Yellowstone - Day Seven

    Our last full day in Yellowstone, and we made the most of it! We started our day off with a look at the tallest waterfall in the park – the Lower Falls. It is spectacular! The smoke from the forest fires was pretty heavy today, so the sky was very gray instead of blue, but the pictures were still amazing. It was a bit cool this morning, and it did not warm up as quickly as it has the past few days, which we think was due to the smoke covering the sun. After spending a while enjoying the views of the Lower falls, we drove down to the Upper Falls overlook. These falls are both part of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which is in fact, pretty grand! I’m not sure how many feet down it goes, but it is a lot! The canyon walls are colored in many different hues, and I think you could look at it for hours.

          We went on a moose hunt next. We were determined to see some down by Lake Yellowstone. We were not so lucky, as no moose decided to make an appearance for us. We did get to spot a few elk alongside the road though. The lake was fun anyway, even without the moose. We went to the docks, and to the iconic Yellowstone Lake Lodge. We stopped at Grant Village and had a picnic on the lakeshore. The lakeshore is made up of very tiny volcanic rock. The kids found this  interesting and would have stayed there for hours if we had let them. They played in the rocks and in the water and we had a nice lunch with a view. Zack even napped on the beach.

          We stopped at the geyser basin on the lakeshore and took the boardwalk through it. Some of the geysers are even in the lake.

          Our next stop was the Old Faithful area because I had seen a souvenir I just had to have. I checked my Yellowstone app to see when Old Faithful would go off, and it said, 3:34. I looked at the clock and it was 3:32! We parked quickly and ran across the large parking lot to see the eruption. We arrived breathless only to find out I had been looking at a clock in our home time zone, and it was an hour from eruption…..

          We got our souvenirs and headed to our hike of the day – Mystic Falls. This is a tremendous hike that I would highly recommend. It starts out in the Biscuit Basin geyser area, and then winds through a pine forest alongside a beautiful mountain creek. The prize at the end is a massive waterfall roaring out of the mountains. The waterfall is still in a thermal area, so there are little hot springs running into the water at this spot. It was fun to feel the hot water mix with the cool mountain stream. The kids loved climbing the boulders and feeling the wind and the spray from the waterfall. The rocks are not slick like the ones at home, and it makes for jumping from one to the next a lot safer. After taking many pictures, we hopped on the high trail and hiked to the top of the mountain. I would guess we were around 9,000 feet up by then. There were a lot of switchbacks to get up to the top and pretty precarious ledges. All in all the hike was fantastic  - the pine trees, the mountain stream, the waterfall, and the panoramic views were all wonderful!

          Everyone was tired and hungry when we got back to the car. So with just a quick drive through Firehole Road, we headed back to our campsite. We finished our evening with dinner and a campfire. Tomorrow we head down to the Tetons.

Yellowstone - Day Six

     Everyone was tired of being in the car, so we decided to take an easier day of it today. We got up before sunrise and drove down to Hayden Valley to watch the sunrise and search for animals. We did not luck out with the animals, but we did luck out with a gorgeous sunrise! God’s creation is amazing! We came back to the camper and had a nice breakfast. The kids have made friends with the neighbors and enjoyed playing with them for the morning. I took a load of laundry to the laundromat, and we did some gift shop shopping while it was drying. We cooked our lunch here at the camper, and then headed out for the afternoon.

          We didn’t want to drive too far today, so we just went a few miles down the road to Norris Geyser Basin. It is a huge area of geyser activity. I don’t know if I could accurately explain it here, but it looks like something from another planet. The ground is an odd color, and the pools are all different colors. No trees can live here, and there are constantly bubbling and gurgling and steam sounds. It was very interesting and I’m glad we made the stop.

          We wanted to do a hike, but did not have one picked out. We passed a sign for Ice Lake on the way to the basin and decided to give it a try. It was a lovely hike through a pine forest to a lovely mountain lake. We spent a while just exploring the lakeside and forests.

          We came back to the campsite for dinner and decided to drive down to the falls at the canyon area where we are camping. We ended up finding another hike there that we took on spur of the moment. It wound down through the forest and ended up overlooking another waterfall. We had not planned on hiking this hike, so we hadn’t taken anything with us – no backpack, no bear spray, etc. It was a little nerve wracking hiking in the mountains with bears and no supplies. As we came around a bend, I saw something brown go over the side of the hill and was very startled as I thought it might be a bear. Dan went to check it out, and it turned out to just be a mule deer! Funny on me. We did make it back out before dark and were so tired that we went right to bed.

Yellowstone - Day Five

    We headed North today towards Mammoth. DeKarl suggested we make a stop at a bluff formation that looked like a pipe organ. We again took his suggestion and made the detour. The bluffs were very interesting, and there were little ground squirrels and marmots running through the rocks. It was fun to try to spot them and to hear them making their little squeaking sounds.

The drive to Mammoth is very beautiful with mountains, ravines, and water features. When you arrive in Mammoth, there are two areas to see the springs from – the top terrace and the bottom terrace. We did a short distance hike on both terraces, but didn’t feel the need to see it all as a it’s a lot of the same. The feature is as white as snow, and you would think it was snow covered if you didn’t know it was hot water running everywhere.

          The town of Mammoth Springs is quaint and old. The original barracks that the army stayed in are still there, along with many smaller, older homes. We picnicked here and bought ice cream for a cool treat.  A lot of elk live right in this town, and just lie around in people’s yards.

          We went on out the north gate where the original entrance to Yellowstone is. The famous arch is there and the town of Gardiner, MT. We did do some souvenir shopping in Gardiner, which is always fun.

          Next, we headed out towards Lamar Valley with the hopes of seeing some animals besides bison. On our way out, we stopped at Linden Falls. It is a huge waterfall that you don’t normally hear about. We also made a side stop at Petrified Tree. It is literally a tree. I’ve been to the Petrified Forest in Arizona before, and there are tons of petrified trees. This is what I was expecting, but there’s just one. What it has on the Petrified Forest is that it is still standing! Turns out it was a redwood, so that was pretty interesting.

          The drive into Lamar Valley was breathtaking!! I couldn’t stop looking everywhere. While we did not see any other animals besides bison, we did see herds and herds and hundreds and hundreds of bison! The peaks on either side of the valley are over 10,000ft and just loom up in jagged points. They are part of the Beartooth Range. I wanted to drive the Beartooth highway, but we ran out of time. It was a long drive back to the campsite.

          We played games with the kids when we got home and I’ve been reading “Benjamin Franklin” to everyone before bed.

Yellowstone- Day Four

    Yellowstone. It is an adventure like no other. I think of what is said of Disney World being the most magical place on earth; I think you could say Yellowstone is the most adventurous place on earth.

          We started our morning by pleasantly waking up in a warm pop up camper. We were worried about it not being warm enough for Yellowstone nights, but turns out the gas heat and warm bodies did the trick. I cooked breakfast on the stove, and we loaded the suburban for the day. The day was supposed to consist of hiking up to the overlook at Grand Prismatic Spring and seeing the Old Faithful area. That changed because of an app I purchased prior to coming. It was highly recommended that we purchase the Gypsy App for this trip, and let me tell you – DO NOT COME ON THIS TRIP WITHOUT IT! It is spectacular! It really is like having your own personal (very knowledgeable) tour guide in your car with you. We learned lots of interesting tidbits about the park and made stops we normally would not have made.

          We started our tour at the Boiling Mud Pots and Dragon’s Mouth. The boiling mud pots are literally what the name implies. They are   pots of mud….boiling. Since you don’t normally see ginormous pots of mud everywhere……boiling, it is quite a sight. Across the street from the mud pots is Dragon’s Mouth. This is honestly one of my favorite stops in Yellowstone. You walk up to a hot spring that is coming out of a cave. The cave has roaring, boiling waves and steam pouring out of it. On top of that it roars like there is a dragon living in there, waiting to come out! The sound is incredible! Of course, there is the stench of sulfur, so it makes it seem more believable that there possibly could be a dragon in there.

There is also a small hike up the mountain alongside this area that we did while we were there. There is a lake at the top that was produced when a hot spring exploded out of the water, shooting pine trees in the air. It was very picturesque, and the walk wasn’t too bad, although we could tell our lungs are not used to hiking 8,000 feet in the air!

          Our next stop was Gibbon Falls. It is a seemingly small creek that pours over a cliff side in ribbons of a huge waterfall. There seems to be no way for that small of a creek to produce such large quantities of water, yet it does. We took a little side hike and followed the creek back into the meadow. The meadows are all golden with the colors of September. It makes the water contrast a beautiful blue as it winds through the meadow. The boys were in need of running off some energy, and this was the perfect opportunity for that. They sped along the trails as we tried to keep up. 

       Our Gypsy guide, who we named DeKarl…... I know…….suggested a short detour through a meadow that bison frequent. It was definitely worth the detour as the bison were play fighting, running, and even coming close to the cars for some great photo ops. In fact, Elijah and I were out taking pictures at one point when Dan had to move the car forward and left us when the bison started running in my direction. I have a super big healthy fear of the wild animals of Yellowstone, and very quickly, and calmly, freaked out running for the car. Apparently, Elijah shares this fear with me, and with sudden eight year old speed and agility, caught up with Dan and dove in the car before I knew what was going on. Fortunately, I also made it in alive.

          Two other detours we took were Cascade Drive and Firehole Drive. Cascade drive is a short detour that not a lot of people take. It’s a very narrow, one way road going down to Cascade Falls. The falls were worth the detour and slower traffic. Firehole Drive goes along Firehole River and Canyon. We stopped at the falls to eat a picnic lunch, and let the boys do some rock climbing. We met a woman who fell down the canyon 20 years ago. She slipped and fell 60ft. and lived to tell about it. If you see the canyon, you would be amazed! The Firehole Falls are gorgeous! It was a perfect picnic spot.

          We finally made it to what was supposed to be the first stop of the day! Three years ago when we were here, I was disappointed when we went to the Grand Prismatic Spring because it looked nothing like the aerial pictures you see everywhere. The reason for this is that the boardwalk to the spring is ground level, and the spring is so large that you can’t see its full beauty from there. It wasn’t until later (and too late) that I found out there is a hike to an overlook. I wasn’t going to miss it today. We walked the boardwalk first, and enjoyed the bright orange ground and the various blue pools that surround the spring. There is a river running below this area where the hot springs pour into it. They are steamy and warm and look like small waterfalls running in everywhere. We got a few pictures here, and then headed for the trailhead to the hike. I would say it is about a mile to get to the top of the overlook. Again, our lungs reminded us that we have less air than normal! Oh, it is worth it though!! The views were just like the pictures! The deep blue middle and orange sides, with white steam rising up are truly a sight you might never see. We took far too many pictures before we headed down.

          Our last stop of the day is the most iconic spot in Yellowstone – Old Faithful. We did not have to wait long for the eruption and enjoyed being sprayed as the geyser shot into the air. Another geyser was going off behind Old Faithful, and made for some great pictures! We met a fun couple on the boardwalk who had met in Yellowstone at 18 years of age. They have now been married for 53 years and are back in the park as employees. They were gracious enough to take our family picture while Old Faithful was putting on his show.

          We finished the day with souvenir shopping and dinner at the camper. We are now enjoying a campfire and will start fresh in the morning.

 

Sarah's Story

There are some stories that need to be told. There are some people who cannot tell their own stories. This is a story I've watched unfold, and somehow my soul knows that it needs to be recorded - written down for others to see, to know, to feel.

The first time I met Sarah, she was eighteen. I knew from the moment I saw her that something was different about her. Her movements, her speech, her interactions; they all pointed to autism. She had come from a state up north to live with her dad, and he brought her to church. I went up and introduced myself and told her a little bit about our church. I told her that the youth had a special Bible study on Wednesday nights, and would she like to attend? She said, "I really like to make my own decisions about my life."

Alrighty then. I let it go. She was very stand offish with people, but pretty faithful to come to church. Every week I talked to her a little more, and every week she opened up a little more. I learned she loves Pokémon. A lot. I know more about Pokémon than I thought I'd ever know.

Sarah has jet black hair that is cut in a little bob, and black bangs that hang down on her forehead. It became apparent that she is concerned about her appearance, but doesn't know what to do about it. Usually she comes to church dressed in normal, everyday clothes, but one week, she came to church dressed in a pretty dress. I commented on how beautiful she looked. By her reaction I know she rarely (maybe never) hears that. She didn't know how to respond, but was so pleased by the complement. (A good reminder to tell everyone how beautiful they are!)

As I got to know Sarah better over the months, she began to open up to me about her life up north, and the struggles she deals with because of her autism. I learned that she has been through more than any child should have to deal with, and my heart grieves.

One day, I went into church to find Sarah sitting on the pew crying. I ask her what is wrong, and she tells me she is frustrated with the things she is working on in her life but cannot seem to change. She is crying so much, I feel like I need to do something. I ask her if she would like to come home with me for the afternoon. She quickly agrees. We spend the afternoon at the park. I encourage my children to talk with her and include her in their games. She is thrilled to be included. A couple weeks later, she asks me if she might go home with me again.

Sarah goes to therapy for her autism and begins to tell me what things the therapist has told her she needs to work on - things that she is supposed to practice during the week. We talk about these things, and come up with ways she can find to work on them. She works very hard.

Sarah starts sitting with me in church, especially when her family can't make it. It's better not to sit alone in church. Because of her autism, she rocks during the service. My kids really like Aaron's Thinking Putty, and always bring some to church with them. I find if I give Sarah putty to play with, she doesn't rock anymore.

Her brother comes to visit for the summer, and while he is here he decides to give his life to Jesus. Sarah wants to know more about this decision, and asks questions. I realize that although Sarah needs to know she is accepted and loved by people, that she doesn't know how much God loves her and wants her.

An older gentleman in our church calls me up one day and says, "While I was praying the other day God laid it on my heart to give some money to Sarah to go clothes shopping. Will you take her?" I say, "Of course!"

God is thinking of Sarah. He is holding her in His thoughts. I know this, and I want her to know this.

 I don't know much about autism, but I am learning. I do know that showing emotions are hard for people with autism. When I tell Sarah that God laid it on someone's heart to buy her some clothes, I am amazed at the excitement that comes out. She can hardly believe it. We quickly plan a day we can go.

This is the first clothes shopping trip Sarah has ever taken. There are four of us girls that go, and we crack jokes, laugh, and pick out things that nobody would ever wear just to laugh about it. Sarah laughs -  maybe the first time I've heard her laugh. We end the day with ice cream and big smiles.

Sarah tells me that she would really like to have a three wheeled bike. She is not able to balance on a regular bike, and she will probably never be able to drive. She wants to get around town, and be more independent.

Unbeknownst to me God is already working on getting her a three wheeled bike. He knows our need before we even ask, right? Within a couple of days, Sarah has her bike. When I hear she got the bike, I text her - "God sure is taking care of you!"

Suddenly Sarah is more interested in the God that's interested in her. He wants her to be His child, and she is starting to know this. She pays more attention in church. She tries to do the things she hears in the sermons.

One day she goes and talks to our pastor before church about what it means to be a Christian. He tells her the next step is to surrender to Jesus, and let Him be control of her life. She tells him she is not ready. She realizes that this is a commitment, a life change, a heart change. She will not make this decision lightly.

She thinks about it through the service. She comes back to the pastor later, and tells him, "When I'm in charge of my life, I make a mess of it. I think Jesus can do a better job, and I want to give my life to Him." Sarah prays to receive Christ.

I am out of town when this happens, but it is the first thing she tells me when I get home. I am thrilled and the tears come. Life is hard for this girl, and there are many things she cannot change. But, now she will know the things that Christ can change.

This beautiful child is now a child of God.


Mommas, notice the kids that don't get noticed. Give them some of the love they're missing. Tell them they're beautiful. Teach your kids to befriend the kids who have no friends - the ones that rock in church, say off the wall things, act awkwardly, look different....  Invite the ones that never get invited. Jesus loves and wants these children so much, but how will they know if we don't show them!

And, if we do show them, maybe... just maybe.....they will choose to follow Jesus because they finally know they.....belong.