Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you walked about and explored their depths?
Job 38:4-7, 16

The wonders of the Lord never end. Today has been full of some amazing things, I'll do my best to relay to everyone the impact today has had.

We started out the day with a laundry run. Hailey was running out of diapers, so an before a true emergency occurred, I did 5 loads of laundry. (Not all of them were diapers.) And yes, even on our 11 week, cross-country trek, Hailey is still in cloth diapers. In fact, the sweet girl has only been in a paper diaper 3, maybe 4 times her entire life. Each time she has tried to pull it off and given me a look of sheer disgust. Funny girl.

We spent a few minutes in the camp store getting some local information before packing a lunch and setting south to Yellowstone. Our first stop was the Mammoth Hot Springs. Prior to today, my only exposure to hot springs was at the Sycamore Mineral Springs when I was in college. That past experience was nothing like what we saw today.

Orange, yellow, pure white, brilliant green, cyan blue surrounded by a moon-scape of gray. Water from snow, ice and rain that has seeped deep into the water table is heated by molten magma, and the only way to release the pressure is through fissures in the earths surface. The result? Geysers, hot springs, and steam vents. The gorgeous colors we saw come from the chemicals in the water. The green, yellow and orange stem from algae and other thermophiles that can flourish in the hot water. The pure white is the calcium carbonate that comes from the dissolved limestone rock and is deposited by the water as is flows over the earth. The blue was from a chemical also found in solution in the hot water. The gray was the death of plant matter near where the hot water had flowed. (We learned about xylem in science this year, and xylem become clogged with calcium carbonate near the hot water, and essentially are choked to death.)

Boy, this is beginning to sound like a science lecture isn't it? :) I think I am still overwhelmed by all that I saw, smelled and experienced today. I'll try to keep it a bit lighter from here on.

We walked, I pulled the stroller up stairs, we walked, and we were amazed. There are boardwalks around the springs and geysers, ensuring a safe passage through the thermal landscape. After walking around the Mammoth Hot Springs, we headed south to Norris Junction, were we were able to see our first geysers. The girls all were amazed to see water bubbling and steaming only a few feet away. Some sounded like boiling water, some like a rushing river. Some gently bubbled to the surface, others rolled like a coffee percolator, some only gave off steam, and others shot water high into the air. It was unreal to walk through pine and aspen trees, and step out onto a barren landscape surrounded by hot water and beautiful colors.




Along the walk we noticed some sort of small lifeform in the hot water. We have no idea if it is a larvae of some sort, or if this is the actual end result. We hope to discover more tomorrow. However, the "Bigs" and I knelt at the edge of the boardwalk, inches above the hot water, marveling at all the small striped animals burrowing in the sand, or swimming through the water. We must have been a sight to anyone who could see us. Our tushes were high up in the air, our noses over the edge of the boardwalk. :)

We ended the day with dinner at a local pizzeria, and a drive through the Lamar Valley, on a wildlife hunt. We had seen many elk during the day, some even grazing a few yards away in the residential area of Yellowstone. The girls and I were not prepared for all we would see on our 1 1/2 hour trek to the North-East Entrance of the park.

Herds of elk were out, small groups with only 4 or 5, and huge groups with maybe 40. Several crossed the road in front of us. For the first time we saw bison roaming free. At first we saw a herd in the distance, but eventually we were given the chance to see another herd closer to the road, with 3 babies! As it grew darker, we spotted 4 pronghorn deer crossing the road only yards ahead of the car, they were so petite and dainty! Canadian geese were landing on the small lakes we passed, a magpie had landed on the truck at the Mammoth Hot Springs. Also earlier we had seen a marmot cross the road up the hill from us. He stopped on a rock next to us long enough for me to reach for my camera, but not long enough for me to snap his picture. The highlight for me had to be the wolf that I saw dash out across the road maybe 50 yards ahead of the truck. We followed his flight path down into a ravine, and when he appeared on the other side we realized that he was joining 3 of his friends. I SAW 4 WOLVES!!!

As I drove home in the dark, all the girls sleeping behind me, I was alone with the Lord. I'm in awe of all I saw today. His creativity and attention to detail are astounding! I just kept praying prayers of thanks as I drove through a small snow storm. White flakes reflected my lights back at me, cave-like blackness beyond my high beams. Today was unreal, and so far removed from anything I've ever experienced before.

Listen: stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Golden splendor comes from the mountain of God. He is clothed in dazzling splendor. We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty, yet he is so just and merciful that he does not oppress us. No wonder people everywhere fear him. People who are truly wise show him reverence.
Job 37: 14, 21-24