Yesterday: day eight. The first thing we got out and did was drive around a loop and see some sights. At an overlook to a waterfall on Firehole River, we saw some chipmunks. I wanted to lure them close to get a picture, so I ran back to the RV and got a biscuit that wasn’t eaten at breakfast. Not only did they come close, but they actually come and took the food out of our hands! I decided to name one Biscuit. He was chubby. We finally saw Old Faithful, and went to the half a dozen or so surrounding gift shops just as we promised Kaylee. She decided she wanted a stuffed buffalo instead of a ceramic llama, but I’m still looking on Ebay anyways. The first eruption didn’t seem all that great, but we saw two more from different distances later in the day, and they were closer to our expectations. Besides just Old Faithful, there were tons of other geysers, vents, and hot springs in that area. So, for the third time in three or four days, we saw geysers, vents, and hot springs. It was getting a little old by this point, of course, but these were the best I’d seen in the entire park. One geyser coated the trees hundreds of feet away with silica, making them completely white. They looked skeletal, but fascinating, like something you would see in a fantasy. It took a couple miles of walking, but we saw Morning Glory Pool. It was really worth the walk, and it was probably one of the prettiest things we’ve seen in the park. My grandfather treated us to dinner at one of the restaurants near Old Faithful, and I had a prime rib au jus significant enough to write about. Food isn’t all that important to me- unless it’s a treat like sushi, I just treat it like fuel. But this was some of the best steak I have ever tasted. Thanks, Papa! We hopped between two or three places looking for a campground, and when we found one we spent about an hour trying to level the RV. Normally this is done in two minutes flat. It ends up being impossible, so we left and searched for another spot, and actually found a guy that was willing to stay late (we called ahead) so we could camp there. Awesome. Everything was set up in five minutes. Dad was going to take the garbage out, but he couldn’t find the dumpster, so he decided to set the bag on top of the RV so bears wouldn’t get it. Wow. But wait!! My mom isn’t convinced that would keep the bears away, so after half an hour of debating we found a place to take the garbage. Now, we all pass out.

Thoughts from yesterday: I’ve been around my family nonstop since the day we left, and it’s wearing on me. Not that my family members themselves are rubbing me the wrong way or anything, everyone is getting along great. But I have always needed solitude to… to what? I don’t know, exactly. It’s like breathing. After being around other people for so long and interacting with them, I feel drained. I feel suffocated. This isn’t because I don’t like people or don’t enjoy spending time with them, but I need time to myself to be still and think. Or read or do something creative on the computer or do anything at all as long as I’m in my own little world, uninterrupted by the cares and complications of this one. I feel suffocated, and I just need some time to sit down and breathe. At the same time, another part of me has so much pent up energy that I feel I would go everywhere at once if my skin weren’t holding me in place. I need to run, jump, climb, flip, dive, roll, until this tension is gone. Balance between the two? I’m going to see if I can go on a solo hike. I can go at my own pace, think my own thoughts, and drift off into my own little world again. It’s more fun there.