We have  spent several  days touring Yellowstone National Park.  This is a recount of our first visit. The park encompasses 2.2 million acres and spreads into 3 states.   From our campground that is located in Idaho, we travel through Montana and then Wyoming to reach the park.  It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law in 1872 granting it the first national park in the world.  It is known for its wildlife, geothermal features, many types of ecosystems, canyons, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and mountain ranges.    The park is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super-volcano on the continent.  Thousands  of minor earthquakes take place annually which keep  the geyser spouts  free  allowing them to erupt.  It is home to bison, elk, black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, moose, river otters, osprey and trumpeter swans.

Road from our campground to Yellowstone.

 The Fountain Paint Pot is named for the reds, yellows and browns of the mud in this area. The differing colors are derived from oxidation of the iron in the mud. The heat in the caldera forces pressurized water up through the ground.  Rising gasses cause the bubbling action. The bubble action in the mud varies with the seasons. In the early summer, the mud is watery from the high water table due to rain and snow melt. By the end of summer, the mud is much thicker as the water table drops.

There are geysers everywhere in Geyser Basin area.    Of course the most famous is Old Faithful.   We arrived at the Old Faithful parking lot around 10 am.     Not only could we not find a close parking space, we couldn't find any parking space.   I had no idea there were so many visitors this time of the year.   I know July and August is wall to wall people....and up to June 1 some of the roads are still closed with snow, so we thought arriving mid June we would miss the snow and people....WRONG!.   So we skipped it today with a plan to arrive much earlier on our next attempt.

 Yellowstone has approximately half of the world's geysers and  we did get to see some nice ones  along our drive.

Geysers everywhere!!

Jet Geyer

Hot spring = Celestine Pool.

We have seen lots of bison, a few elks but no bears.   I will be really disappointed if I don't see any bears.  Ron keeps promising we will see some before we leave.  Of course, he really doesn't know that we will, but for the time being it stops me from whining.

We saw several  fly fisherman.   The many rivers within the park are shallow and apparently ideal for this type of fishing.

Stay tuned for our continued "bear watch"

Hope all is well.

"There is no such thing as a bad boy"

We are back.....that is our blog is back..... and we are currently in Council Bluffs, IA.   We spent the 6 months of winter in Foley, Alabama at the Bella Terra RV Resort.  This was our third winter there and we have made many life long friends.    After leaving AL we spent a few days in Normandy TN and had a nice spot on Normandy Lake.

Luckily, we chose not to accept the initial site they had assigned us.  Here's what it looked like after a couple of days of rain.   The site we were in stayed dry. Phew!!

While in that area we were able to visit friends, Tom and Sue who live about 60 miles northeast of our campground.   They came down one day and we toured the Jack Daniels Distillery.  None of us are whiskey drinkers, but still enjoyed our day.  Another day they hosted us at their home in Sparta TN.   We got the deluxe tour of beautiful vistas and waterfalls.

We then moved north to Lafayette IN to visit with our sister-in-law Terri.   We got to be there when she adopted her new companion - Brady- a 2 year old Yorkshire Terrier.   We also enjoyed lunch with our nephew Andrew along with Victoria & their new addition Finn, and a bbq with nephew Steve and Karen and Dahlia.   We had to scoot to get to South Dakota in time for  Ron to renew his drivers license.   A minor detail when you spend all of your time on the road.

  Our ultimate goal this summer is to visit Yellowstone National Park.   We had plans to arrive there June 15th, so to bide our time we spent time in Emporia, KS, Lincoln, NE and now Council Bluffs, IA.  How did we pick these places you may ask?

 We use an auxiliary braking system in our Jeep that is distributed by Hopkins Products located in Emporia, KS.  The system is bulky and cost prohibited to mail for service, so we thought since we had time we would just drive it to them.  Besides, it was south where we were hoping for warmer weather.   We have a few things on the coach in need of repair and the closest service center is located in Council Bluffs and the earliest they could take us was June 5, so we spent a week in Lincoln NE.

   While there we visited the Nebraska University campus and the State Capitol.  The capitol is a magnificent piece of architecture.  It took 10 years to erect with completion in 1933.  It is 14 stories with a 400 ft doom.  The interior features numerous marble columned chambers, vaulted mosaic tiled ceilings and floors.  The tour is about 45 minutes, after which we went up to the 14th floor observation deck, where you can see the Lincoln area for miles. Then a quick lunch at their cafe.

State Capitol interior

  On to Council Bluffs, IA...the one item they did not have time to look at is one of our jacks that will not retract, so we are waiting for another appointment at yet another service center.   We are currently staying at the Horseshoe Casino RV parking.  It is a parking lot with electrical hook ups and water.    Unfortunately, we will have to find someplace else Friday.   The College World Series takes place in Omaha and all parks and hotels are booked solid.  Oh the joys of rving.

One of the many homes built to house the current residents.
The occupants include a couple, called Family Teachers,
their family (maximum 2 children allowed) and 6-8 residents.
Girls were welcomed in the 1970's. 

We will not make our June 15th arrival in Yellowstone, so are just playing it by ear for now.

 So far the highlight of our sightseeing while here was the day we spent at Boys Town in Omaha, NE.   Ron's father was a resident at the age of 12 and was there for almost 2 years.  There is a Hall of History Museum which documents the progression  from its inception in 1917 when Father Flanagan's dream and $90 was the beginning of Boys Town.   At that time 100 boys were welcomed and today there are 12 locations and a hotline that has serviced over 8 million calls as well as a renowned hospital.   Displayed in the history hall is the Oscar awarded to Spencer Tracey for his portrayal of Fr. Flanagan  in the 1938 movie "Boys Town".

Infamous sculpture.  "He ain't heavy, he's my brother"

Plaque displayed in the Gardens of the Bible. 

The three-acre Garden of the Bible is maintained by Boys Town youth and includes rose bushes, lilies, the rose of Sharon, a burning bush, fountains, benches and olive, fig, pomegranate and cedar trees  over 150 species, all mentioned in the bible.

Dowd Memorial Chapel of the Immaculate Conception stands at the center of Boys Town.
15th Century Gothic architecture.
There is also a Protestant Church on premise, but is not open to visitors. 

Adjacent to the nave is the Fr. Flanagan Tomb. A bronze vault with six panels embossed that briefly tells his life story.

 They have a team of researchers who at Ron's request found a few archives confirming his fathers time there.   These included his arrival documentation and a newsletter featuring a couple of articles in which his father is featured.   One other building on campus is the Historical Flanagan House, where Fr. Flanagan lived from 1927-1941.   There is one room in the house which was Fathers office.  In this room a desk made for him by his boys – is the centerpiece of the study. It consists of more than 250,000 inlaid pieces of wood, twenty-five varieties in all.   Also in that room, hanging on the wall, is a framed document listing  alumni that had served in the military and listed there was Ron's father.  He was really excited to see that during our visit.  Until we received the archival documents, this was his only proof that his father really did live there.

Fr. Flanagan's desk.   

Did you know the The "Worlds Largest Ball of Stamps" is located in the Boys Town Visitors Center?

The Leon Myers Stamp Center is a museum and office located in the Boys Town Visitors Center. The Stamp Center promotes stamp collecting among youth and adults, and supports Boys Town programs by selling donated stamps.

Now its just wait for our appointment date and hope it is a simple repair and we will not have to wait longer for parts.   So far we have resisted visiting the casino.....but we are getting weak!!

Hope all is well.