Everyone comes to Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful. Maybe it is the 106 to 185-foot tall plumes of boiling water shot into the air. It could be the 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of scalding liquid dispelled in each eruption. Perhaps it is the grand predictability of the eruptions—averaging every 90 minutes. Or maybe everyone has just said “this is where you go” and so thousands of people from around the world crowd a boardwalk around a hole in the ground every 90 minutes and then file away for the next frothing earthly phenomena.
We came because Old Faithful is amazing. After hearing horror stories of overwhelming crowds, we arrived early. There were only a few hundred people at the boardwalk. At first, I settled into a central location, facing north. But after relaxing for 10 minutes, Old Faithful started grumbling and I reassessed my location. It’s early morning, I should have my back to the sun. The grass looks greener to the east. And, most importantly, “what if?” I scurried over to the east side of the boardwalk and snagged one of the few unobstructed views of the geyser that still remained. Oh yes, this was the spot.
