Gibbon Falls - Yellowstone National Park

"Rainy hugged her and said, 'Love is the only river I know whose current flows both ways.' " 

- William Kent Krueger, Northwest Angle, p. 272

(Unlike this roaring one-way segment of the Gibbon River cascading over Gibbon Falls in Yellowstone National Park.)

Further Along The Gibbon River - Yellowstone Park

blue sky air 

awash in fresh pine,

sunbeams' gentle touch

pinks slightly

lightly

cap-sleeved shoulders,

water lily pads float

distant 

in still water offshoots; 

breathe deep

this feast for the senses,

balm for the soul.

-ch

Old Faithful Geyser - Yellowstone Park

I know Old Faithful is an American classic, as much so as a bacon cheeseburger with fries or a '57 Chevy, or even Elvis (who appreciated the afore-mentioned classics). 

And I certainly don't mean to be ungrateful or to spit in the proverbial eye of such an amazing natural wonder. 

But I have to say, after all the anticipation created by years of seeing iconic photos like this one - and this one, and especially this stunning one by Ansel Adams - followed by the build up of the gorgeous drive through the Park, the triumph of circumventing the crazy crowded parking lot, the excitement of tracking the faithful event time, and then waiting amongst the ardent throng at the geyser site - after ALL that - true confession - my initial reaction to my highly anticipated first ever live-and-in-person sighting of Old Faithful was, "That's it?" 

(Please understand that this was internally spoken, of course, so as to avoid being bludgeoned by hundreds of camera-wielding tourists who travelled from afar to be awed and not to hear some local-ish yokel behind them say, "Meh.")

Whew. I'm pretty sure this qualifies me as a terrible person, but it sure feels good to get that off my chest.

On an optimistic note, I did find the paint pots to be eerily awesome. 
So, please do not judge me too harshly or abandon ship quite yet - there may be enough redemptive value in my remaining Yellowstone Park pics to off-set my Old Faithful failure.

Along The Gibbon River - Yellowstone Park

Having recovered from second (thin) helpings of the previous evening's Kiev cake, our happy little sisters+niece band wended our way merrily along the Gibbon River in Yellowstone Park, photo-snapping happily from one amazing view to another. Mid-journey, as I crouched for a lower angle along a paint pot boardwalk, sister #1 thoughtfully considered aloud, behind me, "So, since we are actually in the Wyoming part of the Park, can you technically post these photos on Montana1aDay?" 

Pop! goes my happy blogger bubble! 

But, thankfully, my thinking cap wasn't entirely dislodged (the little under-the-chin string ties really help); after a few silent minutes, the little lightbulb clicked on brightly above my head (several tourists mistook it for a halo and snapped photos) and provided this happy solution:  I shall include a disclaimer asserting that, while photo locations may technically be in the state of Wyoming, Yellowstone Park is a treasure shared geographically by three states, including Montana, thus any photos taken within the Park meet my (new and improved) posting standards.

There you have it - you've been disclaimed! 

I hope you enjoy the views, and even more hope that you are inspired to visit Yellowstone National Park in person.