Old Faithful: the story of how my parents met

For a post academic year vacation, Zach and I drove the ~14 hours from Gig Harbor, WA to Yellowstone National Park. We also went to Grand Tetons National Park. This is where my parents met and got married. My middle namesake is one of the mountains in the Grand Tetons (you'll see which one below). The drive was beautiful through Washington and Montana. Dynamic clouds, open views...

The sky became stormy as we got closer to Yellowstone, finally snowing as we entered the park (on May 30th). Everything steams here! The land, the rivers, the mountains... 

And now for the story of the animals! Among other things, we saw bison and bison calves.

Our first glimpse of Old Faithful Geyser, just outside the Old Faithful Inn where we stayed our first two nights. We estimate the geyser was about 30 feet tall and erupted every hour and 35 minutes.

The Old Faithful Lodge, where my mother (Bonnie) played guitar when (1978) she was younger than I am now, the summer she met my father (Ken).

The log cabin-like Old Faithful Inn, where my father, as a park ranger, sometimes kept "fire watch" at night because they didn't have smoke detectors. I can see the similarities to the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland and now I understand why my parents like it there so much.

As the story goes, Mom was playing her music one night in the lodge and asked all the single park rangers to form a line in front of her. She chose Papa from the bunch. I did not believe this story for most of my life until it was confirmed by an external source! More on this in a moment.

Mammoth Hot Springs shows how the Earth's crust is thinner at Yellowstone. Magma (Molten Rock) rests three miles from your feet in some places!

 Zach is taking photos at the top of Mammoth Hot springs (named "Mammoth" because the region is so large).

More animals! This new elk fawn was frightened by all the people. Two park rangers were carefully leading folks around the moving elk to rescue it from loud noises and human interaction. The mother elk left it too close to the trail.

 A hare studies me while I study her.

Not Yogi or Boo Boo, but yes, we saw a grizzly bear!

 This melted sign is a good reason to "STAY ON PATH":

 "Artist's Paint Pots" mud pots.

 Zach said this bison (same as a buffalo) is a park icon and will do as he pleases, you'll just have to wait.

 "Spasm Geyser"

Katie with "Buffy":

My father helped fight the great Yellowstone fire of 1988. This was a photo in the West Thumb visitor center display. Is that you, Papa?

At the end of their summer together my parents went to the nearby National Park, Grand Tetons to get married. And this is where Zach and I trekked next. 

They were married here behind the Jackson Lake Lodge, with this grand view. The tallest Mountain there, with the Glaciers is Mt. Moran.

We stayed in the Colter Bay Cabins where they honeymooned. They've been together ever since. 

The cabin we stayed in was built in the town of Old Moran in 1929.

My middle name is everywhere: Moran. Also the name of the artist who captured Yellowstone's beauty to persuade President Rosevelt to preserve America's wilderness. My grandparents took my father to Yellowstone when he was young and I can see how this noble cause would inspire a child to want to become a National Park Ranger. 

 Here is my best photo, taken over Jenny Lake at the Grand Teton Mountains.

 And finally, a moose and her baby. Goodbye Yellowstone! And here's to you, Mom and Papa, and your old "stomping ground!"