Yellowstone Nat'l Park, Part II: Midway Geyser Basin 9/4/10

65 degrees......A perfect day for a perfect place.

Following our morning at the Upper Geyser Basin, we realized that we had seen approximately 1/8 of the park. Yellowstone is big.......really big. We had heard of vacationers spending up to 9 days at the park and were a bit nervous knowing we had a mere day and a half in this place of wonders.

However - have no fear....the Cales are professionals in the car. Give us 30 minutes at the Grand Canyon and we will have covered most of the sights. 60 minutes?? Half of Arizona......Okay - exaggerations be damned, but we have mastered the task of maximizing every visit we have ever taken. Most people scoff at the idea of moving so fast, but we have a physical need to keep going....We are not the types of people to relish time by the pool at hotels, spend half a day at the spa, or stop for a peaceful sojourn through the forest trails relishing the sun on our faces. We have places to go and stamps to get. Our biggest nightmare on the road??? Getting to our nightly destination before 5pm. Really....We fret and say, "What on earth are we going to do? I know we just spent hours driving 400 miles, but the whole NIGHT is still open. Is there a NPS site somewhere near?"

Oddly enough though, we don't do drive-bys. Our first trip to Antietam National Battlefield lasted approximately 15 minutes and consisted of the Visitor Center and the field outside it. We vowed to never not do justice to a site again. We returned one year later, and spent hours with a guide book, pouring over every single site in the park. We may move fast, but we make them count. It just works for us.......

Following the beautiful morning at the Upper Geyser Basin, we stopped for lunch at the Old Faithful Inn. The inn of high wooden beams, elk antlers, and throngs of tourists, is also one of the only places to eat in the entirety of this park. Given that Yellowstone covers the approximate size of Delaware, this seems odd, so one must take the advantages of any restaurant within 50 miles. Packed with camera-laden visitors, the inn was also home to a very large hall restaurant that served, surprisingly, very good food. The windows were open and a September breeze blew through the hall as we watched the animal on the plain that oddly enough was also our plates....Sorry Mr. Bison, but in the words of Austin Powers' Fat Bastard, "GET IN MAH BELLY!!!"

Brooke had the equivalent of toilet paper with band-aids wrapped around her hobbling foot. They don't make Ace Bandages like they used to, but although her foot would barely fit in her shoe because of the swelling, we pressed on.

Just north of the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful lies a small valley with the largest geyser pool in the park. Midway Geyser Basin peeked out on the hill as we turned the corner. We joined hundreds of other travelers to walk up the planked trail to the top of the glorious Excelsior Geyser.

The blue......how to describe the blue of the pool??? Even though the heat clouds pour off of the crater, the crowd gets brief glimpses of a color that is just not supposed to exist, other than in a Crayola box.

Excelsior Geyser is h-u-g-e. 4,000 gallons of overflow water pour into the Firehole River every minute. Old Faithful would need two months to produce the water that Excelsior spills over in one day. The steaming geyser water hits the river below with an audible hiss. People standing on the walkway to watch were so enthralled with the view that not one, but two hats flew off the heads of their owners straight into the river.

The wind was blowing at a fierce velocity, despite the blue skies. However, it was most welcome when on the plankway, as the heat at the Midway Geyser Basin reaches oppressive levels. Nowhere in the park do you feel the supervolcano's heat more than in this spot. The sulfur smells are also especially strong here. (The West Thumb Geyser Basin by Yellowstone Lake is oddly devoid of the sulfur odor, even though the landscape is dotted with numerous geysers). This place, though, was Rotten Egg City.

No matter though....a few moments of heat compared to the fires of a crematorium can still not erase the wonders of the park. Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the park, can only be viewed at a distance. We watched dozens of people stop for a second or two before being forced to move due to the rising temperature. Viewed only from a distance, the colors of yellow, orange, and green contrasted greatly to the blue of Excelsior Geyser.

The Midway Geyser Basin Walk is a short one......You can easily traverse the entire pathway in 15-20 minutes. It is highly congested and snapping pictures can be difficult without getting bumped, or having an errant hand cross your viewpoint, so for the best shots, position yourself wisely and bump back. This is not a place to lounge like the Upper Geyser Basin. The heat, odor, and large crowds make it a place to cover, but not linger. You MUST get out of the car and experience this place in its glory......If WE can, you surely can as well.....

Yellowstone Nat'l Park, Part I: The Upper Geyser Basin 9/4/10

The National Park journey begins and ends with Yellowstone. Others might be your first, and one will certainly be your last, but when you scan the memories of past visits, nothing will quite measure up to that vast expanse of territory in the Northwestern corner of Wyoming. Sure, Yellowstone runs the risk of being more legend than fact - more anticipation than payoff - but here's to the true giants, the parks that dwarf the pretenders through sheer beauty and unparalleled awe. A dozen visits could never hope to get it all, of course, but we were pleasantly shocked that in our day and-a-half, few stones were left unturned, at least in terms of the "obligatory" elements that make up any guide book. We didn't hit the Tower-Roosevelt section, were nowhere near the Northeast entrance, and yeah, we missed a stamp or two (why, exactly, did we drive right by the Museum of the National Park Ranger?), but as we left for home, we had no lasting regrets. The weather held up nicely, the clouds parted, and the park traffic - always rumored to challenge one's sanity - flowed with effortless determination, as the occasional stray bison proved to be more upsetting than the motor vehicles.

Where to begin? While our visit technically began at Grant Village, our hearts first soared at the Upper Geyser Basin, perhaps the most interesting patch of earth we're likely to see in a lifetime. If you'll excuse the cliche, this place is like nowhere else on earth, and after finally getting here, we feel no guilt about saying that it's the duty of every American to make this trek before life passes you by. And while the leisurely walk must, by necessity, begin with Old Faithful, what does it say about a tour when the most famous part is arguably the least impressive? Needless to say, the ever-reliable standby is a treat (especially as the anticipation builds right before the next rush of water and steam), but the Basin has more impressive tricks up its sleeve, providing a virtual explosion of sights, sounds, and smells that make one feel as if they're on a movie set. Every ten feet one must pause and reflect that yes, one is atop a vast hydrothermal area containing 20% of the world's geysers, all of which hint at the potential destruction beneath their bubbly charm. We're standing amidst our eventual doom, but such news means little when you're dashing about like a sugar-soaked first grader.

It bears repeating that the long walk ahead of us was daunting for more than the expected reasons; after all, Brooke was still hurting from the severe ankle sprain inflicted at Grand Teton National Park. While the swelling was up and the discoloration expanded, Brooke was determined not to be wheeled around like a grandmother. As we made our way up the steps of the recently completed visitor center (it's a keeper), an audible snap instantly changed her mood. Not for the worse, mind you, but in the direction of greater joy. The snap, for whatever reason, made her gait less strained, and while still limited, she could push along at a decent pace. Instead of taking all day, this would be a jaunt, and one that would be absent the much-feared grunts and groans of the wounded. Inspired by her courage, we got our stamps at the VC and walked to Old Faithful. Again, the giddy crowds helped create a lasting scene, but we had more ahead of us than we had any right to expect.

Early on, the walking tour invites you to look upon Geyser Hill as well as several impressive Springs (Blue Star and Chinese). The distinctive odor is an immediate attention-getter, and from every corner, hot water shoots and spits from cracks in the earth. The foot bridge is a masterpiece of putting one right in the action, and despite the proximity to many of the bursts, no one ever seems to get wet. Close, but not quite. Walking further, we were surprised by what, for us, was the most active: the Sawmill Geyser. As it spewed and jetted forth, never seeming to tire, we couldn't get enough of its power, moving around to catch every possible angle. The slap and splash of hot water against rock and earth are instantly transformative, and you wonder if you'll ever be able to muster sufficient enthusiasm at future NPS sites. Of course you will, but you'd better put some time between them and this glorious natural wonder. Grand Geyser (worth waiting for, they say, but our timing was off) was next, followed by Beauty Pool and Giant Geyser. Not all of the geysers are as timely as Old Faithful, of course (some take numerous hours, even days, between spurts, while others along the way will keep you for several birthdays), but luck was often with us, as was the case with the spectacularly positioned Grotto Geyser and its uniquely shaped cone.

Reluctantly leaving Grotto behind, you pass the justly famous Riverside Geyser, right before hitting the end of the line: Morning Glory Pool. Pictures do capture some semblance of the colors on display, but until the naked eye has glanced upon the real deal, it's doubtful you've ever really considered nature's bounty. Blues, greens, and yellows have never been this potent, and like so much at the Basin, mere words fail to take stock. Just be quiet, block out the world, and stare. When so much of our lives are spent facing ugly urban squalor, graffiti, or the dirt-caked shells of modernity, it shakes us to our core that yes, we can leave it all behind for a bit and, well, look at this.

How does the brain process such imagery? Apparently, for some, Morning Glory has inspired vandalism and idiocy (over the years, countless items have been fished from the pool), but on this day, we simply smiled as content dopes often do, delighted that while we had postponed this trip for far too long, we were finally here. An icon not vanquished, but met on its home turf. It will be here long after we're gone, and for reasons unknown, such news fails to terrify. We're all due to be humbled now and again, and the Upper Geyser Basin is as good a place as any to be reduced down to our proper size.

FINAL RATING

10/10