Mud Pot1 As we all know space is considered to be the final frontier, one most of us will never have the opportunity to explore. But if you are interested in an adventure a little closer to home you should consider Yellowstone National Park, it is indeed a magical place. I was 10 years old and I still remember my first encounter with this marvelous place. My father had announced we were going on a family vacation to a far away place called Yellowstone where bears, elk, moose and eagles could be seen around every bend and wondrous things called geysers touched the skies. I could not imagine such a place. We packed the family into the old Studebaker and headed off. Granted not the best way to travel considering we had to stop and cool down a boiling radiator several times but it was still an exciting and fun trip. Black Bear and Cub It was late in the day as we arrived at our cabin near Fishing Bridge but there were dozens of people still lined up on the bridge, all with their fishing poles, shoulder to shoulder, hoping to catch the big one before the sun went down. I was sure that I knew fishing secrets they did not and would soon be reeling in the catch of the day. No sooner had we unloaded at our cabin we heard the yells from fellow campers “bear, bear.” Sure enough there was a momma bear and her cub strolling through the trees just behind our cabin, how exciting! Over the next few days we spotted bears, moose, and elk. We watched eagles snatch fish from the rivers to feed their young. We saw Old Faithful erupt, discovered mud pots, geysers, hot springs and gorgeous waterfalls. We marveled at the size of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon and the powerful sounds of Lower Falls. We were amazed and puzzled by the terraces at Mammoth, thrilled by the old west cook out at Roosevelt, and had a quiet picnic in Lamar Valley. It was everything I imagined and more and I hoped to return soon and often. Lower Falls2 My first trip was almost 50 years ago but it is just as fresh in my memory as if it was yesterday. We went several more times as I was growing up but as I became an adult many years passed before I had the chance to return. A few things had changed, bears were harder to spot, the crowds seemed to be bigger, and you can no longer fish from Fishing Bridge but Old Faithful still goes off and the magic is still there. There are a lot of places than you can choose for your family vacation but if you are looking for one that will have memories for a life time you should consider Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful at Dusk2 And yes I did get to fish from Fishing Bridge and use my secret fishing skills to bring in the catch of the day. But the real fish tale is always the one that got away!