The last few days at the Teton Science School have been great, and today was no exception. Students were thrilled for the opportunity to explore a small portion of Yellowstone National Park.

This morning, we arrived at the dining hall at 6:00 a.m. to grab breakfast sandwiches and to pack our lunches to eat in the park.

We departed from TSS at 6:15 a.m. Before reaching Yellowstone, we drove by Oxbow Bend in an attempt to see some animal activity in the morning hours. The Oxbow's name comes from it shape, which resembles the U-shaped collar of an ox. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of action this morning.

After about two hours on the bus we arrived at the site of Old Faithful, a cone geyser that was discovered in 1870. It is named for its frequent eruptions. Approximately every 92 minutes the geyser shoots water about 135 feet up into the air! Over 8,400 gallons of water are dispersed per eruption.

Upon arrival, we learned that the geyser would next erupt at 9:31 +/- 10 minutes. We did not have to wait long. The weather was perfect, and Old Faithful did not disappoint the huge crowd that gathered to watch the eruption. She started to erupt around 9:38 and continued for about three minutes. Be sure to check out the video posted on the blog! Afterwards, students were given until 10:30 to explore the surrounding areas and walk the boardwalk. Many of them opted to shop!

We then continued our journey to the Grand Prismatic Spring, which is located halfway between the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins. This is the largest hot spring in the park, and the third largest in the world. The scenery of the Grand Prismatic is dramatic and striking. Students enjoyed their trek around the area.

After leaving this area, we headed to Artist Paint Pots, which is part of the Gibbon Geyser Basin. We got our first glimpse of all four thermal features in one place: geysers, pools, mudpots, and fumorales. We took the .6 mile loop trail through a wooded area to overlook the basin.

Our final stop was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in the Lower Yellowstone Falls area. We stuck together on the small trail that led down to Artist Point, which is breathtakingly beautiful. This area is set on the outer rim of the Grand Canyon, and provides a wonderful view of the canyon, falls, and river below.

We then boarded the bus to head back to TSS in time for dinner. On our ride back we spotted bison, elk, and pronghorn in the rain and hail. We made great time on our return trip, and students had about an hour of free time before dinner.

Tonight, the evening activity is centered around the Murie Musuem, which is housed on campus. The collection in the museum was given to TSS in 1973 by the Murie family. This is an elaborate and famous collection that is split up among three places: TSS, Alaska, and The Smithsonian. Students will be able to see a small sample of the thousands of specimens, which include birds, mammals and plants. Students will discuss adaptation, identification and ecological connections.