The Castaway Hotel - 7 - 5. Chapter 5 - Yellowstone

The next morning we got up early, ate quickly and started off on the next leg of our trip. There was a great deal planned for today, so I made certain we got as early a start as possible. We began by checking out the ‘Fishing Cone,’ which is really a geyser out in the lake. It is reported you can catch and cook your fish while it is still on the hook, by holding it over the cone. Although this geyser doesn’t erupt frequently, a fisherman was badly burned in 1921 when he was caught standing too close to the cone when it did erupt.

“Damn, can you imagine how hot it must get, if it can cook a fish?” Dustin asked, astounded.

“Hot enough that I want to stay clear of it,” Ricky announced, “just in case one of you gets the idea to steam me, as repayment for the pranks I’ve pulled on you.”

This got everyone laughing, although a few of the boys stopped quickly and agreed it might not be such a bad idea. A few seconds later, I noticed Ricky moving away from the assenters, just in case they were seriously thinking about getting even with him.

After leaving the fishing cone, we got back on the bus and traveled beside the crystal clear Yellowstone Lake. It is twenty miles long, fourteen miles wide, has a maximum depth of 320 feet and is surrounded by scattered stands of fir and spruce trees. The view was breathtaking, especially when you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Absaroka Mountains looming up behind it, in the east.

Along the way, we also got to see the ‘Natural Bridge’, which is a rocky formation that extends between two hills. The bridge is forty feet high, spans an area of thirty feet and even has trees growing upon it. As we examined the formation, I couldn’t help but feel I was looking at a great arch of a Roman aqueduct, even though this was a natural formation and not man-made. While it was impressive, it was not something we spent a great deal of time admiring.

From there, we went to the ‘Fishing Bridge,’ which is a man-made structure at the junction of the East Entrance and Grand Loop Roads. In the early days of the park it became a prime fishing spot, because it’s situated at the outlet of Yellowstone Lake. At one time, the bridge would have been lined on both sides with anglers trying to land the ‘big one.’

“We’ve got some fishing gear on the bus,” Pat reminded me. “Do you think we could get it and come back later?”

“Our schedule is too tight and won’t allow it,” I told him, “but you will have plenty of time to fish on the second leg of the vacation, if you’re so inclined.” My response seemed to pacify him, so we moved on.

Next, we made our way to check out the ‘Mud Volcano,’ and its two most popular features, the ‘Dragon’s Mouth’ and the ‘Black Dragon’s Caldron.’ Although mud is no longer thrown great distances from the ‘Mud Volcano’s’ massive crater and it has been ages since it has rumbled to announce an eruption, it is still a place of wonder and awe.

One of its features, ‘Dragon’s Mouth,’ got its name from the steaming, bubbling mass of gray mud and lapping water that seems to constantly spew from the opening.

“You know,” Dion said, while looking at the bubbling brew, “if you forgot for a minute that dragons are only in fairy tales, you could almost picture one lying underneath the surface and waiting to rise up, so it could devour anyone who got close enough.”

“Well, we’re close enough,” Cole remarked, “so I’m glad it’s only in your imagination.”

“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t,” Dion shot back, hoping to unnerve one of the others by this banter.

“Hey, there aren’t any real dragons,” Andrew announced, emphatically.

“At least none that you’ve seen,” Trey added, playing along. “Maybe it’s because they hide under the mud when people are around and only come out when they have a chance to eat one, which leaves no witnesses.” Trey laughed manically after saying this, which provoked some of the others into a brief round of laughter.

The other feature, “Black Dragon’s Caldron,’ literally exploded onto the scene in 1948, when it blew trees out by their roots and coated the surrounding forest with mud. Now, as you stand there and watch the mud constantly bubbling in the mucous-like slop, you can almost envision those air pockets being the result of the dragon’s breath, as it was forced from its lungs in a mighty exhale.

“There’s a whole family of dragons in there,” Brandon announced, as he joined the fun. “If you see one of them rise up, get out of the way fast, before you get blasted with his breath of fire.”

“Oh, me likes roasted hobbit and young boys,” Shannon teased, in his best Gollum voice. This made me suspect he’d seen the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy one too many times.

Moving on, we passed through Hayden Valley, which is one of the prime habitats in the continental United States for grizzlies, bison, elk and other species of wildlife. The area is inspiring in its bucolic splendor and gives you a feeling for what the Native Americans and early settlers would have seen, prior to the beginning of the twentieth century. No wonder the Native Americans fought so hard to maintain their right to roam freely about this magnificent part of our nation.

“Where are all the animals?” Andrew wondered.

“Yeah, I’d love to see a grizzly,” Graham added.

“I’ve got an idea,” Frankie replied. “We’ll let you off the bus and you can wait around until one wanders by. If it doesn’t eat you or chase you all the way back to where we’re staying, we’ll pick you up when we come through later.”

This caused Graham to give Frankie a menacing look, before he coyly flashed him the finger. Graham was mildly upset that Frankie was making fun of him, but was smart enough to realize he wasn’t serious. However, the other boys were too busy chuckling to notice Graham’s reaction.

It was nearly noontime when we reached our next destination, so we got out the picnic lunches the staff at the lodge had prepared for us. While we ate, we also made a detailed inspection of the Hidden Valley canyon area.

“Hey, Graham, over here,” Ricky shouted. “There’s a grizzly looking for lunch too.”

“You’re kind of scrawny, but I’m sure you’ll do in a pinch,” Peter added, playing along.

“Very funny,” Graham shot back, “but I’m sure it would enjoy the two of you more.”

“Hey, we’re not the ones looking for bears,” Ricky countered. “We’ll leave that for you.” The teasing stopped after this last comment, although Graham shot off a few icy glares and gave each of them the finger, while making certain neither Jake nor I noticed what he was doing.

When we finished our lunch, I made certain no one left any garbage behind, since I didn’t want anything to detract from the awesome beauty of the area. Even though some people think the trash they discard will degrade over time, that doesn’t happen quickly. In the meantime, the unsightly appearance of the litter detracts from the splendor of the landscape and ruins the experience for everyone.

Now that we had disposed of our garbage, we turned our attention to ‘The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,’ as it is known. It is twenty miles long, from the Upper Falls to the Lower Falls, varies in depth from 800 to 1,200 feet and has a width of between 1,500 to 4,000 feet. The Upper Falls has a drop of 109-feet, and the Lower Falls, which is downstream from the first, has a drop of 308-feet. The canyon was actually quite spectacular, but since my family had already visited the Grand Canyon, it didn’t hold their interest for as long as it might have under different circumstances. Peter enjoyed it though and that alone was worth the time we spent there.

“I can’t imagine how marvelous the Grand Canyon must be,” Peter stated, amazed, “since this place is really aces. We don’t have anything like it in Australia.”

In response to his comment, the boys told him a little about our trip to the Grand Canyon. They readily gave him their impressions of what it was like, compared to what he had just seen. They also told him about riding the mules into the canyon, which astounded Peter even more.

“Weren’t you scared your mule might slip and both of you would fall to your death?” he gasped.

“Nah, they’re really surefooted,” Ricky replied, “and aren’t anything like Jay. If he’d have been walking, I think we’d have had to make him wear a safety harness, with a rope attached, or he would have been a goner for sure.” The boys roared after Ricky said this and, fortunately, Jay wasn’t with us to hear this comment. He had wanted to come, but his family had other plans, which they wanted him to be part of. That’s the reason he wasn’t with us on this particular outing.

From there, we made our way to our final stop, Tower Falls. It makes a 132-foot drop from Tower Creek and is framed by eroded volcanic pinnacles. This falls has been a documented feature of the region, ever since the time when the Indians and earliest Europeans first saw it and is also one of the most recognizable sites. It has inspired many artists and Thomas Moran’s painting of it played a crucial role in the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872.

Once our sightseeing was done for the day, we made our way to the Silver Gate Cabins, in Silver Gate, Montana, which is just outside the northeast entrance to the park. When we talked it over earlier, the boys decided they didn’t want to schedule any other activities for the evening and preferred to be responsible for entertaining themselves. Jake and I gave them our consent and looked forward to just kicking back and relaxing on our own. The only thing we did as a group was go out to eat and then Jake and I went back to our cabin and stayed there until the following morning.

We also decided not to bother checking on the boys, since most of them were old enough to take care of themselves and the older ones had also agreed to look after the others. We just asked them to stay in groups of at least three again, and once they agreed, we left them to enjoy their time alone.

The only one I was mildly concerned about was Andrew, because he was considerably smaller than the others and seemed more vulnerable. Even though Sammy and Graham aren’t very big either, Andrew was also more friendly and trusting than the others. Even after what happened to him in the men’s room in Houston, he was still a happy-go-lucky kid who was willing to help others in need. For this reason, I’d asked several of the others to help keep an eye on him.

I also had some concerns about Peter’s safety, since he hadn’t been in the States for very long. However, I knew he’d be staying near Ricky, so that relieved most of my doubts. Ricky was more than a match for anyone, not physically, but mentally. Since there would also be a third person in their group, I knew anyone confronting them would end up worse for the encounter than they did.

For the first time in ages, Jake and I got to spend time alone, so we planned to use it to our advantage. Unfortunately, we realized we often took each other for granted and let our duties to the family and our jobs come first. This usually meant we didn’t get any quality time alone, so now was the perfect chance to make up for lost opportunities and explore our love.

For Jake, however, there was another reason for wanting this time alone. He was still feeling guilty thinking he was the cause of the estrangement between my older children and me, and no matter how much I tried to convince him it was their problem and not his, he still didn’t buy in to my argument. Knowing what he was thinking, I was determined to prove that I didn’t feel that way. I wanted to convince him the rift with my older children didn’t matter and it was more their loss than mine.

It was a great evening! Even though we spent much of it just relaxing, listening to music and enjoying each other’s company, we did find more than enough time for a leisurely romp in the hay. Both of us were quite refreshed and in a great mood by morning.

When it was time for us to hook-up with our personal version of Boys Town again, we were also rearing to go. We were even a little impatient and even slightly annoyed as we waited for the boys to join us for breakfast. Some of them weren’t moving very quickly, so I took it they had stayed up later than the rest of us, who knows doing what. Therefore, they weren’t ready when Jake and I went around to make sure they were up and getting dressed. Nonetheless, they were now with us in body, even if they appeared to still be half asleep.

After breakfast, we began our Mammoth Hot Springs tour, beginning at Liberty Cap. This is a 37-foot hot spring cone and marks the northern portion of the Mammoth Hot Springs area. It got its name in 1871, from the Hayden survey party, because of its remarkable resemblance to the peaked caps worn during the French Revolution. It was formed from a hot spring whose internal pressure was sufficient to send the water to great heights and allowed the mineral deposits to continually build for hundreds of years.

From there we moved to Opal Terrace, which is across the street from the Liberty Cap. Opal Springs flows from the base of Capital Hill and became active in 1926, after years of lying dormant. It deposits up to one foot of travertine each year and is, therefore, continually expanding in size.

From there we went to Minerva Spring, which is another of the favorite attractions. This isn’t only due to its wide range of bright colors, but also for its ornate travertine formations. In the early 1900’s this spring went completely dry, but by 1951 reports began to show that Minerva was active again.

“I think this area is gay friendly,” Brandon announced, playfully, which caused the others to look at him quizzically. For that reason, he decided to explain.

“All the different colors made it resemble a huge rainbow flag, so I figured it had to be a gay friendly area.” Once they caught on to what he was insinuating, the others began to laugh and make comments of their own.

After seeing several other minor attractions in between, we came to Orange Spring Mound. It’s the bacteria and algae that thrive in the mound that created its recognizable color. This has built up over the years until it now completely engulfs some of the trees growing there.

“Man, this is a new one for me,” Pat quipped. “Orange trees. I wonder why my biology teacher never told us about these?”

“There are orange trees in Florida,” Andrew replied, innocently.

“Not trees that grow oranges,” Pat informed him, “but trees that ARE orange.”

Catching Pat’s drift, Andrew merely uttered a weak, “Oh!”

From there, we moved on to see the rest of the attractions in the loop, before we stopped for lunch. Once we’d finished, we made our way to the Norris Geyser Basin.

Norris is the hottest, oldest and most dynamic of Yellowstone’s thermal areas. The highest temperature ever recorded there was in a scientific drill hole, which was measured at 459 degrees F (237 degrees C). This was recorded 1,087-feet (326 meters) below the surface. We took a walking tour of the area and saw many extraordinary sights, with the most impressive being Steamboat Geyser. It is the tallest and spews to a height of between 300 to 400 feet, and Echinus Geyser is the most acidic, with a pH of 3.5. It only erupts to a height of 75-feet, every 25 to 45 minutes.

Just after we left Norris, we stopped to see the Artist Paint Pots, which is a lovely thermal area. We followed the one-mile loop, which took us by a colorful hot spring and two large mud pots.

“Andrew, we don’t have time for you to stop and paint,” Sammy teased, but Andrew didn’t catch on right away. Seeing his confusion, Sammy explained.

“I thought since this area is called the Artist Paint Pots,” he added, “you might want to stop and paint a picture of it.” Andrew finally realized he was being teased, so he stuck his tongue out at his brother. When he didn’t get the reaction he wanted from that, he also gave Sammy the finger, which caused the others to roar. They had never seen Andrew do anything like that before.

“You’d better stop hanging around Ricky and Graham,” Kevin teased. “I can see they’re starting to rub off on you.” Hearing this, Andrew gave Kevin the finger too.

In addition to the other things we saw, the area also contained a section of forest that burned in 1988 and still hasn’t recovered. I think the boys were surprised to see how much damage was still visible, even after so many years had passed, but I explained it takes many, many years for a forest to recover after such a devastating disaster.

Since I knew we’d be taking three fairly long walks tomorrow, one in the morning and two after lunch, this was all I had scheduled for today. Now, we headed toward the west entrance, which was a bit of a drive from where we were. I had made reservations at the Three Bear Lodge, which was just outside of that location.

On the ride there, we passed through Elk Park and Gibbon Meadows, which are good areas to see elk and bison. We even got to see a few in the distance, but not close enough to appreciate their enormous size.

Once we exited the park, we stopped for dinner and enjoyed a nice relaxing meal, before heading to the Lodge. I checked in and then let the boys decide who was going to room together tonight, before I informed them about the amenities here. I explained the lodge had a swimming pool, whirlpools and in-room hot tubs for them to use and relax in. There was also cable TV in each room, for those who were going through withdrawal from this form of entertainment. Some of the boys said they planned to go swimming in about an hour, but Jake and I opted for the hot tub, figuring it would help drain some of the soreness from our weary bodies.

It was a wonderful time relaxing in the hot tub, just the two of us, and I bet we must have stayed in there for two to three hours. We almost looked like prunes when we decided to get out and dry off, but it was worth it. I heard some of the boys also utilized the hot tubs in their rooms, but I also understood they had managed to deposit more than a few loads of semen into the bubbling waters, as they participated in some other activities that went well in those watery retreats.

Some of it started innocently enough, as was the case with Ricky and Shannon. Ricky could sense Shannon was feeling sad and lonely about not having his partner with him on this outing, since Nick was in Brazil, so Ricky suggested he could help Shannon get off, if he wanted to. Shannon realized Ricky wasn’t gay, but wasn’t sure if he was bi or straight either, so he didn’t know how to respond to the offer, until the other pair in the hot tub chimed in.

Enthusiastically, Danny and Brandon urged Shannon to go for it and explained that Ricky never minded helping out a brother in need. Admitting he could use some relief, Shannon eventually agreed to the offer and the two boys were soon stroking each other off under water and enjoying the feel of another hand on their cock.

Frantically, they continued to slide their hands up and down the other’s shaft, but it was soon apparent they were only doing it for the immediate gratification. There were no deeper feelings involved, such as love, so they focused solely on the task at hand. When I say this, I literally mean the task at hand, as they matched each other stroke for stroke. Eventually, there seemed to be a sense of urgency in what they were doing and their pace quickened. Their eyes began to glaze over, their mouths’ hung open and their heads swayed from side to side, as they neared the point of release. First one, and then the other gave a little grunt, before their loads shot from the tips of their dicks and collected in little pools in the swirling water.

While watching the other pair, it wasn’t long before Danny and Brandon became aroused and agreed to help each other. However, these boys were partners, so they wanted more than just a hand job and opted for something more satisfying. First, Danny bent down in front of Brandon and grasped his rod, which extended slightly above the surface of the water. Bending forward, he took the head into his mouth and began to bob up and down along the shaft. He would hold his breath, before his nose sank beneath the water, and kept this up for several minutes. Eventually, Brandon’s body began to tingle, as he prepared for the explosion that was to follow. When he reached this point, Brandon arched his body, pulled Danny’s head out of the water and stayed that way until Danny had completely finished him off.

Once Brandon had been satisfied, the two boys switched places and Brandon retuned the favor. He willing allowed Danny to empty his nuts into his eager mouth, with the other pair looking on. Sated, the four boys stayed in the soothing embrace of the hot tub for another thirty or forty minutes, until they decided it was time to get out and dry off.

In another hot tub, Kevin and Vinnie had also taken advantage of this opportunity. Kevin had suggested they use the hot tub to relieve the soreness from the extensive amount of walking they had done, but Kevin’s primary concern was about Vinnie. As they sat and began to relax, Kevin began to massage Vinnie’s legs for him. He wanted to help out as much as he could, but the thing was, the massage did more than just soothe and relax Vinnie’s leg muscles. It also aroused another muscle. Seeing this happen gave Kevin an idea, which he acted upon immediately. Turning around, he faced away from Vinnie, backed up and then began to sit down. Reaching beneath his body, he grasped Vinnie’s dick and slowly guided it inside himself.

Vinnie hadn’t been expecting this, but wasn’t about to discourage his lover either, so he just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Well, not exactly. He realized Kevin would need some help too, so as Kevin bounced up and down on Vinnie’s penis, Vinnie jacked his lover off. The two climaxed nearly simultaneously, which was more than satisfying for each of them. After they recovered, they cuddled and kissed a little longer, before they got out of the hot tub and headed to bed.

The next morning began with the continental breakfast that was included in the price of the room and we quickly filled up before heading off to spend our final day in Yellowstone. The first thing we saw was Mount Hayes, which looms up behind the beautiful Madison River. It is approximately 8,000-feet high and was named after an early Yellowstone photographer.

Leaving Madison Junction, we followed the Firehole River and followed the turnoff that leads to Firehole Canyon and Firehole Falls. After taking this brief detour to check both areas out, we then made our way back to the Lower Geyser Basin.

The first thing we saw here was the Fountain Paint Pots, with its boiling, bubbling mud, which sometimes spurts into the air. After that, we took a side road to check out one of the best geysers in Yellowstone, the Great Fountain Geyser, which erupts to heights of 100 to 150 feet, although it occasionally reaches heights of 200 feet. Watching this geyser in action had special significance to some of the boys, as it reminded them of how they had erupted in the hot tubs the previous evening. This caused some whispering and teasing to occur, before we moved on.

Next, we made our way to the Midway Geyser Basin, which is dominated by two gigantic features, the Excelsior Geyser and the Grand Prismatic Spring. The Excelsior Geyser reveals a gaping crater 200 by 300 feet and spills over 5 million gallons of water a day into the Firehole River. That’s more than 4,000 gallons of water per minute! Grand Prismatic Spring is believed to be the largest spring in Yellowstone, with a diameter of 370 feet, and has an array of dramatic colors, which can be appreciated best from the air.

“Hey, there’s another rainbow,” Trey noted, while looking at the prismatic effect the sunlight had on the water droplets. “This must be a gay friendly area too.” He was referring to Brandon’s earlier comment, about Minerva Spring and some of the others nodded in agreement.

After stopping for a late lunch, we made our way to the Upper Geyser Basin, which contains two-thirds of all the geysers in Yellowstone, including Old Faithful. What is even more dramatic is the fact that two-thirds of the world’s geysers are in Yellowstone and two-thirds of Yellowstone’s geysers are in the Upper Geyser Basin. During our time there we saw several geysers erupt, including the Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside and, of course, Old Faithful.

It seems strange that Old Faithful is the best known and most widely photographed of all the geysers, seeing it not the most impressive. It does not discharge the greatest volume of water, nor does it erupt more frequently than the others. It isn’t the oldest geyser, doesn’t have the highest or largest cone and it’s not the hottest or the most regular of all the geysers, regardless of its name. However, despite its lack of credentials, it is still an impressive sight and erupts 20 to 23 times each day.

Leaving this area for the final time, our bus drove toward the east entrance to the park and we left Yellowstone behind us. We were now ready and eager to see other areas of this great country.