Old Faithful.

Today, the female portion of the Stringer Zoo headed out to Old Faithful. The girls woke me with the words "There's SNOW on the truck." But by the time I pulled myself out from under 2 dogs and 4 kids (yes, they were all cuddled with me a few minutes after they woke up), the snow had melted. However, it was COLD!!!



I bundled up everyone as well as I could and we once again headed south into Yellowstone. Old Faithful was about 45 miles away, so we listened to some Adventures in Odyssey as we drove and gazed at the steam rising over the treetops. Every so often, we would slow down, or pull over to gaze at some brown, fuzzy animals - either bison or elk, both were in abundance as we traveled through the park. We also took a short drive around the Upper Terrace of the Mammoth Hot Springs. How amazed we were to round a turn and see a large mound of tavertine (the calcium carbonate released from the hot water solution), and a small hole in the side where the water was leaking out. It was so colorful against the drab sky, we sat there for a few minutes enjoying the bright colors.

Eventually, we pulled into the parking lot at Old Faithful Snow Lodge, and the 2 inches of snow that fell last night was in evidence all around. It was hard to contain the girls enthusiasm, so they used their bare hands to ball up some snow and toss it at each other. We were all so cold at this point that I threatened them with ice for dinner if they dared to hit Mom with a snowball. Katelynn grinned and lobbed one at my back. :)

Stopping by the visitors center, we learned that Old Faithful was predicted to erupt at 2:51pm, by this time it was 2:25pm. OK, how do I entertain 4 Southern Californian girls in sub-freezing temperatures with the wind blowing??? It was tough!!! Somehow we made it through, with a few tears from Hailey and Beth. Katelynn commented at one point, "Mommy, people are staring at us." I was not the only nut out to see Old Faithful in the snow, but I was probably the only one with such a loud kid. (Hailey was screaming at this point, I don't mean that Katelynn was loud. :) )

You could hear the gasps of the crowd as Old Faithful began to gush into the air. I'm sure it was an impressive sight, I couldn't see it because the wind shifted at just the wrong moment and I became enveloped in steam. :( The whole group that had been standing around us rushed to the right in hopes of clearing the steam cloud so we could see the water. It was amazing to see the water shooting high into the air, and the sight quieted Hailey as well.

The girls and I enjoyed a late lunch at the Geyser Grill. At a nearby table, four young kids sat with their parents. It must have been two families, because there were 4 adults watching as the kids ran around, screamed, and jumped from cushion to cushion on the booth seats. Katelynn and Emily watched with wide eyes, and Beth and I had a small discussion about if that was proper behavior or not. :) Hailey sure enjoyed the kids antics, even she kept quiet. When we were almost done with our lunch, a gentleman who had been seated across from us came over and complemented me and the girls on their behavior. He remarked that I had done a lot of work with them. I promptly thanked him for his encouragement, and praised the girls for how well they were behaving. It is amazing to have Katelynn and Emily growing up and see the effects of parental lack of discipline. My girls are not perfect, I am NOT perfect, but we work together to help make the environment around us pleasant for everyone around us. I love it when they have a chance to be praised by a stranger for their behavior, positive feedback at its best! I praise the Lord for his wisdom in raising these precious gifts.

(Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. *Stepping down*)

As we wrapped up lunch and a quick trip to a gift shop to browse, we realized that Old Faithful was due to erupt again in just a few minutes. I learned this morning that this reliable geyser erupts approximately every 92 minutes, give or take 10 minutes. This may change in the future, but for now it holds true. So we strolled back across the way towards Old Faithful. As we approached the boardwalk built around the famous geyser, we could see water begin to spurt up - a sure sign that the eruption is nearing. Sure enough, it began to blow. We were situated perfectly this time, no steam to blow across our view. We were able to see the full effect of the water rising into the air. Unfortunately, my photos do not do it justice, as the sky was cloudy, so it is hard to see the water against the gray background. In person, it was awesome.

Even though our fingers, noses, and toes were numb, we headed back to the Snow Lodge for some ice cream. I have been searching for ice cream for the girls since the fateful day in Canada at the Niagara Falls. Everything had closed up so early, that we were not able to enjoy a treat like I had promised the girls. FINALLY, we were able to enjoy some Moose Tracks ice cream at the cafe as we watched a 4 minute snippet of a wildlife video repeat, over, and over, and over, and over, and...

Driving north again, it was nearing dusk, so the animals were beginning to show themselves again. Emily, Beth and I has seen two moose this morning hiding among the trees, and we vainly searched for some more as we drove towards the camp. We did see many more herds of elk and bison. I'm amazed at how close to the road they wander and graze.

My favorite moment of the day has to be when we were driving to Old Faithful, when suddenly the small, red, japanese-make car in front of me slams on its brakes. (We were only going 25 mph, so it wasn't so drastic of a stop.) I grumble briefly, then quiet as my jaw drops into my lap. The car had stopped because a HUGE bison was ambling up the road right in front of it!!! Its large head was low, and its breath seemed labored as it climbed the hill. It walked so close to my open window, that I could have touched it if I has stretched. For fear of scaring it, I didn't take any pictures when its round, dull eye grew even with my rear-view mirror. When the girls and I drove on, I could not stop laughing in awe!!!

The "plan" is to wake up early (7am) tomorrow to drive again into the Lamar Valley, in hopes of seeing some more wildlife we have not yet seen. There are white tail deer, grizzly and black bears, and a few others we have not yet seen. Who knows what the Lord will put across our path?