After my hike, I rejoined Ma, rested a bit, and refueled with a picnic lunch. Then it was time to get back on the road. There's still so much to see today!
This is Tower Falls. The tiny Tower Creek plunges 132 feet over a volcanic stone cliff. A little more than half a mile downriver, the creek will join the much larger Yellowstone River.
Look closely at this photo. See those vertical lines along the cliff? On first glance, you'd swear they were logs standing up on end, like a colonial stockade. In fact, they are actually stone columns formed by a volcano. 1.3 million years ago lava flowed up out of crevasses in the earth. As it cooled, it formed perfectly shaped hexagonal columns of basalt. A similar process formed Devils Tower, which we'll visit in a few days.
We drove just a few miles from Tower Falls to this impressive overlook. Those white-stained cliffs are Calcite Springs. This spot marks the end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
This is Tower Falls. The tiny Tower Creek plunges 132 feet over a volcanic stone cliff. A little more than half a mile downriver, the creek will join the much larger Yellowstone River.
Look closely at this photo. See those vertical lines along the cliff? On first glance, you'd swear they were logs standing up on end, like a colonial stockade. In fact, they are actually stone columns formed by a volcano. 1.3 million years ago lava flowed up out of crevasses in the earth. As it cooled, it formed perfectly shaped hexagonal columns of basalt. A similar process formed Devils Tower, which we'll visit in a few days.
We drove just a few miles from Tower Falls to this impressive overlook. Those white-stained cliffs are Calcite Springs. This spot marks the end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.