Twenty Trip--Boiling River

Friday, September 7th, 2012

To finish off our busy, busy day, we stopped along the Gardiner river for a bit of relaxation.

^ We stopped here ^

^ and did this. ^

This is reportedly the only spot in Yellowstone where people are really allowed to go wading. After setting foot in the Gardiner River, I think this is the only place I'd want to go swimming in Yellowstone!

You see, the Gardiner River is frigid. It is Cold. It has glacial run-off. It is not a pleasant river to just jump into.

However, this place is special. 

A little ways north from Mammoth, this is where the Boiling River emerges from its hiding place underground and joins forces with the Gardiner. The Boiling River comes from the same source as Mammoth Hot Springs. 

 This place can go from hot to cold in a matter of inches. 

 ^ HOT ^

COLD

^ COLD ^

HOT

 

My father was pretending to drop my camera into the river. I was Not Amused.

There were plenty of rocks for stacking! Further down along the banks, people had stacked rocks on the edge. 

I made a little pile of my own to add.

I wonder who built all the others, and where they're from?

After I left the water, we saw the WARNING! sign. Oh well! I'm still alive, kicking, and undiseased. ;)

This place is a little tricky to find, but easy to get to. In the past people would take soap and shampoo and bathe there, which is Strongly Discouraged by the Park, and so they don't advertise it. The link for the Boiling River Trail shows how to get to the swimming hole, otherwise the rangers at the Mammoth visitors' center 

will tell you how to get there.

~Kiwi~

12X2012: Swimming

So, I had

• Go swimming once or twice.

on my 12X2012 list. Done. Once.

We went on our long bike ride, and were planning on going down the Hill of No Return. But, as the day was hot, and our other friends lived on this one road, we chose not to.*

We swung by their house, to kidnap the two girls, only to find that they had had their phone in hand, literally about to call us up! Talk about timing! They wanted us to go swimming with them in their pool at one o'clock. The three of us decided that was feasible. The two kidnapp-ees packed sandwiches and joined their three kidnappers as we cycled to the cemetery.

The day was lovely, and hot, but lovely all the same. The breeze was blowing, and we found ourselves a nice, grassy spot in the shade, on the outer fringes of the graveyard. (Yes, we were technically inside the fence, but a ways away from the nearest gravestone.) 

Luckily we had purchased two (itty-bitty) peaches apiece from the local farm market, so there were enough for all. And we had chips, and sandwiches, and veggies, and candy sticks. Plus KK ever-so-kindly bought me not one, but Two apple cider donuts. (for which I am VERY grateful. They were lovely.)

After the eating, we played one round of Dutch Blitz (I want to play more!) and parted ways. The kidnapp-ees back to their abode and the three of us to ours, so we could gather our swim gear.

Off to the pool we went, where I spent several hours splashing and floating, and actually became tan. I've been feeling so pale this year because I'm not outside nearly enough! But the 5.5 hours in the sun that day took care of any paleness I may have had. If I end up with skin cancer from too much exposure to the sun, at least it's well-gotten tan, not just lying-out-in-the-sun-to-tan tan! Haha.

So yes, that's what I've been up to. I don't know if I'll have much time for posting next week! I'm working every day but Wednesday, and boy, this'll be a nice check! ;) I don't care for long hours until after I'm done with them and I pick up my check. THEN I love them!

(The following pictures are from waaaaaay back at our old house. They're at least 3 years old. Back when we formed proper 'in order of age' stair steps!)

~Kiwi da TannedFruit~

*(or maybe we just took the wrong turn, and turned a road early, and didn't feel like going UP the H.o.N.R. just so we could go back DOWN it.)

12 X 2012

I feel like I should blog again, but I'm not sure of what to talk about.
How about a Twelve Things to Do by 2012 list?
Okay, I'll try that.

• Finish my first year at JoAnn Fabrics. (Already 10.5 months into that, but I'll put it on here anyway.)
• Have my green bike fixed. Again. (Popped a tire last fall and haven't gotten around to replacing it. Constantly wishing I had it to ride, though)
• Learn to ride the unicycle. (I had my very first lesson tonight, and I have to say it went...so-so. Did you know you can fall 360 directions off a unicycle? Yep, mhm, you can. And I have a tire-burn on the inside of my right knee.)
• Wean myself off Facebook for 1 day a week. Or maybe just check it once on that day. (that'll be my Blogging Only day, so I get some more posts up here!)
• Go to one or two more concerts. (Preferably 3. Downhere would be great, or I hear that Michael W. Smith is doing a FREEEEE one in Milwaukee in August! Maybe if I can't go to the family reunion that weekend, if my boss doesn't give me those days off, I'll rustle up a group to go there.)
• Take an art class maybe. That would mean buckling down and Actually Doing some Artwork, but I might be able to manage that. 
• Teach my brother math. (He's 4th grade, and Mom had me helping the past couple months with his math work, but then school kinda trickled off for the summer.)
• Make a snow sculpture like THIS one, only different.
• Start making small items to sell on Etsy, and have an Etsy shop set up by this time next year. (I know that's been my goal for a few years now, but maybe I'll actually do it this time?)
• Take a bike trip to the Hill of No Return on my green bike. (It's super-steep, and has railroad tracks and a near-right-angle turn at the bottom. How much more danger can this girl handle? Rhetorical question.)
• Plan my Twenty Trip. (When my sister & parents had to go to Las Vegas for her college course, they promised that they'd take each of the rest of us on a trip when we turned twenty. Well, guess how old I'll  be next March? Um, yeah, that's a bit scary....)
• Go swimming once or twice.

I might change it up some between now and 2012, but that's what I have right now. I challenge readers of this blog to do the same--find 12 things you want to do before twenty-twelve, and blog about them!

~Kiwi~