Old Faithful

One Saturday in July, I joined a thousand people in the courtyard for Old Faithful’s 3:20 afternoon performance at Yellowstone National Park. Each of us held a cell phone or camera, ready to take pictures and videos of the once-in-a-lifetime event. Well, that’s once-in-a-lifetime for us spectators, anyway.

People around me whispered reverently, as though waiting for a service to begin. When Old Faithful erupted, it started gently with steam and little squirts of water, like a super-soaker water gun. Over three-minute’s time, it produced more steam and bigger and bigger sprays to a crescendo of spewing hot, almost boiling water, 120 feet in the air for a good sixty seconds.

Everyone oohed and aahed at the breathtaking finale. I couldn’t decipher the many languages of the surrounding families, but when it came to the oohs and aahs and smiles and sighs at the conclusion, we all understood. And peace reigned. After five minutes of spewing near-boiling water high into the air, the geyser calmed down and went back to steaming and spitting little bursts of water, and one thousand smiling people quietly parted ways.

The most grandiose fireworks display could not compare. We knew we had seen something we’d remember for a lifetime. What a spectacular display of nature!

The most famous geyser in the world got its name for being so predictable. Old Faithful erupts day and night every 30-120 minutes 365 days a year. Word has it that it spews even if no one shows up to see it, but when they do, oh what a show they see.

I found it exhilarating to be a part of such a diverse crowd, experiencing a show of nature so amazing words alone cannot describe. People tout Yellowstone as one of our nation’s most fabulous parks for a reason. Folks come from all over the world to see the geysers at our country’s first national park. It’s worth the trip.

Oh, what a joy it was to not only see the most famous geyser in the world, but to experience it with people from all over the world.

Have you seen Old Faithful? What was the experience like for you? Please scroll down and share your story below.