Rain, light at first. A smattering by the campfire, a song on the tent roof. The music got louder. Boy did it get louder. I either woke up every time the rain stopped or every time it poured so loud I was sure we would experience a flash flood. Luke and Asimov seemed to sleep well; I just kept pretending that I didn't need to go visit the restroom (it was on the other side of camp and I knew I'd be swept away or at least drenched–and with three tents surrounding us and no bushes to hide behind . . . yeah).
Oh, but day four! Anniversary day! A rough night wasn't stopping us from packing up a wet tent and driving early to Yellowstone. The downpour probably kept most of the animals in hiding, but we did see some elk, here and there. (Oh, we left town after getting coffee. We discovered Tully's in Albertson's.)
How did we luck out? The busy summer season, a long drive from our campground, and still we found parking and got a front-row seat for Old Faithful. Then, after hiking around on the boardwalks, we ate in the cafeteria before the lines stretched to the door—before any lines at all. And, the rain had let up for us!
So I don't really need to describe the geysers. You've either been there or you need to go and just experience it all for yourself. But don't believe Luke when he tells you that the Infant Geyser is where they toss in the sacrifices. I know, we saw the people walking away, pushing an empty stroller, but they just DO NOT do that there.
The day wound down as we drove out of the park and entered Montana. But that was just a blink-and-miss-it visit to my birth state because soon we were in Idaho and looking for our next night's stop. Okay, so here's the story of our trip planning: we didn't plan. You know it's wise to reserve ahead of time when wanting to visit a world-famous park in the height of tour season, but we just didn't do that. No, what it came down to is a few days before time to leave Luke gave me the reins and I looked for what was left in the way of camping or hotel. And websites can look so good even when the place is just, well, just not the resort its name claims it to be. I was so excited that I had found ANY campgrounds available, but when I looked at the weather report I decided that my three nights in a hotel sounded wise for the later part of our trip. Then, I started reading the reviews. NOOO! Too late to cancel.
But relaxing here on the mattress, listening to the thunder and watching the rain out the window, we see that it's not such a bad choice after all.
Luke's Top Ten Reasons Why a Cheap Hotel is Better Than a Tent (sometimes):
The room is larger than a tent (no, don't pull out a measuring tape-it's bigger!)
Bathroom is close and a far less social experience
Bugs are smaller and don't bite, much
The smell of smoke is from burning microwave popcorn and not dozens of campfires that smoke more
than they burn
Hard mattress and nasty blankets can be replaced with comfy new air mattress and blankets from home
The only drip, drip, drip is the sound from the shower faucet
Who needs trees when you have wood paneling from the 70s?
You can get TV with nothing on and wireless Internet without the Internet (this is of course to simulate a rugged camping experience—funny that the wireless was great in the campground)
By the office you can find a Pepsi machine (the campground only had Coke products)
And the number one reason: There's a pool!!!!! But please follow the Healthy Swimming guidelines: “Please wash your child (especially the rear end) thoroughly with soap and water before swimming.”
(We didn't swim.)
Hooray, ready to post and share with you, my beloved readers! Oh. Wait. Can't do that. No Internet connection at the moment.
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