The Night Sky...

I wrote this blog when I was still at Yellowstone.

I just came in from outside....

It's dark, and quiet, outside Old Faithful Inn. The crowds have settled in for the night. And Old Faithful spewed steam and hot water heavenward just as I walked outside. It's hard to see at night, but the steam is noticeable.

I am sure that, given a chance, Walt Disney, et al, would add a laser light show, Electric Light Parade type music, and glow-in-the-dark necklaces to the show. Mother Nature is confident that we will enjoy Old Faithful just as it is....

I didn't go outside to see Old Faithful. I went in search of my friends. Orion, Ursula Major, Ursula Minor, Andromeda, Sirius, and the Seven Sisters. Oh, and the pure joy of the Milky Way. They were all there, waiting for me.

I knew, before I left Podunk, that I would be looking at the stars each night. In Yellowstone and elsewhere. It is more than eight thousand feet above sea level here, and there's no pollution. And so, the stars are so close I could almost touch them. But I'm not quite that tall...

I have always loved looking at the stars. I have blogged in the past about seeing the constellations and learning about them from my father, when I was a small child. Stars have never lost their fascination to me. I love to gaze at the night sky and find the familiar ones.

Tonight, and last night also, I have seen a shooting star. I remember being told to make a wish when I saw a shooting star. I always have and some wishes have even come true. Was it the stars? Who knows....

There is something so permanent and so reassuring about the stars in the night sky. They take me back to times long ago and make me wonder about the future. All at the same time. They are a connection to my past, especially my father, and a comfort to me in the night sky. Even though so much has changed in our world in my lifetime, my friends, the stars are still there.

And they still delight me.....

Fall in the Grand Tetons...

The Grand Tetons National Park is just south of Yellowstone. And so, I drove south on Sunday afternoon to see.... the Grand Tetons.

As I drove south, following Yellowstone Lake, cars were stopped along the sides of the road. I have learned what that means: wildlife. Sure enough, there was a bison trying to graze on grass, bulking up for the harsh winter, with tourists snapping his picture. Some of them were too close, merely 10 feet away.

Deer, elk, longhorn sheep, bison, moose....all live and graze within the park, wandering freely. So do grizzly bears, I'm told. I did see the bison, a few deer, and one moose, but no grizzlies.

You leave Yellowstone and travel on the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway for several miles before entering Grand Tetons. Fall has arrived in Wyoming: the leaves on the aspen trees were golden. Absolutely, brilliantly golden. In another week, according to weather reports, the leaves may be gone.

And there's another lake. The Jackson Lake runs along the base of the Grand Tetons, for miles. Green fir trees, golden aspens, quaking in the breeze, brilliant blue water, and the mountains reflected in the lake: what an amazing sight.

There are beach areas, and picnic tables, along the lake and ample opportunity to stop and marvel at nature's beauty. I took dozens of photos but my favorite is one with a fir tree framing a shot of the mountains and their reflection in the water.

I believe that I am able to take such a vacation. True, I spent many vacations at home, over the years, not having the money to spend on travel (or so I reasoned). Well, now's the time, my time, to see America the Beautiful.

And boy, is it beautiful!!

The UP Side....

There has to be an UP side to getting up at 1:00 am.....

Driving in the rain, through the towns south of Podunk, traveling in convoy with the truckers, is not exactly my favorite thing to do. Took a left turn in Buck Owens' Country (Bakersfield) and headed out east to the desert.

After what seemed like hours and hours, the UP side appeared. After seeing a few stars through the clouds, some lightening in the distance, and not much else, I got my reward.

Old Faithful....

I wrote this on Saturday. There was no TV or internet in the hotel, and minimal cell phone reception. I enjoyed an old-fashioned vacation for a couple of days! Right now, I'm in Mickey D's in Cody, WY and they have wi-fi.....

To me, Yellowstone has always been about Old Faithful. I had never been here before, nor was I aware of all that the park is about. I guess I was too busy getting ready for my trip to google Yellowstone and find out more about it....

I didn't know it was the first national park...in the world. I could have guessed that Teddy Roosevelt spent time here, that's a given. I was surprised as I entered the park yesterday: the trees are small. Well, small by my standards, but I live in California where we have the world's tallest trees (the coast redwoods) and the world's largest trees (the Sequoias, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range). These fir trees are mostly lodgepole pines, and they are only about three or four stories high.

I also learned that there are two lakes here, Yellowstone Lake and Lewis Lake. There is also a Yellowstone River, with rapids and falls, that I didn't know about.

And yes, Old Faithful is here. And faithful, too. I don't look at the posted signs telling visitors when it will erupt again; I just look at the geyser. If the benches are starting to fill up, it's show time. I actually sat and watched it this morning: it was awesome.

In the visitors' center, I learned that it is the pressure of the steam, and the water collected in the underground fissure that causes the eruption. And it is quite interesting to watch. Another thing I didn't know: it smells like sulfur.

I am staying at the Old Faithful Inn, which was built 106 years ago. The inn has survived an earthquake which wrecked three of its stone fireplaces in 1959, and a fire that came within yards, literally, of destroying the landmark.

The inside is rustic and fabulous. Comfortable old rocking chairs surround the fireplace, and there is almost always a roaring fire. The lobby is cavernous, ascending four stories to the famous cupola on top, with its flags.

This morning, after watching Old Faithful, I walked along the boardwalks in the geyser fields. There are many active geysers in an area that encompasses maybe sixty acres. In fact, the inn is in the caldera, on top of the volcano. That makes sleeping at night easy....not.

The geyser fields are very colorful. There are interestingly shaped geysers, “beehive” geysers, and brightly-colored algae, too. The whole area is a history lesson, geology lesson, and volcanic activity lesson....all in one.

I bought a book at the Learning Center: the story of Yellowstone, written for children. Of course, it's for Noelle. I hope that she is able to share the stories of my adventures and then see the park for herself, someday.

And I want her to know more than I did when I got here.....