lower terrace view Mammoth Springs
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills Monthly #Color Challenge: Vibrant Yellow and Orange Hues, with Hints of #Yellowstone

Welcome back to my Sunday Stills challenge. Thank you for reading my posts! We spent six days traveling and spending time in Yellowstone National Park this past week. Each day in the park itself had limited phone and internet connectivity. From Eastern Washington, it’s an eight-hour drive to the west entrance of Yellowstone. We camped in our comfortable 27-foot travel trailer at the Kampgrounds of America (KOA) in West Yellowstone.

As for this month’s color challenge, nothing says “Autumn” more than the colors of yellow and orange. Think yellow hues in ochre, saffron, amber, mustard, or plain ol’ yellow! Orange hues vary from bright orange and citrus to rust, vermillion, burnt orange, and pumpkin.

Pumpkin products
“Pumpkin-flavored everything? Yes, please!”

“Orange is an underrated color, it’s the second most underrated color after yellow.”
– Michel Gondry

Hot and Dry

September in Eastern Washington can be tricky weather-wise. Earlier in the month, our temperatures broke records, hitting 99°F over several days, which is very hot for here. Average September temperatures are in the 70s Fahrenheit. Not only does the heat dry out the grasses and foliage…

man on ATV
Dry run on Dry dirt

…But the wildfires really take off, producing a significant amount of smoke and resulting in unhealthy air quality.

Smoky sunflower
Standing in solidarity against the smoke from Washington Wildfires

With surrounding wildfire smoke, both sunrises and rising moons turn various shades of yellow and orange.

smoky sunrise
orange moon

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.” – Pablo Picasso

As a fan of sunflowers, I find myself longing for their sunny yellow heads to grow and thrive. By late July, they begin to put on their sunny show. Thankfully, the sunflowers peak in mid-August and are still beautiful through September.

Capturing the colors of yellow and orange in nature is not a difficult task.

golden bee on orange suflower
Bee on sunflower macro
Teddy Bear Sunflower
Homegrown Teddy Bear Sunflower
Goldfinch on sunflower
Goldfinches have flown the Coop!

At least we got another decent vegetable bounty.

summer tomatoes
Garden tomatoes varying colors
yellow and red tomatoes
summer Lemon Cucumbers
Lemon Cucumbers

What Makes a Stone Yellow?

Through pure kizmet on my part, September’s color challenge coincided with our trip to Yellowstone National Park. I mean, the very name of the park should tell you something.

My awe and wonder shown in photographs demonstrate the longing many of us have to be immersed in nature and grand places.

I have been blessed to visit numerous national parks in the US. This was our first time visiting Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone NP is located in the northwestern corner of the state of Wyoming. Its northern and western boundaries also include the states of Montana and Idaho.

field of bison
Yellowstone, where the bison roam

I shared the above image of the bison last Wednesday.

“It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are still alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.” – George Eliot

Did You Know?

Yellowstone National Park became the world’s first national park on March 1, 1872. “Yellowstone became the first national park for all to enjoy the unique hydrothermal and geologic features.” – NPS

geothermal springs Yellowstone

Yellowstone got its name from the word Native Americans used to describe the yellow sandstone along the “Yellow Rock River.” The image below shows how the Yellowstone River cut through the yellow sandstone over eons to create the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

French Trappers translated the words to “Roche Jaune,” then American trappers simply called it yellow stone. US Geological Survey

Orange Spring Mound
Orange Spring Mound
geothermic pool
Heated water spurts out of geothermic pool

Yellowstone NP boasts numerous geothermal pools and geysers, as well as rhyolite volcanic lavas and minerals that harden into light, yellowish-colored rocks.

lower terrace view Mammoth Springs
Lower Terrace View Mammoth Springs

“Nature has planted in our minds an insatiable longing to see the truth.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Upper Terrace view
Mammoth Hot Springs

Indeed, views of Yellowstone helped to demonstrate the incredible oranges and yellows of summer and early Autumn. I had no idea what lay before us when we made plans to visit here. I knew about the geothermal activity caused by the immense caldera that lies beneath the park. I was also familiar with the Old Faithful Geyser and the herds of bison that are iconic to Yellowstone National Park. There was so much to see within its 2.2 million acres, and we barely scratched the surface.

I plan to share more of the fantastic sights of Yellowstone in upcoming posts, including animals, birds, and water features.

As much as I love summer, I long for the cooler temperatures and coziness of Autumn, which is just around the corner.

Mixed fall leaves

Sharing for Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday and Lens-Artists: Longing

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently from mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link to a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

If you are participating in the photo challenge, I can’t wait to see how you interpret the various shades of yellow and orange this week! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we explore “FOUNTAINS AND FALLS.”

awesome week bitmoji

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141 comments

  4. When I was young, I used to think I never wanted to go to America, but wished that a plane could drop me at Yellowstone for a couple of weeks. Beautiful post that made me longing again!

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  5. Yellowstone is so unique geologically. All that heat and steam and pressure mixing with minerals below the surface. I’m so glad you went there (before it blows up!). Fascinating photos of some of the formations, and a fun little history/geology lesson, Terri. Great post.

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  14. I missed you last week, Terri! Your Wellowstone adventure and the photos were wonderful. I included some yellow in my post last week but I forgot you were gone. We had been to Yellowstone more than 10 years ago. We didn’t see as much because we took a bus tour when my dad, my brother and his wife came to visit us. I think we only had one day at Yellowstone. The tour only included the tour bus transportation from point to point, and the lodging. After we arrived to the locations, we were on our own. Let me see if I can find my photos. BTW, I subscribed the PicMonkey, and still learning how to use it. Does it have a “save” feature to save the edited photos into different folders?

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    • Thanks for missing me, Miriam 😁 Our visit to Yellowstone was beyond my expectations and will provide memories forever. We saw a lot of tour busses at our stops.
      Yes, in PicMonkey, you can create a folder for the subjects you want to save. I created a Yellowstone folder. When you finish your image, you’ll be prompted to save the file, or it will automatically save to “unsorted.” The hub folders can be seen on the sidebar.

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      • I’m glad you had such a wonderful experience at Yellowstone, Terri! We waited for a while to see the Old Faithful go off. It went pretty high. I have the photos but I didn’t have a good camera then.

        I haven’t tried it yet, but can I get the photos from PicMonkey to my post? You mentioned saving the photos in lower pixels. How do you do that?

        I ended up downloading the photos and copied them to my WP folder. I don’t want to have three copies of the same photos.

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      • Once I create the image in PicMonkey, I save it, download it, then drag it straight to the WP media files. Any digital file I create also goes into my Dropbox. So yes, there are 3 copies, but I prefer that. I always resize my images to 700×700 before I leave PicMonkey. The smaller images work nicely for social media too. And we can always chat on the phone…

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  16. Lovely photos of the Yellow stone National Park, Terri. I love your photos of the sunflowers – so big and so yellow. Also the pictures of the moon, tomatoes, autumn leaves. I enjoyed reading about how the park got its name.

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  24. Welcome home. I missed hearing your voice, but wow! You didn’t miss a beat with all these yellows and oranges from Yellowstone. I had no idea it was 2.2. million acres. Wow! Incredible post! The yellow glow of the water on Mammoth Springs is my favorite picture. The one posted in the comments is beautiful in a different way, highlighting the burned area. The name Yellow Stone is certainly appropriate. Out of 2.2 million acres that had to be the dominant feature out of many amazing sights. It could have been Geyser National Park, or any number of other features, but your pictures highlight the reason behind the name.

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    • Thank you, Marsha! It may have been the time of year, but everything in Yellowstone had a golden glow to it, the grass, the sunshine, etc. We needed two more full days there, so much to see. We hit the iconic places– Old Faithful Geyser on day 1, and saw bison every day. I did a lot of research, then studied the map. An article from Pioneer Woman listed the best places to see. It took us 8 hours each day to drive, explore etc, we were exhausted! We visited the Canyon area day two and day three went to Mammoth Springs at the north entrance.

      At each major attraction are lodging, parking, visitor center, food/dining, museums, restrooms. All clean, no evidence of staffing issues at all. The area at Old Faithful reminded me of Yosemite Valley–huge areas. I shared some pics on Facebook too. Having spent years in NPs, I learned to get ahead of the crowds by getting to the attractions early, then relaxing in the shops and food areas. Brodie also did well and could walk with us in the big visitor areas. No pets on the trails or boardwalks to the geothermal areas, but he waited in the truck and napped. The temps were cool and we left the windows down a bit. It all worked out but we needed more time.

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  29. Thanks for taking us through Yellowstone National Park, Terri. It’s so beautiful there. That’s what nature always amazes me. The wide view and the tiny things you capture warm my heart. Happy Monday and keep sharing your joy with us.

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  37. The pictures of Yellowstone are great Terri. Like you, I knew about Old Faithful and also the bison roaming around, but I don’t even think I knew about the elk that you showed in your Wednesday post. I didn’t know that the yellow sandstone was the reason for the name either. I had heard about geothermal pools, perhaps in conjunction with the geyser or maybe from “National Geographic” magazines or specials which I read/watched for years. The Goldfinch may be sad he left if you get as warm as we will – we are back in the 80s all week again. I was enjoying the coolish weather. I also like the Teddy Bear Sunflower.

    My post is a hybrid – Easter Sunday early blooms and also about goslings, the ones at Heritage Park which I returned to photograph two weeks after Mama was on the nest.

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  39. Yes, Eastern WA can get pretty warm. Our first summer here in 2021 there were 10+ days between 100-110. I figured we brought the Sacramento heat with us 😳 Like Sacramento, at least its a dry heat! Erg.
    Wow, your image of the hot springs is amazing! The ranger told us it can change appearance within a week! Canary springs is completely calcified white now compared to the NPS brochure from 2012.

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  40. Terri,

    First, it’s incredible that you and Hans experienced 99 degree weather where you live. We got close in Tennessee, but, thankfully, didn’t get there. Being an alum of the U of Tennessee, orange is a favorite and prominent color around here so, we love orange. My contribution is a picture from the Cascades in Mammoth hot Springs. It looks so different from your picture. Must have been a hot water day when you visited. Have a great week. Joe

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    • Thank you, Janis! Living in California made it harder to make the drive. We are closer in WA, but its a day’s drive from here. I saw no evidence of staff cuts. Park staff was everywhere, including the roads when wildlife stopped traffic. The restrooms in visitor centers were well stocked and clean all throughout the park.

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      • I am so happy to hear that! I’ve talked to people who visited other parks this summer and they noticed understaffing. Maybe there was a lot of pushback so funding was adjusted, or different parks are staffed differently. Either way, your experience is music to me ears! Now, I need to plan my trip for next year!

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      • It probably depends on each park. Yellowstone is the most popular with a world-wide attendance. We also went in September with fewer crowds to deal with. I did a lot of research and planned for a September visit after Labor Day. If you have the lifetime NPS pass, Yellowstone West entrance gate has a special lane for thee, which eliminates waiting in long lines. the worst lines were the ones on the roads waiting for the bison to pass 😀

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  42. All your photos are gorgeous! Yellowstone is my favorite national park and is the epitome of vibrant yellow and orange! I’ve been on a different volcano this week, far from the mainland, but hope to drop by later sometime for the challenge.

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  43. Terri, thanks for joining the challenge with this beautiful theme. I’m longing to go back to Yellowstone now after seeing these amazing captures. Now, I’ll put my thinking cap on to come up with a response to your color challenge.

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    • I’m so glad your theme worked with mine. “Longing” in any language is a human condition satisfied by experiences, especially in nature. If you have some Yellowstone pics please share. I’m sure they’ll meet the color challenge!

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  50. You have taken me back to our visit to Yellowstone many years ago. Isn’t it a gorgeous place? Your pictures truly show that.
    I enjoy the colors of Autumn, and some trees here are beginning to show their colors. I hope to share some in my Tuesday post and make sure to share them with your challenge.
    Happy new week to you!

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  57. Yellowstone National Park looks like a fascinating place to visit! Love the orange moon and sky shots too, despite the unfortunate reason for them. Wildfire smoke has even reached us, all the way in southern Ontario this summer, making the air quality very poor at times.
    I”ve never seen or even heard of lemon cucumbers. Do they taste similar tongreen ones? Interesting!

    https://thedogladysden.com/ochre-saffron-burntorange-sundaystills/

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    • Yellowstone was worth the efforts to finally go, Debbie! We’re also affected here by wildfires in northern Canada. We planted the lemon cukes, but as they grew we forgot and thought they were squash. They are amazing and a bit fresher tasting than the green cucumbers.

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  59. Thank you Terri for the wonderful fall theme for Sunday Stills. I love autumn. Great photos from Yellowstone. Beautiful photos of the tomatoes and the sunflowers. Sorry to see the smoke from the wildfires. A sign of our times, sadly. Stay safe. Blessings to your day and upcoming week.

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  60. Terri, these photos are beyond incredible, and they do indeed make me ‘long’ for a trip to Yellowstone. There is such an abundance of autumn colors in nature, and you captured them beautifully. From lemon cucumbers to an orange moon, you have outdone yourself.

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    • Oh thank you, Suzanne! You make me blush! Yellowstone really delivered. We needed at least two more days to see places like Yellowstone Lake, Lamar Valley and even a trip to the Tetons.

      By the way, I thought of you 2 weeks ago…we booked our first Viking River cruise for Oct 2026.

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