GEYSER DOG
Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Yellowstone National Park

Episode 2: The Canine Conversation
by Rose Muenker

World Heritage Site: Yellowstone National Park
State: Wyoming
Country: United States of America
Continent: North America
Year it became a World Heritage Site: 1979
Maps: Yellowstone National Park Location in Wyoming and the United States

Episodes: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

Sonya yawned and stretched. After a comfy sleep beside the fireplace in the Old Faithful Inn, she was ready for a day of adventure.

She pranced out the door to the snow coach. Five other passengers joined her on the excursion north. The motor-powered vehicle glided easily across the deep snow.

The first stop was Artist Paint Pots, a group of colorful hot springs. Steam hovered above them. Each of the hot springs was a different color - pink, yellow, gold.

"How pretty!" a passenger remarked. "They look like the dabs of color on an artist's palette."

Back in the snow coach, they rode past huge fields of sparkling snow. An elegant white trumpeter swan glided on Firehole River.

"Is there a place to swim in this river?" Sonya asked the guide.

"Only if you want to turn into a block of ice!"

Odd-looking snow formations stood alongside the road. "Those are fir trees that the wind has completely covered with snow," the guide explained. "We call them ghost trees."

Sonya barked at them just to be sure they were friendly ones.

The next stop was majestic Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Parts of the waterfalls had frozen into a curtain of glistening ice. The water behind the curtain roared as it tumbled to the canyon floor far below. Steam puffed out of holes in the rock walls.

As Sonya walked toward the rim of the canyon, she saw a beautiful animal with a thick winter coat.

"Are you a wolf?" she asked. "I've heard that you really like your new home here at Yellowstone. How many of you live here now?"

"I'm not a wolf! I'm a coyote," the animal huffed. "Creatures confuse us all the time. We've lived in the park forever."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you," Sonya apologized.

"No problem. I'm not offended," the coyote replied. "I just get tired of the mix up. There are only about 170 wolves in the park so you don't get to see us side by side. We're quite different. At least I think we are."

"How so?"

"We're prettier. Wolves are twice our size and have really long legs. Their muzzles are large and blocky, but ours are long and pointed. Our ears are sleek -- long and pointed. But the wolves have round and shorter ears," the coyote said proudly.

"Well, I'm very pleased to meet you. You're very handsome."

"Ah, shucks!" the coyote glanced down and pawed the snow. "Where are you headed?"

"North to Mammoth Springs and Lamar Valley. Do you know a place where it's safe to swim in the steaming water?"

"Yeah, on his last visit my cousin told me about a place near his lair. Some spot in the Gardiner River. Ask around when you get there. Someone must know where it is."

The snow coach horn tooted.

"I've got to go! Nice meeting you!" Sonya leaped into the snow coach, eager to see the next sights.

To be continued…
In the next issue, Sonya rides in a snow coach to Lamar Valley, Mammoth Springs and Gardiner River where she looks for a safe place to swim in steaming water.

Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and wildlife of Yellowstone National Park.

See how many words you know on the Word Match.

Read a non-fiction article about Yellowstone National Park.

GEYSER DOG Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Yellowstone National Park Episode 2: The Canine Conversation by Rose Muenker

GEYSER DOG
Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Yellowstone National Park

Episode 2: The Canine Conversation
by Rose Muenker