The Smokey Skies Adventure.... Sunday Tippets ~ Damsel Style

Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. And there was one pretty close to where I had planned my birthday fishing trip.  It was one of five that were burning in Yellowstone National Park at the end of August.  Crews were busy keeping it from burning past the park's western boundary and toward the small town 

of West Yellowstone.  
 The Madison River inside the park was aglow... 

So, "The Three Amigos" journeyed their way around the Maple Fire.  And tried to not get too smoked out.  The fish didn't seem to mind in the rivers near by.  Heck, it wasn't any smokier  ugh, smogier than Southern California.  Hahahaha

I found some interesting facts about Yellowstone.  The ones that I found most interesting are in red.

1. There are over 40 major waterfalls in Yellowstone
2. Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872, 20 years before Montana, Idaho and Wyoming were granted statehood
3. Yellowstone has about 300 active geysers and about 10,000 thermal features
4. Yellowstone produces 3.3 million acre-feet of water every year making it one of the riches sources for water in the western United States
5. Twelve major rivers originate in the Greater Yellowstone area
6. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is 20 miles long, 1,500 to 4,000 feet wide and 1,500 feet deep
7. Grand Prismatic Spring pumps out over 4,000 gallons of boiling water every single minute, making it the largest hot springs in North America
8. The average life span for a lodgepole pine is about 200 years
9. A grizzly bear will eat about 35 pounds of food in a typical day
10. A moose can keep its head underwater for 3 minutes
11. Only 26% of the Park actually suffered canopy burn in the 1988 fires
12. The average year round temperature of Yellowstone is 35° Fahrenheit
13. Yellowstone National Park is 63 miles long and 54 miles wide
14. Yellowstone National Park is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined
15. 80% of Yellowstone National Park is forested and of that 80%, 80% of the trees are lodgepole pines.
16. Old Faithful erupts every 91 minutes
17. Yellowstone National Park has the largest concentration of free roaming wildlife in all of the lower 48 states
18. 96% of Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, 3% is in Montana, and 1% is in Idaho
19. The lowest tempature ever recorded in Yellowstone Park was -66 degrees Fahrenheit at the west entrance in 1933
20. Yellowstone National Park has 50 mammal species, 311 bird species, 18 fish species, 6 reptile species, 4 amphibian species, and 5 endangered or threatened species.
21. Yellowstone National Park has approximately 2000 earthquakes yearly
22. Yellowstone National Park has more than 300 geysers
23. There are 290 waterfalls throughout Yellowstone Park that are more than 15 feet tall and flow year-round
24. Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park. The park was dedicated by President U.S. Grant.
25. Approximately 5% of the park is covered by water; 15% is grassland, and 80% is forested
26. Yellowstone National Park has 5 park entrances, 466 miles of roads, 950 miles of backcountry trails, 97 trailheads, and 287 backcountry campsites
27. Yellowstone Park contains 1 jail.
28. There is 1 federal judge and 1 F.B.I. agent that works in Yellowstone Park.
29. Yellowstone National Park is an active super volcano.
30. There are only 30 active super volcanos in the world and Yellowstone Park is one of them and the only one to be located on land.

And like all of the Three Amigos adventures, we put together a slideshow to show you the beauty of this part of the world, even in the midst of forest fires...