"I hope your heart won't have to hurt anymore, because it's really not that sad from here."

-Memory Vague

Yesterday was yet another successful day off. Charlie, Brandi, Dillon and I hiked out to Blacksand Basin. It was almost 40 degrees outside which felt wayyyy too warm. We were all sweating like crazy, to the point where Charlie and Dillon finally just took their shirts off. Other than the uncomfortable heat, it was a very nice day to be outside.

"If you were a storm, this is how you would feel."

-Girlyman

Brandi and I had the same day off today, so we decided to walk out to the Geyser Basin. Once we got out there, it was so nice that we decided to walk all the way to Biscuit Basin. The way back was pretty tough, seeing as how we couldn't find the trail. But we made it! Yay for us.

"I felt like crying to your half-asleep heart, no reason really, sometimes I just fall apart."

-Catie Curtis

On my last day off, my friend Dillon had the day off as well. We were both in the mood to get out and see the park, so we went on the 8 hour Canyon Tour. It was very cold, especially at the end of the day when we were hit by a storm. But it was absolutely beautiful. It's amazing how different this park is in the winter compared to the summer. It's a whole different world.

Here is a video that I made of the pretty day that we had. Enjoy!

"She has decided to pretend to fall asleep. Not because she is tired. Because she needs to think."

I had today off and I decided to go for a walk around the Geyser Basin. It was soooo pretty. I can't wait for my next day off.

I started out at Old Faithful and walked along the boardwalk.










I had never seen Castle Geyser erupt before, but I got to see it today! It was beyond amazing. At one point there was so much steam around me that I couldn't even see where I was.






After the eruption was over, I walked for another hour. I wanted to stay out way longer, but my face was starting to freeze. Shucks.

"Say there is no truth. Say there are only scraps that we feebly try to sew together."

-Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.







Winter in Yellowstone has officially begun.

"Endings are my weakness and I hate them and mistrust anybody who knows when they occur."

-A Complicated Kindness

Incase I haven't made this clear, the weather here at Yellowstone is seriously bipolar. You can wake up to clear blue skies, and two hours later it might be pouring down rain. And two hours later it might be snowing. So whenever there is a clear sky that looks like it might stick around for more than two minutes, I always try to take advantage of it. Last night I went out and walked on some of the trails around Old Faithful. When I got out there, there was a big pack of bison all headed towards Old Faithful. They literally surrounded it, and I got out my camera thinking that it was as perfect as a photo opportunity can get. Then, right as I was about to take a picture, Old Faithful went off! The bison continued to calmly snack on the grass, and I once again was overwhelmed with how happy I am to be here.

"We like companionship, but we can't stand to be around people for very long. So we go get ourselves lost, come back for awhile, then get out again."

-John Krakauer

Max, Terry and I had the same day off last week, so we decided to do something fun. Employees can go on any of the tours for free as long as there is room available. We showed up for the Firehole Basin Tour and there were exactly 3 seats left. Yay! By the end of the tour it was very, very, very cold, but we didn't mind. Well, maybe I minded a little bit when I couldn't really feel my hands anymore, but I guess that's what I get for leaving my gloves in my room. Lesson learned!





The tour bus-car thing had a roof that you could take off, which was really cool because then we could take pictures as we were moving. We eventually had to put the top on after awhile because it started to rain, but for the first hour we got to ride around with no roof.


We stopped at a rest area so people could use the restroom. Max and I took the opportunity to run down to a nearby clearing and it was sooooo pretty. I would've been happy staying there all day, but unfortunately we only had ten minutes to wander around. Oh well.




We spent the rest of the tour looking at various geysers and waterfalls. You know, the usual stuff you see when you're living on a volcano.