The morning I couldn't feel my toes

Ben has taken us past church and on our way into the great Yellowstone. My goal in this post is to get us on our way through Le Grandiose Tetons.

The first thing I noticed about Yellowstone was the little town you drive through to get to the main gate. We came in the North entrance on 89, through the town of Gardiner. Very old, it demands a reaction before you drive through the gate. My reaction was mostly, "Is it 1925 and are there going to be too many people here?"

The roads in Yellowstone are kind of crowded in mid-June, and people will stop and watch about anything. Of course, the same was true for Ben and I. The first thing we stopped to watch were some bears that we couldn't really get a good look at. From then on, we figured out that if you just keep driving, you will see all the wildlife you need, including a buffalo who will just eat grass right next to the road.

I don't think I will focus on what we saw, because most people know what's in Yellowstone. What I want to do mostly is write down what was going on between me and Ben and the interesting things that happened along the way. Ben and I had spent a lot of time in the car before Yellowstone, and we all know that too much car time can breed frustration, so I was determined to soak in the natural beauty and be positive. Interestingly enough, I think that is the attitude Ben generally has, and that's something that has stuck with me from our trip as a whole. But I'm rambling now, so.....

The bubbling, stinky mud pits were pretty incredible (please see our Yellowstone Video). While in the park, it got hot, it rained, it snowed, and the wind was crazy. We drove down to Bridge Bay to set up shop for the night, and to pick up some much needed supplies. Our camping spot was right next to some woods, and we were relieved to find out we could gather any wood on the ground to make a fire. But that came later. We turned our eyes to the giant figure eight that is Yellowstone and set out for the sights. I won't lie, things got a little tense on the drive to Lower Falls and Upper Falls, and I don't know why I was so moody, but I had set myself in competition with Ben to see who could enjoy the scenery the most. And Ben probably had no idea! The Falls were amazing: I have a picture of them that looking at it you can't tell which way is up which way is down. Then we continued on for the Mecca of all things wild, Old Faithful. It is interesting to think why this landmark is in the West. There is nothing Faithful about the West. The West will lure you in with its beauty, inspire you with its vastness and potential, and pull compassion out of you with its rawness. But in the end it doesn't need you, giving it all the power, and no reason to be Faithful to you. Maybe the geyser's name is in reference to how we feel to the West. Yes, I think that is it. And that is exactly why we had to see it. Also, because Ben was getting married and I wanted to give him an example to live by.

On the way to Old Faithful we stopped at the Artists Paintpots. They are more faithful than Old Faithful.

We arrived at Old Faithful just after its eruption, so we had some time to kill before the next one. We went into the giant lodge and I reserved two chairs by the giant window that looks out on the geyser while Ben went to get two refreshments from the car. We sat. We gazed. And I think Old Faithful worked its magic on me.

Back at the campsite we gathered wood for a fire and started writing thank yous and postcards. Ben worked on some video stuff. For the most part it was a good evening. It took me forever to get the fire started, but eventually it was going and we had another nice sit by Fire. Camp fires should be a real consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize. We then put on all of the clothes we had because it was super cold and we went to bed.

I didn't write much in my journal from the time we left Idaho, and actually the last entry I made on our trip was from that night in Yellowstone, even though we had a week left on the road. All it referred to was how cold it was, and how disappointed I was in myself. Ben and I have talked about this some, and we discussed how maybe at this time in the trip we subconsciously were realizing how little time we had left, and it just put us in a bad mood. I know I was really taking for granted how incredible life was in that moment.

We woke up and I couldn't feel my toes. I went to brush my teeth, and the water at the restroom hut about gave me frostbite. We drove up to have breakfast in Lake Lodge in Lake Village. It was seriously one of the most beautiful views of the trip. And I was jealous of what Ben got for breakfast.

Driving out, it was about an hour after we had woken up. I could finally feel my pinky toes again.

Coming up next is the Grand Tetons, and the nomads we found in Gillette.


Jake