'12/#28 The Best Things In Life

We spent another day in Yellowstone with our friends before they headed north to Glacier National Park. The weather was more cooperative, in fact it may have been ideal. We spent a good amount of time around the Old Faithful Area. Reports say that the Old Faithful Geyser is not as impressive as it used to be. Time & geological changes have reduced it's intensity & predictability but I still wanted to see it. After all it is Old Faithful. Well we saw it twice that day & contrary to reports that it is disappointing compared to it's previous appearances it is still quite impressive. The whole area is awe inspiring with it's geysers, steam vents, & hot springs. Think about it....hot water & steam, flowing & spewing out of the ground! All this because of the volcanic activity below the surface!!! They say if the Yellowstone Caldera were to erupt it would be 100 times greater than Mt St Helens

While the geothermal features make Yellowstone unique there is lots more to see. There are the mountains, valleys, trees, flowers, & animals. Oh the animals! We have seen deer & elk with antlers that make you wonder how they hold their heads up. We have spotted coyote & got a brief glimpse of a wolf .There are weasel & marmots scurrying around the trees & near the water. And we have seen buffalo, oh have we seen buffalo! Single buffaloes up on a hillside or drinking from a lake or stream & the occasional buffalo standing in or near the road have cars stopping to take pictures. But the "buffalo jams" really occur when herds are moving across fields, or better still, across the road! This is calf season & there are baby buffalo everywhere. The herds move looking for food & water with the calves seemingly attached to mom or dad's side. Once in the fields the calves run & play while the adults stay near by grazing. If camera shutters were louder the noise would be deafening. The adults are majestic while the babys are adorable. We were fortunate to see a mommy & her baby walk across the lawn right in front of Old Faithful while the crowds waited for the next eruption.

After 2 days seeing the park with our friends it was time to say goodbye. The 4 of us commented on the joys of our chosen RV lifestyle & came to an agreement. While we see some of the most amazing things this country has to offer it is the people we get to meet in our travels that impact us most. The locals are the windows into the different cultures that make the US so diverse, but the friends we make are what tie us all together. We meet, we work, we keep in touch, & our RV family grows...and I think it makes us all better people for the experience. Mary & I consider ourselves very fortunate to have some of the best friends one could ask for.

So safe travels to our friends & goodbye to everyone until the next blog from our home here in Cody Wyoming because.....

Home is where we park it,


Frank & Mary