Old Faithful or a Garden Hose?
“Who pushed the eruption button?” Photo by JMS
My Brother-in-Law will often implore the first time visitor to Yellowstone to skip Old Faithful. “Come on! There are much better things to see than the crowds and parking lots of Old Faithful! When we get home I will turn on my garden hose in the backyard every hour and you can enjoy Old Faithful!”
I wholeheartedly agree with his view. The crowds feel oppressive and I feel Yellowstone has much more to offer than this geyser, but I do appreciate that Old Faithful is a national icon. Steering clear of Old Faithful would be like choosing to avoid visiting the Sidney Dairy Barn on a drive through Sidney, Illinois. As if there was any other reason for going to Sidney?
Old Faithful is the granddaddy of the greatest concentration of geysers in the world! Yellowstone was originally protected for its thermal features. Old Faithful started it all.
So…. Brave the crowds to see Old Faithful. Remember the people who protected this place and many other special places because they thought you should see this beauty in the same way they saw it many years ago.
Spread #11:
Water seeps and trickles underneath the soil,
Till it reaches magma and begins to boil,
Pressure sends it back up to the surface fast!
Hot water and steam produce Old Faithful’s blast.
Spread #12:
Hot water also creates deep colorful pools
Bacteria stains orange and tints in azuls
But don’t throw objects in the pools like a fool
To preserve their beauty please observe this rule!
Spread #13:
Well, did you enjoy the slides I projected?
“They were so good, much better than expected,
Water sure shows how everything’s connected,
We love Yellowstone, we’re glad it’s protected!”
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