On May 3, I had my first day of work at Old Faithful General Store in the Upper Geyser Basin; working as a retail stocker. My coworkers were very welcoming and kind, and I was the youngest there at 14. I loved the store; it was one of the biggest in the park and had beautiful wood rafters. My first week was really fun, but I was ready for the weekend to come. My legs and feet were angry with me, but it got better as I became used to being on my feet all day.
My first paycheck
That weekend, we went to Idaho Falls for the day. It was far away, but we had a fun day. We went to a ballet (Alice in Wonderland) and had lunch at Panera, which I hadn't been to in a while. One thing I've realized after living in Yellowstone for a while; is that I enjoy having civilization close by, but at the same time I enjoy the freedom and confidence I get being away from it. Yellowstone is so vast and beautiful and diverse, that it's like a real-life wonderland. I feel so free here, and it's a feeling I never get in big cities.
At Panera with one of their new elevated lemonades
My birthday was May 15, which was a Sunday. The Friday before, I got the best and biggest surprise ever. My friends I'd met while RV-ing in Orlando, Florida, (Shae, Shiloh, and Owen) had come to spend the weekend with us. I was so happy and surprised that I cried, and we had a great weekend together. On my birthday, the weather got so warm that I was able to walk around in a T-shirt (which may not sound like a huge accomplishment, but it was). We went around the park exploring, and got to see so much. It was a really great day.
Reunited!
Their sweet Chocolate Lab; Moose
Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs
Found a cute photo opp with Shiloh and Mia on a bridge by the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces
We spotted a mama grizzly and her two cubs by the roadside, scratching around for food
Headed to Old Faithful geyser (you can tell the weather's already getting warm!)
A boiling hot spring. When the steam from the thermal features would blow on the boardwalk and hit us, it was so warm. Then the wind would blow and cool us off.
These beautiful colors come from thermophiles; heat loving bacteria
Heart Spring on the boardwalk near Old Faithful geyser. This boardwalk was one of my favorites
Kepler Cascades, not far from my campground. This was our first waterfall at Yellowstone, and it was a good one
Belgian Pool was such a light, clear blue and was so deep; it was absolutely beautiful
On my birthday night, the lighting was just perfect for a photo shoot with Shiloh. She was such a good little model
This was my favorite shot; it really captured her personality
I did a photo shoot with Shae the next night, and she looked so pretty!
Next week, we went to the Old Faithful Inn for a tour of the crow's nest-- a tree house perched in the rafters of the Inn's lobby. We even got to go up on the roof and watch Old Faithful go off--it was a really cool experience that I definitely recommend.
The view from above, looking down on the lobby
Robert Reamer built the Old Faithful Inn and built this little treehouse, tucked away in the rafters of the Inn
Mia got to help the tour guide retire the Montana flag...
...and my parents got to help retire the American flag!
Our view from the roof of Old Faithful erupting
That same week, I got another surprise visit from my friends, the Hendricks! We went to Grand Teton National Park and Jackson, Wyoming with them that weekend. Grand Teton was so wonderful; it's my new favorite mountain range. It's the sort of mountains you see on the postcards-- jagged, blue, snowy-peaked, and looming.
The most photographed barn in the world: the Moulton Barn
Grand Tetons were so majestic, they are a definite must-see
As the weather began getting warmer, I began to enjoy and appreciate Yellowstone even more. In my next post, I'll tell you all about my summer and the biggest flood Yellowstone had seen in a century.
Hanging out with friends in downtown West Yellowstone
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