When you first arrive into Yellowstone National Park by the south entrance, you see many pine trees, especially lodgepole pines, and some aspens. We have just spent about 30 minutes driving through the Grand Teton N.P. to get to the south entrance of Yellowstone. There are four entrances to the park, one for each of the cardinal directions. At the entrance, as we paid our fee, I asked the park ranger when was old faithful was going to erupt? He told us “we don’t tell folks anymore because they used to speed through the park in order to catch the next show.”

Many of us are still exhibiting our urban pace in their quest for relaxation and recreation.

As Debra and I drove into the park, we saw many beautiful meadows, streams, and then you see your first canyon from the razor cut road just at the rims’ edge overlooking Lewis River. We also saw many thousands of acres of burnt forest along the road. There was even a very large fire going on in the Bridger-Teton National Forest (just east of the park) that had already consumed thousands of acres of forest. Fire is always a risk in this area, especially during the dry months of the summer.

Yellowstone’s steam vents are the one unique feature that sets this park apart from the others and I can’t wait to see my first geyser. I keep driving and hoping to see one. Ever since I was a young boy (no, I didn’t play the silver ball) and watched Yogi and Boo Boo, the two cartoon bears that lived in Jellystone National Park, I wanted to see Yellowstone. I wanted to see “Old Faithful,” the punctual geyser that spews out steam and boiling water every 90 minutes or so and I wanted to see a bear. Maybe one that was “smarter than the average bear.” Now I am finally going to get the chance to see them but I’m not so sure about the bear. That might be a question of luck.

Yellowstone National Park is the world’s first National Park created by congress in 1872 to protect these awe inspiring natural areas and preserve them for the enjoyment of future generations. Preserving land for the public good was a new concept for the world and since it’s inception, other countries have also started their own park system preserving for the world’s children what we have the opportunity to enjoy right now.

One of the largest volcanoes in the world is in the Yellowstone area. The caldera measures 47 by 28 miles across and has had three catastrophic eruptions; 2 million 1.2 million and 600,000 years ago. These eruptions were some of the largest in earth’s history. The last catastrophic eruption threw out about 240 cubic miles of debris. The last small eruption came 70,000 years ago in the form of huge lava flows. Is another eruption imminent?

Through satellites and other measuring devices the park system can monitor the seismic activity and record any changes in the volcano. There is a warning system in place to let visitors know if they need to evacuate the park in the event of a major seismic change. This means the area is safe to visit and enjoy the many thermal features. These steam vents or geysers are caused by the magma below interacting with ground water and creating the famous steam vents only visible in a few locations in the world. As the pressure builds these vents allow it let off a little steam as needed to keep the pressure in check.

I’m sure you could add a few of your own to the list. When we get pressured from life, how do we handle the ensuing buildup of stress? Fortunately we have as many ways to release a little steam, as there are ways to induce it. Do we take the time to process the pressure out of our life or do we just ignore it in hopes that it goes away? Sometimes I like to hand water my yard with my thumb over the end of the hose and kind of zone out. I know it’s not efficient for me to stand there and spray water on the grass, but it is very relaxing and I always feel better afterwards.

As I am watering I can think about what is on my mind or I can zone out and think of nothing and that choice is easy and calming for me. Later, I always seem to come back to the problem with renewed perspective and better understanding. Walking, reading, meditation, games, good conversation, movies, working in the garden, taking photos, or any hobby are just some of the ways that I relax and let off a little steam. How do you let off steam when life’s pressures build up?

Old Faithful was set to go off in about 20 minutes so we walked over to the crowd standing around a bulging mound about 75 feet away and sat down on the boardwalk to wait for the show. It was a cloudy day and the geyser was boiling just above ground level as it was preparing itself prior to the big show. I’m guessing there were around 500 or 600 visitors gathered for this show and it had a carnival like atmosphere.

The boiling water started to jump higher and higher into the air, acting like a boiling pot of water just before you put the shrimp in. Now it was shooting about 3, 5, 10 and finally 35 or 40 feet into the air. The wind was blowing to our right so the spray was headed away but every once in a while the wind would shift just enough and we would catch some spray and a good whiff of sulfur. It was spectacular and then it was over.

It was like a movie had just finished and the credits were showing with the vent still emitting steam. The spectators had turned their backs to the geyser and were making their way to the cafeteria and gift shop, so we followed along.

We headed out of the park to West Yellowstone in Montana to spend the night. The next day we got up, packed and grabbed some breakfast at the Geyser Café. It was filling and tasty and then we were ready to drive to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

It was interesting to note that the waitress at the Geyser Café was from Russia, as was the previous day’s waitress in the park at Grant’s Village. I guess we are a little closer to Russia in Wyoming than in Texas?

We drove back into the park and stopped along the way to see some mud pots and then headed toward the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We found a parking place on the side of the road and walked down to the crowds at Inspiration Point. What a spectacular view it was.

The Snake River meandering through the canyon floor was 1200 feet below the observation deck and the sides of the canyon are anywhere from 1500 to 4000 feet across with an occasional steam vent catching your eye. The upper and lower falls were visible from this point but because of the distance, it appeared very small. You could tell there was a lot of water coming over those rocks even at that distance.

We drove to the next viewing area and got out to take in the sights and enjoy the walking. At the last overlook over the upper falls we notice the sky starting to turn dark and the clouds began to swirl and dance for us like before a rain. We decided to make haste back to the car and avoid getting soaked as we had left our rain gear in the car.

As I was backing out of the parking space, big drops of rain began to fall on the windshield and we noticed the crowds hustling to get under cover or in their cars. The rain began to fall hard and I commented to Debra that I’m glad we were paying attention to the sky and left when we did, for the sky was letting off some steam. We continued to drive along the river and with the windshield wipers keeping the glass clean, we noticed that there was a long line of vehicles stopped on the road. Looks like rush hour.

When we finally made our way to the disturbance we noticed a herd of buffalo slowly moving across the road as though they knew what they were doing to the traffic. They were big, magnificent and they knew they were protected!

We made our way out of the park by driving past Lake Yellowstone and the old lodge. What a beautiful old building with a fantastic view of the lake! The road meandered along the shore of the lake until we left its bank and headed out towards the southern entrance to the park. We arrived at the Hatchet Resort and checked into a very clean and nicely appointed log cabin type room that had been recently renovated by the office manager’s husband.

The resort had been there for many years and had only recently been updated and modernized. The exterior still had that rustic woodsy feel and the rooms were simple but very nice. There was a bar and a good restaurant, gas station and store at the resort and very nice people running the place.

The posts that held up the canopy of the gas station had two carved bears on it, scampering around the timber. It just so happens that the waitresses and the maids were all from Russia or Kazakhstan. I had to ask one of them where she was from and she told me Kazakhstan.

She also said that many Russian and Kazakhstani college students enjoy coming to the Yellowstone area to work during their summer vacation and then head back home to school. I asked her if she thought about staying in the U.S. and she quickly replied, “I like the U.S. but my home is in Kazakhstan and I can’t wait to get home to my friends and family”. I can certainly understand that. After being on the road for a couple of weeks, we were ready to get back to Texas and sleep in our own bed! I think Dorothy said it best, “There’s no place like home.”

We could also say we were able to let off a little steam in a place that is known for letting off a lot of steam.







Dan Searle is a San Marcos resident who is still trying to figure out what he is going to do when he grows up. In the meantime, he enjoys traveling, photography, writing, eating, nature, gardening, Vegas, sunsets, sometimes the stock market and being in the moment.