Road Trip – Day 4B – Connections

The Road Previously Traveled – Into Yellowstone …

Almost 65 years ago, the young lady traveled north from the Tetons to the Southern Entrance to the Yellowstone NPS.  Beautiful scenery of lakes, forest, and wildlife. Though the trees may have changed with a fresh growth of evergreens, the road and the sites are pretty much the same.

65 years apart, the daughter of this earlier traveller journeyed the same highway, saw the same mountains and lakes, and maybe even some of the same buildings. 

As I drove the modern traveller, she looked at the scenery, admired the creation, and marveled at what God has given us. We passed the southern entrance gate of Yellowstone and continued north. Shortly into the park, I pulled over as I saw a bald eagle soar over a river and proceeded to perch himself in a top limb of an empty leafed tree.

My wife doesn’t remember ever seeing a bald eagle in the wild – and early in YNP (Yellowstone National Park) saw the nation’s symbol literally spread eagle – majestically showing off.

We hit the West Thumb geysers and walked a bit. Just the unusual nature of a hot spring that boils and spews makes one respect the diversity in creation.

The one that caught my attention was the mud pot – a spewing, steaming, gunky pool of yucky mud. Smelling the sulphur, seeing the steam, and watching the gurgling brown muck was mesmerizing. Photos do not do it justice. The smell. The feel of steam. The location. All of this added to the pathos of the moment.

And then, realizing my wife’s mother had viewed the exact same geysers all added to the moment. 

From the West Thumb Geyser Basin, we headed west to Old Faithful and Old Faithful Inn. The largest log cabin in existence. A hotel dating over 100 years. 

To get there – traffic – more traffic – stop and go traffic – one lane, pilot car traffic. I am glad we had plenty of fuel.

There it was. The Inn. Visited by my wife’s mother as well. We just missed Old Faithful spewing, that would have to wait until tomorrow. 

We were lucky enough to get one of the original rooms (yes, we shared a hall bath and shower facility with multiple guests, but it was a room that was lockable while we used it.)

LESSON – – –

There is a connection – a connection to nature – a connection to the Creator – a connection to generations past who shared the same experience. We should treasure the connections. Treasure the moments. Treasure the beautiful creation of the Creator and how we connect to Him through His glorious creation.

There is a connection. Make an effort to stay connected.