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As appealing as our cowboy bar experience had been, we couldn’t stay all night because
morning held promise of more adventure. So after a few more strange stares from some of locals and suspicious smiles from others, we departed Staci’s and headed back down that dark road.
The next day we awoke bright and early and headed out towards Yellowstone National Park. Upon entering town of West Yellowstone, I immediately felt as though we had gone back in time to some familiar yet unknown place that was a cross between Mayberry and Twilight Zone. But as we followed signs into Yellowstone National Park, a feeling of anticipation rose up inside of me, and I must admit that I was secretly on lookout for Ranger Bob, Yogi Bear and his little friend, Boo-Boo.
The sights of natural hot springs and clay-like mud pots were breathtaking. Watching bison graze at a distance as we sat eating fruit and nuts on a log by side of road, we were very careful not to litter this pristine wilderness obviously created by sovereign hand of God. It was all so surreal.
Traipsing through what we had hoped wasn’t off-limits territory reserved only for bison, I realized that we should head back to our car when we noticed enormous piles of bison poop in tall, golden brush. Hmmmm, how fast can a bison run, and could I outrun one if motivated by fear for my life? I wasn’t convinced I wanted to find out, so after much whining and sharing my fears of hypothetical situations of two of us being eaten by a family of bison, my friend finally consented to my cowardice and we headed back to safety of parking lot civilization.
Further up road into Park, we came to spot known world wide for its perfect timing—Old Faithful geyser. Amazingly, we arrived within only two minutes of moment of truth, geyser’s eruption, which is said to take place every 80 minutes on average. Watching gentle puffs of steam become a graceful gush of water shooting powerfully high up into air, I was indeed impressed by nature’s awe-inspiring display of beauty. And just as quickly as it had begun, it all ended in a slow, quiet lull of nothingness—until next time.
Our walking tour of other geysers around Old Faithful site was equally awesome. Sturdy wood-beamed pathways led us over bubbling pools of mud and steaming hot springs. Careful not to lean too far forward or to drop anything into pools, we carefully heeded warning signs about their intense heat, reportedly hot enough to boil rubber off of a jogging shoe (not to mention tender skin off of my bones!).
But suddenly heat of pools wasn’t a concern, when just up ahead about 30 feet we noticed a big, hairy mass of flesh munching away at brush on side of walking path. A real life bison, up close and personal. We froze in our tracks awaiting any sign that this big fella might be intimidated by our presence, or even worse, that he might begin to see us as two tasty morsels just ripe for eatin’. We were stuck between fear and almost uncontrollable urge to laugh out loud at this unbelievable sight. And wouldn’t you know it—no more film in camera! We slowly eased past mammoth beast keeping our four eyes on his two and ready to run like Flo Jo if threat presented itself. With that experience, there was no doubt that Yellowstone was highlight of this trip.
On last day of our great Montana adventure, we hit road and did some more side-tripping. Traveling up highway 287, we passed through town of Ennis and then journeyed through Virginia City, a little “ghost town” that has been preserved as an historic area. The old wooden buildings reminded me of town in Little House on Prairie. As we walked dusty road I half expected to be caught in middle of a shootout between town sheriff and an unwelcome troublemaker.
Eventually, we found ourselves at Three Forks, a watery junction where three rivers (the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin rivers) meet to form mouth of Missouri River. As we stood there watching swirl of brown waters and feeling drizzle of an oncoming downpour, we realized that this crossroads signified end of our trip. One full of unexpected treasures and surprises we could have never planned. Back to reality tomorrow. But what an adventure we had experienced.
Back in Billings we hesitated a bit as we returned our rental car and headed into airport, relishing our serendipitous escapade as we caught one last glimpse of freshly snow-capped mountains in distance. An adventure, indeed. One I will never forget, and one that I believe will set standard for all future vacations for me. Plan a little, experience a lot. That is now my vacation slogan.
Anita Paul is a freelance writer, marketing consultant and owner of The Write Image, a marketing communications company that caters to small businesses and non-profit organizations. With over ten years experience in marketing and public relations, she is the author of "Take The Mystery Out Of Marketing" a guide to help business owners create, execute and evaluate a strategic marketing plan. She can be reached at www.thewriteimage.net.
