Old Faithful and Yellowstone National Park

On day three we visited Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.  It was the longest, most boring drive you can possibly imagine!  I was soooo excited cuz we were going to FINALLY see some "wildlife", cuz after all, we were driving in Yellowstone National Park where there are bison on every prairie and bears in every wood, right?  Well, I was wrong!  The only wildlife we saw were a couple of deer, which we can see any old time here in Utah!  Oh, I guess we did see some squirrels, but I don't really know if that counts or not.

After a super long drive, we pulled into the parking lot and unloaded our extra cargo (aka. Grandmamma & Granddaddy along with our daughter) at the curb.  My hubby and I then went in search of a parking spot.  Have you ever tried to find a spot and there just simply isn't a spot to be found in this lifetime?  Well, that is exactly what we went through.  You would think that a much visited spot would accommodate the large numbers of vehicles that flock to said attraction by building a large parking garage right?  Wrong!!  We drove for LITERALLY 35 minutes and finally found a spot that we waited another 10 minutes to pull into.  We found that if you are desperate for a spot, you start to stalk anyone who is remotely near a car to see if they are going to jump in and pull away so you can take their place.  A very kind woman in a minivan politely let us know she was leaving so we could do just that.  You gotta love kind people!  

Old Faithful Geyser

We finally made it just in time to see the famous Old Faithful Geyser erupt.  It was amazing!  It was like watching a toddler walk for the first time.  When a toddler starts to walk they get started then fall back down, then get back up and start again then fall back on their little tushy, then when they get the  hang of things they get up again, start running and never stop!  That is how to describe Old Faithful Geyser.

 


We had time between eruptions so we decided to visit the gift shops and take a walking tour of the other geysers and hot pools that surround Old Faithful.  These pools are so crystal clear and blue it took our breath away!  There was even a rolling river of boiling water that is more that words can describe.

As we sat and waited for the second eruption of Old Faithful, we were privileged to witness the eruption of what we think was the Beehive Geyser.  It shot hot boiling water several feet in the air for at least 7 minutes!  It was beautiful!  

Beehive Geyser

Just as the Beehive Geyser was winding down, Old Faithful was getting started.  As we waited, there was a little boy of about 7 years old behind us chanting the words "Boring, boring, boring..." as his sweet mamma was at her wits end by saying "Now hush!"  (I think I related to both parties in some small manner.)  

As soon as Old Faithful got started it was a little like cheering on a newbie in a sporting activity - "Come on!  You can do it!  Just a little higher!  Wow!  You did it!!!  Once the water was shooting really high in the air, this same little boy changed his declaration on the situation by saying "WOW!  It's sooo beautiful!"  It really touches your heartstrings when even a small boy of about 7 can recognize the beauty that God has put on this earth and put into words what others have trouble describing and expressing.

We met a woman from France who was visiting the United States for three weeks and this just happened to be one of the stops that were made.  I asked her what she thought of America and she said "It's very beautiful.  This is very beautiful."  I think I agree with her! 

After the eruption, we ambled our way back to the van, not eager to fight the crowds to get out of the parking lot.  Along the path, we stopped to take pictures at the signs that said "Old Faithful Geyser" so we could say we had "been there done that".  What we didn't expect was to bump into our "seat mates" from the night before when we went to the Bar J Wranglers.  Because we were nice to them, they remembered us and were willing to take our family picture at the sign!  See, it really does pay to be nice and not act like a snob!

Lewis Falls

On the way home we stopped at Lewis Falls.  It was the second highlight of our trip that day.  We decided to get out and explore the area.  My daughter was really adventuresome and got out onto some fallen trees just to get a picture of the Falls.  We hiked to the top, which was quite the workout for some of us.  My hubby even proceeded to scare a couple of cute little girls, who were with their daddy, by teasing them about "polar bears".  (Ok, polar bears is another story for another time.  Really long story...)

After our little Lewis Falls adventure, we climbed back into the van and found our way back to our temporary home.  And even though we were warned several times by big flashing signs that Moose, Bears and Wolves were in the area, we saw NOTHING!

So maybe the drive was ubber boring, but the experience was well worth the travel.  We were able to witness one of God's most amazing creations and that helped us to remember who is really in charge.  The world is so much bigger than any one person.  I know it helped me to step back a pace or two and look more at the big picture.  I am grateful that a loving Heavenly Father has given us such wonders in the world to admire.  It almost makes me wonder what Heaven is going to be like.  I mean, if Earth is this glorious, WOW Heaven!

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park, do.  The drive might be long, but it is peaceful and very, very beautiful.  You might even luck out and see some incredible wildlife along the way, if you do, please let me know!  I'd love to hear your adventures in the "Park".

To Be Continued.....