Next, a quick turn through Black Sand Basin.  It's a small area, but there are some beautifully colored pools and noisy geysers.

The idea for the afternoon was to mosey up to Madison, then to West Yellowstone, and scope some along the way.  Not much wildlife to be found, except this lone hawk, so we topped off the gas tank in West Yellowstone and headed back south. 

We tried every turnout along the Madison river looking for the trumpeter swans, but did not find their nesting site.  Not even a bison was to be seen, where last year the meadows along the river were full of frolicking orange babies.  We finally spotted a small herd way up on a hill in the distance.  We stopped to pose along Firehole Canyon Drive, then turned south.

On the way to Old Faithful we stopped for a "moose jam." The largest bull we'd seen was standing in the middle of the Firehole river munching away.

We got back to Old Faithful Lodge cafeteria for supper, then took our tired, howling dogs back to Grant Village (okay, we had to have one more dose of "Moose Tracks" before bed!).  On the way, we stopped at the Shonshone Lake overview for a last view of the lake with the Tetons towering in the background.