Road Less Traveled

How God is Like a Remote Feature of Yellowstone National Park

(This is from my book, God is Like a Geyser)

One of my favorite geysers in Yellowstone National Park is Artemesia. This fountain geyser is a beautiful blue pool. It erupts once a day, but not on an exact schedule. It proves to be one of the most elusive geysers to see.

A handful of people are enchanted by this geyser even though the Old Faithful visitors center doesn’t display eruption predictions. I am one of those people.

The upper geyser basin is home to Artemisa, where you can find Old Faithful, Grand, and other famous geysers. One of the things that makes Artemesia different is the one-and-a-half-mile walk to get to it, past all the other significant geysers.

I heard about Artemesia from veteran geyser gazers, and it intrigued me. These committed gazers talked about it differently than other geysers, and I wondered why this one caused such a fascination.

I mentioned to one of the gazers that I wanted to see it erupt during my trip. He volunteered to take me right then and there to introduce me to Artemesia. I said, yes, of course, but I didn’t realize what I was in for.

We walked to the end of the road, then to the end of the boardwalk, and started on a dirt path. The park didn’t develop the trail like the rest of the upper geyser basin. This trail felt wild. Everywhere else in the basin feels well maintained, like a theme park, like you are supposed to be there. Not this part.

One particularly wet and muddy spot forced us to walk on sticks people had thrown into the mud so we could pass through without getting too dirty. After that, we started climbing up and up and up.

It felt like a long, challenging, and narrow road. We were on the road, less traveled, and I was grateful for our guide. I am unsure if I would have finished the walk if I had attempted it that day without him. His excitement to introduce me and his confidence in the trail helped me and my family push through.

As we neared the geyser, the path opened up. There were cut down trees and logs to sit on and watch Artemesia. The logs were just a few feet back of a 20-30ft ledge. Below the ridge was Artemesia Geyser’s pool.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the crystal clear jewel-colored water, steam billowing off the surface. I tried to imagine what it would be like to see this erupt.

The road less traveled had been worth it, few ever find it, but thankfully our new friend had introduced us and encouraged us to meet this geyser.

The Bible says that,

the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. - Matthew 7:14 (NASB)

The easiest paths lead to death. Although the road to Artemesia felt like a more dangerous path, one that wouldn’t lead anywhere but trouble, it led me to a unique place, to the start of a relationship, to a place where I could experience God.

We can’t be scared of the hard road we encounter when walking our Christian life. There are beautiful things at the end of our journey. It is worth the effort, worth the risk, and worth the time to discover and encounter rest, peace, and a miracle.

Many times others will not venture far enough down the narrow road to experience the miracle at the end. They need a guide, someone to introduce them and encourage them on the journey. Take a walk on the wild side and bring a friend. Encourage others to travel down the road less traveled and introduce them to a beautiful relationship with God. They will thank you for it.

(This is from my book, God is Like a Geyser, if you want to walk with God for 30 days in Yellowstone National Park click the link below)

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