Synonyms are depleted and worthless at this point of my trip. My surroundings, which are the 40 miles into Yellowstone National Park by way of Buffalo Bill Dam defy description. As we meander through the pass and crane our necks to see the tops of the Rockies, I am filled with joy, wonder, appreciation, and fulfillment. My admiration wells up inside of me and I feel the sensation in my neck, throat, and mouth. To my right, the Shoshone Creek, white water which is the fast moving, refreshing turbulence seen on beer commercials. The rocks closest to our truck and camper are reddish brown, and some have been naturally formed while others have been blasted to make way for the smooth macadam we ride upon. RV’s and motorcycles abound, and we wave our friendly wave to each one. We are kindred spirits out here on the road together, joining in a spiritual journey that more should take. Really, friends, you must come here. You will be forever changed. Yellow flowers grow on the hills around me and seem to starkly juxtapose the rugged, raw Rockies that loom above them. The white-capped skyscrapers keep appearing off in the distance, one after the other, and I think of my dear friends and how much they would love this. Kerry, Cara, and Dominic would love the rock formations. Wyoming is filled with archeological digs and palentological sites. The ancient rocks would fascinate her and her family, and Kerry would be divinely inspired by the landscape. I wish Leona and her family were here to share the camper and the many experiences of the road. Leona would have loved to return to her childhood haunt: Indiana Dunes State Park in Illinois. She would love the adventure and patriotism of Rushmore. My dear stepfather, Husser, would have loved to have seen Buffalo Bill Historical Museum in Cody, since he is a member. We miss him so much on this trip! How I wish my father-in-law, Mike, could have been in Cody with us. His love of westerns, horses and Indians and Buffalo would have had him whistling that whistle he does when he is impressed and his eyebrows raise. He would have loved Crazy Horse as well. The boys and I picked out a Buffalo shirt just for him at Yellowstone! Of course, I wish we never would have left Michelle in Omaha. We miss her everyday and when the boys see a Ford Explorer, they believe, somehow, it will be hers. Of course, I wish I could share all of this with my mom and dad, but I have to be grateful that I can be here with my own little family.
Up ahead, we see the sign for Yellowstone National Park, we all grow excited. We pull into the guard station, and a very friendly ranger greets us, “Welcome to Yellowstone!” Ben tells her he would like to buy the Interagency National Park Pass for 80.00 because we still have Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, Grand Teton, and the California parks to visit. The money is well worth it and they give you a very cool card! She tells us to keep our eyes peeled for Grizzly, Bison, Elk, Moose, and other wildlife and advises us to stay within the speed limit to protect the animals. We tell her how far we have come and she chats with us about the fact that we have traveled 2309 miles to see Yellowstone. Bennie takes her picture, and we are off. As we climb into Yellowstone and more of the Rockies, we grow closer to the snow and ice capped ridges. I hope we see animals! When I stare off into the mountains, small waterfalls trickle down everywhere, and loose rocks lie about on the side of the road. The elevation begins to bother our ears, and we can hear the engine starving for air. Incidentally, we were in Cody, Wyoming all morning while we got 4 NEW TIRES. We didn’t want to take any chances and we bought heavy duty babies! 800.00 dollars later, we were on our way! The dead and decaying life around us is as interesting and awe-inspiring at the living. Dead trees take on the shapes of deer heads and antlers and logs and uprooted trees abound. Again, we climb and my eyes are killing me. We come upon Sylvan Lake, which is surrounded by snow even though it is 53 degrees. We stop for a pic, and Ben decides to use the snow to fill our cooler. The boys have a wicked snowball battle, and as you can probably predict, they hit my bare, flip-flopped toes with snowballs. Yow! Once inside the park, we have 30 miles to travel until we get to the campground we want to use. The trees around me are missing most of their foliage and it is easy to spot where forest fires have claimed acres. At other times I have told you that things are not as you have imagined; YELLOWSTONE IS! We climb again, and from our altitude, we can spy Yellowstone Lake surrounded by the white-crowned Rockies. We are really here. Our next mission is to find the wildlife the ranger promised us. I tell the kids that I hope to find Yogi and Boo-Boo. Perhaps they are out looking for some excellent pic-a-nic baskets! I am the only one who laughsL A lookout point allows us a clear view of Lake Yellowstone, which is gigantic in size. It seems to meet up with the Rockies that are miles and miles beyond it. Eventually we descend down to lake level and we begin to notice the thermal areas of the park that exude steam into the sky. This, of course, is the stuff Old Faithful is made of, so we stop to see the steam escaping the Earth and pools of bubbling, hot water. Warning signs abound and we are attacked by small, black flying insects that I have never seen before. We decide that our campground is past Old Faithful, so we drive and drive toward Old Faithful and Geyser Basin. Yellowstone is the size of Rhode Island, so major highways and thoroughfares spiral through the park and the scenery changes constantly. The setting around Yellowstone Lake is incredible as smoke, steam, a gigantic lake, mountains guarding it and pine trees are in every square inch of my field of vision. Ben is a state park guy. I don’t know if you know that about him, but he would rather stay in a state park than anywhere. I am a cable and wireless kind of gal, so I prefer a “campground” due to the neverending supply of water in campgrounds. Ben is much more rustic, so seeing Yellowstone is really a dream come true for him. He has an in-depth knowledge of nature and science, and a real understanding of why things are the way they are. On this trip alone, he has explained many things to our kids, and Bennie and Ethan are very fortunate to have such a well-read, educated father who not only knows many things, but wants to share those things with his sons. Someday I know they will appreciate it and come to the realization that they have seen so much as children.
At top of a mountain we see the Continental Divide sign. Ben explains what that means and is very excited to say that we just crossed it. We pass it again, further down the road as it certainly zigzags through the park.
When we arrive to the parking lot where we can leave the RV to see Old Faithful, we see the people all lined up so we know right where to go. “I bet we just missed it,” I say, always the pessimist. Turns out I was wrong! We arrived just in the nick of time, and we are able to see OLD FAITHFUL! The geyser slowly builds as it puffs and billows steam into the sky like a factory chimney. It gets higher and stronger, and the crowd is quiet. We can hear Old Faithful steam and slightly rumble and Ben asks if I can feel it under my feet. I really have to concentrate to do so, but I can feel the purr of the earth. After a few more seconds, Ben and I can feel the mist of Old Faithful on our faces, and the crowds in front of us begin to disperse. I am a little puzzled by this as it is only a mist, not the splash zone of the killer whales at Sea World. I have always wanted to see Old Faithful, so I can now cross one more thing from my list of great things to see here before I leave!
Of course, Bennie and I must visit the gift store which is called Yellowstone General Store. There are several in the park as, again, the park is the size of Rhode Island. Our plan is to camp in Montana this evening which borders the park. Ben has always wanted to go to Montana, so after a buy some things for my nephew and goddaughter, we are off. By the end of our visit we will have driven over 60 miles of Yellowstone Park and every mile was a surprise and a reward for the long travels we have endured.
On our way out of the park, we see Bison and Elk. The boys are very excited, and we stop to take pictures. The Bison’s heads are the size of Ethan, and their horns are amazing. Some are grazing, while others are lounging in the tall grasses. We continue to pass hot springs and warm pools of water, and I feel so chilly I could just take a dip but I am afraid I will be joined by a Bison.
Yellowstone is an astounding cornucopia of sights, smells, and sounds. As we head to our campground, we look off into the distance and Mt Olympian-like white moutains emerge into our view. Ben says, “You know what we are looking at? That’s Montana.”
I cannot wait because it is known as the Big Sky Country.
Up ahead, we see the sign for Yellowstone National Park, we all grow excited. We pull into the guard station, and a very friendly ranger greets us, “Welcome to Yellowstone!” Ben tells her he would like to buy the Interagency National Park Pass for 80.00 because we still have Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, Grand Teton, and the California parks to visit. The money is well worth it and they give you a very cool card! She tells us to keep our eyes peeled for Grizzly, Bison, Elk, Moose, and other wildlife and advises us to stay within the speed limit to protect the animals. We tell her how far we have come and she chats with us about the fact that we have traveled 2309 miles to see Yellowstone. Bennie takes her picture, and we are off. As we climb into Yellowstone and more of the Rockies, we grow closer to the snow and ice capped ridges. I hope we see animals! When I stare off into the mountains, small waterfalls trickle down everywhere, and loose rocks lie about on the side of the road. The elevation begins to bother our ears, and we can hear the engine starving for air. Incidentally, we were in Cody, Wyoming all morning while we got 4 NEW TIRES. We didn’t want to take any chances and we bought heavy duty babies! 800.00 dollars later, we were on our way! The dead and decaying life around us is as interesting and awe-inspiring at the living. Dead trees take on the shapes of deer heads and antlers and logs and uprooted trees abound. Again, we climb and my eyes are killing me. We come upon Sylvan Lake, which is surrounded by snow even though it is 53 degrees. We stop for a pic, and Ben decides to use the snow to fill our cooler. The boys have a wicked snowball battle, and as you can probably predict, they hit my bare, flip-flopped toes with snowballs. Yow! Once inside the park, we have 30 miles to travel until we get to the campground we want to use. The trees around me are missing most of their foliage and it is easy to spot where forest fires have claimed acres. At other times I have told you that things are not as you have imagined; YELLOWSTONE IS! We climb again, and from our altitude, we can spy Yellowstone Lake surrounded by the white-crowned Rockies. We are really here. Our next mission is to find the wildlife the ranger promised us. I tell the kids that I hope to find Yogi and Boo-Boo. Perhaps they are out looking for some excellent pic-a-nic baskets! I am the only one who laughsL A lookout point allows us a clear view of Lake Yellowstone, which is gigantic in size. It seems to meet up with the Rockies that are miles and miles beyond it. Eventually we descend down to lake level and we begin to notice the thermal areas of the park that exude steam into the sky. This, of course, is the stuff Old Faithful is made of, so we stop to see the steam escaping the Earth and pools of bubbling, hot water. Warning signs abound and we are attacked by small, black flying insects that I have never seen before. We decide that our campground is past Old Faithful, so we drive and drive toward Old Faithful and Geyser Basin. Yellowstone is the size of Rhode Island, so major highways and thoroughfares spiral through the park and the scenery changes constantly. The setting around Yellowstone Lake is incredible as smoke, steam, a gigantic lake, mountains guarding it and pine trees are in every square inch of my field of vision. Ben is a state park guy. I don’t know if you know that about him, but he would rather stay in a state park than anywhere. I am a cable and wireless kind of gal, so I prefer a “campground” due to the neverending supply of water in campgrounds. Ben is much more rustic, so seeing Yellowstone is really a dream come true for him. He has an in-depth knowledge of nature and science, and a real understanding of why things are the way they are. On this trip alone, he has explained many things to our kids, and Bennie and Ethan are very fortunate to have such a well-read, educated father who not only knows many things, but wants to share those things with his sons. Someday I know they will appreciate it and come to the realization that they have seen so much as children.
At top of a mountain we see the Continental Divide sign. Ben explains what that means and is very excited to say that we just crossed it. We pass it again, further down the road as it certainly zigzags through the park.
When we arrive to the parking lot where we can leave the RV to see Old Faithful, we see the people all lined up so we know right where to go. “I bet we just missed it,” I say, always the pessimist. Turns out I was wrong! We arrived just in the nick of time, and we are able to see OLD FAITHFUL! The geyser slowly builds as it puffs and billows steam into the sky like a factory chimney. It gets higher and stronger, and the crowd is quiet. We can hear Old Faithful steam and slightly rumble and Ben asks if I can feel it under my feet. I really have to concentrate to do so, but I can feel the purr of the earth. After a few more seconds, Ben and I can feel the mist of Old Faithful on our faces, and the crowds in front of us begin to disperse. I am a little puzzled by this as it is only a mist, not the splash zone of the killer whales at Sea World. I have always wanted to see Old Faithful, so I can now cross one more thing from my list of great things to see here before I leave!
Of course, Bennie and I must visit the gift store which is called Yellowstone General Store. There are several in the park as, again, the park is the size of Rhode Island. Our plan is to camp in Montana this evening which borders the park. Ben has always wanted to go to Montana, so after a buy some things for my nephew and goddaughter, we are off. By the end of our visit we will have driven over 60 miles of Yellowstone Park and every mile was a surprise and a reward for the long travels we have endured.
On our way out of the park, we see Bison and Elk. The boys are very excited, and we stop to take pictures. The Bison’s heads are the size of Ethan, and their horns are amazing. Some are grazing, while others are lounging in the tall grasses. We continue to pass hot springs and warm pools of water, and I feel so chilly I could just take a dip but I am afraid I will be joined by a Bison.
Yellowstone is an astounding cornucopia of sights, smells, and sounds. As we head to our campground, we look off into the distance and Mt Olympian-like white moutains emerge into our view. Ben says, “You know what we are looking at? That’s Montana.”
I cannot wait because it is known as the Big Sky Country.
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