my excellent adventure

Or as my father called it "Madeleine's Most Excellent Adventure" Some of you may have gathered by now that I am back in Washington State. To welcome me back it has been full of sunshine and warm days; thank you Washington!

 As long as I can remember Dad has talked about his summer he spent in Yellowstone. He hitchhiked his way out to Wyoming and spent four months driving the laundry truck, camping, and meeting the girl that I would later get my middle name from (no, its not my mother). Yellowstone sounded magical from his stories. On our second day of our trip out here, Dad asked if I wanted to go. Well, let me tell you. I am a schedule person, deviating from any schedule/plan/routine especially when there is not another one set in place. In the  spirit of being an adventurer I said yes. Well, about 8 hours into our drive towards Yellowstone, we discovered that the only gate that was open was the North Gate, the only one that we would not be able to have access to from the road we were on. I had gotten my hopes up, listened to my dad's stories, and wanted to get into what I now perceive as the most magical place on earth. On top of this, I was sick. We stopped in Cody, Wyoming that night, defeated, and met the only LSU fan I now will consider my friend. He let us in on a little secret... the gates were unofficially open! After staying in a 1960's motel (which was awesome!) we took Yellowstone.

my dad never saw bears while he was there and they are hard to spot, we saw 4!

There is no where like Yellowstone; as I was driving through I wanted to grab a backpack and hiking boots (yeah, it was that good) and hike through the backwoods and discover the magic that this place held. I felt an appreciation for nature and this country that I had never felt before. It sounds corny, but things are so unchanged and it is so peaceful that it welcomes you in and you want to stay. I can't wait to go back and wish that everyone will have a chance to visit one day!