It was the girls’ (Red and the Judge) first trip west. Though I had tried to prepare them, they still weren’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t surprised that they were amazed at everything. The day after we arrived, we toured the prairie. I was able to show them a bit of what prairie life was like when we visited various locations where some of my family had lived. The girls were able to experience some of the well-worn rutted dirt roads, a stretch of mud ready to turn into gumbo, and occasional inclines where we jumped from rock to rock, proving the reason why I requested a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle.
The following day, we were up and out early headed to Yellowstone. Now, anyone who travels with me knows I prefer less populated places. Yellowstone National Park in the summer is not one of those. Give me wide open country, mountains and back roads. However, it was a beautiful day. On the way to Gardiner, the northern entrance to Yellowstone, I made a stop at a camping area to show the girls a tepee ring that only a few people know about. They were able to sit inside the ring, look out over the Yellowstone River in the valley, and imagine the Indian camp that once stood on that location. I could close my eyes and almost hear the sounds of children playing, women grinding grain with stones, scraping leather, and cooking over a sizzling fire. That was definitely something the girls had never experienced – maybe never even thought of.
We drove into Yellowstone and from the very beginning, there was no disappointment. Our first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs. We walked along the boardwalks and saw an intriguing land created by thermal activity making it look like a series of stalagmites and steps rising from rusty minerals in a bed of white chalk. Looking toward the town at a distance, we saw an elk with the biggest rack we’d ever seen. As we drove away from the springs, we took a side road to see the huge elk. Much to our surprise, the elk didn’t have a big rack at all. What looked like a big rack from a distance was only a bush.
Though I had been to Yellowstone several times, it still fascinated me. A system of bowel tracts full of geothermal acid and magma chambers wander beneath the surface of this volcano waiting to happen. Formations appear on the unstable and fragile landscape as gases spew from the bowels of the earth. Throughout the park, fissures allow steam to escape like smoke from an old man’s pipe. Mountains look like they are on fire. One of the places I wanted the girls to see was the stinky Paint Pots. That was important because they needed to know what Caramel Icing looks like when it’s ready. The directions say, “cook it until it looks like the stinky Paint Pots in Yellowstone.” Of course, a trip to Yellowstone is not complete without seeing Old Faithful. She draws attention to herself as she spits and sputters, sending short bursts of hot water and steam into the air teasing the crowd of onlookers. The stage is set for her grand performance. She makes her appearance, casting streamers into the air as she dances and throws steam and gases toward the sky, reaching higher and higher with each turn.
And I wonder, how can mud boil? How can the force of nature suck in water and mud, gurgle and vomit, and release a rotten egg stench that will curl your nose hairs? How can geysers randomly spew hot sulfuric gases that have festered beneath the ground and emit such heinous sounds as if from the pit of hell? How can acid that brings the bite of death to vegetation and all in its path leave behind earth toned residue and thermal pools of brilliant blues and greens lined with a myriad of colors?
Leaving behind geysers and mud volcanos, we drove into the land of deep canyons, rivers and waterfalls, with snowcapped mountains resting quietly in the distance. Several stops were made along the drive through Lamar Valley. Buffalo, elk, and deer grazed along the sides of the road. Herds gathered along the winding river. We stopped, looked and listened as other on-lookers stood nearby with binoculars or long-lensed cameras hoping to spot a wolf. Though we didn’t see a wolf, the allurement of this enchanting land was nonetheless fascinating. The evening sun, casting a golden glow across the valley, was the perfect close of a day filled with the wonder of creation.
As darkness consumed the light of day, we were completely satisfied. Even as we had our evening meal at the Log Cabin Café in Silver Gate, the girls’ faces still reflected their experiences and thoughts of the day. Had I only seen their faces as they beheld Yellowstone for the first time, it would have been well worth the trip just seeing their child-like wonder.
