Getting into the park at West Yellowstone entrance is a matter of patience and getting in the far right lane for using our national park pass. It seemed to go relatively smoothly, but then about three miles down the road, there was almost an hour of travel at 5 miles per hour or less—ugh! Once we got to the bottle-up the cause wasn’t even apparent. We are guessing bison or elk off the road near the bridge over the Madison River. Cars were pulled over haphazardly and a newly arrived ranger got out of her car and started waving us on.

Our first stop was at the Fountain Paint Pot boardwalks in the Lower Geyser Basin.

Next we stopped to see the Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin. It is the most photographed spring in the park because of its beautiful colors and large size.

We will get a better view of the Grand Prismatic Spring tomorrow from a short hike to see it from above. My swollen ankle is asking for rest, so we drove back to Old Faithful for lunch, rest and work time.