1st Full Day inYellowstone!

We did A LOT with the one full day we had in Yellowstone on Sunday. We started the day with a Christian service on the balcony of Old Faithful Inn. The views from the balcony, as well as the message presented, confirmed God is all around! Places like these do not exist on their own! We had a nice breakfast and enjoyed God's beauties all day! We started by seeing Old Faithful geyser up close. I had no idea what a geyser was before this trip, so I will share my wisdom! Geysers are hot springs with their own plumbing systems. They erupt as pressure begins to build up in this plumbing system, releasing huge volumes of hot water! Some geysers erupt every couple minutes, while others are inactive for years! Old Faithful, faithful he is, for he erupts every 92 minutes, give or take 10 minutes! The water in these geysers are about 200 degrees! So, naturally you would die if you fell in and people have! Also, if anything is thrown into the geyser, like coins or cans, this will back up the plumbing system, the geyser will dry up and will never be restored! We saw perhaps hundreds of geysers, most of them still alive and well but others dried up.
After walking about 3-4 miles in the morning, noting the beauty of the geysers minutes away from our hotel, we took a break for lunch. After lunch and nap time for me, we set on an expedition looking for Fairy Falls, which I THOUGHT was only a mile away, turned into a 5 1/2 mile hike, and we did not see the falls! I could not find them!! So, Papa G was not too happy :/ lol We were not very prepared hikers, either. We had no water, food and I insisted earlier in the day I did not want sunscreen because I wanted to color my albino body! Oh, I got color alright!! My forearms, neck and nose are FRIED!! Ooooops! The hike wasn't a complete waste, though, we saw more bison up close and had beautiful views of Midway Geyser Basin and Goose Lake!
When we FINALLY made it to the car, an 1 1/2 later and amazingly still alive, we chugged water and ate the remaining bag of veggie chips, or at least I did ;) Our goal was to head to Yellowstone Canyon, 45 minutes away and still in Yellowstone. We arrived safely and were able to enjoy the GIGANTIC canyon, upper falls and lower falls! We hiked down to the lookout point just over the lower falls, refreshed by its overwhelming charm! From this view, you feel on top of the world! Capable of anything! Enjoy the pictures!! But what goes down, must come up! So we hiked 1 mile up the ramp, a level 7 or 8 incline on the elliptical machine!! My butt is still burning today, in addition to my first layer of skin that was burned off! This journey was completely worth it, though!!! We even saw a bald eagle soaring above the canyon! AMERICA! (for some reason I hear G.W. saying this in his Texan accent). Dad called it an early night, as I grabbed a bison burger and a couple beers at the lounge. I met many new friends, all employees at Yellowstone. It was like a post college bar, everyone in their 20s and 30s. They informed me business was really slow for this time of year. Usually they will have 800 to 1,000 dinner reservations a night in the restaurant, and they have only had as many as 400. People apparently make reservations in the restaurant years in advance! And one of the bartenders who waited on me received a $500 tip one night from an overly generous customer! I also found out that Yellowstone is open in the winters, but the only roads plowed are near the Mammoth Hot Springs, very northwest in the park. The areas we explored could only be accessed with a snowmobile! But apparently they are open for business during this time. The geysers do not stop erupting during the winter, either! I don't think I could work at Yellowstone in the winter, but I met many people who love it! Perhaps I will discuss with my recruiter the need for nurses in National Parks, especially during the summer months ;) If it's possible, I would LOVE to be the clinic nurse at Yellowstone, Yosemite or Tahoe! I was told they get very interesting injuries too! Hmmm. Not a shabby job at all!