Expedition Two: Utah and Wyoming! By Evan Harr

So, last expedition we were mainly in Wyoming, but we stayed in a campsite in Utah near a stream so we all could do our fun stream study for a science lab. After we finished that, we took off and went straight to Yellowstone. Which was a very long drive, but it was worth it in the end. Yellowstone is very beautiful, and is also the first National Park in history.
At Yellowstone, we did a science lesson about “How Geysers Work” in the visitor center, where we had to find all the info on our own in order to pass a science report. After that, we watched the amazing Old Faithful “explode” and after Tim gave us a science/ history lesson about Yellowstone and Old Faithful. Then we went to a Yellowstone campsite called Madison for the night. When we woke up, we packed up and drove up to a cool IMAX theatre with an awesome gift shop/ candy store. Before we went inside, we had to take off all of our dirty “backcountry” layers (which was a lot) to be presentable in public. It was pretty funny. Anyways, we went in and wandered around at the gift shop and finally went and saw an IMAX of Yellowstone, which was kind of funny/ awesome (funny due to actors, and awesome due to the sweet views of Yellowstone)! After the IMAX, we went to The Grizzly Wolf Discovery Center were there were two grizzlies, a bunch of wolves, and a couple golden hawks! We went at a good time because the wolves were being fed, but none of them went inside to eat, so we didn’t really to get the sweet eating process in action.
After we were done at The Grizzly Wolf Discovery Center, we went straight back to the exact same campsite we stayed at the night before. The only difference was that it was the one next to our previous one, so I don’t understand why we packed up in the first place. That night, we made some bad decisions, so then Jeremy sent us to a campsite/ area called Whiskey Basin—instead of Yellowstone backcountry—which was 15 minutes away from EVR (Eagle View Ranch).
We were earning back all of our privileges while there including iPods, fires, eating “fancy” dinners, and EVR. For the most part, we all turned everything around in a few days, and went to Eagle View Ranch! In my opinion, Eagle View Ranch is MUCH better than Balsam Base, and I think semester’s base should be at EVR instead of Balsam!
Anyways, EVR is cool because of things like cowboy tents, a giant fireplace with a chimney in the dining area, a giant kitchen, heaters in the nice bathroom/ showers, and more! It is a giant area with more than 40 acres and a lot of pretty trees and such. One of the days, Jeremy brought his basset hound, Lucy. She’s really cool, and she brings us all happiness and joy! Anyways, one of the nights most all of us slept in an actual cowboy tent. They were like our cabins, but the outside was made of a canvas tent instead of wood. It had bunk beds and a divider like the cabin, but it also had a little furnace that was powered by a fire that you would have to start. It was warm enough to not have to use it anyways.
At our last night at EVR we totally “demolished” the cowboy tent in a sense that we took down the giant, heavy canvas (connected to wood supports with too many knots to count), completely broke down all the bunks. It made me feel like I was work because all the hard work and moving around furniture- type items. I love my job, and when I do things that remind me of it, it makes me very happy, which always a good thing.
The next morning, we woke up pretty early to go to the shooting range close to Eagle View Ranch. Jeremy was there waiting for us with his baby. She is adorable—her real name is Betty, but Jeremy calls her Critter, which I think is kind of funny/ cute! Anyways, he gave us the safety briefing of handling guns, and we shot .22’s and if you were good enough, you got to shoot the Mosin- Naget. It was my first time EVER shooting a gun, and I did really well. My first three shots of the .22 on a blank piece of paper were very well grouped. Then, the next round was with 5 shots/ rounds at a real piece of paper on a target, and I got two on the middle of the target (the black) and the other three were pretty close, so that got me two shots on the Mosin- Naget. It recoils like crazy, and I hit both shots on the target! It’s very loud, especially compared to the .22’s. It has so much power that it goes through the stump, and hits the hill behind it! I hit both my shots on it on the target!
Overall, it was a pretty awesome expedition, and there were many different types of weather. The positives ruled out the negatives, so I guess it was a positive outcome!