It is hard for me to believe that it has been five years since we visited the magnificent Yellowstone National Park. It seems only yesterday that my husband and I toted our one year old son from Florida to Wyoming by car, mind you, to visit the grand park.
We stayed in a town called Cody; home of The Buffalo Bill Historical Center. The drive into the East entrance of the park was amazing in of itself. The road curved along mountains and water and tunnels. It was fantastic!
Our first stop on our journey into the park was Yellowstone Lake. The lake was quiet and the view was spectacular. Despite the many visitors inside the park the silence surrounding us was striking.
Many a Bison could be seen walking through open fields and strolling across the roads. Cars would slow and take pictures of these beautiful creatures.
One of my favorite stops in the park is The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. You may have heard of The Grand Canyon. This canyon is no less grand. Calling it Grand really doesn’t do this peak justice. The parks website: http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm, says regarding the area: “The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the primary geologic feature in the Canyon District. It is roughly 20 miles long, measured from the Upper Falls to the Tower Fall area. The Lower Falls is often described as being more than twice the size of Niagara, although this only refers to its height and not the volume of water flowing over it. The volume of water flowing over the falls can vary from 63,500 gal/sec at peak runoff to 5,000 gal/sec in the fall.” Twice the size of Niagara! Eat your heart out New York! I cherish the picture of my husband holding our son while staring off at the falls in this grand, marvelous, sublime canyon!
The features that struck me the most about this park is the unimaginable diversity. Every area has something different to offer your gazing eye. There was never a dull moment. Many people think only of the hot geysers that are part of this vast volcano. The geysers certainly are a large part of Yellowstone and are very beautiful. However, I walked away from Yellowstone thinking of the unexpected multiplicity of beauty and grace. I felt a silence in my soul.