We live on the most amazing continent! I just returned from Yellowstone National Park. It is hard to say something about it that doesn’t sound like a travelogue. And sometimes enthusiasm doesn’t do well in print. But I am passionate to share the experience and the reflections that come with it.

Traveling from my home at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, we saw antelope all through Wyoming. Coming to the Grand Tetons, the views were spectacular. I kept singing ”Home on the Range“ and ”America the Beautiful.” I don’t know if the deer and the antelope were playing, but they were all over the Park in great numbers.

I think every American should come to Yellowstone at least once in their life. It is take-your-breath-away, heart-stoppingly beautiful. I felt like I was going to church. It was like the Creator was sending a message about the beauty of this earth that we have been given. Look how gorgeous it is! Love it! Cherish it! Care for it!

Old Faithful was all that it is supposed to be. At just about 90 minutes from the last eruption, plumes of hot water and steam gushed into the air. But it’s not just Old Faithful or Mammoth Hot Springs that demonstrated geothermal activity. Through many parts of Yellowstone, you see steam rising from the earth, and bubbles rising through hot water pools.

Much of the Park is the crater of an ancient volcano that would dwarf Mount St. Helens. Many say that it is only a matter of time before that volcano erupts again. So you become vividly aware that Planet Earth is not just a cold rock. It is molten at its core and it is alive.

I’ve included some of my amateur photos with this article. I have a good, but relatively inexpensive camera. So if you are looking for the best photos in all the world, you’ve come to the wrong place. But I hope that, through these words and the images, you will feel a little closer to the sacredness of the place upon which you live—Planet Earth. That you will feel more deeply your connection to her, and, with that connection, you will feel the presence of the Creator all around you, and, most of all, within your own soul.

I also hope that you may become more vividly aware that we share this planet with all the magnificent creatures in it. How we act makes a tremendous difference to them.

And maybe you will be inspired to make a pilgrim’s journey to this shrine of the American continent. It is a testament to the wisdom of Teddy Roosevelt, who championed the National Park system, and Ferdinand V. Hayden, who originally championed the creation of the Park, and many others who have stewarded Yellowstone over the years instead of turning it over to development. May we learn from their example and vision. America, we got this one right!

When I first read Matthew Fox’s statement that one of the experiences of the mystic is radical amazement, it rung deeply true for me. Yellowstone evokes radical amazement and more. Wonder. Deep sacredness. And get-down-on-your-knees worship of the Creator and the Creation all around us.

Look how gorgeous it is! Love it! Cherish it! Care for it!

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