pray. - Yellowstone Part Two: Weightless

It has been awhile since I blogged about our Yellowstone trip from June. The first blog only covered our first day! So, I thought it was about time to share day two of the trip, because it was magical.

Geysers were the theme of day two. Our first stop was Artists Paint Pots. It's a short walk on an easy, flat trail. Once you get to the Artist Paintpots, it's crystal clear how it got it's name. It's just geyser after geyser of brilliant color. In my mind, I envisioned God dipping his paintbrush into the "paint pots" and creating all the beauty we were surrounded by. Pictures and words cannot describe the scene. It was our first geyser experience, and it was breathtaking. The mud pots here were also very cool. They looked like a soothing hot tub of clay but smelled like a deadly fart. 


On our walk back to the car, we met a family of three. They were admiring the silhouette of the mountains in North Yellowstone. From the trail was a perfect view of Mt. Washburn. The little boy was around 7 years old and was telling his parents he wanted to go up the mountain. We stopped to converse with the family and told them about our hike up the mountain from the day before. We told him about the snow, the wind, and the view. We told him about the ranger station at 10,000+ feet in elevation and how food and goods had to be flown to the top during the winter months. The ranger lives alone in that station for months at a time. The kid's mind was blown. His family decided it would be a trek for another time when the little boy was older. Nonetheless, he enjoyed our story.


We made it back to the car, got on the grand loop, and off to the Fountain Paint Pots we went. The Fountain Paint Pots were a little more crowded, as the weekend was near, and tour buses were making their routes around the park. Luckily, we found a parking spot fairly easily and from the seats in the car were a few interesting views. 


As we were hydrating in the car, we saw a young lady, maybe in her mid 20s, dashing for the woods and her boyfriend (I'm assuming) following behind. We see her nuzzle her way into a not so private wooded area, then rethink her decision, and then nuzzle into another more private area. Her boyfriend ran back to the car, grabbed some paper towels, and headed back to the young lady. Our conclusion, she had a bathroom emergency. It was gross and distasteful to see, but the poor girl had to make the walk of shame back to the car, which was parked right beside us. In her defense, there were no bathrooms at this sight. I suppose when you gotta go, you gotta go.


Then, a tour bus pulls up and parks behind us. Obviously on a schedule, the bus driver opens the door and out come a load of Japanese. As soon as they stepped off the last step, they took off in a jog toward the paint pots. Their eagerness to see the paint pots was captivating.


We finally made it out of the car and to the boardwalk which encircled the Fountain Paint Pots. A large group of elderly people were visiting, some of which were very interested in the tour guides information while others made it perfectly clear they didn't want to walk anymore. One lady, in particular, got some mad props from us at the end, because she sucked it up and walked the entire boardwalk. She previously stated, "There's no way I'm walking all that way." We later learned she travels every summer with her grandchildren and allows them to choose the destinations...and she pays for it. What a grandma!


Anyway, back to the views. It was a vast landscape of active mud pots and geysers. Some of the geysers shot up pretty high and were crystal blue. You could see the buffalo prints in the hot earth. Much like the Artist Paintpots yet very different. We just couldn't get over how amazing the colors in these in geysers were. It was like the colors kept getting richer at each one. The distance around the Fountain Paint Pots is pretty short. Stopping to read the signs and taking some conservative moments to stare at the surroundings took maybe 40 minutes.


Then, we were off to Grand Prismatic Springs. This was one sight we had all been waiting for. But, before we got there, we found a small little park area with picnic benches and bathrooms and decided to stop for lunch. Basically, we stopped here because we saw a deer and wanted to see if we could get a view at any other wildlife up close. We didn't, but this deer let us get pretty close for pictures. Of course, we didn't feed the deer or get too close for comfort. It was a really nice shady area that overlooked a green meadow. Perfect for our picnic. No humidity. The air was cool and breezy. Almost a picturesque picnic. Then, the mosquitoes hovered and salivated for a delicious lunch of their own. Apparently, they found Matt's blood the sweetest, because April and I didn't get one bite. They ambushed Matt, poor guy.


Once we finished our somewhat relaxing lunch, we found a parking spot on the side of the road for the Grand Prismatic Spring. There were LOADS of people here. The wind was forceful and tourists hats lined the igneous rock. Our sunglasses fogged over from the steam blowing off the geyser. The artistry that laid before us left us speechless...again. The spirited hues of orange, blue, yellow, green, and red were heart-stirring. I could have stared at it all day (an elderly man kept us moving as he kept passing gas every time he came near).


Our plan was to hike the Fairy Falls trail to the overlook, so we could see the view of Grand Prismatic Springs from above. However, in early June many trails are closed due to snow. So, we found our way down another trail further up the Grand Loop located at Biscuit Basin. At Biscuit Basin, we saw a trail named Mystic Falls and decided 1.2 miles (one way) wasn't too far to walk for a good view. So, off we went. 


The trail seemed a little off the beaten path. We passed maybe four hikers along the way. I was really hoping to see a bear, from a safe distance of course. Unfortunately, there were no bear sightings, but we did spot a crane and an eagle. So, I'd say we got really lucky. The trail was a pretty easy hike that led us to a cascading waterfall between the mountains.  


We found a narrow rocky path that led to the bottom of the waterfall and dipped our feet into the water and just sat in peace and silence. Mesmerized by the nature surrounding us, we all spotted the eagle about the same time. All I could do at that moment was smile and thank God.


Here we were surrounded by a masterpiece only the Divine could conceive. The turmoil of the world was hushed. All the superficial dilemmas of the world melted away, and for the first time ever, life felt weightless. 

Unfortunately, we had keep our journey moving. Our next stop - OLD FAITHFUL.


As we drove into the parking lot, we saw an unkindness (a group of ravens - this story is a good example of why a group of ravens is called an unkindness). They were attacking this jeep. Pecking at the roof, tearing through grocery bags of trash and food, and just wreaking havok. Squawking and squawking. They were huge and hell bent on getting what they wanted from that jeep. The owners of the vehicle had a rude awakening when they got to it, I'm sure. 


As we approached Old Faithful, there was a crowd waiting to see her erupt. Our timing was perfect. We only had to wait about 10 minutes before she erupted. It was a sight to be seen. Not as beautiful as the other sights we had seen that day - but beautiful. It was getting late in the day, so we didn't have time to walk around and see the other geysers. I had hoped to Beehive erupt, it's bigger than Old  Faithful, but not as faithful. But, it was getting somewhat late and we needed to eat and head back to West Yellowstone. So, we decided to eat at the Old Faithful Cafe. 


An older man wearing a Georgia Bulldog hat waited in line before us. We all ordered our food, and I saw him go to sit at nearby table to wait on his food. Matt convinced me to be social and go over to compliment his hat, so I did. Turns out, he lives in Athens, GA and was road tripping on his motorcycle. I think he was spending two weeks on this trip. His hobby is going to music festivals and recording live shows, which you can stream from his website. I have lost his website, or I'd post it. He invited us to sit and have dinner with him, so we did. He was an interesting guy, and April and I share a lot of common music interest with him. He was a free spirit, and I admired that. He allowed life to take him places rather than him taking life places. I definitely feel we crossed paths with this man for a reason. 


The sun started to set on our way back to West Yellowstone. It was close to 8:00, the days are LONG in Yellowstone, and Matt decided to turn down Firehole Lake Drive on our way back. It was getting dark, and I had to be back and in bed early to prepare for my half marathon the next morning. Driving down this road, we found some treasures which decided to come back and explore the following day. Like I said, it was starting to get dark and late and I had a 5 a.m. wake up call the next day. 


A few miles from the West Yellowstone gate, traffic came to a halt. We were getting impatient when we noticed a herd of bison headed our way. Not just a couple...like 20...taking up the entire road. For a moment, my stomach started to churn with anxiety because a big bison was headed straight for our rental car. As it got a few feet from the front of the car, it changed its route and went around. I could hear them snorting as they shuffled pass the car. I swear I could've rolled down the window and petted one. In the words of April, "That was so freaking cool!"


Day two affirmed day one's lesson: Humans are so minuscule in the grand scheme of Earthly life, yet we stir up monstrous quandary. We are allowing hate, in all its forms, to destroy God's perfect canvas. Yet, God continues to present love to us in the most unexpected and unusual ways. Open your eyes beyond your own self and maybe you'll get the smallest glimpse of it. This love is so powerful it'll stir your soul, and you'll want to share this love with everyone you meet. 


Every moment I feel life weighing on me, I pray for my mind to take a trip back to Mystic Falls where life felt weightless. I pray I spread the deep rooted and unbiased love I felt there. I pray for every human being to find there weightless moment in life. I pray we all feel deep rooted, unbiased love at some point in our life. I pray that love alters our universe and shoots us into a life a peace. 

Grand Prismatic

Mystic Falls
Photographs are property of teach.run.pray. 

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