Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River -- featuring spectacular waterfalls

Wednesday, 24 July 2013.  First of all, I want to wish my lovely wife, Lynette, a fantastic HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!  Four years ago today we were married -- for the second time, mind you -- on the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks in Kill Devil Hills.  The ceremony was very casual -- everyone was barefoot except me -- and witnesses included our two sons, two daughters-in-law, our four grandchildren, and a close family friend.  It was a simple, but beautiful ceremony and our grandkids were full participants.  Whether scattering rose petals on the sand for Grandma to walk on or carrying those precious rings (Good job, Ben!), these youngsters were up to the task.  And were they ever so gosh darn cute!  The picture of that moment will forever be etched in my mind.  Thanks for over 38 years together, Sweetheart! So looking forward to many, more more with you on our roaming travels!  XOXOXO

So our Yellowstone National Park visit now comes to an end.  I sincerely hope that someday we can return because the Park -- with all its beauty, both landscape and wildlife -- is simply one incredible national treasure.  We ended our Park visit with a half-day's sightseeing of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River with its Upper and Lower Falls.  What spectacular scenery!  Thank goodness for digital photography! I took oodles of pics and just sorting thru them -- let alone editing the ones for this blog entry -- was a mighty task.  But I did what I needed to do -- hope you enjoy these few photos of the canyon, the falls and the Yellowstone River as much as we did sightseeing and taking photos.  Breathtaking, to say the least!

The Yellowstone River is the driving force that created the canyon and its waterfalls.  The river begins its journey 600-miles north just south of the park, ending its trip in North Dakota where it empties into the mighty Missouri River. The Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in the continental US.

By far, the primary geologic feature in the Park’s Canyon District is the roughly 20-mile long Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  The canyon as we know it today is a very recent geologic feature, not more than 10,000 to 14,000 years old, although there’s probably been a canyon in this area for a much longer period.

The two wateralls are formed by erosion as the Yellowstone River flows over progressively softer, less resistant rock. The Upper Falls is upstream from the Lower Falls and is 109-ft. high. The Lower Falls is 308-ft. high and can be seen from several viewing points along various trails. 

First glimpse of the Upper Falls.  Not many viewpoints for these falls; more for the Lower Falls.

Inspiration Point is a sightseeing area just south of the Lower Falls, with spectacular views of this waterfall. This wayside also had this very nice map of the area and I'm including it in the blog to give our readers a feel for how we went about our sightseeing visit here.  We drove south from Canyon Village (where we spent some time shopping and had a bite to eat for lunch) and picked up the North Rim Road; we didn't go to the other side of the Yellowstone River, so all the pics are shots from the North Rim side).  We continued to follow the North Rim Road to its end, stopping at various sightseeing places along the way.  BTW: The roads were excellent throughout the Park -- kudos to the Park Service!

Lynette posing with a sign that provided some basic info on the canyon.

 First glimpse of the Lower Falls.

Closer view of the spectacular -- almost breathtaking -- Lower Falls!

 Looking at one of the Lower Falls viewing platforms.  I shot this with my telefoto lens and this actual platform was a good mile away.  Going down wouldn't have been so bad -- it would have been the going back up.  So, we didn't take the walk down but still got some great shots.

A look across the river, looking at the MANY steps from the South Rim Road that will take you down to the river's edge for a great view of the Lower Falls.  I'm sure those folks got some great pics, but man, what a long walk back to the top!

Taking a brief respite against a tree on one of the trails off the North Rim Road leading to photo opportunities of the Lower Falls and the Yellowstone River as it flows north through the canyon. 

The Yellowstone River flowing north just after plunging over the Lower Falls.

 Another shot of the river as it flow north into the canyon.

The following pics are the "best" of my Lower Falls shots.  These falls are just absolutely spectacular to view and both Lynette and I thoroughly enjoyed our all-too-brief stop in this part of Yellowstone.

 And, yes, that is still SNOW on the side of the river.  Amazing!

 What a view -- and probably fighter-jet loud noise -- these thrill seekers must be getting!

Lynette posing on one of the viewing platforms with the Lower Falls in the distance.

Same viewing platform as previous pic, but with some handsome dude in the photo!

This is a pretty good shot showing the impressive Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as its namesake river continues its 600-mile journey north toward its ending at the Missouri River.  

This blog entry concludes our visit to Yellowstone National Park.  As I've said several times -- both on Facebook and in this blog -- the Park is truly a national treasure.  I certainly hope every American gets to visit and enjoy this magnificent wonder of nature.  But now, it's time for other adventures.  Next up:  Our cruise to Alaska's Inside Passage that we enjoyed with Lynette's parents to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary.  To say we all thoroughly enjoyed this adventure would be a vast understatement.  I'm looking forward to putting together most likely several blog entries to document our time aboard the Golden Princess and ashore during our excursions!  See ya' soon!