#atozchallenge20...O-Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

If you ever go to Wyoming, you have to go to Yellowstone park and see Old Faithful, one of the most predictable geysers in America, or at least it used to be until Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980.  You could almost time it to every hour, now it could be up to a 90 minute interval between eruptions. The geyser can attain a height of 106 ft. to 185 ft. and spew water for up to 10 minutes.

Old Faithful

We first saw Old Faithful and Yellowstone Park before the horrible forest fires in 1988. There was a lot of old growth trees and undergrowth.  After the fires, we went up the following year. It was amazing what a forest fire does. Yes, it is devastating, but it gives a forest life. The wild flowers were amazing! As a forest ranger told me a forest needs to burn in order to survive otherwise they die.  Everything around the Old Faithful Lodge was cleared out and you could see new life taking place. They almost lost the lodge that was built in 1904, but Mother Nature turned the winds and saved the structure. Matter of fact the fires cleared out a lot of old growth that needed to be gone as it allowed you to really see the beauty of the park as not previously seen before.

One thing that I will caution everyone on and when I say don’t do it I really mean DON’T DO IT! DON’T GET OFF THE BOARDWALKS!!!! I can’t stress this enough.  Yes, the earth’s crust looks solid and you see buffalo walking across it, but you don’t know what water or steam vent is running just below the surface that won’t support your weight and it is more than boiling.  You will be gone in a matter of seconds. Many people have lost their lives and parents, please, please hold on to your children’s hands! You don’t want a tragedy to happen.

Enjoy the park, marvel at the beauty of the surroundings, be in awe of the power of nature, but be wary of it.

Take lots of pictures and have fun. Come home safe and sound.