One of the high points of our trip so far has been the opportunity to hike in Yellowstone National Park with Davey, Grace, Dani, Dave and Suzy. They’re on a whirlwind tour of some western national parks, including Yellowstone. Here they are near the iconic geyser, Old Faithful.

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After parking the cars near the visitor center and taking the above family portrait, we set off at a brisk pace to reach geysers a mile and a half away from Old Faithful. We had referred to the estimated times of eruptions for several of the major geysers and decided to skip Old Faithful which we all had seen on an earlier visit to the park.

Grand Geyser is a fountain type, erupting from a pool of water. It is the world’s tallest predictable geyser producing explosions of boiling water and steam that reach nearly 200 feet into the air. Eruptions occur about every 11 hours and last about 10 minutes each time. We staked out places on the boardwalk (note the boardwalk with people in the lower left corner of the first photo) in time to see a full eruption.Daisy Geyser eruptions only last about 4 minutes but we were able to catch a fine display of its 75-foot plume of steam and water.Riverside Geyser was my personal favorite. It is a cone-type geyser, erupting from a mineral base about every 6 hours. It is across the Firehole River from the viewing area and shoots its steam and water at an angle 75 feet above the river. Riverside Geyser produces a loud thumping sound as it pumps its plume skyward and creates a curtain of “rain” into the river. Its eruptions last more than 20 minutes giving all the spectators plenty of time to view the event from different angles by walking back and forth on the path on the river bank opposite the geyser.In addition to the erupting geysers, we visited several pools, springs and geysers that were “resting” between eruptions. Here are a few samples from the stunning Upper Geyser Basin landscape.We had a day to remember, chasing the eruption schedule from one geyser to another, passing by many unique sights but pausing for just a moment to take a picture or two. Best of all, though, our three-generation team for the day was a delight! The nudge from the younger set drove us to do more than we would have if left to our own devices and the interactions with the youngest team members made the day truly special.