by Mike Graf
Suddenly, steam started to spew out of the cone more intensely.
Then, quickly, a large spray of water blasted into the air.
The geyser gazers stood up.
“It’s so strong—like there’s a fire hydrant in there,” Morgan said.
Water continued to shoot out of Lone Star’s cone and head straight into the air. Steam and mist whipped away from the powerful spray and drifted onto the geyser gazers. They moved away from the warm, natural shower and continued watching the geyser’s performance.
And it kept on going.
“It doesn’t seem real,” James stated. “It’s been going on for so long!”
“And we’re so close to it,” Morgan added.
“It’s kind of like being at a fireworks show,” Dad concluded.
Lone Star kept pumping out water. Eventually, the eruption phased into mostly steam pouring out of the cone.
“Now it looks more like smoke from a train,” Morgan said.
Tom looked over at the Parkers, grinning. “Now, that is an eruption!”
James leaned toward Tom. “Is this your favorite geyser?”
Tom smiled. “It is right now!”
James pulled out his journal.
This is James Parker reporting.
I’m sitting here at Lone Star Geyser. It has been erupting for almost thirty minutes, although it seems like it’s almost over. I wish we were hiking to Shoshone Geyser Basin. Or sitting by the Boiling River. Or seeing other geysers erupt, like Steamboat and Echinus. I want to see more! Yellowstone is such an unusual place. As Dad said, “There’s nothing in the world like it!” So what are my ten favorite sights? Here goes:
1. Lone Star Geyser
2. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
3. Mystic Falls
4. Old Faithful
5. Storm Point
6. Grand Prismatic Spring
7. Dragon’s Mouth
8. Artist Paint Pots
9. Mammoth Hot Springs
10. Grebe Lake
Anyway, I am officially stating in this journal that I will be reading up on Yellowstone’s geysers on the geyser gazer Web site, and I will be back!
Reporting from Yellowstone,
James Parker
And Morgan wrote:
Dear Diary,
It’s the last day and the last few minutes of our trip in Yellowstone. I can’t believe how sad I feel. Can’t we stay a week longer? Or more?
It’s going to be a lot of work going through all my pictures and labeling the places we’ve visited. Will I remember the names of all the pools, geysers, steam vents, and hot springs? Maybe our book on Yellowstone’s geysers will help me identify them.
At least we have that map where we kept track of the animals we saw. Boy, I will never forget what happened to us at Heart Lake!
I see that James wrote a Top Ten list of sights in Yellowstone. I agree with it, but I would also add: Uncle Tom’s Trail, Norris Geyser Basin, Fairy Falls, Firehole Drive.
But my Top Ten list is for animal sightings. The best ones were:
1. The black bear near Tower Falls
2. The coyote eating the marmot at Storm Point
3. The elk on the lawn at Mammoth Hot Springs
4. Hearing wolves at night
5. The bison on the road and chasing someone in Hayden Valley
6. The bald eagle at Grebe Lake
7. The moose at Grebe Lake
8. The elk in the meadows near Madison
9. The grizzly bear at Heart Lake
10. The bighorn sheep on Mt. Sheridan (Mom wanted me to include that)
I somberly sign off from Yellowstone,
Morgan
The family gathered up their belongings. Morgan jotted down Tom’s geyser gazer website. They said good-bye to Tom and the other geyser gazers. Slowly and silently, they hiked back to their car. They piled in and drove east, then turned south at Grant Junction.
As they approached the Heart Lake trailhead, Dad slowed the car down and turned into the parking lot.
“What are you doing?” Morgan asked.
“You’ll see,” Dad responded.
Dad drove over to the trailhead. “Yep, that’s what I thought! They already put up a sign.”
The sign read:
WARNING: BEAR FREQUENTING AREA. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF YOUR SAFETY ON THIS TRAIL! TRAIL CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE BEYOND MT. SHERIDAN JUNCTION DUE TO GRIZZLY BEAR ACTIVITY AND A CARCASS IN THE AREA.
“Well it’s certainly important to warn people,” Mom commented.
Morgan rolled down her window and snapped a picture of the sign. “Just reading it gives me the chills.”
“Me too,” Dad said. He moved his shoulder, but didn’t feel any pain.
• • •
Soon they left Yellowstone behind and quickly entered another national park. Massive, sharp-edged, stark mountains punctured the sky to the right of the road. The peaks were capped with snowfields and small glaciers.
Dad stared out the window in awe. “The Grand Tetons!” he exclaimed.
“Next time,” Mom stated. “Next time.”