feet, but even more noticeable is the duration of the eruption which 8 to 10 minutes in length, many times longer than any of its previous minor eruptions. Following the large output of water during the major eruption, it will then enter into an extended steam phase from both sinter cone vents, another characteristic unique to the major eruption. After this grand finale, and fully exhausted of energy, it goes quiet for the next 6 hours while it slowly fills its reservoir and pool. So while it does spend a large amount of quiet time during its refill and its subsequent overflow, once it does begin to erupt, you can be sure of several hours worth of eruptions from Atomizer Geyser. The Wild Images Team has observed and photographed many eruptions of Atomizer Geyser, sometimes while waiting for an eruption of Artemisia Geyser, such as the one in which we captured this absolutely beautiful image for sale in our store, and other times while Artemisia is just a quietly steaming turquoise pool. In the above photo of Atomizer Geyser, we used a telephoto lens to capture a detailed image of an eruption. Close inspection will reveal the fine spray mist emanating from the east cone. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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The Wild Images Team is going to try an experiment with this photo. We would like to find this couple who were married on the day this picture was taken, May 30, 2015. We would like to send them a copy of this image, printed on our top-quality fine art photo paper, fully matted and framed, in a size of their choosing for free, along with electronic copies of this and the various other photos that we captured of them along the way. We do not know if it will be possible to ever find them or not, but we are hoping you can help us by sharing this post on any social media channels and wherever else. You can even make use of the convenient share buttons below for both Twitter and Facebook. We thank you in advance for your help. While most readers will not know them, if enough people hear about this and share it likewise, we just might be able to locate them. On May 30, 2015, we were wandering the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, something we have done on numerous occasions as part of our photographic expedition. We were walking along the 500 block of Chartres Street when we heard the sound of music behind us. The sound of music is very common in New Orleans of course, there are street musicians on pretty much every block of the French Quarter and throughout Jackson Square on any given day, but this was different. We turned around to see a procession being led by a newly married couple, the husband in a dark gray tux carrying a black parasol and the wife in a white dress carrying an ornate white parasol. Behind them marched a five piece jazz band, followed by the bridesmaids, then the groomsmen, then the parents of the happy couple, and finally a long line of wedding attendees. We are not sure exactly where they originated from, but it appears to have been in the vicinity of the above photo, perhaps from the Sonder-St. Helene or the Napolean House, both of which are seen in the background as the buildings with the balconies and attached flags in front of it or the off-white building beyond the flags, respectively. The procession continued on towards Jackson Square, turned left onto St. Peter for a block, then turned right on Royal St. for several more blocks. They had quite a crowd forming on both sides of the street further down, that cheered them on as they passed. We had our photographic equipment ready, and The Wild Images Team Photographer, Jeremy Robinson, took an entire series of photos from which this one is our favorite, while The Wild Images Team Coordinator, Christina Orban, helped guide him past the growing crowds. Our Photographer purposely chose this side of the street for two reasons: he wanted the beautiful bride to be the center of attention while still maintaining the balance of the scene with people on both sides of her, and to capture the background buildings that are darkened by overhead balconies, allowing the bride to stand out even more in contrast while wearing a white dress. And then at the moment this was taken, the groom happened to be looking over at his bride, further bringing attention towards her. It did not appear that they had another photographer following them for this part of the celebration, so this may be a great addition to their other photos. This image was captured early in their route as we believe they were exiting a building on the 500 block of Chartres St., in case this helps narrow down who these two may be. Please help us find them, it would finish out a great story! The Wild Images Team has captured many other images in New Orleans including the prominent Hotel Monteleone and surrounding buildings, beautiful French Quarter ironwork view through the cornstalk fence, intricate designs of a house facade and lamp shadows, nice reflection of a bridge in the Louis Armstrong Park, dynamic view as a Canal Line streetcar passes a St. Charles Line streetcar, the eerie nighttime view of Pirates Alley of the French Quarter, an example of an urban art sign stenciled on the wall, the distant building and colorful lights of the French Market, chance encounter with a teddy bear silhouette in French Market window, more north can be found an ornate mausoleum of Greenwood Cemetery, elsewhere is a heavenly scene over Cypress Grove Cemetery, more south was a sunset over the Mississippi River delta, all of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts of New Orleans document the midnight crowd at always busy Cafe du Monde, the dimly lit stocked shelves of Loa Bar in the International House Hotel, the colorful French Quarter Wedding Chapel at night, the happy couple leading a wedding procession on Chartres Street, far down the French Quarter where intricately colorful balconies stand above Chartres Street, the moment when entertainers welcomed crowds to the Jax Brewery, the street performer human statue Uncle Louis poses with a visitor, the pink hues of a rare colorful mausoleum in Greenwood Cemetery, the long shadows of bikes chained to old pump lamp posts, reflections of the bus commuters in front of a St. Charles Line Streetcar, a view of the city reflected in the Steamboat Natchez searchlight, the nighttime view of lighted tugboats along the Mississippi River, the steampunk view of the PBF Petroleum Refinery along the Mississippi River, the St. Charles Avenue Irish House Guinness Toucan Time For A Pint clock, the humorous but serious condominium listing warning that the place for lease is haunted, the listing that creates relief by being not haunted, our always entertaining Team Coordinator Christina in Cafe Maspero, and again our Team Coordinator under the Guinness Toucan clock. A distance away from New Orleans to the west are the enormous swamps of the Atchafalaya Basin, where we have captured numerous great photos such as the alligator with cypress tree reflections, a group of alligators with dragonflies, a very large cypress tree and Spanish moss, a thick cypress tree grove reflects in the still water, a large swarm of dragonflies congregate on a marsh plant, a very red sunset through the cypress trees, and a reflective sunset through the Spanish moss, each of which is available for sale in our store. Another image captured much further away to the west along the Gulf of Mexico coast is this very remote cemetery near Cote Blanche Bay, and much further away to the north up the Mississippi River is the Myrtles Plantation front yard walkway, each of which are available for sale in our store. We have also documented much of our time in Louisiana in many different blog posts such as in the Atchafalaya Basin where we encountered an open style honeybee hive and Spanish moss and down near the gulf coast with another view of the remote cemetery near Cote Blanche Bay.

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On May 18, 1980 an extraordinary event occurred. Mt St. Helens, in the U.S. state of Washington, erupted in a giant plume of ash and rocks. Everyone has heard of this event. It is the only volcano to erupt on the continental United States in almost 70 years. But this is not what made the eruption so historic. Volcanic eruptions occur yearly in Alaska, and daily in Hawaii. What made this eruption so extraordinary is the way that it initiated, as the largest debris avalanche in recorded history. The best way to see this is through the stunning video clip of its eruption, less than two minutes in length, which was not captured by The Wild Images Team but rather by amateur photographer Keith Ronnholm. On that fateful morning, Keith was positioned at Bear Meadow, only about ten miles from what would become the laterally directed volcanic eruption. In the video, the entire 5000 foot tall north quadrant and the peak of the mountain can be seen sloughing off the rest of the massif in one fluid motion before the large lateral blast breaches through the weakened surface. It is unlike anything else we have ever seen, and wanted to direct readers to this clip to show the circumstances that have led up to the above iconic image that was captured by The Wild Images Team on a recent visit through the state of Washington. A beautiful sister image of this, titled Rainbow Over The Remnants, is available for sale in our store. As can be seen in both photos, the north face and the peak of the mountain are now gone, such that the mountain now exists as a horseshoe shaped peak with a large opening on its north flank, to the right of the rainbow. Under the rainbow, is found much of the rock and soil that at what time comprised the north quadrant and peak of Mt. St. Helens, which immediately became 1300 feet less in height after the debris avalanche and eruption. Closer inspection of the photos will show the Toutle River, running from left to right. On the day of the eruption, the entire ice cap and glaciers on Mt. St. Helens were instantly melted by the intense heat, and came pouring down the Toutle River as billions of gallons of muddy water that tore down hundreds of acres of standing trees, to add their trunks and branches into the roiling and deadly torrent. Unlike the many people who were in the vicinity of the volcano to observe it, two campers from Tacoma, 19 year old Roald Reitan and 20 year old Venus Dergan, were twenty miles down the Toutle River, not even within view of the mountain, when the volcano erupted. Their idyllic campsite in the morning sun was suddenly under a wall of water. They attempted to drive away in their vehicle, but the river rose so fast that they became just another floating object in the tumbling mass of mud and logs. Realizing their only chance of survival was to leave the vehicle, Roald jumped out of his door and landed on a large log. Venus was not so lucky, as she jumped out and landed between two large logs that immediately closed in on each other, crushing her arm and head. She fought to stay above the waves and debris, and Roald was able to grab her by the hair at first, and then by the arm to hoist her onto the log as well, after which they rode another couple of harrowing miles through the rapids before log hopping to safety. Their car ended up many more miles downriver from there, almost completely buried in mud and logs. What a story! Mt. St. Helens is still considered an active volcano, and continues to have magma domes pushed up in and around its crater. It has had several minor eruptions, and it is expected to have an even more powerful major eruption in the future. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Washington and neighboring Oregon such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Washington and Oregon include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations. The Wild Images Team has also captured many other photos in nearby California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps.

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John Heath became a victim of vigilante justice. The event that led up to this was the Bisbee Massacre. John Heath had moved from Texas to Clifton, Arizona where he met James “Tex” Howard. Shortly thereafter, the two men moved on to the Cochise County town of Bisbee, Arizona, a boomtown built around the Copper Queen Mine and its riches produced from extracting an extraordinarily high grade of copper ore. While in Bisbee, James “Tex” Howard introduced John Heath to his associates: Dan “Big Dan” Dowd, Omer “Red” Sample, Daniel “York” Kelly, and William “Billy” Delaney, all of whom were members of the Cochise County Cowboys. The title of cowboy at the time was not an honor, as it was synonymous with the title of cattle rustler, a person who would steal cattle in one place to sell at another place, pocketing all of the profits without doing any of the work of raising the herd. This activity became so common that cattle ranchers began branding their cattle as a type of identifier to their ownership in the chance that they are stolen and attempted to be sold elsewhere. The Cochise County Cowboys are considered one of the earliest organized crime syndicates, who were notorious for stealing cattle in nearby Mexico, driving the herd north, and selling them in the Arizona Territory. The Mexican Government soon erected forts along the border, making this activity much more dangerous. At this point, the Cochise County Cowboys focused their attention on rustling cattle from ranches in the states as well as holding up stagecoaches. This activity became so common that stagecoach companies such as Wells Fargo would have a guard armed with a shotgun accompany the stagecoach driver, leading to the term of “riding shotgun”, which also made this activity become much more dangerous. The Cowboys then began to plan a robbery of the Copper Queen Mine payroll. The Copper Queen Mine company payday was on the 10th of each month, and the Cowboys learned that the payroll arrived two days in advance to the Goldwater & Castaneda Mercantile in downtown Bisbee, Arizona, since Bisbee did not have a bank at the time. On the morning December 8, 1883, John Heath opened a dance hall adjacent to the Goldwater & Castaneda Mercantile. That evening, the five other Cowboys, Tex Howard, Big Dan Dowd, Red Sample, York Kelly, and Billy Delaney rode from the nearby Buckles’ Ranch into town, posted two men at the entrance of the mercantile, and the three remaining men entered with guns drawn demanding the payroll from the mercantile safe. However, the payroll had not arrived yet, foiling their plan. Their suspicious activity caught the attention of several people in the area, each of whom they shot and killed including assayer J.C. Tappenier as he exited the Bon Ton Saloon and refused to go back in, Cochise County Deputy Sheriff D. Tom Smith as he saw the robbery in progress while dining with his wife across the street at the Bisbee House Restaurant and attempted to intervene, pregnant woman Annie Roberts simply because she peered out of a doorway from the same restaurant, and freighter John Nolly as he witnessed the events from a nearby wagon. These men were now wanted for multiple murders, and posses were formed that eventually captured all of them including John Heath, who was accused of helping to plot the robbery. The other five men were tried and convicted to death by hanging. John Heath was convicted to a life sentence to be served in the nearby town of Tombstone, Arizona. People of Bisbee were angry at his lighter sentence, formed a large mob of mostly miners that overran the prison guards at Tombstone, and dragged John Heath out of town where they hung him from a telegraph pole even after he professed his innocence. The five other Cowboys were all hung days later, and each of them also proclaimed the innocence of John Heath (as well as their own) before being hung. Here The Wild Images Team captured an image of the grave marker to John Heath in Boothill Graveyard of Tombstone. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Arizona, such as the colorful storm buildup in the painted desert, the stark view of an incredibly tall monsoon cloud over desert, the sky covering massive anvil cloud over the mountains, the isolation in the curtains of rain over the Navajo Nation, the deep red lightning scene in the Mazatzals, the moment Zeus throws a bolt over Cave Creek, the network of colorful bolts over the Sedona ridges, the rainfall created colorful dry wash in bloom, the dangerous stripe-tailed scorpion climbing plants, the deep desert late night glowing bark scorpions, the dynamic image of a honeybee on an exotic wildflower, the view of a hummingbird among the thick wildflowers, a lucky shot of a great horned owl roosting in mesquite tree, the evening view of an organ pipe cactus, the serene scene of ocotillos and saguaro cacti, the view from Bell Rock of scrub brush and phenomenally colorful cliffs, this precarious Wupatki box canyon dwelling, a look up at the very majestic Wukoki Pueblo ruins, a chance encounter with a thunderstorm through a Wukoki Pueblo window, and the spiny sharp glass sculpture with cacti, each of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Arizona have documented the close up of a large stripe-tailed scorpion, the animated behavior of a great horned owl, the nearly daily encounters with the multitude of rattlesnakes, the mysterious darkness created by a very prominent Alexander’s Band between two brilliant rainbows, the crazy late sunset when red rain fell over the Mazatzal Mountains, monsoon season forming rain curtains hanging in front of the sunset, the sunset moment when delicate rain curtains fell in front of a darkening sky, spring rainfall creating a colorful desert bloom in a dry wash, the dynamic view of a honeybee equipped with dual pollen baskets among the blooms, the red sunlit clouds with a rainbow over the foothills of Black Mountain, the massive spectacle of a giant spiderweb of lightning over Black Mountain, near Sedona where red cliffs are framed by cane chollas, the reddish glow of sunset lighting an organ pipe cactus, the precarious location of the cliff edge Box Canyon ruins, the strategic location of the majestic Montezuma Castle Sinagua dwellings, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at a scenic Grand Canyon overlook, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina in front of the Wupatki Pueblo, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tombstone and the Original Bird Cage Theatre history, its interior eponymic Bird Cage balcony seats, its secretive hidden door beneath the stage, through which lies the underground hidden gambling room, next to a hidden room for a lady of the night, the OK Corral Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp and Wyatt Earp and their gun fight with Tom McClaury, Frank McClaury, and Billy Clanton, the Boothill Graveyard headstone of Lester Moore and the headstone of John Heath, the reflective multicolored boatload of glass, the mass of blue and white glass atop a wall, the lighted view of purple stem vegetation glass, the lighted view of red stem vegetation glass, the closer view of the textures and shapes of Chihuly glass, the overlook view of Comet Neowise with a saguaro, which was brightly shining over the town of Cave Creek, eventually with its bright green coma and tail, as it appears to drop down into a saguaro grove, the day when rare snow fell in the Sonoran Desert and covered Black Mountain in a white blanket, the weeks of a devastating large record setting Bush Fire that continuously raged through the Superstition Mountains, the day when the Aquila Fire burned through Desert Hills causing massive destruction to a few structures, the day that the East Desert Fire nearly burned into the Cave Creek area, and then two weeks later the day when the devastating Ocotillo Fire did burn down into and throughout the estates which were protected by spectacular firefighting around the town of Cave Creek leaving behind this iconic image.

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In Morrell Park along the Savannah River, in the port of Savannah, Georgia, stands a monument to a legend that few people know about: The Waving Girl Statue. Who is the Waving Girl? It is Florence Martus, someone very well known to the maritime trade. From 1887 to 1931, for 44 straight years, she waved at each and every ship that passed through the Port of Savannah, using a piece of cloth by day and a lantern by night. It didn’t take long for the word to spread to other ports throughout the entire world. Sailors would look forward to being greeted by Florence as they entered into the Port of Savannah along the Savannah River. They would all wave back or salute her, and the ships would often also blow their horns in greeting. It is estimated that the Waving Girl, Florence Martus, greeted over 50,000 ships during her 44 years, never missing a single one! She was born in 1869 on Cockspur Island in the middle of the Savannah River, five miles downriver from Savannah, Georgia, to a father who was employed with a crew on the island rebuilding Fort Pulaski following its heavy bombardment during the Civil War. After this occupation, her father became a lighthouse keeper for several years, and when he retired, he passed the job on to his son, Florence’s brother. The lighthouse was located on Elba Island, another island in the middle of the Savannah River. During this time on Elba Island, while she was a teenager, she began to wave at the passing ships, often accompanied by her pet collie, and the ship crew would respond back with waves, salutes, and horn blasts. It is believed that she did this to help her feel connected to the wider world, while being isolated on an island in the middle of a river for most of her life. But she certainly made an impact on the wider world, becoming famous for her simple daily acts of kindness. Florence lived on this island for 44 years, until her brother also retired from the job in 1931. On her seventieth birthday, in 1939, the Propeller Club of Savannah presented her with a memorial built in Morrell Park, the Waving Girl Statue. It depicts her waving to the passing ships with the traditional piece of cloth, while her faithful collie companion stands by next to her. That is quite an honor to have a memorial permanently erected in a prominent place on your behalf! The Waving Girl Statue was designed by Felix de Weldon, the same famous sculptor who also designed the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, found at the entrance of the Arlington National Cemetery, depicting the six Marines raising an American Flag over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. To this day, passing ships will still blow their horns and the crew will still salute or wave to the Waving Girl Statue, in memory of a woman who brought such a warm welcome to sailors after long trips at sea. The Wild Images Team waited for the right conditions to capture this image of The Waving Girl Statue. Once the sky was filled with a nice collection of clouds, and the foreground lighting became ideal, we set up from a vantage point such that her collie stands majestically above the flower bushes, while Florence Martus is framed perfectly by the trees and the clouds to make her waving cloth the centerpiece of attention. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images in the Historic District of Savannah such as the haunting photo of houses of Calhoun Square through Spanish moss, this view of an ornate house from Lafayette Square, and the mystical aura surrounding the Forsyth Fountain in Forsyth Park, each of which are available for sale in our store. Savannah blog posts have documented as a boat is dwarfed by the massive Hapag-Lloyd Budapest Express, an evening view of the Savannah River terminals and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, the amazing story of the Florence Martus Waving Girl Statue, the very detailed National Maritime Day Monument and a photo of its associated Propeller Club Dedication plaque, the perfectly framed view of the William Jasper Monument, the very functional historic armillary sphere of Troup Square, a lucky shot of a ghostly woman in a green dress standing in the doorway, an image of the geometric spiral patterns that fill a stairwell, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome catching some rays and then doing the backstroke in the rooftop pool. In the nearby Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina, the Wild Images Team has captured many other images including the colorful walkway with lights through humidity, a photo of the ornate house through trees branches, and in the bay where the Schooner named Pride sailed through, each of which are available for sale in our store. Charleston blog posts have documented when The Wild Images Team sought refuge from a historic downpour, which subsequently flooded the Charleston streets, that led to the stranding of our Coordinator Christina, photographed on a humid night as Christina poses in the steamy view, and then on a drier day as Christina rides the ferry to Fort Sumter, which formed these reflective wake trails towards the fort, the Battery District where ornamental balustrades line the street along East Battery, a late night view through the back gate of a house in the Battery District, and then an image of decorative folk art in a courtyard. In the somewhat nearby North Carolina, The Wild Images Team has captured photos such as the Cape Lookout Island scenic backdoor view of the lightkeepers house which is available for sale in our store. Blog posts from North Carolina include the standard vegetation as Cape Lookout Lighthouse is framed by pine trees. In the somewhat nearby Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, The Wild Images Team has captured images including the wispy clouds over ornate Front Gates of the Governor’s Palace and a night time view of Josiah Chowning’s Tavern with waitstaff, each of which are available for sale in our store. Colonial Williamsburg blog posts have documented where dianthus barbatus also known as Sweet William grows in the Governor’s Palace Gardens, the day our Travel Gnome jumped the Governor’s Palace wall, was quickly taken into custody by a guard, and sentenced to serve time in the stockade, to which The Wild Images Team was also sentenced thanks to our Travel Gnome, and during a freer time the moment that a couple is married in a jumping the broom ceremony.

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This was an evening to remember for The Wild Images Team. A very occurrence happened here. Not the eruption of Beehive Geyser itself, but rather when it happened: just minutes before the sun set over the distant ridges. How rare is this situation? That requires an understanding of Beehive Geyser, one of the tallest geysers in the world. While it is a regular erupting geyser, it erupts only once per day at most. The time of the eruption is just as likely to be overnight as it is to be during the day, let alone at the moment of sunset. A simple probability calculation will determine the likelihood of this occurring. The moment of sunset, that is the fifteen minutes leading up to sunset, is one quarter of an hour, or about 25%. Then it has to be the correct hour of the day, so divide this by the number of hours in a day, or twenty four. The result is approximately 1%, or just one out of a hundred. Given that the high altitude summer seasons of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming are about 100 days a year, this exact situation should occur on average about once an entire summer season! This was a very special moment. So special that a breathtaking sister image captured moments before this is available for purchase in our store. Why is it important that the eruption happened just before sunset? The size of the rainbow, of course. Since rainbows occur by the reflection of sunlight through the back end of a small droplet of water, the lower the sun is in the sky, the higher the droplets of water can be that still are able to reflect the sunlight. So a lower sun relative to the horizon, closer to sunrise or sunset, will always produce the largest rainbows. So why did it need to be sunset and not sunrise? Its all about the viewpoint, and the direction of the prevailing winds. To capture the geyser at sunrise would require to be on the other side of it, which is almost always the direction that the steam is blown, which will result in a steamy photo with little texture detail. Furthermore, the sunrises over a ridge that sits near the location of the eruption, such that by the time it rises, it is already higher in the sky. Beehive Geyser is found on Geyser Hill, a section that rises above even the Upper Geyser Basin, a location that has the highest concentration of geysers in the world, including the most famous geyser in the world, Old Faithful Geyser, an image of which is also available for purchase in our store, captured on a different day in a different season. Actually, the start of the eruption of Beehive Geyser as seen in the image above occurred simultaneously with the eruption of Old Faithful Geyser this night, and close inspection of the background will show the steam remaining on the small hill of Old Faithful, in the background between the jet of water from Beehive Geyser and the rainbow. The Wild Images Team even captured a few images of the two erupting together that we may post on the blog at a future date. We weren’t alone there, but not many were there that evening. The small crowd that happened to be there to witness this particular eruption can be seen gathered below the massive rainbow in this previous blog entry. Beehive Geyser was given its name by the shape of its siliceous sinter cone that the eruption emanates from, which resembles the shape of the old wicker beehive, known as a skep, that beekeepers used before the development of the Langstroth beehive. The height of the sinter cone of Beehive Geyser is about 4 feet. Meanwhile, its eruption regularly reaches 200 feet in height due the water being passed through its sinter cone like a nozzle, yet as can be seen in the above photo, the rainbow is itself is rivaling the height of the geyser. Both of their tops are much higher than as seen in this image, even though it was taken using a ninety degree wide angle lens, that is how massive everything was this night. We will never forget it! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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In the Lower Geyser Basin, north of the boardwalk to the east of the almost constant eruption of Clepsydra Geyser, lies two giant craters in the gray siliceous sinter, one beyond the other. These are both erupting geysers, one of the thousands that are found in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming. However, they stand out as being some of the largest geysers in the world, and are next to each other. The more distant one, the larger of the two, is Morning Geyser. It is an infrequent erupting geyser even during active periods, and often goes through long periods of dormancy that will amount to years at a time. The large crater nearer to the boardwalk is Fountain Geyser. It is an active and very frequent performer, erupting once every 4.5 to 5.5 hours, for an eruption window of only an hour. It is most likely to erupt in the middle of the window for an interval around 5 hours, give or take ten minutes, but this is not always guaranteed. Both the Morning Geyser and Fountain Geyser craters are filled with water, but never all of the way to the rim. From the boardwalk, the water surface cannot be seen in either, and they appear to be empty craters. There is a nearby small ridge which will give a better vantage point to peer down into their craters. From here, their water surfaces can be seen, always a few feet below the surface. Even just before the eruption, the water still remains a few feet below the rim, just as it will be after and in between the eruptions. So the only way to predict the next eruption is to know the time of the previous eruption, add 4.5 hours, then wait for the next eruption to begin somewhere during the next hour or so. It begins without a warning, other than suddenly water begins to burst up out of the crater in a constant roiling action that will last for about thirty minutes. The eruption itself is being caused by water deep down and under great pressure in the plumbing tubes being heated to the boiling temperature, being converted to high pressure steam, that itself pushes upward and attempts to escape from the pool. In the process, surrounding water is heaved up to heights of about 80 feet as the steam releases. The forces created by the steam are so large that they will often grab stones from 30 feet below, carry them all the way up to the water surface, and throw them clean out of the crater to heights of 40 feet, before they crash down on the surrounding geyserite surface. The Wild Images Team has photographed many eruptions of Fountain Geyser in a variety of different conditions and different times of day, and we have captured moments of these stones being thrown out. Sometimes, the activity will pause for a moment, allowing the energy of the escaping steam to concentrate in a single burst of water that will often be higher than the others. It is during these moments that the often looked for blue bursts may occur, where the water being thrown out has not yet broken up into separate globules, but instead remains a large mass of water that reflects the blue color of the pool depths below. Close inspection of the above image will show that it is a result of a large blue burst, and the blue color can be seen in its lower portions, especially on the right side. Moments before this image was taken, The Wild Images Team captured this gorgeous blue burst of Fountain Geyser that is available for sale in our store. This particular eruption produced a series of photos that have remained our favorite set for Fountain Geyser. A combination of great afternoon lighting, blue sky streaked with cirrus clouds and dotted with nimbus clouds, westerly winds carrying the steam eastward to the right, the striking colors of the siliceous sinter mound surrounding Fountain Geyser, coupled with the yellow and orange hues of the distant background grasses surrounding Fountain Flats, add together for a great set of photos. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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Miles away from Old Faithful Geyser, down a lonely dirt path that accesses the most northern reaches of the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming. It is along here that in a clearing can be found Artemisia Geyser. A regular, yet very infrequent erupting geyser, to the few visitors who make their way out here, it is found as a quietly steaming and very deep pool. It has a strong greenish blue color reminiscent of the Artemisia family of plants, which includes mugworts, wormwoods, and sagebrush. Even during its long quiet periods, it is an absolutely breathtaking pool lying below the trail, well worth the distance to reach it. With much patience, though, its powerful eruption is something to behold. It erupts just once in an interval anywhere between 14 hours and 34 hours, for an eruption window of 20 hours. It is not possible to predict precisely when the next eruption will occur, though close observation after the previous eruption when its rising waters eventually first fill some of the named geyserite features surrounding its pool, such as the duck, the mustache, or the boot, may help to narrow the eruption window a bit more. This is an imperfect science however, and the only way to ensure witnessing an eruption is to patiently wait. The Wild Images Team has watched numerous eruptions of Artemisia Geyser, and have had wait times as short as 5 minutes (sheer luck) and as long as 13 hours (dedication). We know to bring food with us during a trek out this far, as the uncertainty of the eruption can make for a long day. One thing is certain though: if the height of the pool is found to be anywhere below the edge of overflow, an eruption has happened within the last few hours and it will not happen again for quite a long time. But if the pool is overflowing, and has filled some of the named features around, all that is left to do is wait. Nicely there are plenty of trees around to provide shade, there are rocks or logs to sit on, and the entire location is peaceful and quiet. There is plenty of side entertainment to fill the time. The backdrop beyond the drainage channels is a common path for wildlife, especially bison, to travel between the lower grazing areas and the fields around the Upper Geyser Basin. Yellow bellied marmots live in the surrounding rocks and will occasionally make an appearance. In the early evening, coyotes will sometimes be seen following the dirt trail, coming within feet of you. And then there is Atomizer Geyser, seen as the small humps in a separated geyserite area at the far left center portion of the photo. It erupts in a series of five to eight minor eruptions about an hour apart, before eventually having a major eruption that reaches up to 50 feet and that lasts around 10 minutes. The major eruption completely depletes its reservoir water causing it to become quiet in a refill period that lasts at least six hours. Then there is Artemisia Geyser. At some point, without warning, the entire surrounding land will shake with loud thumping behavior. The eruption has begun. Within seconds, the entire large pool will rise up and start pouring water about a foot deep down all of the runoff channels, which nearly completely surround it. This enormous volume of runoff will continue for the entire eruption, outputting thousands of gallons of water. Massive bursts will rise up at the center of the pool, easily reaching heights of 30 feet. What was once a quiet, peacefully steaming pool has become a roiling, violent maelstrom. A stunning sister image of this same eruption, taken from a different angle, is available for purchase in our store. The eruption will last for about 30 minutes, after which, with all of its water and energy expended, it will once again become a quietly steaming pool, though now several feet lower. It will then slowly refill over the course of several hours before reaching overflow, and then for several more hours after this, slowly setting up the next eruption. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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Norris Geyser Basin is found in an isolated area considerably more north of the other major geyser basins of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. In this region, conditions are very harsh. Surface temperatures are the highest in the park, and the water is acidic. These combine together to create the most dramatic thermal landscape found on earth, the low lying Porcelain Basin, an image of which is available for sale in our store. There the temperature is so high and the water is so acidic that the region is devoid of any vegetation other than that found in the safety of the surrounding ridges. Even the extreme thermophile bacteria has some trouble establishing a presence there. But Norris Geyser Basin is actually comprised of two different ecosystems. Besides the Porcelain Basin, there is another area known as the Back Basin. This remote area is somewhat higher in elevation, and separated from the more harsh conditions found in the Porcelain Basin. As such, the trees grow more thickly there and surround the pockets of thermal activity. Also, instead of being composed of a thick sheet of white siliceous sinter, there the ground is composed of tan geyserite broken into rocks and pebbles, a look that is more similar to the other geyser basins in Yellowstone. And scattered around the thermal areas of the Back Basin are numerous geysers of varying size and behavior. Arguably the most entertaining in the area, and one of the most observed is Vixen Geyser. It has earned its name through its eruption behavior. In a bit of mischievous action, it will become active with a fierce sputtering eruption one minute, then cease the next minute. And then again a minute later, it will refill and begin sputtering in an eruption again. The quiet modes rarely exceed more than a few minutes in length. Therefore, the likelihood of finding it in an eruption mode at least as much as it is to find it in a quiet mode, and even then a short wait is all that is required for the next eruption. The eruptions themselves vary in length, anywhere from about one minute up to almost a full hour. And the size of the eruptions also vary with the length of the eruptions. Those that are shorter in length are known as minor eruptions, usually reach up to about 15 feet in height, and generally last for a few minutes. They are the most common type of eruption to observe. However, it will occasionally have a major eruption. During a major eruption, which typically lasts much longer, the water will often blast out of the opening to heights of over 30 feet. Since it is a sputtering type of geyser, the water comes out in large, steaming hot globules. It is possible for the globules to rain down on the nearby trail, though they are launched high enough that they usually cool somewhat as they fall through the air so as to not cause burns. However, they do still feel hot to the touch! Regardless of the type of eruption, they begin the same way. The small pool surrounded by geyserite rocks fills very quickly, usually in a matter of seconds, and sputtering bursts begin launching the water up over the terrain of the Norris Geyser Basin. Near the end of the eruption, the burst energy quickly subsides, and then the entire pool drains away in seconds accompanied by a loud sucking noise. The Wild Images Team captured this image of Vixen Geyser during one of its major eruptions. The water globules are easily up to 20 feet high here, and still headed upward from the geyser blast, while in the background can be seen the nearby trees and a beautiful background sky complete with cumulonimbus clouds. We have taken hundreds of photos of Vixen Geyser, and this one is our favorite. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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This interfaith wedding ceremony of Brian and Alicia took place on July 16th, 2021. The bride is Methodist, the groom is Jewish, and the church is Presbyterian. All of this combined for a beautiful wedding of mixed religious traditions. As can be seen in the image, the ceremony is taking place under a chuppah, the traditional Jewish wedding canopy that symbolizes the figurative new home that will be built between the husband and wife. Beyond this can be seen the Methodist Minister on the left and the father of the groom on the right, who alternate between blessings and prayers in each of the faiths. In front of them, the bride is being given away by her father while nearby the groom is wearing a kippah, also known as a yarmulke, as is all of his groomsmen on the right side. On the left stand the mothers of both the bride and groom, and in front of them are the bridesmaids in royal blue dresses. The Wild Images Team Coordinator, Christina Orban, can be seen as the third one from the left. Meanwhile, The Wild Images Team Photographer, Jeremy Robinson, is behind the lens as usual. While we were not responsible for the wedding shots that day, they had hired a professional wedding photographer, we had to capture our own series of photos from the back balcony. We were responsible for the video cameras that can be seen in two strategic locations: one in the back corner on a tripod to the right of the stained glass window, and the other in the bottom right of the above image, covering over part of a door, a column, and the grand piano. Above the grand piano, half-hidden, is the organist on the left and behind him is the cellist, in the left corner under the American Flag to the left of the stained glass window. Literally minutes before the wedding ceremony began, a severe thunderstorm passed through the area, pouring with rain, flashing with lightning, and booming with thunder. This photo was captured at just after 5 PM on a day only a few weeks after the summer solstice. It should be bright and sunny through the stained glass window. Instead, the heavy clouds of the thunderstorm turned it into looking almost as dark as night, as can be seen in the photo. This enhanced the contrast of dark and light such that the lit chandeliers really stood out at the top of the chapel, so we made sure to include them in this picture. Also standing out are the candles burning at the base of the stained glass window. The two burning in glass holders had just been lit by the mothers of the bride and the groom, using the smaller bare candles. The unlit central candle, thicker than the others, is waiting to be lit simultaneously by the couple after the recital of their vows. In this image, we also love the long train worn by the bride, Alicia, which flows over the steps and is reflected in the polished floor. After the ceremony, we captured a series of photos of our Coordinator, Christina, in her bridesmaids dress and holding her bridesmaid bouquet. The wedding ceremony took place at the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, in Fox Chapel, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The wedding reception was held at the Longue Vue Club, a National Historical Landmark in nearby Sandy Creek, across the Allegheny River. Set on top a large ridge overlooking the river, and further ridges opposite the river, it is great setting for sunset pictures. All of this made for a memorable day! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos throughout Pennsylvania, including the postgame fireworks over the Andy Warhol Bridge, the colorful bursts of Independence Day fireworks over the Ohio River, the view as delicate flowers bloom in the Laurel Highlands, and the very early lantana at the University Park Flower Gardens, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Pennsylvania have documented the Halloween moment when hundreds of witches converged on Mellon Park and then later performed a choreographed dance routine, when The Wild Images Team attended an interfaith wedding ceremony during which our Coordinator Christina Orban was a bridesmaid, a look inside of the ornate St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica, the side yard greenhouse vividly reflecting light displays, the scene dominated by vibrant strands of holiday lights on a tree, the many hues of a very festive holiday house along McColly Street, the colorful view of the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Fall Foliage Train, the burst trails of fireworks over the Allegheny River, the red, white, and blue trail fireworks over the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the palette of colors with fireworks bursting over the Ohio River, the hundreds of American flags flying over Blairsville Cemetery, the fall leaves surrounding the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania System World War I Monument, the many colors of a flower soaking up sunshine, and the dichotomy created by a floral battle of yellow versus red. During our trips to New York on the other side of the state we have captured many photos such as in the Corning Museum of Glass antique cruets and dishware overlap, then in New York City itself the sudden snow squall over the Garment District, the scene of the Sherry-Netherland towering over a sculpture, and the opposite directed festive view of West 58th Street, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our New York blog posts document the Corning Museum of Glass plate of colorful giant glass fruit, the intricate stained glass vines and bubbles over a figure, and the suspended glass knives in front of a red stack tower, then in New York City itself the Empire State Building shining like a beacon, the perpetual hustle and bustle of Times Square, the impressive bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture, the memorial bronze statue of legendary Balto and its accompanying dedicated to the indomitable spirit plaque, the animated bronze animals and the Delacorte Clock, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina with Spongebob SquarePants, the festive view of a large toy train in Rockefeller Center Station, the late night giant holiday lights on the sidewalks, and the piles of giant holiday ornaments in Liholts Pooley Pool.

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On the morning of July 14th, 2021, The Wild Images Team left from Middleton, Wisconsin with the intention of reaching Latrobe, Pennsylvania that same day, a drive of at least 12 hours. We know that the thought of even a 6 hour drive would make most people cringe, let alone twice that amount of time and distance. But for us, a 12 hour drive is not only something we are used to, but something that we look forward to. This is still well short of our record driving time in one day which is closer to 18 hours, not very ideal but something that we had to do out of necessity to reach somewhere that we were booked at. Actually, our Photographer, Jeremy Robinson, one time drove with two friends nonstop across the country by rotating drivers starting from State College, Pennsylvania, and arriving in San Francisco, California two days and nights later. To us, driving is part of the life of being an adventure and travel photography team. We do prefer to keep it more like 8 hours a day max whenever we have the choice, so that there is adequate time to spend outside of the vehicle as well. But when faced with the task of driving 12 hours straight through from Middleton to Latrobe in one day, we still become excited. We love enjoying the sights along the way, and catching a glimpse of what life is like throughout our travel path. According to the GPS, the quickest route from Middleton, Wisconsin to Latrobe, Pennsylvania is to head straight through Chicago and its multitude of toll roads, then across the northern tier of Indiana along its turnpike that costs a small fortune in tolls, then across the northern tier of Ohio along its turnpike that costs an even larger fortune in tolls, then a brief stint across the southern tier of Pennsylvania on its turnpike. All combined together, it comes out to about $100 each way just in tolls. Or alternatively, it is possible to travel straight down the middle of Illinois on Interstate 39 until reaching Bloomington, then taking Interstate 74 eastward over the state line and onward until reaching Indianapolis, where it meets Interstate 70 which continues all the way into Pennsylvania, at which point state route 119 followed by state route 30 will finish out the option that is toll free. So we chose this as our route. At the moment of leaving at 11 AM, our arrival time in Latrobe was 12 PM, 12 hours later plus an additional hour due to the loss of crossing over a time zone traveling eastward. No worries, not too late, so we can have adequate sleep before the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner the next afternoon. However, just 2 hours into the trip somewhere west of Mahomet, Illinois, and while driving at the 70 MPH highway speeds, our driver’s side front tire blew out its entire sidewall. Trying to maintain control, we let off the gas and downshifted. Seconds later we were riding on our bare rim. This is the first time and hopefully the last time we have to do that! Riding on the metallic rim equals almost zero steering control. Anyway, we did pull over safely, but we were delayed quite a bit while we changed the tire in the heat and humidity. Then later we arrived in Indianapolis, Indiana to find Interstate 70 completely closed through the city due to construction, forcing a detour and adding to the delay. Then we arrived in Columbus, Ohio to again find Interstate 70 completely closed through the city due to construction, forcing yet another detour and another delay. We finally reached our destination in Latrobe at almost 4 AM, for a total driving time of 16 hours. After minimal sleep, we did attend a great rehearsal and dinner the next day, followed by a beautiful wedding the day after that. The Wild Images Team Coordinator, Christina Orban, was a bridesmaid in the wedding and The Wild Images Team Photographer, Jeremy Robinson, captured this great shot of her in the chapel lobby after the ceremony. Even with her hair up, the gorgeous golden orange hues really stand out. Apparently royal blue is her color, as she was complimented many times for how it looked with her hair. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos throughout Pennsylvania, including the postgame fireworks over the Andy Warhol Bridge, the colorful bursts of Independence Day fireworks over the Ohio River, the view as delicate flowers bloom in the Laurel Highlands, and the very early lantana at the University Park Flower Gardens, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Pennsylvania have documented the Halloween moment when hundreds of witches converged on Mellon Park and then later performed a choreographed dance routine, when The Wild Images Team attended an interfaith wedding ceremony during which our Coordinator Christina Orban was a bridesmaid, a look inside of the ornate St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica, the side yard greenhouse vividly reflecting light displays, the scene dominated by vibrant strands of holiday lights on a tree, the many hues of a very festive holiday house along McColly Street, the colorful view of the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Fall Foliage Train, the burst trails of fireworks over the Allegheny River, the red, white, and blue trail fireworks over the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the palette of colors with fireworks bursting over the Ohio River, the hundreds of American flags flying over Blairsville Cemetery, the fall leaves surrounding the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania System World War I Monument, the many colors of a flower soaking up sunshine, and the dichotomy created by a floral battle of yellow versus red. During our trips to New York on the other side of the state we have captured many photos such as in the Corning Museum of Glass antique cruets and dishware overlap, then in New York City itself the sudden snow squall over the Garment District, the scene of the Sherry-Netherland towering over a sculpture, and the opposite directed festive view of West 58th Street, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our New York blog posts document the Corning Museum of Glass plate of colorful giant glass fruit, the intricate stained glass vines and bubbles over a figure, and the suspended glass knives in front of a red stack tower, then in New York City itself the Empire State Building shining like a beacon, the perpetual hustle and bustle of Times Square, the impressive bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture, the memorial bronze statue of legendary Balto and its accompanying dedicated to the indomitable spirit plaque, the animated bronze animals and the Delacorte Clock, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina with Spongebob SquarePants, the festive view of a large toy train in Rockefeller Center Station, the late night giant holiday lights on the sidewalks, and the piles of giant holiday ornaments in Liholts Pooley Pool.

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Oregon is one of the most geographically diverse states in the US. While it is often thought of as being cloudy, rainy, and plush with green pine forests typical of the northwestern United States, in reality nearly half of the state is covered by high desert and semi-arid shrubland. The American Cordillera is a long chain of high peaks created by the Ring of Fire that run along the eastern portion of California as the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, and up into both Oregon and Washington where they are found more in the western portion of each of these states as the Cascade Mountain Range, nearer to the coastline. Storms from the Pacific Ocean hammer these peaks with an enormous amount of precipitation throughout the year. However, the high peaks capture and hold the storms mainly on their western flanks, creating a very dry rain shadow to their east. Due to this effect, the eastern half of Oregon is mainly arid desert land, especially in the southeast portion of the state which continues on through the entire state of Nevada, part of California, part of Idaho, and part of Utah as the Great Basin Desert. Back in Oregon, right on the boundary between green forests and dry desert scrub lies the town of Bend, often considered as the gateway to the outdoor sports. The Wild Images Team has spent several days in Bend, and as always it did not take us long to start exploring the surrounding landscape. One region that caught our attention was the Lava Cast Forest, which is found in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, in a remote region about 20 miles south of Bend. In order to access the Lava Cast Forest, it is necessary to leave the pavement and negotiate through a network of dirt roads for about 10 miles. Much of this isolated area is along the edges of the Ring of Fire, and has seen extensive volcanic activity in the past. Lava flows are found everywhere here, breaking the landscape up into a jumble of large boulders of jagged black rock. Already a very distinct geography, but the Lava Cast Forest is a unique place even among the lava flows. At different times around 6000 years ago and older, the same volcanic activity that created the towering peaks in the area also pushed massive amounts of lava across the landscape, following the contours of the landscape and guided only by the surrounding ridges that were impervious even to molten lava. But in the region that is now the Lava Cast Forest, large trees also stood against the onslaught from the hot lava, and many became buried under several feet of molten rock that eventually cooled and hardened. As the wood of the trees was either burned or decayed away, it left giant openings in the lava, called lava casts, scattered all over the area. Some of these openings are vertical and can exceed 8 feet deep where the trees still stood upright. In other areas, trees were toppled over and completely buried in a horizontal cast, some of which are up to 30 feet in length. That is the type of cast found in the above photo captured by The Wild Images Team. One opening of the cast can be seen at center bottom of the image. Another opening can also be seen at left of center, though the cast itself continues on to the far left of the picture. To complete the composition, we intentionally included distant snow capped volcanic peaks at top center, visible below the clouds and blue sky behind the top center pine tree. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Oregon and neighboring Washington such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations. The Wild Images Team has also captured many other photos in nearby California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps.

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This is a scene that The Wild Images Team encountered many times, and so it was only natural that eventually we would bring our camera equipment over and attempt to capture it. But several elements had to come together for us to be here in the first place. It all started with Savannah being one of our high priority target towns to visit. We had researched it thoroughly, and it looked to be a great photographic location. So we planned a trip that took us through Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, followed by Durham and the Outer Banks in North Carolina, then onward to the Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina, followed by the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia. After this, we continued westward across the deep southeast, eventually reaching New Orleans for a long stay, before turning northward up to Pittsburgh for Independence Day. Then it was over to a stay in downtown Chicago before heading out to Badlands National Park and another very long stay in Yellowstone National Park leading up into Fall. While we have been to most of these locations multiple times, this particular trip does stand as the only time so far that we stayed in either Charleston or Savannah. And so we were determined to make the most of it. Not that it takes much to keep The Wild Images Team motivated during a photography trip. But we had the extra excitement of new, unexplored locations that we just had to go and discover. And when we stay in a town or a city, it is mandatory that we completely immerse ourselves into its culture. This involves very long days of walking around the streets, especially those that are off the beaten path and away from the more touristy areas. Not that tourist areas are bad, we visit there too, but we have noticed that around those locations the shops and restaurants tend to be more mainstream to appeal to the tastes of a larger variety of individuals that may be unsure about and unfamiliar with local fare. So we like to make sure to find our way into regions more dominated by the locals, and often find ourselves asking residents about their favorite locations, shops, and restaurants. We have found many hidden gems this way, and hope to find more in the future. For our visit to the Historic District of Savannah, we stayed in the Historic District Hampton Inn, which is located on top of the Yamacraw Bluff, overlooking the Savannah River. As Diamond Club Members to the Hilton Hotel Chain, which includes Hilton Hotels and Hampton Inns among many others, we are hooked up wherever we stay, including reduced room rates, access to the Diamond Club locations, access to rooms kept available in completely booked hotels, and complete choice of room location. So here in Savannah, we were given a suite on the top floor, facing the Savannah River, next to the rooftop pool. As we have mentioned before, when we visit a town or a city, we park our vehicle and we walk everywhere that we want to visit. When we say that we walk everywhere, this includes within the hotel. That is, we are those people, the ones who take the stairs even if the room is on the forty fifth floor. Now, buildings in Savannah are nowhere near that tall, five or six floors max, but that does not change what we do. So this stairwell in the image above was seen by us multiple times a day as we left in the morning and entered later. The red rails contrast sharply with the gray steps and yellow walls, and spiral downward in colorful geometric patterns. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images in the Historic District of Savannah such as the haunting photo of houses of Calhoun Square through Spanish moss, this view of an ornate house from Lafayette Square, and the mystical aura surrounding the Forsyth Fountain in Forsyth Park, each of which are available for sale in our store. Savannah blog posts have documented as a boat is dwarfed by the massive Hapag-Lloyd Budapest Express, an evening view of the Savannah River terminals and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, the amazing story of the Florence Martus Waving Girl Statue, the very detailed National Maritime Day Monument and a photo of its associated Propeller Club Dedication plaque, the perfectly framed view of the William Jasper Monument, the very functional historic armillary sphere of Troup Square, a lucky shot of a ghostly woman in a green dress standing in the doorway, an image of the geometric spiral patterns that fill a stairwell, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome catching some rays and then doing the backstroke in the rooftop pool. In the nearby Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina, the Wild Images Team has captured many other images including the colorful walkway with lights through humidity, a photo of the ornate house through trees branches, and in the bay where the Schooner named Pride sailed through, each of which are available for sale in our store. Charleston blog posts have documented when The Wild Images Team sought refuge from a historic downpour, which subsequently flooded the Charleston streets, that led to the stranding of our Coordinator Christina, photographed on a humid night as Christina poses in the steamy view, and then on a drier day as Christina rides the ferry to Fort Sumter, which formed these reflective wake trails towards the fort, the Battery District where ornamental balustrades line the street along East Battery, a late night view through the back gate of a house in the Battery District, and then an image of decorative folk art in a courtyard. In the somewhat nearby North Carolina, The Wild Images Team has captured photos such as the Cape Lookout Island scenic backdoor view of the lightkeepers house which is available for sale in our store. Blog posts from North Carolina include the standard vegetation as Cape Lookout Lighthouse is framed by pine trees. In the somewhat nearby Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, The Wild Images Team has captured images including the wispy clouds over ornate Front Gates of the Governor’s Palace and a night time view of Josiah Chowning’s Tavern with waitstaff, each of which are available for sale in our store. Colonial Williamsburg blog posts have documented where dianthus barbatus also known as Sweet William grows in the Governor’s Palace Gardens, the day our Travel Gnome jumped the Governor’s Palace wall, was quickly taken into custody by a guard, and sentenced to serve time in the stockade, to which The Wild Images Team was also sentenced thanks to our Travel Gnome, and during a freer time the moment that a couple is married in a jumping the broom ceremony.

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Riverside Geyser is located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The Upper Geyser Basin has the distinction of being the largest concentration of geysers in the world. Many of those are located on Geyser Hill, while others are found further down the Firehole River. Riverside Geyser is one of these, it is quite a distance down the Firehole River where the trees close inward from both sides near the edge of the Upper Geyser Basin before the landscape becomes rugged and drops down to Biscuit Basin. Furthermore, Riverside Geyser is the largest geyser that erupts directly over the Firehole River, so no runoff channels exist in its vicinity. Instead, it sits as a solitary siliceous sinter formation towering several feet above the level of the river, with a gorgeous backdrop comprised of a grassy hillside topped with trees. In later summer, the grasses dry out to become deep shades of orange and yellow, while the background pines continue to add a dark green. All of this surrounds the reddish orange geyserite rock along the river. Add a blue sky with white clouds coupled with the black color of the Firehole River here, and the picturesque view is almost maximized with color. But yet more can be added. The sinter complex of Riverside Geyser is composed of two vents: an upper vent and a lower vent. It is the lower vent that will slowly fill up with water after a previous eruption. Somewhere around 90 minutes before the next eruption, the water in the lower vent will have filled up enough to cause overflow to initiate. Since the overflow is carried over the rim and rolls down the sides of the sinter complex, they are constantly receiving warm water and therefore are conducive to the growth of the colorful thermophile bacteria. This creates the colorful bands streaked down the front of the complex. And then there are the rainbows. No geyser in the world is more efficient at creating rainbows than Riverside Geyser. This is due to the way the geyser erupts. It is a fairly frequent erupting gesyer and very predictable. Almost on the dot every 6 hours and 10 minutes another eruption will occur. However, it has what is known as a bimodal interval as sometimes it will instead erupt after only 5 hours and 10 minutes. This shortened interval is infrequent though, occurs less than ten percent of the time, and never in succession. The eruption window is only about 20 minutes in length, so anywhere between ten minutes before and ten minutes after is when it will erupt, with a predictability on par with Daisy Geyser and Old Faithful Geyser. It begins with water rising out of the pool from the lower vent up to heights of about 80 feet, angled out and over the Firehole River. The Upper Vent mainly creates a steam column, but will periodically throw out a giant glob of water into the river. The curtain of fine mist dropping down from the eruption together with the background steam column creates one or more rainbows pretty much any time of the day depending on observation point. In the morning, it is best viewed from the south or more up the Firehole River, and in the afternoon and evening it is best viewed from the west or directly across the Firehole River. And that is where The Wild Images Team positioned themselves this evening to capture the photo above. Close inspection will reveal that is has a second rainbow directly above the first and just below the tops of the trees. However, if a north wind is blowing, sometimes in the evening it may be best to once again view it from the south up the Firehole River such as in this breathtaking image for sale in our store. Close inspection of that image will also reveal a second rainbow, also emanating from the river but right next to the Riverside Geyser sinter formation. It is no wonder that many consider Riverside Geyser the most beautiful in the world. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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This was the moment that we had been waiting for. And waiting. And more waiting. What was so special about this moment? An eruption of Ledge Geyser of course, and under ideal photography conditions on top of that. So why the wait? Well, like the vast majority of the geysers around Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Ledge Geyser is not predictable. It also does become completely dormant for several years at a time, during which no eruptions occur at all. Even during the times when it is active, it has infrequent eruptions. All of this translates into a rare eruption at any given time, let alone on a day that happens to have nice weather, good lighting, and a great background sky. After having been dormant for 7 years, Ledge Geyser suddenly sprang back to life in 2015 when it started having regular eruptions. Regular is a relative term though. It would erupt once every 3 to 9 days, so it had an eruption window of 6 days. At any point during those 6 days, it could erupt without warning. And it was just as likely to happen overnight or in bad weather common to the area at the altitude of Yellowstone, around 8000 feet. Over 5 days before this eruption, its previous eruption occurred overnight and therefore was not under ideal conditions. And over 7 days after this eruption and then again over 5 days after that, its successive eruptions happened early in the morning and were heavily steamed over, again not under ideal conditions. As a matter of fact, the only other one that happened under any sort of ideal conditions was not for three weeks later, and it was plagued by false starts. After a couple more overnight eruptions beyond this, Ledge Geyser went completely dormant for 4 more years, and has had only a couple of sporadic eruptions since. So this was the day. And nicely The Wild Images Team was there to capture an entire series of photos during this particular eruption, a sister image of which is found for sale in our store. Besides being a rare geyser to witness, Ledge Geyser has a few characteristics that make it really stand out. It is the second largest geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin, which is quite an honor considering that the largest geyser there, Steamboat Geyser, is also the largest geyser in the world. Ledge Geyser can reach heights of 120 or more feet above its elevated location on its namesake ledge. It has one of the longest eruptions for any intermittent geyser, lasting for over 6 hours! It is also one of the loudest eruptions to hear, as during the entirety of its eruption, it sound like the hum of a jet engine. Actually, The Wild Images Team took an opportunity to capture some images from another viewpoint during the lengthy eruption, and we were struck by how quiet it seemed once we moved even a short distance away. And then there is the steam. As may be apparent from the various photos of Ledge Geyser, it puts out an enormous amount of steam. It does transition into a steam phase, when most of its output is purely steam with very little water. But even during its water phase, various other vents provide a thick curtain of steam that is usually carried up the hill by the prevailing winds and rains down on the trail above, often times preventing other visitors from accessing views of Ledge Geyser during the entire course of its eruption. It is clear that very few visitors brave the soaking steam rain to come down the trail after a Ledge Geyser eruption begins. But we were there ready for it on this day, and we were very happy with the images that we captured. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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About twenty miles to the north of the heavily concentrated thermal areas of the Upper Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, and Lower Geyser Basin lies the thermal area known as Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming. It is known for holding some world records. First of all, it is the hottest thermal area in Yellowstone and one of the hottest in the world, with subsurface temperatures near the boiling temperature of water. This leads to the landscape such as the porcelain basin, where no plants can grow. Second of all, it has the most acidic waters for a thermal area in Yellowstone and one of the most in the world. The high acidity of the water has contributed to some unique features being found in the siliceous sinter formations of the area. Third of all, the largest geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser, is located here. With eruptions that reach up to 400 feet in height, it is quite an amazing sight. In the past it has been very unpredictable, often with years between single eruptions that would occur randomly. It has even had a fifty year span between two successive eruptions. Lately for the last couple of years it has been erupting quite regularly, about once every week or two, but at the time of this blog entry, it has not erupted in over 42 days. This is just after having successive intervals between eruptions of 26 days followed by 37 days. So it currently appears to be heading towards a period of dormancy again. Only time will tell. But while Steamboat Geyser is the largest in Norris Geyser Basin, the second largest geyser distinction belongs to Ledge Geyser. And while the eruptions of Steamboat Geyser last around 15 minutes, the eruptions of Ledge Geyser easily last over six hours! Ledge Geyser also alternates between periods of near dormancy followed by periods of somewhat predictable activity. It was fairly active in 2008, but other than a couple of random eruptions, it did not become active again until 2015, seven years later. It was then that The Wild Images Team made a concerted effort to catch one of its eruptions under ideal photographic conditions. That is a tall order for a geyser, that even when it is active, has an interval between eruptions of anywhere between 3 days and 9 days, for an eruption window of 6 days! And of course, it will erupt anytime during that eruption window, day or night, sunny or cloudy, dry or rainy. But our patience paid off when we were present during its eruption on the afternoon of August 17, 2015, when it had a perfect background sky and nice lighting as seen on this sister image found in our store. Since the eruption lasted for over an hour and a half, we had plenty of time to position our camera equipment in various locations around the area. While our shots centered on the view from equal level to the eruption, we eventually moved down into the porcelain basin to capture this above photo of the namesake ledge after which Ledge Geyser is named. The actual main geyser is seen as the narrow, heavy jet of water that is rightmost of the group of three found at the center of the image. Behind it and to its left is the large column of steam coming from its eruption. To the left of this and back in front of it is the steam vent that is also part of Ledge Geyser. Meanwhile, to the right of the eruption of Ledge Geyser in the picture, Coalsack Geyser itself is putting on a show with heavy bursts of water that are running down its visible runoff channel. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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Tilt’s Baby Geyser is located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Named for its larger and nearby predecessor, Tilt Geyser, that itself hasn’t erupted in over 14 years, and hasn’t had regular eruptions in over 22 years. Meanwhile, as the eruptions of Tilt Geyser were waning and its vent closing over with geyserite, in the nearby area a new vent began to form with regular eruptions, that while smaller in height, were also angled in a tilted direction, earning it the name of Tilt’s Baby. Its eruptions have continued regularly up to the present. It is located near the corner of the boardwalk at Crested Pool, on which it shares a common sinter platform. This region is full of surprises for the unsuspecting visitor. First of all there is Crested Pool, a narrow, yet very deep hot spring that is one of the hottest features in the entirety of the park. It is named for its edges which are crested with a wall of geyserite about 10 inches tall that completely encircles its pool. The crested edges help to shadow the pool from sunlight and it tends to look very dark and black. It has a very high rate of convection, such that superheated water is constantly pushed to the surface as cooler and heavier water at its surface rapidly sinks down into its depths. The churning flow of the pool retains its very high temperature throughout. It is generally found in a state of gentle boiling with a steady trail of tiny bubbles rising to the surface. Occasionally however, and without any sort of warning, it waters will suddenly burst upward in a loud explosion, sometimes reaching up to ten feet, startling everybody in the vicinity. After a single explosion, it will immediately quiet back down into its gentle boiling again, as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. Then there is Tilt’s Baby Geyser, whose indications of a pending eruption are not usually known to the general visitor, so it will also suddenly begin erupting without warning. Close observation of the geyser will show that there is a build up to eruption. While it is not well predictable with a four hour eruption window, an imminent eruption can be predicted. It begins by filling up its vent after the previous eruption. It will then begin to go through pulses, where it will alternate between pushing large amount of water out, and then draining back down into its vent. Each successive pulse tends to be a little higher, and will cover more of the surrounding sinter formations. In its immediate vicinity are a group of geyserite pillars, each less than half an inch in diameter and about the same in height. The successive pulses of water will tend to cover over more and more of these pillars, and the moment that the last one is covered over is the indication that the pulse is strong enough to initiate the eruption. Tilt’s Baby Geyser will then start sputtering out large globules of water up to about ten feet in height. It is best to move away from the edge of the boardwalk during its eruption as the globules are near boiling temperature, and unlike finer geyser spray, do not rapidly lose temperature before landing. And many of them will land on the boardwalk. The Wild Images Team carefully captured this closeup image of one of its eruptions, as it was going through its typical sputtering activity emanating from its vent in the lower left. In the background, its runoff channel can be seen trailing down to the Firehole River. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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You do not often see this on a beach in the United States. Perhaps along the Atlantic Ocean coastlines of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, or Denmark, this is a much more common sight where Nazi Germany had built up the Atlantic Wall, a heavily defended shoreline to fend off a potential invasion by the Allied Forces, an event that eventually did occur as Operation Neptune on June 6, 1944, a day that will forever be memorialized as D-Day. Any knowledge of the events of World War II will center on Operation Overlord, the plan to gain a foothold and create a front in Western Europe that was initiated by the landing operations at Normandy, France, the largest seaborne invasion in history. As with much of the western European coastline, the beaches of Normandy were heavily fortified with bunkers, machine gun nests, trenches, barbed wire, metal tripods, and landmines. To this day, relics of this era still remain as a memorial and a reminder of a dark era in human history. Much less known, however, is that the United States also fortified its own coastline. Not along the Atlantic Ocean coastline, we were never in any real threat of an invasion from that direction, but along the Pacific Ocean coastline, in response to the buildup of naval operations by the Empire of Japan that itself culminated in one of the few foreign attacks on U.S. soil, the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Their intent was not an invasion, but rather to damage the United States Naval Fleet to prevent its interference with planned invasions in Southeast Asia, where territories were held by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had remained neutral in World War II, but this event changed everything. From that day onward, the U.S. remained under a constant vigilance and defense to the threat of invasion on its own coastlines. Defensive bunkers were built under beach sand dunes in several locations. Only a few years later, on May 8, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered after the fall of Berlin and the suicide of Adolf Hitler, and a few months later on September 2, 1945, after two nuclear bombs were dropped on its cities and with an imminent threat of a multinational force invasion, Japan formally surrendered, effectively ending World War II. So while our military bunkers thankfully never saw any action, they still remain as a reminder of the state of the world in those days. The Wild Images Team captured this image of a World War II bunker hidden under the Samoa Dunes of Humboldt Beach along the Pacific Ocean coastline in California. As can be seen, it has long remained unused and is covered by typical beach dune vegetation. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos from California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps. From our travels in the nearby Oregon and Washington, we have captured photos such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations.

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The thoughts of Canada usually conjures up certain images such as the quaint harbors that make up its Atlantic coast, or the brilliant fall colors that cover its eastern end, or the jagged mountains that are found on its western end, or the misty shores of its Pacific Coast, or the taiga forest that covers its northern stretches, or even the arctic tundra that covers its Arctic shores. However, a good portion of Canada is also covered by wide open grassland prairies in what is their own bread basket region. Covering a large region through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, is some of the flattest terrain encountered on Earth, rivaling that of the United States own Great Plains. While in separate countries, the two bread basket regions are actually connected through Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Just as in the United States, the plains of Canada are covered with a patchwork of farmland over its prairies. The climate here is similar to that of the Great Plains: hot, sunny summers with patches of strong thunderstorms and extremely cold, harsh winters with times of bitter winds. This is the typical inland Continental Climate Zone, and the long days of summer sunshine with usually only a scattering of cumulus clouds to break up the blue sky, it is an ideal crop growing region, especially for grains. As such, grain silos and grain elevators towering over the fields are a common sight the prairies of Canada, just as they are in the Great Plains of the United States. The Wild Images Team has traveled through much of Canada on our way up to Alaska. It was while we were passing through the incredibly flat lands of Saskatchewan that we watched the buildup of a very tall cumulonimbus cloud. In this image, the typical puffy white edges of the large cumulonimbus cloud can be seen on the left, while the majority of the right is dominated by the dark hues of high water density and rainfall typical of massive cumulonimbus clouds. Meanwhile the foreground is not only still dry, but actually shining in the sun as can be seen on the dirt roads and the glare from the large collection of grain silos. These strong, concentrated storms that buildup over the plains may also produce tornadoes even in the more northern prairies of Canada. A similar situation occurs there as high, dry, and heavier cold air flows off of its own Rocky Mountains, and ends up above the warmer, humid, and lighter ground air of the prairies. The lighter air is then forced upward which creates the tall, billowing, storm producing clouds. And if under the right circumstances, the vertical flow of air may be turned horizontal, resulting in a funnel cloud. The Wild Images Team has captured many photos during our journey up to Alaska through western and northern Canada including colorful canoes standing at the edge of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, a moment of isolation as a canoe crosses Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, the scene when a grizzly mother is grazing with two cubs, a practically newborn grizzly cub is shorter than the grass, near the Rancheria River where a massive blonde grizzly steps out of the brush, where the remote Liard River wanders through woods and mountains, an action shot when two bison calves are learning to spar, and another action shot as a large bull moose runs through the woods, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from our journey through Canada document the dark background storm clouds while the grain silos shine in the sunlight of Saskatchewan, the sheer terrain of Cascade Mountain towering over the Bow River valley, the velvet covered antlers of an elk as it passes by in Jasper National Park, the welcome sign declaring you are now entering the world famous Alaska Highway, the very iconic mile 0 signpost found at the start of the Alaska Highway, the desolate road of the Alaska Highway drops down into clouds of the Yukon Territory, the very remote road of the Alaska Highway rounds a mountain within clouds of the Yukon Territory, as the Alaska Highway heads straight towards a giant peak along Kluane Lake, the tall snow-capped peaks along the Alaska Highway west of Whitehorse, the shore lining patterned designs of mudflats from the missing A’ay Chu, as The Wild Images Team Photographer Jeremy Robinson hides in the Signpost Forest, and as The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina hides in the Signpost Forest. The Wild Images Team has also captured many other images while in Alaska including the terminal moraines of a glacier winding down from the Chugach Mountains, the many splendid colors of the Sheep Mountain chromatic peaks in the Talkeetna Range, as a seal watches over the thick floating ice in Kenai Fjords National Park, as very fast moving seals cut tracks through the ice, as an entertaining seal strikes a pose on Northwestern Lagoon ice, the many miles of Northwestern Glacier reflecting over the turquoise waters, the awe inspiring rumble when a glacier calves of the cliffs in Kenai Fjords National Park, the moment when clouds crown a peak in Kenai Fjords National Park, the long summer days when fireweed enjoys the land of the midnight sun, and as a very playful Dall’s porpoise breaches the ocean surface in Aialik Bay, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Alaska document the moment we realized that no bananas on a boat is a very serious rule, as our kayak carrying water taxi Michael A launches from Miller’s Landing, the chaotic scene during a feeding frenzy floating island of seagulls, the majestic bald eagle scanning the coastline from a tree, the expansive view of a colorfully banded rock island reflection, the chaotic jumble of very noticeable blue ice of Northwest Glacier, the reflective view over briefly calm waters of the far northern Pacific Ocean under the Harding Icefield, when The Wild Images Team was photographed at the mouth of a glacier draining tunnel, the intimidating view from the snout of a very large and very steep glacier, and when our Coordinator Christina Orban keeps tradition by kissing the snout of this glacier.

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A little over a year ago, a wildfire burned through Cave Creek, Arizona, a community found 20 miles north of Phoenix, on the far side of Black Mountain. Cave Creek is made up mainly of large estates of open desert with million dollar homes. So a fire tearing through there could have been a financial disaster. Especially a fire that grew to 1000 acres within just a matter of minutes. But yet somehow, when all was over with, only one business and eight homes were burned down, including the one that produced this iconic image. What saved the day, literally, was the group of brave firefighters and their quick response, including the aerial firefighting squad. Eight planes and the helicopters simultaneously battled the blaze, in a concerted effort of circling around and one at a time entering in to make drops of water and fire retardant. Strangely enough, The Wild Images Team were living there on that fateful day, May 30, 2020. While most of the world was fighting the rising cases of COVID, Cave Creek and much of Arizona also had to contend with wildfires, lots of them. Due to an unusually rainy March, heavy desert brush growth had dried out under the hot May sun of the Sonoran Desert, and the entire area had become a tinder box. While this fire, named the Ocotillo Fire, was the most destructive one, it was not the first fire there that season. The East Desert Fire came to the edge of Cave Creek just two weeks before as seen here in each of these images. But the Ocotillo Fire started in and burned through the heart of Cave Creek. Thanks to the strategic flight patterns of the aerial firefighting squad, most homes were saved. In this image, a DC-10 makes an incredibly steep climb after flying at an altitude of only about a hundred feet or so above the desert ground while it drops the characteristic reddish pink fire retardant. It was an unbelievable sight to watch planes of this size make dives and climbs so low to ground. Below the retardant trail is its shadow which covers over the infamous 7th hole of the Rancho Manana Golf Course, the site of the origination of the fire. The bulk of the fire is to the right of and not seen in this particular photo, but The Wild Images Team captured multiple images of the height of the fire found here in the early days of our blog. As a matter of fact, the Ocotillo Fire and the earlier East Desert Fire were the original inspiration for our blog which has continued to this day. We did receive an evacuation order back then, as the fire approached within a half mile of our location and winds were carrying it quickly our way. At just the last minute, however, winds shifted to the northeast and stopped the approaching fire line in our direction. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Arizona, such as the colorful storm buildup in the painted desert, the stark view of an incredibly tall monsoon cloud over desert, the sky covering massive anvil cloud over the mountains, the isolation in the curtains of rain over the Navajo Nation, the deep red lightning scene in the Mazatzals, the moment Zeus throws a bolt over Cave Creek, the network of colorful bolts over the Sedona ridges, the rainfall created colorful dry wash in bloom, the dangerous stripe-tailed scorpion climbing plants, the deep desert late night glowing bark scorpions, the dynamic image of a honeybee on an exotic wildflower, the view of a hummingbird among the thick wildflowers, a lucky shot of a great horned owl roosting in mesquite tree, the evening view of an organ pipe cactus, the serene scene of ocotillos and saguaro cacti, the view from Bell Rock of scrub brush and phenomenally colorful cliffs, this precarious Wupatki box canyon dwelling, a look up at the very majestic Wukoki Pueblo ruins, a chance encounter with a thunderstorm through a Wukoki Pueblo window, and the spiny sharp glass sculpture with cacti, each of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Arizona have documented the close up of a large stripe-tailed scorpion, the animated behavior of a great horned owl, the nearly daily encounters with the multitude of rattlesnakes, the mysterious darkness created by a very prominent Alexander’s Band between two brilliant rainbows, the crazy late sunset when red rain fell over the Mazatzal Mountains, monsoon season forming rain curtains hanging in front of the sunset, the sunset moment when delicate rain curtains fell in front of a darkening sky, spring rainfall creating a colorful desert bloom in a dry wash, the dynamic view of a honeybee equipped with dual pollen baskets among the blooms, the red sunlit clouds with a rainbow over the foothills of Black Mountain, the massive spectacle of a giant spiderweb of lightning over Black Mountain, near Sedona where red cliffs are framed by cane chollas, the reddish glow of sunset lighting an organ pipe cactus, the precarious location of the cliff edge Box Canyon ruins, the strategic location of the majestic Montezuma Castle Sinagua dwellings, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at a scenic Grand Canyon overlook, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina in front of the Wupatki Pueblo, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tombstone and the Original Bird Cage Theatre history, its interior eponymic Bird Cage balcony seats, its secretive hidden door beneath the stage, through which lies the underground hidden gambling room, next to a hidden room for a lady of the night, the OK Corral Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp and Wyatt Earp and their gun fight with Tom McClaury, Frank McClaury, and Billy Clanton, the Boothill Graveyard headstone of Lester Moore and the headstone of John Heath, the reflective multicolored boatload of glass, the mass of blue and white glass atop a wall, the lighted view of purple stem vegetation glass, the lighted view of red stem vegetation glass, the closer view of the textures and shapes of Chihuly glass, the overlook view of Comet Neowise with a saguaro, which was brightly shining over the town of Cave Creek, eventually with its bright green coma and tail, as it appears to drop down into a saguaro grove, the day when rare snow fell in the Sonoran Desert and covered Black Mountain in a white blanket, the weeks of a devastating large record setting Bush Fire that continuously raged through the Superstition Mountains, the day when the Aquila Fire burned through Desert Hills causing massive destruction to a few structures, the day that the East Desert Fire nearly burned into the Cave Creek area, and then two weeks later the day when the devastating Ocotillo Fire did burn down into and throughout the estates which were protected by spectacular firefighting around the town of Cave Creek leaving behind this iconic image.

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Dedicated this 19th day of May, in the year 2000 to those courageous mariners who guided their ships through perilous waters, carrying cargo and people. Their contributions have been so much a part of our history. May they never be forgotten. International Shipmasters Association, Chicago Lodge No. 3. Sculptor: Michael Martino. So says the bronze plaque affixed to the base of this bronze sculpture titled Captain On The Helm, found standing along the shores of Lake Michigan at the head of Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. The International Shipmasters Association is a group of ship captains who are licensed as masters of the vessels that transport cargo and passengers throughout the world. As can be seen in the image, the sculpture portrays a ship captain who is gripping the wheel tightly in both hands as the helm is tilted in what is assumed to be rough seas. Closer inspection will reveal that the captain’s jacket is being blown to his left, and indication that a heavy gale is bringing waves in from his right. Also included on the bronze plaque is the following quote: “They mark our passage as a race of men, Earth will not see such ships as those agen.” This is not a typo, the word agen is an old and mostly obsolete spelling for the word again, but it is often found in literature and poetry before and around the turn of the century. These words were actually written as the famous final two lines in the 1917 poem titled “Ships” by John Masefield, Poet Laureate from 1930 to 1967. John Masefield spent many years as a sailor aboard various ships, including working on the HMS Conway, and many of his early poems were focused on the theme of sailing the oceans of the world. Stone steps and brickwork surrounding the sculpture are engraved with the names of many legendary ship captains, as well as various donors whose contributions made the sculpture a reality. The Chicago Marine Heritage Society is especially thanked for its support. On the right side of the photo, a pile of rocks forms a line outward. This is Dime Pier, a detached pier built to protect the south shore of Navy Pier from waves, and which at one time boat captains would charge fishermen a dime for a ride to the pier to fish. Following the rocks of Dime Pier in the background, it points to a structure just next to the left knee of the Captain On The Helm sculpture. That is the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, built on another distant rock pier that partially encloses Chicago Harbor, in which the Navy Pier is built into as seen on the left of the photo. It was from here that The Wild Images Team had originated while exploring the city by foot. Working our way around the head of Navy Pier, we came across the Captain On The Helm. We captured this image from the exact angle to allow all background objects to neatly surround the centerpiece sculpture. As with all of our photos, even the most minute of background details are taken into account. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos throughout downtown Chicago, including the blue skyscrapers of The Grant and One Museum Park, which is available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Chicago have documented the view of the Wabash Avenue elevated train, the ornate art deco brown buildings of old town Chicago, the interesting curious foxes of the small green space, when The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina sat at the stone desk, the hidden colorful fire escape framed by trees, the day The Wild Images Team finally found the heart of Chicago, the moment when giant headless zombies took over Grant Park, and at the head of the Navy Pier where sits the bronze sculpture Captain On The Helm. Blog posts from the nearby state of Minnesota include the moment that The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina becomes the Jolly Green Giant, the moment that The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina becomes the Little Green Sprout, and a scene of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina underneath a life size Jolly Green Giant. Blog posts from the somewhat nearby state of Texas include the art created by the line of sunken monuments at Cadillac Ranch and the textures created by thick layers of paint covering the monuments at Cadillac Ranch. A blog post from nearby state of Missouri includes the Route 66 sign of The Uranus Fudge Factory.

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There is no other geyser in the world quite like Great Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone National Park of northwest Wyoming. It is located in the Lower Geyser Basin, but along Firehole Lake Drive in the White Creek region of the basin. Here will found be a large set of travertine terraces, in more or less a circular shape, steeping up towards a central pool that may or may not be filled yet depending on the length of time since its previous eruption. Even if an eruption is not happening, the terraces themselves can be a beautiful subject for photography, such as this image captured by The Wild Images Team at sunset just before the initial eruption one evening. Great Fountain Geyser is relatively predictable with careful observation. Often the most helpful clue is the moment that the water filling up the pool overflows its edges; this indicates that the eruption should be occurring somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half later. Without this knowledge, it is only possible to guess the next eruption within a four hour window, causing longer waiting intervals. But of course it is worth the wait to catch an eruption whenever possible. It begins with a strong boil happening in the pool. Often this will happen multiple times between moments of relative calm, but with a moment of vigorous boiling the central pool will suddenly burst upward in heights easily topping 200 feet. So much water pours out with this very initial burst that it causes waves to cascade over the successive terraces as seen in the photo above. A fraction of a second later from this shot, The Wild Images Team captured their famous sister image that is available for sale in our store. After the massive initial burst, water in the pool tends to be lower so no more waves are seen for the remainder of the eruption. However, the continuing bursts can easily reach the same height as the initial, or even higher! The eruption will be comprised of a succession of bursts for a few minutes, after which the whole system will go quiet. Most people in the area will mistakenly believe the eruption is over, and will leave, missing the majority of the eruption. This moment is known as its first pause. A few minutes later, a vigorous boil will once again occur, and the next series of bursts will occur for a few minutes, before once again going quiet briefly during the second pause. And once again, more people will leave thinking that it now has to be over. However, it will come back to life yet again in the third series, and so on. The entire series eruptions and in between pauses will last for somewhere between 1 and 2 hours. It is highly recommended to watch the entire show. The Wild Images Team has observed numerous eruptions of Great Fountain Geyser, and often some its largest bursts occur in later series such as the third, fourth, or fifth series, if it lasts that long. It will vary anywhere between three up to nine series of bursts in a single eruption. An eruption is over when the next series does not occur within a reasonable amount of time, and the pool is drained. The next eruption is generally 10 to 14 hours later, so it will have only one eruption in the light of day at most. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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On top of Geyser Hill sits a large mound. It is tucked back into the trees, so while it stands above everything, it certainly does not stand out. As a matter of fact, most visitors who make the trek over to this area will usually pass it by without realizing that it is, in fact, a geyser. Dome Geyser is its name, for the large dome it has built up over the ages, similar to those of Old Faithful Geyser and Split Cone Geyser. All of these are located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, a tract of land over which the largest concentration of geysers in the world is found, with over 150 geysers spread over a narrow band of terrain along the Firehole River. One region that stands out in the Upper Geyser Basin is Geyser Hill, a barren area due to the high surface temperature, that stands up above the surrounding landscape. And it is on top of Geyser Hill that an even higher mound stands, that of Dome Geyser. Even when it does have an eruption, it often still goes unnoticed, due to the steep grade of its mound obscuring a view of its eruption from the trail. The best viewpoint of a Dome Geyser eruption is found by continuing further down the trail to somewhere near Infant Geyser and taking a look back along a less steep gradient of its mound from a higher altitude. It is from this exact viewpoint that The Wild Images Team captured this image of the initial eruption of Dome Geyser. This is the initial eruption, as afterward Dome Geyser will continue to make 15 or more eruptions, about one every 15 or so minutes, in what is known as a series. During this series, it will make a brief eruption for a few minutes, then go quiet for 15 or so minutes, the erupt again for a few minutes, in succession for several hours. After this it will become dormant for a period of time, before coming back to life in a new series. Even with all of this activity, it is rarely seen except by the few individuals who may be looking in the right direction at the exact viewpoint. Its eruptions are quite scenic, as can be seen in this image. A nice foreground is dominated by the sparsely vegetated yet colorful mound, and a nice background of the contrasting green of the surrounding pine trees. Combine this with a nice sky and the result will be a beautiful photo. A close inspection of this image will show a slight blue tint to the water burst of Dome Geyser, an effect caused by the reflection of light from its deeper pool and its stronger blue color, something that is also found in a few of the bursting fountain type geysers found around Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming, including Oblong Geyser, Artemisia Geyser, Fountain Geyser, and Great Fountain Geyser. Dome Geyser is unique among them however, by existing atop its namesake dome mound. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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The very regular Daisy Geyser is one of the most predictable geysers in the whole of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Its predictability even rivals that of the most famous predictable geyser in the world, Old Faithful Geyser. Daisy Geyser has an interval between eruption starts of almost exactly two hours, give or take only about 5 minutes each way, such that its eruption window is only about 10 minutes in length! Compared to Old Faithful, whose interval between eruption starts is 100 minutes give or take about 10 minutes, for a larger eruption window of 20 minutes. Just like Old Faithful, Daisy Geyser is also located in the Upper Geyser Basin, a large tract of land along the Firehole River and about which resides several of the largest geysers in the world. Unlike Old Faithful though, Daisy Geyser is located in a more isolated area that requires about a mile of walking to reach. It is found on top of a rise above the Firehole River valley, together with a few others in its group including Splendid Geyser and Comet Geyser. Splendid Geyser is very large, with eruptions easily reaching 200 feet in height, but unfortunately it is also a very rare erupting geyser. While it goes through periods of activity where an eruption becomes more likely, it also has long stretches of dormancy that last decades. It has not erupted since May 13, 1998, but it may again become active one day without warning. Meanwhile, Comet Geyser is just the opposite. It erupts almost continuously, surging up to heights of about 20 feet, with short pauses that are exceptionally rare. Due to this continuous erupting behavior carrying large quantities of dissolved minerals, it has built up a large sinter cone around its pool. And then there is Daisy Geyser, with its own characteristics somewhere between the other two. Its eruptions last a little over 3 minutes, with about 2 hours between starts, so unlike Comet Geyser it is certainly not continuous. But with a short eruption window of only 10 minutes, it is very regular and predictable. While not as large as Splendid Geyser, with heights reaching up to 80 feet, it is still a very impressive geyser to observe. The most unique feature of Daisy Geyser, however, is the direction of its water surge. Due to a buildup of siliceous sinter at its surface overhanging and partially blocking the pool that it erupts from, water is forced outward in a characteristic diagonal direction. The Wild Images Team captured this image of a characteristic diagonal eruption of Daisy Geyser early in the day. Its massive steam cloud blocks out a portion of the clouds and blue sky, and is carried up and over the background pine trees. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

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Pink Cone Geyser is one of the many hidden gems found throughout the entirety of Yellowstone National Park of northwest Wyoming. It is not actually hidden from view, but instead is found in an open sinter platform shared together with other thermal members of its group including Pink Geyser, Bead Geyser, Dilemma Geyser, Labial Geyser, Narcissus Geyser, and Box Spring. What makes Pink Cone Geyser a hidden gem is that it is in a nondescript location along Firehole Lake Drive and is not a very frequent geyser, such that many visitors to the park will often pass it by without realizing its existence. Yet some visitors will be lucky and pass it by at the right time thanks to the length of its eruptions. Pink Cone Geyser does have the distinction of having one of the longer duration eruptions, which usually last between 1.5 and 2 hours. However, once it does finish its eruption, it cannot be expected to erupt again for at least 18 hours, usually longer, up to 25 hours. With an eruption window of 7 hours, it can be a difficult one to catch and often will involve some patient waiting. However, there are some indicators of an approaching eruption, in particular what are known as the roadside bubblers. At the edge of its sinter platform, cliffs a couple of feet high are covered with a few small fissures. These fissures will start to bubble and gurgle within a couple of hours before the beginning of an eruption. The will continue to bubble and gurgle up to and through the eruption, so it is most telling if the start of the bubbler action is known. Otherwise, it can only be known that the eruption will happen sometime within the next few hours. The wait will be rewarded with a geyser that will reach up to 30 feet in height emanating from the nozzle of its cone. As can be seen in this image, Pink Cone Geyser has a scenic setting on a sinter platform with a backdrop of yellow grasses and green trees. As can be imagined, it is named after the peculiar color of siliceous sinter that comprises both its cone and its platform. The Wild Images Team has observed and photographed many Pink Cone Geyser eruptions. On this particular rainy day, we captured its white jet of water spraying quickly from the opening, creating a thick curtain of droplets and steam, while in the background dark, heavy, menacing clouds bring the promise of more water to fall from the sky. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store