One of the most famous views of Yellowstone is Old Faithful. The name of the geyser suggests that it is very reliable: it allows tourists to admire its spectacular eruptions every 90 minutes or so (S):
Old Faithful shoots boiling water to a height of about 45m. The eruption that I saw lasted about 2.5 minutes (S):
One more snapshot of Old Faithful's spectacular activity (S):
Midway Geyser Basin area is particularly interesting as it contains two largest hot springs, Excelsior Geyser and the unforgettable Grand Prismatic Spring. Below is the picture of a map of the area:
The steaming earth on the way to the hot springs promises a hellish spectacle. In my diary I labeled this view as an "angry earth";)
Walking on the ridge of Excelsior Geyser Crater felt like walking on the edge of the pit of hell. The last eruptions of this geyser were recorded at the end of the 19h century (there was also one in 1985, but it was totally unpredicted and isolated), but the steam and the noise produced by this once largest geyser in the world provide enough horror and excitement. No wonder Rudyard Kipling called the area "Hell's Half Acre" when he visited the Park in 1889 (S):
The water in the hot springs contains elements and mineral particles which add color to it. The yellow-green belts might as well be algae; however, I preferred to continue associating everything with hell, so for me they meant "sulfur";): 
The hot water flowing from hot springs into the Firehole River makes it inaccessible to potential swimmers (though the temperature of the river's water must be inviting;)(S):
Finally, I'm approaching Grand Prismatic Spring. The legend contains all the necessary information:
Because of the size of the Spring, the pictures capture only fragments of the spectacular steaming lake. I loved the contrast between the oranges of the ridge and the turquoise water visible below the steam: 
Another snapshot of Grand Prismatic Spring captures the richness of its colors. Mind you, the day was rather overcast, so I could only try to imagine what it would look like in the sun:
And, finally, a sort of panoramic view of the Spring's section - to give you an idea of its huge size (S): 
Below is what I would have seen if I had flown in an aeroplane or a helicopter (not that I saw any hovering above) over Grand Prismatic Spring on a sunny day:
Yellowstone is not always so colorful: sometimes the area is grey and desolate, as if something poisonous contaminated the earth and killed all life here:
The cadaverous yellowish color of the water in the spring below may provide an answer: 
On the second day of my peregrination through Yellowstone I traveled north to visit the area known as Mammoth Hot Springs. The map below explains that the springs are called "mammoth" because of their size and shapes:
Here is a picture of the most spectacular Mammoth Hot Spring, where the water trickles lazily, but the effect is that of the proverbial still waters that run deep:
Mammoth Hot Spring in close-up. I had to touch the water: it felt warm and didn't burn my hands but I didn't dare to taste it, though the view suggests it must contain a lot of minerals;)
Below Mammoth Hot Spring. Lucky me I didn't taste the water - look what it has done to the trees;) I have a sneaking suspicion though that the trees have not decayed because of some poison contained in the water (like in Poe's pond surrounding the House of Usher) but because the minerals created a crust which prevents water from soaking in the ground. The resulting landscape would fit a fairy-tale world:
The variety of views that Yellowstone offers reminds me of Death Valley, where a kaleidoscope of changing landscapes has a dazzling effect on a traveler:
A panoramic view of northern Yellowstone's beautiful meadows (S):
The picture below shows a very characteristic feature of Yellowstone: every now and then travelers can admire contrasts between the skeletons of burnt trees and the fresh green grass and new little trees, which will provide shelter for the Park's animals. Wildfires are a necessary element of Yellowstone's ecosystem not only because they burn old trees and allow new life to bud in the sunlit areas. Fire is also necessary for lodgepole pine trees to exist: it takes about 25 seconds for a tree to burn down and cones have to open within those precious 25 seconds and release the seeds. Well, timing is very important in nature;) (S):
The area visible in the picture below won't see fire for the next 50 years or so - it was probably burnt in the recent fires of 2001 or 2002. The average area destroyed by wildfires (that is those started by lightnings) amounts to a few hundred hectares. In 1988 massive wildfires, known as the Great Fires of 1988, swept through Yellowstone but - contrary to what some feared - the park began to renew itself very quickly. This view is then not sad but promising (S):
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