Yellowstone National Park – Part Two: A Little Geyser Action
Cloudscapes, Geysers and Rebirth.
Yellowstone was the epitome of so many different examples of how great and creative God really is!
The color of the sky was out standing. I don’t know what the difference is but I can tell you that the sky is not this blue in my part of the country.
The cloudscapes were just amazing!
The Continental Divide snakes around in Yellowstone and in the days that we were there we crossed over it several dozen times. Every time we passed over a section of the continental divide I could not help but think of the pioneers of centuries ago who braved the wilderness to explore parts unknown.
Being the true blue southerners that we are, in typical southern fashion, we lost out heads at the sight of snow.
Snow y’all!
Still on the ground and in late June.
I am not sure what I found more fascinating.
The wildlife or the geysers.
I was not sure what I was expecting but I found all the geysers to be just amazing.
At nearly every turn I found myself in front of some geological formation or spouting geyser. Again my mind went to wandering. I thought about the very first people to happen upon Old Faithful and I wondered what they must have thought.
There were small geysers, large gurgling boiling steaming geysers, dormant geysers, paint pots, mineral springs and any other kind of natural wonder you could imagine.
My favorite were the paint pot geysers. They were the bubbling pots of slick slimy mud that popped and spurted like a thick pot of stew on to simmer.
The smells were…well if you like standing over a boiling pot of hard boiled eggs X 1000 then Yellowstone is the place to be. The aromatic smell of sulfur was thick in the air. There were times when the steam would drift over me and I could feel the warm spray and I felt like I was in a warm misty cloud of sulfur. It was defiantly an experience for all of the senses.
Our first stop at Yellowstone was Old Faithful.
It is one of the larges and most predictable geysers in the park. It has a cycle that runs anywhere from every 90 to 120 minutes give, take a few minutes tossed in for good measure. The have installed long benches in a wide semi circle around the perimeter of Old Faithful. As the time for it’s next eruption draws near hundreds of people gather to wait. As we sat and waited we found ourselves being entertained by a group of young people who decide to start a wave like you do at a baseball game.
So… “What did you do on your summer vacation?”
“I did the “wave” while waiting for Old Faithful” will be a standard answer for now on.
Well here it is in all it’s glory…Old Faithful!
Before you give these two videos a view I will preface them by saying that try as I might I simply could not control the conversation of those around me. As I was trying to capture the wonders of the geysers for posterity folks simply seemed oblivious to the importance of the situation and were intent on continuing there conversations. The general public did not seem to understand the value of proper cinematography so please disregard the meaningful narration in some of the videos.
Well, in my humble opinion, still pictures just don't do geysers justice. I was literally blown away by all the various kinds of geyser action. The hissing, the steaming, the gurgling, the boiling, the churning and so on and on and on…it was just fascinating.
The steam rising from the ground was mesmerizing. Even though there were signs all around warning you of the dangers of stepping off the path it was hard not to envision just taking a small stroll over to get a closer look.
The mineral deposits were colorful and beautiful.
I think one of the most impactful things I observed was the slow recovery from the forest fire in 1988.
Even after 20 plus years the evidence of the fire is still visible.
I found a very interesting article that gives a clear overview of how the fire started and the conditions that made it one of the largest forest fires to date in this country. If you want to know all about the fire click on the link above. It really is an interesting read.
After reading the article and then seeing for myself the evidence of the slow recovery and re birthing process it was even more clear to me just how phenomenal God really is. I came away from the experience was a deeper sense of just how God really has all things covered in His unfathomable and perfect way.
Even with the fire devastating millions of acres of the park there was still purpose in the devastation.
You could see the slow recovery.
You could see the new birth rising out of the ashes of the past.
It gives new meaning to the concept of God’s timing verses our perception of time.
The scripture always sums it up best with:
ISA 61:3 …to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes…
At the Grand Canyon I experienced a real sense of the “Great I Am” and the righteous fearful respect that is due His Majesty and Glory.
As we drove away from Yellowstone National Park I came away with a glimpse into God’s true creative genius and His masterpiece of knitting all the unique aspect of such a wondrous place in a powerful and breathtaking way.
God did some awesome work in Yellowstone Park y’all!
My next vacay post will a brief stop in Bozeman Montana and then on to Mount Rushmore.
If you missed any of the our marathon national park vacation posts so far then here are the links if you are so inclined!
Blessings
R
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until next time... nel
Blessings-
Heidi