Yellowstone National Park
By Chris Hines
Monday, September 06, 2004
My fiance, Joann, and I visited Yellowstone National Park for nine days in the summer of 2004. I cannot describe the experience with words that would allow the reader to appreciate what it was like.
I could describe the amazing: Two bald eagles locking talons in mid-air and tumbling through the sky no more than 40 yards from where we stood, or a herd of buffalo spanning the entire road trotting toward us one morning as we drove to our daily destination, or a grizzly bear and three cubs going about their lives while a hundred or more transfixed humans gawk at them from the roadside.
I could describe the serene: Beautiful waterfalls seemingly around every bend of the road, or multi-colored hot springs shrouded in the mist that emanates from their hot waters, or the broad vistas of the Hayden or Lamar Valleys.
I could try to impart some portion of the awe one feels when standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, or when watching the eruption of Castle Geyser.
Even if I were a world class writer, however, my attempts would fall short. No description can prepare you for being in Yellowstone and experiencing it for yourself. The park is a living environment unlike anything most of us are accustom to. It is the oldest National Park in the world, and yet it is constantly changing. It is not a static tourist attraction designed for the masses. Unlike a city park or zoo, which is a little bit of wilderness imported to the city and controlled for our consumption, Yellowstone is just the opposite. Yellowstone is a little bit of civilization in the middle of a large wilderness. In Yellowstone you are the one out of place, and it doesn't take long to realize this fact.
