Raising a Modern Day Knight

On a beautiful Wednesday evening, in front of an open fire, overlooking the raging Yellowstone River, the boys and men in our group participated in a very special observance.  For years, Ted has been training our boys along the principles of a book by Robert Lewis called Raising a Modern Day Knight.  This book uses the ethical foundation on which the knights of old became legendary to train modern-day boys to be strong men of God.  The creed of the knight is that:  real men resist passivity, real men accept responsibility, real men lead with courage, and real men work for a higher reward.  Their motto is that “A knight has a will to obey, a work to do, and a woman to love [right now, a mother… later a wife].  The scripture challenge was Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service”.

This night, Connor was presented a silver chalice signifying his position as a Page.  Over the next few years he will earn other rewards cumulating in the presentation of a sword and ring with the family crest.  You may want to consider reading this book if you are a father to sons.  

The Hike Along the Yellowstone Trail

Although we started right next to our RV's in Montana, our hike along the Yellowstone trail took us riverside into Wyoming and the Yellowstone Park itself.  We stepped over a fresh elk carcass, saw three others in varying states of decay, and observed a great deal of God's creation.  I have never seen such a beautiful part of the country.  This is why we love the RV life.  You can't buy times like this.

Chill Time

The boys enjoyed some gaming on our "basement" TV after our second 10 hour day at the park.  The weather was absolutely perfect!  We will add a few more states to our map on this trip.  Only seven more to go!

The Group Shot!

Here it is!  The one and only picture of the entire Hudlow / King clan.  [From left]: Lacy, Connor, Mike, Jacob, Melody, Kris, Ted. [front row]: Evan and Adam.    This picture was taken in front of the enormous, geyser laden Yellowstone Lake.

We decided on this trip that this will certainly be an annual event for our families.  What a wonderful time we have had.

Picnic in the Snow

Our guide provided a nice picnic lunch for us each day.  The side of the park where we saw the wildlife yesterday is 50 miles from the side of the park where the geysers can be found.  Today we ate in the warm sun, but many feet of snow is still present in the area.  The boys had a great time having a snowball fight after lunch!

Danger in the Park

We strolled along the elevated sidewalks as water boiled underneath, a constant reminder of the massive Super Volcano that sits below.  We could not help but ask our guide to tell us the gruesome stories of death at Yellowstone.  Since Yellowstone was established, grizzlies have mauled five people to death and three visitors have been killed by bison. While backcountry hikers may be well aware that grizzlies and bison can be dangerous threats, Yellowstone visitors can get into serious trouble while wandering near the park's heavily visited geyser basins and other geothermal features. Just this June, a six-year-old Utah boy suffered serious burns after he slipped on a wet boardwalk in the Old Faithful area. The boy fell into hot water that had erupted from nearby West Triplet Geyser. He survived, but 20 park visitors have died, the most recent six years ago, scalded by boiling Yellowstone waters as hot as 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  I can’t help but wonder what it was like for the Native American’s and early explorers of the park.  Yellowstone is a constantly changing landscape.  The dozens of earthquakes that quietly rock the park every day shift the “plumbing” of the geysers and often change the temperature of the water.  The boiling water beyond Evan and I in the 1^st picture is on the location of what once was a Yellowstone Parking lot.  Ground that looks firm may be only a thin crust of mud above a boiling cauldron below.  We saw a bison that had recently burned its tail off; raw bloody flesh still oozing from it’s fresh wound.  Surely large numbers of people were injured and killed before they were armed with the knowledge we have today.  This was a truly amazing experience that everyone must see firsthand.

Old Faithful

I have read about it my whole life, so it was a thrill to see and experience the park’s most famous geyser.  Just as spectacular was our visit to the historic Old Faithful Inn that was built during the winter (I can’t imagine that) of 1903 – 1904. Robert C. Reamer, who wanted the asymmetry of the building to reflect the chaos of nature, designed this hotel.  The lobby of the hotel features a 65-foot ceiling, a massive rhyolite fireplace, and railings made of contorted lodgepole pine.  Wings were added in 1915 and 1927.  The Northern Pacific Railroad financed the original construction of Old Faithful Inn and the Department of the Interior allowed building materials to be gathered within Yellowstone National Park itself. Railroad workers who normally build the trussells over which the trains travel did the construction of the massive logs.  Disney’s Ft. Wilderness was built based on the design of this impressive and historic building that sits directly in front of the Old Faithful Geyser.

Geothermal Day at Yellowstone

There are no words or pictures that can truly capture what it is like to walk among the planet’s most diverse and intact collection of geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles. Its more than 300 geysers make up two thirds of all those found on earth. Combine this with more than 10,000 thermal features comprised of brilliantly colored hot springs, bubbling mudpots, and steaming fumaroles, and you have a place like no other. Geyserland, fairyland, wonderland--through the years, all have been used to describe the natural wonder and magic of this unique park that contains more geothermal features than any other place on earth.

"Yellowstone's Grand Canyon"

One of the many impressive areas of the park is the deep canyon of the Yellowstone River, featuring the upper and lower portions of Yellowstone Falls they call “Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon”.  Yellowstone's complex geologic history is expressed in vivid colors and dramatic shapes that can be seen from several different points of view.  Puffs of steam mark the locations of active geothermal features in the canyon's walls. The Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River add to the grandeur of this unique natural treasure.  Truly it is a sight to behold!