Yellowstone, Days 2&3

July 11, 2011
Saw a coyote in the road.  Then more buffalo than I've ever seen before.  But as I write this, I have seen so many more on each venture.  Touring on the Burg is fabulous.  The sights, smells, feeling the air on my skin - I do love being here on the Burg.  It is a little scary when the big mammals are near, but I like that, too.  They are awesome creatures and I have great respect for them. 

Today I was chased down the road by a small herd that was hemmed in by traffic.  They were headed south with a mama cow leading the way, right at me.  Yes, I was on the Burg.  I left them and turned around to come back for better pics.  By then a line of traffic was following the herd, and another line of traffic was headed in the opposite direction.  So the buffalo came toward me, again, and when they started to trot faster I took off!  It reminded me of the scene from the movie "Jurassic Park" when the T. Rex appears in the rear view mirror.  "Objects are closer than they appear" kinda thing!  I was gone in a flash!!!  It was a rush unlike any I'd had in a very long time. 

I saw Old Faithful and she was just that.  What a sight!  After all these years of hearing about it and seeing pictures on TV, I finally saw the real thing.  I talked with Derick on the phone while I was waiting, as it was the first of few cell signals I had on this jaunt.  Connections were good that day. 

At the West Thumb Geyser Basin, the water was scalding (167 degrees!) and the colors spectacular.  I had never seen mother earth like this before, and she was very much alive and active.  She was not the passive and submissive mother I had seen so often, but rather the churning and heated mother making things happen, forming the vessel of her release.  And she was splendid!  Magnificent!  Vibrant!  Colorful!  It was awesome. 

The smell of the steam brought back many memories of sweat lodges experienced.  The pools were deep and clear, as were some of the visions and insights from the sweats.  The paint pot geysers looked liked miniature volcanoes and made a gurgling sound.  And the array of pools was truly amazing.  I've never seen so much variety in such a small space. 

I crossed the continental divide twice this day, and it was a thrill each time.  To think of how difficult many other crossings had been and how easy mine was helped to put it in a  better perspective. 

Tonight the thunder beings came to visit and brought hail with them.  It was marble sized and did no damage but it sure did cool things off. 

July 12, 2011\

It was rainy and cold today (43), so I listened to Jubilee! and warmed my soul.  Then I watched "Spirit, the 7th Fire" and warmed my soul again!  What a day!