The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons

"The Yellowstone Park is at the southern extremity of a great system of mountain ranges, the northern Rocky Mountains, sometimes called the Geyser Ranges. This geological province extends into British America, but its most wonderful scenery is in the upper Yellowstone basin, where geysers bombard the heavens with vapor distilled in subterranean depths. The springs which pour out their boiling waters are loaded with quartz, and the waters of the springs, flowing away over the rocks, slowly discharge their fluid magma, which crystallized in beautiful forms and builds jeweled basins that hold pellucid waters." (pg. 67).

The book overall reminds me of when I was young and I would migrate with my parents to the state of Wyoming. Every summer we would go to Powell, Wyoming and my parents would work in the fields. I remember that we lived in a mobile home that was about 150 feet away from the cliff that led down to the Colorado River. I used to love going and getting as close as I could to the edge of the cliff and look down at the river. One summer my grandparents went up to visit us for two weeks. Their next stop was California and on the way they had planned to stop at Yellowstone Park. They invited me to go with them. I have to mention that Yellowstone Park was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. The trees were hundreds of feet tall and you could see the vapor of the geysers floating in the air. I actually tried to touch the water of one of the geysers, but luckily my grandfather pulled me away before I did. I was just curious to see how hot it was. This passage reminds me so much of the time I went to Yellowstone Park.