Sunday, August 23, 2009

Yellowstone National Park



By Adam Frugoli
Co Editor in Chief

8/23/2009

Yesterday, we decided to take a drive to Yellowstone National Park. This was part of our "Last Trip" since Emilee started school on Thursday (8/20). We got a late start and I was not sure how the kids where going to do since they where not as excited as I was.

Emilee was looking forward to seeing "Old Reliable", it didn't mater how many times we would correct her about Old Faithful, she always called it Old Reliable.

After just getting into the west entrance of the park they got alot more excited about being their after seeing a moose family cross in front of the car.

I decided that we where not rushing against the clock I would show the girls every little hotspot or little geyser. So after four hours and thirteen miles we made it to OLD RELIABLE.

The timing could not have been better, Old Faithful lived up to her name by going off five minutes after the Frugoli's arrived. Emilee and Kaitlyn really enjoyed to see it.

I really wanted the kids to understand the parks history. We talked about Lewis and Clark and Theodore Roosevelt who protected the park. I spoke of the terrible fires in 1988 and pointed to the burnt trees. I also mentioned that the President last week had just brought his kids here too!

Every little bit being as excited as I could I would say "it's such a great thing that this park will look like this forever, we will never see malls and condo's here!" Emilee said, "Dad, we need to tell the President to clean up this mess (referring to the burnt trees)

The funny thing is we where next to another family at some dead end spot, I heard another dad telling a little girl "look, this is geothermal water!" The little girl goes in a very low and unenthusiactic "good".

So I guess I don't feel bad that my girls did not share all of my enthusiasm.

PS: The Pics from the web cam are of us! (Thanks Kent!)

1 comment:

Jim Macdonald said...

FYI, on the history of Yellowstone, - such a common mistake - and one I find repeatedly as I scan the internet daily for Yellowstone news - Teddy Roosevelt did not protect Yellowstone. The park was founded on March 1, 1872, when Roosevelt was a young teenager, and Grant was president.

Roosevelt did visit the park a couple times, once to go hunting, once as President in 1903, but he doesn't have a significant role in the park's protection.

I loved the story about "Old Reliable."

Cheers,
Jim Macdonald