Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 17:46:57 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 7,what Chapter 2
Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.
Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.
The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken
against violators.
I wish to extend my thank you to Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with
this chapter, and Art, the real Vinnie and John for their additional input
on each chapter.
E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.
* * * * * * * *
Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge
all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various
sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse.
* * * * * * * *
The Castaway Hotel-Book 7-by BW (Young-Friends). Copyright 2003 by billwstories
Chapter 2 - Our Yellowstone visit. June 2003
Although we were scheduled to leave for vacation on Saturday, the week
after the Fourth of July, our planning was about to experience a few snags.
Mark announced that he now had to go away for a conference the week before
we were to leave, which would be held at a resort in New York. This was
for an investment seminar, and his boss was insisting he attend. It was
being held several hours away, at the Concord Resort in the Catskill
Mountains. That was a magnificent establishment, as I had been there
before, attending various educational conferences. I informed Mark there
would be many other things he might be able to do while he was there,
besides just attend conference sessions, hoping to give him a better
perspective about attending. I told him the resort also offered two golf
courses, tennis courts, horseback riding, and various nightclubs to occupy
his spare time. However, Mark insisted he wouldn't have that much free
time, so he'd stick to doing what he was there for.
We discussed his various options of getting back and forth, but he decided,
due to his time constraints, it would be best for him to drive. That way
he'd return Friday, during the early evening hours, and would have time to
get his things together so we would still be able to leave to catch our
flight Saturday morning.
The weekend before we were to leave on our trip, we left Mark at home to
pack for his conference, while the rest of us went to the Beckers to do our
thing. When we arrived, Mrs. Becker didn't know who we were or what we
were doing there, so we stayed clear of the house, so as not to upset her.
A few hours later she spotted us going about our duties and asked her
husband why the boys and I hadn't come in to say hello. At that point he
called us over, explained the situation, and we went in to offer our
apologies and explain that we hadn't wanted to disturb her. I knew this
had to be very difficult for Mr. Becker and he actually looked as if he had
aged ten years in just the past few months.
We worked hard all day Saturday and early Sunday, but we left earlier than
normal, so we could get back to say good-bye to Mark before he left.
Mr. Becker and Little Ricky thanked us once more for our assistance, and we
left Dustin, Cole, and Graham to finish out the week, with a promise that
we'd be back early on Friday to pick them up for our vacation. We said our
good-byes, got back into our vehicles, and headed back home. When we got
there, Mark was all upset.
"Pop, there's something's wrong with my car and I can't get it started," he
quickly told us. "I've called around and I can't find anyone who is
willing to fix it today. They all say wait until tomorrow and bring it in,
but I can't wait. I have to leave tonight, so I'll be there in time for
the morning registration."
"Mark, calm down and don't worry about it. You can take the Grand Am and
Jake and I will get your car fixed while you're gone. Does that solve your
problem?"
"You'd do that for me?" he asked, somewhat surprised.
"Certainly. You're part of this family too, and we help each other out."
"But won't the other guys need the Grand Am during the week?"
"Don't worry about that, we'll survive without it. You just take it for
now, and we'll work our schedules out so we can get along with the other
vehicles."
"Pop, you're a lifesaver." He gave me a big grin and an even bigger hug at
that point.
"Have you finished packing?"
"Yes, I'm all done with that."
"Good! Then give me your keys, and I'll get you the keys to the Grand Am,
and you can leave whenever you think you need to. Just drive carefully and
give me a call when you get there."
"Are you worried about your car?"
"No, I'm worried about you, and I make all the boys call me when they go on
trips. So you'll be no exception to that rule." He flashed me another
grin and nodded, and then he headed into the house to finish his
preparations.
After Mark left, I called the other boys together and explained what they
needed to do during the week, to prepare for our trip. I asked them to
pack separately for the two completely different trips, using the suitcases
to pack their things for the first two weeks, and then a completely
different set of items in their backpacks for the second two weeks. They
said they understood, but I also asked for help to get things ready for the
three who were working at the Becker's this week. I had plenty of
volunteers for that duty, so Jake and I went to get our own belongings
ready.
Seeing Frankie only had to pack for the first two weeks, he tried to help
out wherever he could, and he did almost any task the others needed a hand
with. He did laundry, helped take boys to the mall to pick up things they
discovered they needed, and even helped iron a few badly wrinkled items.
He also drove me down to pick up Mark's car, after the mechanic called to
tell me it had been repaired. I was very impressed with his fatherly
assistance, and marveled at the growth he had shown since he came to live
with us that first time, before I asked to have him removed. I'm certainly
glad he showed back up at my door and the boys encouraged me to give him
another chance. If anyone could prove you could indeed change the spots on
a leopard, Frankie had.
On Friday, I took the van and drove out to the Beckers to pick up my other
three boys, not taking the whole crew with me on this one occasion. The
boys were anxious to get back home, so they could get ready for this trip,
and I was glad to see them so excited. Mr. Becker and Little Ricky came
out to bid us farewell, leaving Mrs. Becker in the house, as she was going
through another one of her spells. I reminded them that they would still
have plenty of help while we were gone, and that Frankie would be driving
out in the Grand Am after he got back from his vacation, and he would work
there for most of the next two weeks, leaving only if a job interview came
up. They wish us all a good time on our trip, and I was sad that I
couldn't take Little Ricky with us, but I knew he was needed at home and he
would have had difficulty leaving his mom and dad now anyway.
We got home and I sent the boys up to shower and check out the packing the
others had done for them, telling them to make sure they had what they
wanted and needed. While they were doing that, I drove down to the
cemetery, so I could place flowers on Brent and Cody's graves, and then I
spend a few quiet moments there alone with them. I had never been one who
frequented cemeteries or spent time conversing with the dead, but since I'd
seen Graham explaining his gift, and listening to how he got messages from
the dearly departed, I had changed my tune a bit. Now I wanted to make
sure both boys knew they were still important to us, not forgotten, and
still a part of our lives. It may have been more for me than for them, but
it was something I felt I had to do at this point.
After I visited the boys' graves, I went to another section, so I could
also spend time with my wife. I needed to seek her understanding with my
current situation and beg her to somehow intervene with our children,
concerning this matter. Although she had given me her approval about what
I was doing with the boys, as passed to me via Graham, I needed her to
understand about my relationship with Jake. I explained to her that while
we were married I had been true and devoted to just her, but since her
passing I had found happiness with another man. I went on to explain that
it didn't mean I loved her any less and that my love for Jake was different
than what we shared, but I hoped she would understand, approve, and not be
offended by my current situation. I wasn't sure if any of this was of any
value, except to give me a chance to express my feelings out loud, but
after I finished our little conversation, I got into the van and drove
home.
When I got back, Mark was already there, and the boys were helping him do
his laundry and pack for his next trip. We would get up at 8:00 in the
morning, and hit the road by 10:00, in order to catch our 2:40 p.m. flight
to Jackson, Wyoming. Our flight would get in just before midnight, and
we'd take a shuttle to the motel where I'd made reservations for the night.
Once there, we'd spend the evening, have breakfast the next morning, and
then be picked up by the bus I had chartered to take us to Yellowstone
National Park.
Unfortunately, the trip to get to our destination would not be short or
easy. I'd had to make some choices when selecting an appropriate flight,
as there was no direct flight from Pittsburgh to Jackson, Wyoming. The
first decision was whether we would go from Pittsburgh, to Atlanta, to Salt
Lake City, and then to Jackson, which would be a 10 - 13 hour trip,
depending on layovers, or if we would fly from Pittsburgh, to Cincinnati,
to Salt Lake City, to Jackson, which would shorten the trip to somewhere
between 8 to 9 hours. However, if I chose the latter flight, which I did,
we wouldn't fly out until after 2:00 in the afternoon and then would arrive
at our destination a little after 8:00, where the other flight left between
8:00 and 9:00 in the morning, and got in before 8:00 p.m. It didn't seem
like a tough choice to me, and I decided it would be easier on the boys
with the shorter trip, as we had nearly a three-hour ride just to get from
our home to the airport. Besides, that way we also wouldn't have to get up
in the middle of the night to leave for the airport either. Now I sent all
the boys up to bed, as I went over my checklist one final time.
We got up the next morning right on schedule, dressed, ate breakfast, and
loaded up the van and the Suburban with our things. We were actually on
the road before ten, with me leading the way in the van and Jake following
closely behind. I had only planned to make one stop along the way, for
drinks and to give everyone a chance to use the restrooms, seeing we would
be traveling in between rush hour times. However, the one thing I forgot
to take into consideration was some unexpected construction tie-ups along
our route. Seeing we had to take some older, smaller roads until be could
hook up with I-76, I didn't realize they might be patching the roadway or,
in one spot cutting down some trees and tree limbs that might possibly come
down during the winter. These things slowed us down, along with the bridge
reconstruction on the interstate, where traffic was funneled into a single
lane in each direction. We arrived later than anticipated, but it was
still slightly before 1:30, so we still had time to check in for our
flight.
Our plane lifted off almost exactly on time, and of course we comprised the
largest part of the passenger list. The boys didn't have their usual
flight entertainment, their computerized games or portable CD players,
because they would have to leave them unprotected as we moved from the
first half of our vacation to the second part. They didn't want to take
the chance of having them stolen, so they decided to leave them at home
instead.
The first leg of the flight went quickly, but there was some bad weather
over Cincinnati, so we got stacked up in a landing pattern, waiting for the
earlier arrivals to land. That wasn't so bad, because it just cut into our
layover time, or so I thought. However, the weather had also delayed the
departures, so we were no further ahead. We still had about an hour to
kill, so it wasn't too bad, and of course the boys found their own ways to
pass the time. Some walked around, and others went to the gift shops,
while the rest checked out the other girls and boys who were wandering
around the airport.
When we were called to board, we all got on the next plane, which would
take us to Salt Lake City. The trip lasted a little over an hour and a
half, but this time the weather was fabulous and we landed quickly and
smoothly. As soon as we got to the terminal, we had to rush to catch our
next plane, because our delayed landing did not delay our connecting
flight, which was still leaving on schedule. We rushed to get to the
appropriate terminal by walking as quickly as we could, with poor little
Andrew nearly having to jog to keep up with the rest of us. Even though he
was twelve, and would be thirteen in three months, he was still quite short
and couldn't keep up with the long strides we were taking without running.
He didn't complain, however, and soon we were aboard our final flight.
We landed in Jackson around 8:30 Saturday night, grabbed our luggage, and
then scrambled onto the airport shuttle bus, which we nearly filled. It
took us to the motel, where we'd be spending the night, and I think we were
all getting pretty tired by this point. We had decided before we left home
who would be sharing rooms for the night, so I gave each group their key,
told them to freshen up, and we'd catch a late meal before we called it a
night. Outside of breakfast, we'd only snacked during the rest of the day,
so I wanted them to have a little something before we turned in.
We all had hamburgers or sandwiches of some sort, while nearly everyone
also had fries or a salad to go along with it, and it didn't take us very
long to eat. Once we were done, I reminded the boys I would be calling
their rooms around 8:00 the next morning, and I expected them to be ready
to have breakfast by 9:00, as our charter bus would be arriving around
10:00 to take us to Yellowstone. The all said they understood, and we went
back to our rooms.
I got my wake-up call at 7:45 from the front desk, and I immediately began
to call all the other rooms to make sure the boys were up. Groggily I
heard various sons answer their phones, promising me they'd get the others
up and moving, so I jumped into the shower and got dressed. About 8:10, I
decided to walk to each of the rooms, just to check on how things were
proceeding, and everything was going great until I came to the room in
which Shannon, Ricky, Danny, and Brandon were staying. It was Ricky who
had answered the phone, and it was now obvious he had fallen back to sleep
instead of rousing the others. My knock at the door got Danny out of bed,
and while he was waking Brandon and Shannon, I filled their ice bucket with
cold water and took it over and emptied it on my blond angel. I figured it
was what Ricky might have done to one of us in the same situation, and
payback is a bitch.
He leapt out of bed, as the cold water shocked his body into consciousness,
and he started screaming something like, "I'm going to get whichever
bastard did this." He looked around, saw the other boys laughing, and then
he noticed me still holding the bucket.
"That was your punishment for not waking the others, as I asked you to do,"
I told him. He shot me a bone-chilling look, letting me know he was not
happy with my sentence recommendation.
"Dad, that was heartless," he whined.
"True, and exactly the type of thing you would have done, if our roles had
been reversed." Now he was unable to hide a little smirk that spread
across his lips, as he realized I was probably correct in my assessment.
"Okay, I'm sorry I didn't get up and wake the others when you called," he
acknowledged. "I guess I was just so tired I dozed back off."
"Well, now I need all of you to get moving, as you're already behind the
others. We meet for breakfast at 9:00, so hustle." They all nodded in
acknowledgment, and I went back to my room.
That group only slowed us down by a couple of minutes, even though they had
actually got started much later than the others. Now we went off to
breakfast. We were in and out of the restaurant in pretty good time, and
then we went back to our rooms, collected our belongings, and loaded
everything onto the bus when it arrived. I had chartered a bus and driver
to haul us around during our vacation, as it was the easiest way to get
this many people from one place to another, and it meant Jake and I didn't
have to worry about doing the driving.
Soon we were on our way, heading toward Yellowstone National Park, our
first stop. As we drove north from Jackson, we could see the Grand Teton
Mountain Range looming off to the west. They were quite an impressive
sight, with the Grand Teton being the highest peak, at 13,770 feet, but
there were also twelve other peaks in the range that topped the 12,000-foot
mark as well. We could also see Jackson Lake along the way, and that was
quite an amazing site too. It took us a couple of hours to get to the
south entrance to Yellowstone, the first and oldest of the national parks.
It was established in 1872, in a fairly remote part of the country, but we
soon discovered it was worth the effort.
Shortly after we entered the park, we came across Moose Falls, which
cascaded down from the plateau and into the deep canyon of Lewis River. A
little farther on, we passed a second falls, Lewis Falls, which had a
lesser plunge of thirty-seven feet. They both appeared to be pristine and
still filled visitors with awe. One couldn't help but wonder what the
Native Americans and early explorers thought when they beheld such
splendor.
>From there we made our way to West Thumb, which extends from the western
end of Yellowstone Lake. West Thumb got its name from a description given
by the Washburn party in 1870, in which they noted the lake was shaped like
"a human hand with the fingers extended and spread apart as much as
possible." This eventually gave way to calling this area West Thumb, as
this is the location where the thumb would have been if the lake were a
hand. From here we took a walking tour of the West Thumb geyser basin,
which is sometimes referred to as "Potts Basin," after Daniel T. Potts, a
trapper from the 1820's.
As we took our walking tour of the West Thumb geyser basin, we noticed it
was filled with pretty pools, bubbling mud pots, and glistening geysers.
It was quite interesting, very peaceful, and the beauty of the area just
seemed to relax you completely. After our little outing, we went to Grant
Village, where we were going to spend the night. Grant Village was named
in honor of the 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, who signed the 1872 bill
making Yellowstone the world's first national park.
I had made reservations at the Roosevelt Lodge and signed us up for the Old
West Dinner Cookout. We were transported in canvas-covered wagons over the
three miles to Pleasant Valley, where the cookout was to take place. The
ride took just over thirty minutes, and forced you to realize that most
pioneers never ventured too far from home, just because of how long a
simple trip took. The meal was served buffet-style, and you ate on picnic
tables, under a canvas roof, which was provided for inclement weather.
While we ate, we were entertained by a guitar player/singer, and it was a
nice change from our typical vacation meals.
The food was good and there was plenty of it. Except for the steak,
everything else was all-you-can-eat, and the rest of the meal consisted of
coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, chuck wagon corn, corn muffins,
watermelon, apple cobbler, and various beverages. All of us enjoyed the
meal and the entertainment, and then the half hour plus wagon ride back to
the lodge, once the evening was over.
When we got back to the lodge, I told the boys they were on their own for
the rest of the evening, but if they wanted to wander around, they were to
go out in a group of no less than three. They all agreed, and Jake and I
went to our room to unwind. All that walking earlier had taken its toll on
me, and I knew we'd be doing even more walking over the next few days, so I
wanted to make sure I got enough rest. Jake and I sprawled out on the bed
and talked for a while, before we got up, showered, and then went to bed.
The boys didn't turn in for a few more hours, and I understood they managed
to do a variety of things in the meantime. A few of them decided to check
out more of the area, while some tried to meet up with other visitors to
the park, while the rest merely decided to go back to their rooms and enjoy
a little private time with one of the others. Seeing my grandsons weren't
going to be with us on this trip, I had lifted most of the restrictions
about having sex, only leaving in the 'no pick-ups rule' and asking them to
be considerate of the others they were sharing a room with. Mark and
Frankie were sharing with Jake and me, so I didn't have to worry about Mark
seeing more than he might wish to.
I also noticed that Trey and Dion had decided to share a room with Kevin
and Vinnie throughout the entire trip, as they were paired up and didn't
wish to mess around with any of the others. Actually, Vinnie and Kevin
have been good for each other, and that pairing had done a lot for both
boys. Vinnie had what he seemed to want most, not only someone to love,
but also someone who was willing to share everything with him, including
those tedious exercises and workouts he had to do. In return, Kevin had
finally found a partner who was not only willing to commit himself to just
Kevin, but hopefully someone whom he wouldn't be losing for some time to
come. I was truly happy for them, as well as for Trey and Dion, who had
seemed to make the same kind of commitment to each other.
The next morning we got up early, ate quickly, and started off on the next
leg of this trip. I had a great deal planned for the day, so we got as
early a start as possible. We began this leg of our trip by checking out
the 'Fishing Cone,' which is really a geyser out in the lake. It is
reported that you could catch and cook your fish still on the hook, by
holding it over the cone. Although this geyser doesn't erupt that
frequently, a fisherman was badly burned in 1921, when he was caught
standing too close to it when it did erupt.
After leaving that spot, we drove beside the crystal clear Yellowstone
Lake, which is surrounded in different places by stands of fir and spruce
trees. The lake is twenty miles long and 14 miles wide, with a maximum
depth of 320 feet. Our view of the lake was often breathtaking, especially
when you could see the snow-capped peaks of the Absaroka mountain range
looming up behind it, in the east.
Along the way, we also got to see the 'Natural Bridge', which is a rock
formation between two rocky hills. The bridge is forty feet high, spans an
area of thirty feet, and even has trees growing upon it. As we examined
it, 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. It
was impressive, but not something we spent a long time admiring.
>From there, we went to the 'Fishing Bridge,' which is a man-made structure
at the junction of Grand Loop Road and the East Entrance Road. In the
early days of Yellowstone National Park, it was a prime fishing spot,
because it is located at the outlet of the lake. At one time the bridge
would be lined on both sides with anglers trying to land the 'big one' out
of Yellowstone Lake.
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 that opening. 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 that 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. You might also expect to see
one of those gigantic creatures rear up at any time from beneath that icky
brew, so they could blast everyone watching with a long tongue of fire.
After leaving that area, 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. It 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 piece of creation.
It was now approaching noontime, as we reached our next destination, so we
ate the picnic lunches prepared for us, before we made our detailed
inspection of the canyon area. Once we finished eating, I made certain no
one left any garbage behind, which might detract from the awesome beauty of
this area. Even though some people think that most of the trash they
discard will degrade over time, it's the appearance of all that litter that
detracts from the splendor of the landscape, before it returns as part of
the earth.
Now that we had finished eating and disposing 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 Tower Falls, varies in depth
from 800 to 1,200 feet, and has a width of between 1,500 to 4,000 feet.
There are actually two falls in all, the Upper Falls with a drop of
109-feet, and the Lower Falls, which is downstream from the Upper Falls and
has a drop of 308-feet. The canyon was actually quite spectacular, but
unfortunately, 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.
>From there we made our way to our final stop, Tower Falls, which is a
132-foot drop from Tower Creek and is framed by eroded volcanic pinnacles.
The falls has been a documented feature of the area, since the days of the
Indians and earliest Europeans had entered this area, and is one of the
most recognizable features of the district. It has inspired many artists
as well, 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. The boys didn't want to schedule any other
activities for the evening, preferring to be responsible for entertaining
themselves, so Jake and I agreed with their decision, as we were looking
forward to just kicking back and relaxing the night away. The only thing
we did as a group was go out to eat, and then we went back to our cabins
until the following morning.
Jake and I decided not to bother checking on the boys, as they were all
quite old enough to take care of themselves, and we had just asked them to
stay in groups of a minimum of three people. Seeing they had agreed to
that, we left them to enjoy their time alone. The only one I was even
slightly concerned about was Andrew, as he was now a part of the sexual
escapades too, but as of yet he had given me no indication that he was
unhappy with his new freedom, other than the fact that he had mentioned his
concern about not having reached puberty yet. I explained to him that it
varied from individual to individual, and he wouldn't be thirteen until
September, so he shouldn't be that concerned as of yet. Reluctantly he
accepted my explanation, and he went back to enjoying his time with the
others.
For the first time in ages, Jake and I got to spend time alone, without any
of the boys being with us, and we took advantage of that too. It was easy
for us to take each other for granted now, and our duties with the family
and our jobs don't allow us much quality time alone, so now was the perfect
opportunity to make up for lost time and show each other our love. Jake
was still feeling a little guilty about being 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. Now I would just try to convince him that it didn't matter to me
and it was more their loss than mine.
We had a great evening, just relaxing, listening to music, and enjoying
each other's company, and we were quite refreshed by morning, when it was
time for us to hook-up again with our personal version of Boys Town. We
all went to breakfast together, although three or four of the boys weren't
all that energetic and we had to wait for them. I took it they had stayed
up later than the rest, who knows doing what, and weren't ready for the
disturbance when Jake and I went around to make sure all of them were up.
Nonetheless, they were with us, though appearing 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 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,
allowing 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 dormancy. It deposits up to one foot of
travertine each year and is continually expanding in size. From there we
went to the Minerva Spring, which is a favorite attraction, not only
because of its wide range of bright colors, but also for its ornate
travertine formations. In the early 1900's this went completely dry, but
by 1951 reports began to show that Minerva was active again.
After seeing several other minor attractions in between, we came to Orange
Spring Mound. The bacteria and algae that thrive in the mound created its
recognizable color, and it has built up over the years until it completely
engulfed some of the trees that grew there. From there, we moved on to see
the rest of the attractions in the loop, and then we had lunch, before 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, and was measured at 459 degrees F (237 degrees C), at
1,087-feet (326 meters) below the surface. We took a walking tour of the
areas, seeing many extraordinary sights, with the most impressive being
Steamboat Geyser, which is the tallest at between 300 - 400 feet, and
Echinus Geyser, which is the most acidic geyser, with a pH of 3.5, and
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 round trip trail, which
took us by a colorful hot springs, two large mud pots, and a section of
forest that burned in 1988 and still hasn't recovered. I think the boys
were surprised to see how much damaged was still visible, even after so
many years had passed, but it takes many, many years for a forest to
recover, after such a devastating disaster.
Having taken three fairly long walks, one in the morning, and two after
lunch, this was all we had scheduled for today. Now we headed for the west
entrance, which was a bit of a drive from where we were, as we had
reservations at the Three Bear Lodge. On the drive there, we passed
through Elk Park and Gibbon Meadows, which are good areas to see elk and
bison. Once we exited the west entrance we stopped for dinner, enjoying 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, and then I informed
them of the amenities here. I explained there was a swimming pool,
whirlpools, and in-room hot tubs for them to use and relax in, and there
was also cable TV, for those who were going through withdrawal. 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 in the hot tub, just the two of us, and I bet we
must havve stayed in there for two to three hours, almost looking like
prunes when we decided to get out and dry off. I heard some of the boys
utilized the hot tubs in their rooms as well, and I also heard they managed
to deposit more than a few loads of semen into the bubbling waters, as they
found 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 tell Shannon was feeling sad and lonely, not having a
partner, so he suggested he could help him get off, if he wanted to.
Shannon realized Ricky wasn't gay, but he wasn't sure if he was bi or
straight either, so he didn't know how to respond to the offer. Quickly,
Danny and Brandon urged him to go for it, explaining that Ricky never
minded helping out a brother in need. Admitting that he could use the
relief, he eventually agreed to it, and the two boys were soon stroking
each other under the water, enjoying the feel of another hand on their
cock.
Frantically, they began to slide their hands up and down the other's shaft,
but soon it was apparent these two were only doing it for the immediate
gratification, and there was no other feelings involved. Focusing on the
task at hand, they matched each other stroke for stroke, but there seemed
to be a sense of urgency in their pace. The boys' eyes were glazing over,
the mouth's hung open, and their heads were swaying from side to side as
they reached the point of release. First one, and then the other gave a
little grunt, before their loads shot from the tips of their dicks, soon
collecting in little pools on the surface.
Watching the other pair, it wasn't long before Danny and Brandon became
aroused, and soon they agreed to help each other. However, these boys were
partners, so they wanted more than just a hand job, and they 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, holding his breath as his head sank beneath the
watery bed. Danny kept this up for several minutes, until Brandon's body
began to tingle and prepare for the explosion that was to follow. Brandon
arched his body, pulling Danny's head out of the water, and he stayed that
way until Danny finished him off.
After that, the two boys switched places, and Brandon retuned the favor,
allowing Danny to empty his nuts into his eager mouth. Sated, the four
boys stayed in the soothing embrace of the hot tub for another thirty or
forty minutes, until they decided 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 over Vinnie's well being. As they sat and began to
relax, Kevin began to massage Vinnie's legs for him, trying to help out as
much as he could. The thing was, the massage not only soothed and relaxed
Vinnie's leg muscles, but it also aroused another muscle. Seeing this
happen, it gave Kevin an idea, which he acted upon immediately. Turning
around, and facing away from Vinnie, he backed up and began to sit down.
Reaching beneath himself, 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 completely.
He also realized Kevin would need some help himself, so as Kevin bounced up
and down on Vinnie's penis, Vinnie jacked his lover off, and the two of
them climaxed almost simultaneously, which was more than satisfying for
both 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, and we quickly filled up before heading off to spend our final
day in Yellowstone. The first thing we would see today would be 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.
From Madison Junction, we followed the Firehole River, noting there is a
turnoff that leads to Firehole Canyon and Firehole Falls. We did take a
brief detour to check both of these out, before making our way back to the
Lower Geyser Basin. The first thing we saw here was the Fountain Paint
Pots, with its boiling, bubbling mud that 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, occasionally reaching heights of 200 feet. Seeing this geyser
had special significance to some of the boys, as it reminded them of how
they had erupted in the hot tubs the previous evening, causing 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
it has an array of dramatic colors, which can be appreciated best from the
air.
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, including the Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside, and Old Faithful.
It seems strange that Old Faithful is the best known and most widely
photographed of all the geysers, seeing it does not discharge the greatest
volume of water, it does not erupt more frequently than the others, it
isn't the oldest geyser, it doesn't have the highest or largest cone, it is
not the hottest, nor is it 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, our bus drove toward the east entrance to the park, and
we left Yellowstone behind us, ready to see other parts of the country.
* * * * * * * *
If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
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Bill.