Espresso Cart

Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park, WY

*Reposted from the original coffee blog: Expedition Cafelier*

In a world full of the seven wonders, people choose to gather up their families, wait hours through traffic or airport security lines and travel to Yellowstone National Park. The park holds the allure of being our first National Park and the treasures within are worth the crowds for many. If you take the time to wander through its open meadows, dense trees and sulfur filled air you will be rewarded with geysers and hot springs that swirl from orange to yellow to turquoise before the indigo depths hide its deepest secrets. Buffalo roam the roads and trails alike and you are guaranteed to sit in more then one buffalo jam as the animals wander slowly, kicking up dust with each step and snorting their warning. If you take the roads and trails less traveled by, you will find moments by yourself to soak in the full bliss and tranquility the area holds. 

In 1903, Robert C. Reamer took advantage of the natural beauty in the area and began building the Old Faithful Inn. The Inn was modified throughout the years until in 1987 it was named a National Historic Landmark. Today, tourists can spend the night within its fort walls and awake to the spray of Old Faithful outside their window. A gift store and cafe are open on the main floor as well as a restaurant by reservation for visitors not staying the night. Perhaps one of the inn's finest features is the clock tower standing tall and proud in the middle of the building. Going up the old stairs you will find yourself halfway to the top of the tower and easily able to make a beeline for the deck. The sculpted wooden chairs and tables allow you to enjoy the 'fresh' air while watching Old Faithful and the smaller geysers and pools off to the side. 

Just inside the door stand two carts; to the right a minibar, to the left an espresso cart. A certain charm sat with cart. Perhaps it was the old timbers held precariously in place, the dim lighting or the excitement of children seeing earth's magic for the first time. Whatever it was, the Espresso Cart tucked into the small corner called to me. The dark roast coffee was proudly presented as coming from Yellowstone Coffee Roasters; a company that's been in Bozeman, MT since 1998. 

With my cup in tow I wandered to the chairs that lined the railing placed to keep you from plunging to the first floor. Taking in the clock before me I basked in the history this place held. I would never know the pain or labour it took to found the park, cut and shine the logs or drag the clock up the stone pillar. In this moment though, I could let the smell of rich coffee intermingle with the sulfur tinted air and appreciate it for all it was worth. The coffee, thick like chocolate covered espresso beans, added to the sentiment and with a sigh I allowed myself to be lost in the moment.