This Fall we took a trip to Yellowstone National Park. We only live a few hours away from America's 1st National Park, and yet we had only been there once in the ten years that we've lived in Montana. That's pretty pathetic considering that thousands of people fly from all over the world to visit this amazing place every year. So we decided it was time to go again. With our kids older now and more able to hike longer distances, it was a much more exciting experience than the last time we went (which basically involved touring the park by car with the other million tourists). This time we were able to hike and explore some of the roads less traveled, and we even braved tent-camping for two nights! It was cold, but so worth it as we laid in our toasty sleeping bags and listened to the mystical melody of bugling elks all through the night. The trip was certainly an adventure and by no means picture-perfect. Mixed in with the menagerie of wildlife and geothermal marvels there were moments of stress and tears and bad attitudes, but overall, it was full of wonder nonetheless. In fact, we aren't the first people to describe it using the word "wonder." General William Strong, an early explorer of Yellowstone coined the title "Wonderland" to aptly describe Yellowstone:
"Wonderland. Grand, glorious, and magnificent. No pen can write it--no language describe it."
Yellowstone truly is unlike any other place on earth with it's plethora of wildlife and geothermal features nearly everywhere you look. To be honest, it not only filled us with wonder, but also with a bit of trepidation as we pondered the reality of where were were at. We were smack in the middle of the worlds largest caldera, where "fiery clouds of dense ash...rushed across the countyside at speeds of over 100 miles an hour, vaporizing forest, animals, birds, and streams into varicolored puffs of steam." (Good and Pierce,
Interpreting the Landscape: Recent and Ongoing Geology of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks). As we drove to Yellowstone, we listened to Tim Cahill's entertaining book called, "Lost in my own Backyard: A Walk in Yellowstone National Park." His humorous history lesson on the park stuck with us as we hiked and took in the wonder of the park for three days. Here's a brief excerpt from his book:
"What this means is that when you walk around the park today, you are, in effect, standing atop the largest active supervolcano on earth. Is there a chance that it will blow again anytime soon, causing a volcanic winter that would decimate crops worldwide and bring unimaginable famine to the world? An eruption that would bury Nebraska in 8 feet of ash, as it did 640,000 years ago? A blast that would turn me and everyone I know living in proximity to the park into "varicolored puffs of steam"? Could that happen? Oh yeah.
...Considering that there have been 3 cataclysmic supervolcanic eruptions in Yellowstone and vicinity in the recent geological past. [The first] happened about 2.1 million years ago. [The second] one was 1.3 million years ago, and the third one was 640,000 years ago. That means there are 800,000 years between the first two, 650,000 years between the next two. You don't have to be especially handy with numbers to see that these eruptions are getting closer together in time. Some texts are willing to say that there's a cataclysmic supervolocanic eruption in Yellowstone every 600,000 years or so... Which means that we're about due."
Yikes. That's a bit eerie to think about as you watch Old Faithful faithfully blow up right before your eyes, but it also serves as a reminder at how awesome and powerful our God is to have created such a Wonderland. A reminder that God is big and we are not. But we need not be afraid because His love for us is bigger than all the geothermal features and herds of bison, elk and wolves combined! We also need not be afraid because God is all-good, all the time. We are held in the palm of His hand, and even if the supervolcano blows, I trust that He will take care of us or hand-deliver us to Heaven faster than we could say "varicolored puffs of steam." :)
So on that happy note, here's the collection of photos from our trip to Wonderland:
The boys with a small herd of cow elk in the distance.
These were the first animals we saw as we entered the park, so it was an exciting start to our camping adventure.
One of many buffalo---oops, I mean "bison"---herds that we saw.
The boys kept correcting me because they learned in our Yellowstone Trivia book that real buffalo only live in South Asia and Africa, but bison live in America.
The boys with a bison behind them.
After this photo opp we decided to take a different path rather than become a "gore-y" statistic.
The boys waiting for the "Solitary Geyser" to blow.
This was a peaceful and solitary place to sit, far away from the bustle of other tourists.
Peaceful, that is, until....
There she blows!
Watching Old Faithful up-close while eating our lunch.
A distant view of Old Faithful--more majestic than up-close, I think.
Yep, still faithful.
Castle Geyser---our favorite geyser of them all.
Castle Geyser was so fun to watch because it continuously erupted for over 20 minutes!
Me and the boys by Castle Geyser
Dominic--our tree hugger!
Paul and the boys by Sapphire Pool
Paul and the boys at Osprey Falls
Nathanael found a big bug
Nathanael and Dominic were fascinated by the mud pots and mud volcanoes
(or perhaps they were simply fascinated with the farting sounds that they made!) :)
Dragon's Mouth Spring was cool no matter how old you are.
The boys at Inspiration Point which shows a gorgeous view of Yellowstone Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The boys sitting on the edge of the Canyon of the Yellowstone.
It was a bit scary to be this close to the edge with no fences to protect people from falling.
The Canyon of the Yellowstone with the Yellowstone River waaaayyy down below!
Cow crossing
The boys at the nearly all wooden Old Faithful Inn.
The Old Faithful Inn is not only famous for its wooden structure,
but also for its delicious ice cream
(and their lattes weren't too bad either) :)
Happy Fall Y'all,
from our crazy family to yours!
Enjoy it while it lasts!
(or until the supervolcano blows) :}
