When my parents told me that we were going to Yellowstone this last summer, I was less than thrilled. When they told me that we were going to drive there from our California home, I was nearly mutinous. I have been to Yosemite and thought Yellowstone would not be any different. On top of that, I had gone on a road trip to Canada a few years ago with my family, and I distinctly remember the sore butts and claustrophobia that grew from sitting for hours in that cramped car.
But, I put on a happy face and went along with it. Our vacation finally arrived, and I set out with my family. Just as I had predicted, the fourteen-hour ride was unbearable. As is typical in any road trip, we all fought on the music selection before deciding on one that made everyone unhappy. We engorged ourselves on foods like beef jerky and Jell-O, so that the nauseating mixture of smells stuck onto the walls and floor of the truck. And, we faced dirty looks from the locals at our pit stops, who treated us with disdain simply because we stopped only to use their restrooms.
I tried not to let these annoyances show in my demeanor. After a lifetime, we pulled in to the west entrance of Yellowstone. We stumbled around like the lost tourists we were, and asked directions from countless park rangers and fellow travelers. At around midnight, we arrived at the hotel, dragged our luggage in, and collapsed into bed.
The next morning, we set out to explore the territory. Our first stop was the West Thumb Geyser Basin. Steam rose from colorful, bottomless springs that scattered the bank of Yellowstone Lake. The mineralized run-offs, eye-popping in their hues of blazing orange and dandelion yellow, flowed lazily into the still lake. At first, my inner city-slicker hardly cared for these lively pools. Little did I know how much Nature would teach me.
Our next stop was what we had come here to see: the infamous Old Faithful geyser. Scheduled to erupt every 92 minutes, we waited impatiently. Finally, the time had come for it to blow. We clambered around for a good viewpoint, trying to make sure nobody's heads blocked our view. Then, it started. With a spine-tingling roar, water reached for the sky, steam dangling off the shoot like a flag hanging from its pole.
It was phenomenal.
We joked that we could go home now, but Old Faithful is just the humble tip of the iceberg. In the shadow of the star attraction lies the Upper Geyser Basin, the largest concentration of geysers in the world. Here is where we learned what Nature truly is.
These geysers are incredibly unpredictable. Some erupt about every forty-five minutes, while others blow after several years. We had the honor of catching one geyser's eruption. Anchored on the bank of a quaint stream, we watched for any signs of its upsurge. Nobody foresaw its launch. Here, an epiphany set on me like the lingering mist of the gushing geyser: Nature is beautiful because it is unpredictable and ever dynamic.
As if Nature was listening to me come to this realization, it confirmed its point with a delicate shower. I felt so understanding, so at one with Nature at this moment, that I started dancing in celebration of the blessed rain.
For the remainder of our journey, Nature only continued to prove its beauty to us. She led our hike to Fairy Falls, a whispering waterfall tucked in the shadows of a modest mountain. Nature brought us passing bison that walked an arm's length away from our defenseless truck. She showed us the Mammoth Hot Springs, where the crystallized water is almost unreal in its splendor, and she let us see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, where the bronzed walls and exuberant falls made me realize how small and unworthy I truly am.
I will never forget the last day that we spent in the park. We came to a secluded part on the bank of the Yellowstone Lake. I remember how my mom and my dad sat on the rocks and just listened to the hum the gentle waves. I remember my little brother scavenging for the smoothest rocks to bounce off the glassy surface. I remember taking a deep breath, staring off into the oblivion where the lake meets the sky, and thinking to myself how much I will forever cherish this moment.
"When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on the shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters." --Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat"
"I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance" --Lee Ann Womack
I was living in Colorado Springs when Yellowstone caught fire. I remember thinking that they were crazy for keeping the park open while the fire burned 90% of the lands there.
But I also remember how beautiful it was because in Colorado Springs we could see where the fire was lighting up the sky and my mother would explain to me that the fire was going to make the park even more beautiful when it was over.
:)
I guess she was right.
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"when you have nothing else to say, "Fwonk" is always the perfect thing."
"yeah well, fwonk"
--Devon
Fanaile Essence,
A-Team Member
Your mother could not be more right!
While I was there, a lot of park rangers told me about how lush and beautiful the park was before the fire. But, looking at the park now, I cannot imagine a more peaceful and beautiful place. I guess if you look closely you'll notice the burns on tall trees and the plentiful short trees. But who's looking that closely anyway? (it's not like the park will be any more beautiful upon analyzing and close observation!).
Cheers, to heaven on earth!
The first time I visited Yellowstone I was blown away at the sheer beauty of it. It blew my mind that something like this existed. Being a city dweller who regularly visits the great outdoors, I'd seen nature before, but what we see now days in our national forests and places that we call "wild" aren't really wild at all. We've tamed them all to the point that they barely resemble wildness at all. Yellowstone changed all that for me. It changed me in a profound and emphatic way.
Every time I go to Yellowstone (which is every year now days, at least once during the year, most years twice or more) I learn something new about it, and about myself. It is the greatest teacher I have ever had. I, too, fell in love with the canyon and the thermal features, but the love I learned there introduced me to more. I learned to love the back country, the places little visited, the incredible wild life, and the crown jewel of Yellowstone - the Lamar Valley, often called the Serengeti of North America.
Yellowstone is a sacred place. It is a spiritual and rich place, full of life and beauty. It is one I've learned to love with all my heart. From the first time I went there, it gave me a feeling of immense satisfaction and contentment. There was only one way to describe it.
I felt like I had come Home.
Please check out my Yellowstone photos on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/49715595@N00/collections/72157602056197805/
I could understand that at first, you didn't want to visit Yellowstone because I've been to Washington, D.C. and Virginia, more than once; therefore when my mother asked me if I was excited to spend Thanksgiving with my sister at her house (because she lives in Virginia) last year, I told her that I wasn't because I've been to Virginia, more than once.
There is nothing more awe inspiring than a volcano erupting, a giant redwood, geysers, the ocean and nothing more beautiful than a flower, or a sunset. I've lived in cities my whole life and gotten really used to modern conveniences like computers and microwave ovens, but I never feel so truly alive as I do when I look down from a lofty mountainside at the grandeur laid out by nature each day.
Whatever doesn't kill you should be dead when you're done with it.
Yeah, Yellowstone in a great place to go. I go there once every 1 - 2 years. Also, the Grand Tetons, which are just south of Yellowstone are a great place to go. I love that whole area of Wyoming.
We went to the Grand Tetons too while we were there. Sadly we only stayed a day, but it was a breathtaking day! The view is spectacular... like God personally touched this part of the Earth and blessed it.
We didn't go rafting down the Snake River or climb one of the Tetons. But those are DEFINITELY on my life's to-do list.
Poignant... just goes to show that we cannot mess up protecting nature.
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ce.apocryphalpublishing.com
for tree huggers!
the world would be a better place if there were more of us : )
that's cool that you get to experience famous nature. In california, that difficult.
I grew up with a hippie mother. She was all about camping and being one with the outdoors. I couldn't stand it. I hated her friends who wore long "unfashionable" skirts and danced wired. i couldn't stand going to her "hippie fest", they drove me crazy. Over the summer i went to another hippie fest. I was up dancing in my long skirt and a little girl looked at me like i was crazy. It was then that i realized that i had become a hippie. Not a bad thing at all. I am concerned about the earth and how people treat it. I am a big animal and human rights activist. So i realize now that i have become my mother.
ashley N. martin
I believe nature is extremely amazing and beautiful. I sometimes just go outside to think, and others to pray. Nature is beautiful to me because it is almost unbelievably great, and also very unpredictable (tornado to a storm to an earthquake) making it also amazing. I love how scary and beautiful it can be at the same time.
Portia Carmelle
http://www.progressiveu.org/184554-do-you-call-yourself-a-christian
Amen to that! When I am anywhere in nature, whether it be next to Yellowstone Lake or in my own backyard listening to birds chirp and watching the tree branches sway, I feel so intune with the world around me and with God. I mean, from a religious point of view, nature to me is like evidence of God's love and care. And I love how nature is something that humans can never control. In the end, we are only threads in the grand tapestry of life, and it is truly terrifying but awe-inspiring how small we really are.
This post is beautiful! Your descriptions of everything you experienced in Yellowstone is absolutely vibrant - it makes me want to visit there even more. I'm so happy for you to have had such a wonderful and enlightening experience.
Peace
Tahni
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"Tell me - if no one ever hears what you say, then why don't you shout it?" -- Floater
Thank you so much... It's nice to hear that the random thoughts I spew out are appreciated by others :)! I encourage you to visit Yellowstone 100%. I promise you that you will never forget the feel of the place. I know I won't. So, thanks again!
Your visit to Yellowstone makes me want to go there more than I thought I ever would. That moment when you know you're part of something bigger like Nature is always incredibly exhilirating.
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"You can not help someone who does not want to be helped."
Exactly! One of my favorite spots in Yellowstone is the brink of the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon. Even though it was (to me at least) a KILLER hike down and up -- the path zig-zags, the ground was wet, there was loose gravel, and one person fell and started bleeding profusely...-- when you get to the brink, you have a spectacular view of the canyon. And, the waterfall is literally right below you, spraying and cascading down the bottomless canyon. It took my breath away. I felt so insignificant, so small, and my appreciation for nature skyrocketed. So, when you go to Yellowstone, look down from this vista. It is definitely incredibly exhilirating!
I have never been to yellowstonee and I am very in tune with nature so I suppose it is almost a crime. I have not been to yosemite either and I live in California. I have always wanted to though but unfortunately my parents are not exactly keen on getting in the car together and I am just in college now and cannot afford the gas money as of yet. I will get there someday though and I cannot wait. I will bring my camera and so on but I already know that even the most beautiful pictures I will capture will not be anything close to the real beauty of all that will surround me.
It is a strange and cruel irony that we tend to overlook the treasures that lie in our own backyard. I know that, had my father not been the nature-lover he is today, I probably would never have visited Yosemite or the Redwood Forest or the Sequoia National Park myself!
Though now may not be the best of times, promise me that you will go to these beautiful places. Promise me! You will look at life with a new perspective-- and nothing is more important than that. And, I also agree with you on the camera issue. It is impossible to capture the colors, the vertego-inducing views, and the smells of a place like Yosemite or Yellowstone. But still, my pictures from these vacations are my favorite pictures, probably because the remind my of how I felt when I was there.
If and when you do go to Yosemite, may I suggest that you climb Half Dome. I SO want to do this; it is definitely on my life's to-do list :)!