When you have an anxiety disorder, it's difficult to just relax and enjoy yourself. I used to hear phrases like "Be still," "Be present," or "Be in the moment," and I didn't fully comprehend what they meant. Tonight I realized that this is just one more thing I love about these trips I take. I am sitting here in an alpine meadow a short walk away from my campsite, and I am fully present. The sun is setting, the Gibbon River is rushing by (I love rivers in the mountains; the water is always in a hurry, like it has miles to go before it sleeps), I hear at least five different bird songs, and some type of insect that looks kind of like a bumblebee is flitting from plant to plant. I never feel this peaceful in everyday life. The mountains are magic.
Another thing I love about camping is how it changes my sleep cycle. I go to bed not long after the sun sets and am up not long after the sun rises. Today I set my alarm for 6:15 and was up at 6:00. My goal was to drive across Wyoming, through Yellowstone, and make it to Craters of the Moon NM in Idaho.
As usual, things did not go as planned. But this time, in a good way.
Last summer, when we'd see something particularly breathtaking, Jason would say, "Oh my holy." I found myself saying it too, but stopped after I got back to Chicago. Not intentionally; I just didn't think to say it.
Today, after rounding a corner in Bighorn Canyon, it just fell out of my mouth. "Oh my holy" is pretty much all you can say in the presence of such beauty. And this continued throughout the drive. Sight after sight so spectacular, those were the only words I had. As soon as I entered Yellowstone, I knew there was no way I could just drive through.
My first stop was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I saw both the upper and lower falls. Looking down at the upper falls actually made me dizzy; I've never seen so much water flowing before. I made a quick video to send to Kristin, since she is obsessed with chasing flow. Every overlook was unbelievably beautiful.
And then, something totally amazing happened.
A few months ago, I pinned a picture on Pinterest of a river flowing through a canyon. I was determined to find out where this picture was taken, because I wanted to go there. That tab was open on my iPad for weeks! After much digging, I found it on someone's Flickr account, but they didn't say where it was taken. I figured it was probably in some country on the other side of the world.
Today, overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, I realized I was standing in the spot where that picture was taken. I know this sounds silly, but seriously, what are the chances?! As Amanda would say, it was a dream come true. I'm only five days into this trip, and I can't count the times I've been overcome with joy and thankfulness for this life I've been given.
After securing a spot in a campground at a lower elevation (I'm still at 6800 feet- I hope I don't freeze to death!) I went to check out Mammoth Hot Springs. This is one of my most vivid memories from when I was here as a kid, and it looked exactly the same. So crazy looking! This time, however, I felt slightly disappointed. The area looked a lot like the geyser in Green River, UT, except there you can walk around in the water.
I stopped for dinner in the area and had this hilarious moment where I started laughing in an employee's face, just like that time at Wisconsin Dells with Nina. "Chad!!!" It would take too much to explain why this was hilarious, but I wanted to write it down so I'd remember.
Upon arriving back at camp, I saw a situation in which a picture is worth a thousand words. I got a picture of the buffalo by this campsite, but I was unable to capture the couple standing helplessly by their car, wondering what they were supposed to do. I stopped to chat and learned it was their first time camping. So funny.
All right, the sun has gone down, and it's getting kinda chilly... The low for tonight is 38. I hope I survive!!
Another thing I love about camping is how it changes my sleep cycle. I go to bed not long after the sun sets and am up not long after the sun rises. Today I set my alarm for 6:15 and was up at 6:00. My goal was to drive across Wyoming, through Yellowstone, and make it to Craters of the Moon NM in Idaho.
As usual, things did not go as planned. But this time, in a good way.
Last summer, when we'd see something particularly breathtaking, Jason would say, "Oh my holy." I found myself saying it too, but stopped after I got back to Chicago. Not intentionally; I just didn't think to say it.
Today, after rounding a corner in Bighorn Canyon, it just fell out of my mouth. "Oh my holy" is pretty much all you can say in the presence of such beauty. And this continued throughout the drive. Sight after sight so spectacular, those were the only words I had. As soon as I entered Yellowstone, I knew there was no way I could just drive through.
My first stop was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I saw both the upper and lower falls. Looking down at the upper falls actually made me dizzy; I've never seen so much water flowing before. I made a quick video to send to Kristin, since she is obsessed with chasing flow. Every overlook was unbelievably beautiful.
And then, something totally amazing happened.
A few months ago, I pinned a picture on Pinterest of a river flowing through a canyon. I was determined to find out where this picture was taken, because I wanted to go there. That tab was open on my iPad for weeks! After much digging, I found it on someone's Flickr account, but they didn't say where it was taken. I figured it was probably in some country on the other side of the world.
Today, overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, I realized I was standing in the spot where that picture was taken. I know this sounds silly, but seriously, what are the chances?! As Amanda would say, it was a dream come true. I'm only five days into this trip, and I can't count the times I've been overcome with joy and thankfulness for this life I've been given.
After securing a spot in a campground at a lower elevation (I'm still at 6800 feet- I hope I don't freeze to death!) I went to check out Mammoth Hot Springs. This is one of my most vivid memories from when I was here as a kid, and it looked exactly the same. So crazy looking! This time, however, I felt slightly disappointed. The area looked a lot like the geyser in Green River, UT, except there you can walk around in the water.
I stopped for dinner in the area and had this hilarious moment where I started laughing in an employee's face, just like that time at Wisconsin Dells with Nina. "Chad!!!" It would take too much to explain why this was hilarious, but I wanted to write it down so I'd remember.
Upon arriving back at camp, I saw a situation in which a picture is worth a thousand words. I got a picture of the buffalo by this campsite, but I was unable to capture the couple standing helplessly by their car, wondering what they were supposed to do. I stopped to chat and learned it was their first time camping. So funny.
All right, the sun has gone down, and it's getting kinda chilly... The low for tonight is 38. I hope I survive!!
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