Yellowstone – GeoJeep

Your heart beat begins to quicken, causing an involuntary gasp for air. The emotion is one on high. You feel at peace with the world, like you could imagine being no where else, while at the same time being nervous about what it can bring. It is a treat for the eyes, yet it somehow entices you to close them as if it is too much to take in. You take another deep breath. The scent is relaxing, a freshness you can taste. Although it seems impossible, you feel warm and cold at the same time. Something so grand plays out in front of you that you want to immerse yourself deeply in everything it offers.
It is hard to imagine leaving this spot in time, but you know what comes next can be greater than the last. Letting your heart beat calm, and taking a last, deep breath, you push yourself forward so you can see what comes next. That step forwards sends you through the waves of emotion all over again.
This is the experience of travel. Of taking in something so much bigger than yourself.m It is amazing how a landscape can evoke feelings so akin to love. When you first round that corner as you drive up to a new place you can feel overwhelmed. The speedometer slows down as you try to take it in. Maybe you even pull over. All the while you are having these warm feelings of joy- but you also have fear. Steep, dangerous cliffs….aggressive animals that aren’t afraid of people…swift currents ready to take you away… hot steam boiling out of the ground unexpectedly. The very fact that you are standing inside of a super-volcano can be a rush itself- At any moment everything could become nothing.

These are the most rewarding moments in life. When you feel these emotions you open yourself up to what they offer. You expose you vulnerability. Something so beautiful somehow overcomes the fear, making the dangers a palatable cost. No one climbs a mountain, risking their life as they push themselves up steep ravines and cliffs, to see a land fill. We take risks to get to those ultimate feelings, and as uncomfortable as they are, we live to push our limits for a chance at achieving them. Heart racing, uneven breathing, warmth and cold washing over you in waves.
Yellowstone is one of the ultimate places to visit- it has so many different faces to evoke those feelings. From the geysers to the waterfalls, from the fields of bison to the tall, snow capped mountains, Yellowstone is a series of emotions waiting to happen.

The Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.Yellowstone National Park. June 18, 2011.

Today we continued our journey through the park, making our way to the different waterfalls, and eventually ending up at Mammoth Hot Spring where calcite terraces tower into the air like sculpted snow, steam rising. We saw Inspiration Point, a place aptly named for what it surely does for many visitors. We drove over mountain passes with snow piled up along the side of the highway taller than our vehicles, and watched as we transitioned down and that snow created magnificent waterfalls cascading down the stone into deep cutting rivers.

A Yellowstone river — One of the many rivers in Yellowstone, carving down through the richly colored rocks and sediment. June 18, 2011

We soaked it in. Took the deep breaths. Felt our hearts flutter.

If I could stay here for an eternity I would. I didn’t want to imagine being without this. Like so many days during this trip, it was a battle to leave. Whether it was on the account of my friends leaving me, or because I couldn’t get enough of the scenery I can’t tell you.
I can say this: I’m going to take that one last, deep breath. Slow my heart beat, and take that next step. I think we all know that around the corner it will start all over again. It is hard to imagine getting better than this- All that I’ve seen this far has been amazing. I think we all know, from past experience, it only gets better than this. The world awaits to make my heart skip a beat….. join me tomorrow as I continue my way.

…and don’t forget to breathe.
<3 Nicole

Yellowstone Survey Marker — A Yellowstone Survey marker. I think I have a whole collections of photos of survey markers...lol

Yellowstone's petrified tree. There used to be a second, but early souvenir collectors took all of it, bit by bit. Now only this one remains. June 18, 2011

Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs June 18, 2011

Buffalo warning — One of the (slightly comical) warnings about the wildlife. "Don't get gored by the buffalo". (Please click on picture to see undistorted & in full size)

Those of you that have known me for years know how accident prone I can be. There was the Dec. 2009 El Paso, Texas incident (click here), there was the January 2010 Cattle Blunder of New Mexico (click here), and of course who could forget the Costa Rica Weekend Plastic Disappearance of August 2010 (not yet published, to come soon I promise!!!). There are probably many others that you may remember I have not listed.
It’s no surprise: Somehow I am the luckiest accident-prone person on the planet.
I say I’m the luckiest because even though these things could be potentially life altering events, things that normally ruin your trip to the point of no return, I manage to find a way out of it safe, sound, and sometimes even better than before. Today, my friends, family and other followers, ended up being one of those days. Not bad considering I am 40 days into a trip with no major accidents as of yet.

A hot spring in the Old Faithful hydrothermal field of Yellostone National Park June 17, 2011

This morning we awoke, took a warming shower at the campground facility, and then headed towards Old Faithful where we were to meet up with our two other friends who stayed in the lodge that night. On the way we were able to see many of the things we didn’t see the night before as we wound our way along the roads in the dark: herds of buffalo, hot springs that bubbled up, and great vistas of mountains, prairie, rivers, lakes, and pines.
We arrived at Old Faithful right as it was erupting, spraying it’s heated water and steam up into the air nearly 40 feet high. After catching the eruption from the curb, we found a parking spot and found our way through the crowd to meet up with our two new party members. I saw them walking along the sidewalk away from us, and decided to run up behind them to scare them….only I made one vital mistake.

The lifeline of my DSLR camera, that nylon strap with the yellow Nikon emblem up and down the sides, the very thing I keep around my neck at all times….was not where it was suppose to be. I had failed to swing it over my head…and the camera was just sitting atop it’s case as I skipped my way towards them. There was a tumbling of the expensive camera equipment across the concrete, and a slight moment of disbelief in what had just happened before I bolted forward to grasp the pieces before someone had a chance to run over them.
My lens had snapped off in the tumble, and at first I thought it might be ok, then lens lacking any cracks or scratches…but alas the lens wouldn’t lock into the camera body. The plastic fins that hold it in place had snapped off. Luckily my friend, who I had been trying to surprised, was observant and picked up the two, small plastic pieces to that I may have had the hope of gluing it back on. We found someone with superglue and glued the pieces on…but even after it sitting for a couple hours, the glue didn’t hold. I could still take pictures…but I had to hold my lens on with pressure to trick the camera into thinking the lens actually was attached. I want you to think about that as you enjoy the photos of this day….these pictures took a lot of work….

A boiling hot spring, a cold river behind it, and another hot spring depositing minerals beyond that. Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful area. June 17, 2011

After I calmed down over lunch, angry at myself for such a ridiculously careless move, we watched Old Faithful erupt once again, this time up close. We decided to fill our day with warm, steaming geyser goodness and took a long walking route that looped through the thermal field.

Geysers in Yellowstone — More of the amazing Yellowstone Geysers, this one about a 2 mile walk from old Faithful. June 17, 2011

A multicolored hot spring in Yellowstone — A colorful hot spring of Yellowstone in the Old Faithful area- note that the yellow/brown colors indicated bacteria growth.

The springs and geysers bubbled up in marvelous colors, bright blue and green in the purest of them, and yellows/browns in those that had cooled down a bit too much, allowing bacteria to grow. There were so many it was hard to believe, and everywhere you looked along the walk you could see steam rising from one place or another. The buffalo were here too, resting in the middle of the thermal field with their young calves. I really would enjoy owning a herd of bison….

The bison of Yellowstone — The bison sleeping in the hydrothermal field. June 17, 2011 Yellowstone National Park

After we made our rounds, passing a bear warning sign on the way out that said Yellowstone is not responsible for our safety, and a slightly disturbing trail-closed due to bear activity sign on the way back, we came to yet another animal obstacle: The fuzzy cows I like to call my friends, the Bison.

The first bear sign — The frist bear warning we saw on our trail at Yellowstone's Old Faithful area. June 17, 2011

The bear warning 2 — The bear warning sign on our trail in the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone at the END of our trail. June 17, 2011

They trapped us travelers on the wooden walkway, and even managed to walk up, one on each side of the trail, as if they were the guards of Old Faithful. We could hear wolves/coyotes howling in the distance as the evening was cooling the air down. Eventually the bison decided we could pass and moved on to other green pastures.

The Bison guards — The guardians of the pathway-Bison. Yellowstone National Park June 17, 2011

On the drive back to the campsite we encountered more bison on the move, using the road as their pathway. Here at Yellowstone the fuzzy cattle know who is boss: them. They have the right of way no matter where you go, and they seem to know it very well. They are so used to people that they don’t budge from their path when a human is in it: it’s expected you will move. I think what I enjoyed most is watching the buffalo’s eyes. You can honestly see them thinking, watching you as if they know who you are and can speak to you with a gaze.

The bison trail — The bison making their evening trek to their night fields in Yellowstone on June 17, 2011

Yellowstone is obviously the place to be if you want to experience wildlife, and hydrothermal activity. There is a lot to take pictures of, so either pack a large memory card (or a lot of film, if that is your style) because you will need it. And remember…those nylon cords, whether they go around your wrist or your neck….are there for a reason!
Tonight we were moved to another campsite….this one with enough room to set up a tent. Hopefully this means we will get a good nights’ rest… I’ll see you tomorrow when we spend more time exploring the wonders of Yellowstone. I’ll be sure to reserve some energy to hold on my lens while taking pictures of all these places for you.
-Nicole

Tag: Yellowstone

Day 41: The Emotions of Yellowstone

Day 40: Yellowstone- Geysers, Bison and the Return of Nicole the Destroyer