Work day done, on the road by 6pm.  Thursday night in Casper, up early Friday & another 4 hours to Yellowstone – Ash & Tom’s first Park visit.  geysers, Rocky Mtn peaks, travel ‘cross 4 U.S. states – Colorado, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho – what’s not to love?

Could’ve travelled the traditional 8-hour route [I-80 West to Rock Springs, 2 hours north to Jackson] – but added an extra hour crisscrossing Wyoming, in search for Sacajawea’s grave site.  No regrets 🙂

• traditional story: in 1805, the 15-year-old Shoshone travelled with Lewis & Clark and her French fur-trapper husband & an infant son.  She died in 1825.  Her son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, lived among Anglos, travelled Europe, led a group of Mormons to California & later settled in Montana.
• the myth: after the Lewis & Clark expedition, Sacajawea resettled to the Dakotas with two children, no husband – remarried & lived out her life with the Comanche.  After her husband’s death [in 1860], she returned to her people, the Mountain Shoshone, and died near Fort Washakie, Wyoming.

Fuel fill-up & another bag of pork rinds later, back on the road.  Drove thru a forest fire just outside of Dubois, before entering Grand Teton National Park – 45 minutes later, Yellowstone.  Tagged front-row benches at Old Faithful & experienced a first rate show – hot water sprayed from the Earth a full 5 minutes.  Sharing the moment with Ash & Tom, even better.  GREAT memory.

Walked the Upper Geyser Basin, passing named geysers along a wooden boardwalk — like visiting a ‘geyser’ zoo.  Morning Glory Pool, Castle Geyser, Rocket Geyser…each unique, each its own story – some erupt, others shake, simmer & boil.  Caught a 2^nd viewing of Old Faithful before car hopping further.

Fave place of the Park – Midway Geyser Basin – in particular, Grand Prismatic Spring.  Reds, yellows, blues, greens & oranges – minerals rainbow-coloured the landscape.  Steam from these geysers created a hot humid mist – like walking thru a steamy billowing fog.

No place else on Earth – gotta/hafta/MUST see.

Spent our remaining daylight exploring a family of geysers – Artists Paintpots – before exiting west into Montana & another hour north to Ennis, where our 2-day cabin digs awaited (lotta driving, thanks Tom).

No marathon tomorrow.  historic Virginia City, Grizzly Discovery Center & a 2^nd half-day in Yellowstone – still must see the Falls!

Yellowstone: Part 1 – Great Geysers