The strong scent of pine trees filled my nose as I walked out of the lodge. The air was so sharp and crisp that it felt as though I was breathing in life itself. Beyond the lake, the sun was slowly climbing up over the mountains. The lake sparkled from the sun’s rays. In the distance, I saw a bison making its way across the stony road. A branch from an evergreen tree was on its back, as though the beast had been scratching his back against the tree and took a part of it with him. Birds chirped a morning greeting, but apart from their twitter, the morning was still.

The beauty overwhelms the mind. It enlivens the senses, awakens and connects the soul to God’s creation.

“You never cease to amaze me,” I whispered heavenward.

Never before would I have believed that I would be able to visit the western United States, but my mom and I were privileged to be able to stay with a friend in the beautiful Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Yellowstone is so large that is covers Wyoming and Idaho, and creeps into the crevices of Montana. One feels the drama of the West, from the wild animals to the amazing scenery. Every day brings a new adventure and amazement of God’s handiwork.

With approximately 3,458 square miles of land, there were plenty of places to explore. I was fascinated by the geological formations, such as the hot springs that were so hot if you stood too close your skin would start to burn. Boardwalks with railings were laid across the ground so no one would stray onto the hot surface. If you stepped into the pool, your body would instantly melt away. The bright oranges, greens, blues and purples of the pools were so mesmerizing that it was difficult not to feel like a child and want to touch the scalding water. Also interesting were the petrified trees. These trees looked as though they were centuries old and as though they had been struck by lightning. The difference between these trees compared to the thousands of pine trees is that the wood of these trees had soaked in minerals such as quartz, iron, carbon and manganese. This creates an almost rainbow-like effect, creating multiple colors within the bark.

What most intrigued me, though, were the wild animals. One bright, sunny afternoon, my mom, our friend, Cyndy and I decided to look at the Petrified Tree located in the part of Yellowstone Park. When we arrived, however, there was a ranger standing among around fifty people, all looking away from the Petrified Tree.

“Stand behind these cones!” I heard him shouting.

“Mom, what are they looking at?” I wasn’t sure why everyone was looking away from the point of interest, the tree.

But I didn’t wait for her answer. As soon as I looked beyond the crowd, I saw a black bear making its way slowly down the hill directly across from the Petrified Tree. I stared in amazement, even though I had seen several other bears beforehand. The crowd started “awing” and I craned my neck to see above several heads in front of me. Two ginger-colored cubs were following behind their mother. I watched, spellbound, as they tumbled their way down the hill. Their mother had stopped to eat some grass, every now and then looking back to see her cubs playing. The two cubs looked as though they were teasing each other, as the one would pounce onto the other, pinning him to the ground. After the cub on the bottom was released, he ran to his mother’s side as if to say “Mommy, he’s picking on me!” I laughed at their antics as they chased each other running circles around their mother. All the while, the mother bear calmly ate her grass. Every now and then she would glance at her cubs, then at the silent crowd watching her every move. It was as though she was acknowledging our presence, allowing us this intimate picture of a bear’s life.

After visiting Yellowstone National Park, we had the opportunity to visit the Grand Teton National Park. These two parks are close in proximity, with scenery that is just as breathtaking. The cone-shaped, snow-capped mountains of the Grand Tetons personified the majestic beauty of the West. The mountains’ sharp, jagged ridges pointed my eyes heavenward. Psalm 121:1-2 immediately came to my mind: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

The mountains held so much artistic detail—the dramatic lines, the snow cascading down the sides, the way that the sunlight highlighted certain sections, the grass growing in patches along the bottom. God created this masterpiece. And there I was, just a little speck compared to the grandness of these mountains. It was as I stared at these mountains that I fully understood naturalist John Muir’s quote, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”

Upon visiting Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, it was easy to see why six million people from all over the world come to visit annually. The beauty of the land is a constant reminder of God’s hand in creation. The bison, bears, coyotes, foxes, moose, elk, pronghorn, ground squirrels, pika, swans, pelicans and osprey demonstrate God’s creativity. It inspires the imagination and enlivens all the senses!