link to Carole Grooms' photos at Walgreen

Here is a link to all the photos I took on the trip, uploaded to Walgreens, so you can order prints if you wish.

http://photo1.walgreens.com/walgreens/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=6870771003/a=692041003_692041003/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/

It appears that the order was randomly shuffled when the uploaded, but all 609 of them appear to be there.

Link to my pictures

Here's a link to my pictures. You should not have to create an account to view them.
http://freedommiddleyellowstone2011.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

Almost home!

We are at the rest area at the Kentucky/Tennessee border cleaning out the vans. We should be at school about 5:30. We've had a great time, but everyone is anxious for Franklin and our own beds!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Going to the top of the arch

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

St. Louis Arch

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

St. Louis-almost home!

We'll be spending the night near St. Louis. We decided to go past Arrow Rock State Park, so we can go up in the arch in the morning. We will call tomorrow when we're closer to home.

Below you'll see reflections from all the students as well as our youngest campers. They were asked what they learned, why Yellowstone is important, and why it should be a national park. If you comment on them, we will make sure the students hear what you have to say.

Cheyenne--what I learned

I didn't know that Yellowstone was famous for having geothermal pools. This amazing discovery is enough of an explanation why Yellowstone National Park should remain a national park. Seeing Old Faithful was an awesome experience. I've never seen an active geothermal volcano in person. In the future, I would like to bring my parents back to see Old Faithful and Morning Glory.

Yellowstone National Park needs to stay a national park so future families and travelers can enjoy Yellowstone's various geothermal pools. They are like nothing else on Earth.

Hunter--what I learned

One thing I learned at Yellowstone is that it was the first national park. It had a major fire in 1988 that destroyed a lot of Yellowstone. Today most of the vegetation has grown back.

I think Yellowstone should be a national park because of all the stuff that is there. All the life that is there should be protected and not destroyed.

Hannah--what I learned

I did not know that Yellowstone is home to 2/3 of the world's geysers. A geyser is the result of water from the ground coming in contact with heat from magma which is a volcanic source. It then builds up a lot of pressure. The pressure is then released in the air as hot water.

One of the most famous geysers is Old Faithful. Some people think Old Faithful is the oldest geyser, but it is not. Old Faithful is estimated to have been functioning for only 200-300 years. Castle geyser is thought to be the oldest because it has a large cone formation. Old faithful is also not the biggest geyser. Steamboat geyser is the biggest. It's eruptions can reach nearly 400 feet high. Old Faithful's eruptions are 106-184 feet. Steamboat's eruptions though are more unpredictable. Since Old Faithful's eruptions are not the biggest or the oldest, some people wonder why it is so famous. Old Faithful is famous because it erupts more frequently than any other geysers. It is easy to get to for the public. Also the public does not have to wait long for the next eruption. In fact Old Faithful erupts 18-24 times a day. Old Faithful erupts on time almost all the time. When we went to see it, it was exactly on time. It was amazing! This is good because we did not have to wit long. This is how Old Faithful got it's name. In 1870 members of the Doan Expidition named the geyser after it's eruption pattern because it was so "faithful".

Old Faithful is only one of over 200 geysers in the park, but the park is not only home to geysers. It also has hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. These things are very important to Yellowstone and play an important role in attracting the public. This is one thing I learned at Yellowstone that i did not learn before. I also enjoyed seeing them even though they stunk sometimes. You will not be disappointed, so come see, learn, and have a good time at Yellowstone National Park.

There are many reasons we should keep Yellowstone a national park. Not only because of its beauty and tranquility, but also because of its attractions and history. It is home to many kinds of wildlife and visited by many people. It plays an important role in the world.

Yellowstone is home to 2/3 of the world's geysers. Without the park these geysers could potentially be destroyed. This would be a great loss because a lot of the geysers are ll known and have a bunch of history. Along with geysers the park is home to hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. All of these are great attractions in the park.

Yellowstone is also home to a huge volcano under the Earth's . Another huge portion of Yellowstone is the volcano's caldera. This is a very important feature in Yellowstone that interests many people. It is important to Yellowstone's future and history.

Another thing about Yellowstone is that it is home to wildlife including bison, moose, elk, wolves, and bears. There's not only a lot of animals. There's also a lot of vegetation. Without Yellowstone what home do these things have? Yellowstone is a way to protect and preserve the beauty that is still left. It is a home to these things. If we take that away, then tons of wildlife will have nowhere to go.

Anyone who says we should not preserve Yellowstone cannot have a good reason to get rid of one of Mother Nature's masterpieces.

Kirsten--what I learned

The one thing I learned about Yellowstone is that forest fires are not always a bad thing. When a fire occurred, it cleared the old and sick trees, so that now there are new baby trees. We should always remember that rangers do their best to maintain the fires 24/7. Once the fires pass, a new forest will grow and blossom over the years.

We should keep it a national park. The many animals in Yellowstone are unique, and they would decrease if not protected. Yellowstone is different from the other national parks. It has varieties of mud pots, volcanoes, hot springs, and wildlife. We should protect these things for generations to come. Yellowstone is a unique, wonderful place and should be protected and conserved for lifetimes and more.

Brant (age 5)--what I learned

I learned about wildlife. Buffalo, prairie dogs, and elk live there.

It's important so people have places to camp.

Clay (age 7)--what I learned

Yellowstone is as big as Connecticut. There were a lot of campsites. Yellowstone was created by a volcano.

It's important so the animals have somewhere to be.

Sophi--what I learned

I liked Old Faithful. It was cool how high in the air it went. I also liked Morning Glory. The walk was long, but it was worth it when we got there because of the colors. That was my favorite thing. It was too bad I did not get to see a bear.

I think Yellowstone should stay a national park. If it isn't, I think it will be ruined. It has 2/3 of the geysers in the world. It is very amazing and has many things that need to be preserved.

Jordan--what I've learned

One thing I learned when I was in Yellowstone is that there is a hot spring called Morning Glory. Morning Glory is located near Old Faithful. People sometimes throw trash in Morning Glory and the park staff have to remove all of the trash that's down there.

We should keep Yellowstone a national park because of the scenery. Plus the animals here need protecting. Old Faithful, The Grand Tetons, and Jackson Hole have great scenery. Thats why Yellowstone should be kept a national park.

Cameron--what I learned

I learned that Yellowstone was made from a giant volcano. I think we should keep national parks because they are the only land that hasn't had buildings all over it. The views are amazing!

Ethan--what I learned

I learned that Yellowstone lakes can be frozen even in June! We drove by Lewis Lake, and it was frozen. Other lakes had frozen patches as well. It is weird how it was 70 degrees, but the lake was frozen.

We should keep Yellowstone a park because it is a natural beauty. By keeping it a national park, it stays unharmed and protected. If it were not a national park, it could be destroyed and lost forever.

Angel--what I learned

One of the things I didn't know was that geysers need so many requirements to be maintained. First it needs water from rain or snow for releasing, and some of it is turned into steam. Second the geyser needs heat from underground magma. Third the pressure has to be released somehow, right? Holes, cracks, and fissures help the water and steam fnd its way to the surface-almost like an underground plumbing system. Yellowstone has geysers because all the requirements are here. By the way--geysers are natural.

I think Yellowstone should stay a national park because of all its special qualities. It has a large variety of plants and animals. The park has over 100 discovered waterfalls! It's also an active volcano that erupted 640,000 years ago. It has many boiling mud pools and geysers. Everything in the park seems to be balanced.

Lydia--what I learned

I learned many things. I had no clue that there was a major fire that cleared out all of the sick and old trees. I didn't know that Yellowstone is home to 2/3 of the world's geysers or that the whole park is on top of an active underground volcano. Also I knew there were a lot of animals that lived there but didn't realize how many NEED to live there. There are many animal reserves and reintroductions.

Everything I learned about Yellowstone makes it an important place. The fact that people can learn, listen, and watch history and facts about this great place makes me want to keep it forever.

Nina--what I learned

I learned that bears live in Yellowstone. If you are too close to an animal then they will buck at you and possibly kill you. Those are two things I learned well in Yellowstone.

I think it should stay a national park because they help keep the population of animals in place. They also have many amazing sites to see in the park like the mud volcanoes and sites outside of the park like the Grand Tetons, Jenny Lake, and Jackson Hole. The park can help teach people what happens to the earth and what's out there. That is why Yellowstone should stay a national park.

Chaela--what I learned

There was a huge fire a few years ago. Animals were dying. Trees fell because they were burnt. It didn't even look like Yellowstone.

I believe Yellowstone should stay a national park because it was the first national park. It is 139 years old! It is most people's dream to visit there. Why would anyone want to ruin someone's dream?