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Yellowstone

In general Yellowstone is a tourist trap filled with bikers with nowhere better to go, families with way to many kids, and a few people attempting to expand their grasp of the world. I place myself in the last category and can say that I am truly happy I experienced Yellowstone. Driving north bound through the Grand Tetons at dusk led to a quick tour through the heart of Yellowstone in the pitch black. We couldn’t see more than ten feet on each side of the car, like traveling through a tunnel. It is truly amazing how many big and beautiful things lay in plain sight just beyond the veil of darkness. We arrived in West Yellowstone and slept through a sleepless night. In the morning we drove back into the park with no veil to block our view. The baby pines competing for space along the road and the ancient mountains doing the same on the horizon provided an amazing drive.

I didn’t see a Grizzly Bear or Moose, but I did see a lone Buffalo sitting 30 yards off the highway. It was so statuesque that there was a question as to its authenticity. Admittedly not different from any of those seen on the buffalo farms along many Midwestern interstates, but it was special to see one in such a free environment. The highway makes a giant figure eight through the park with stops along the way. The main stops are Old Faithful in the South, Yellowstone canyon in the West, and Mammoth hot springs in the North. We spent two days in the park and were unable to see everything. In my opinion, one could spend an entire week in Yellowstone and never see it all. The giant caldera that is Yellowstone National Park is something I wish to see again someday.

To be in the middle of something so large and powerful is simply enlightening.