 This is Lowell Thomas. Since the beginning of time, man has conducted a never-ending quest into nature's world. His curiosity has led him to the ends of the earth. And today, there are not so many unexplored regions left. Most of us have neither the time nor the means to visit them. Ah, but we can quite easily explore the strange natural environment of the world's first national park, Yellowstone, a land born first of volcanic fire and later molded by Ice Age glaciers, a land vividly reflecting the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Yielding grudgingly to the warm fingers of spring sunlight, frozen rivers escape its icy grip. The meekest of rivulets slowly loose their crystal fringes of delicate lace. Springtime finds Yellowstone as a quiet, snow-covered world. Even animal populations are at a low ebb. Gradually, this world begins to awaken. The white of ice and snow retreat before the green of bud and leaf. In the marshes of the park's many lakes, we find the waterfall nesting, as nature replenishes flux reduced by winter's cruel storms. To perpetuate the species, that's the underlying life force within every creature that dwells in this vast two-million-acre sanctuary. Looted from the hunter's rifle, wildlife in Yellowstone live a natural existence. They're tolerant of man because of his omnipresence along the roadways that circle the park, yet they remain wild, answering to the call of such strong instincts as protective motherhood. Many many feet of ice and snow now blooms an array of wildflowers. Proof that winter has passed. They are a splash of brilliant color on forest floor and mountain meadow. Passes, Yellowstone's famous black bears emerge from hibernation. Months of winter slumber have gone by. It's now time to instruct her cubs on the fine art of stopping traffic. Melting snow banks are perfect for gaining a better view of park visitors who like to view viewing bears. Pays flooded with sunshine transform Yellowstone's forest land into a veritable smorgasbord for browsing wildlife. Our welcome nourishment after a harsh battle with winter snow and cold and bird species are year-round residents of the park. Many of them, however, are only fair weather friends of this sprawling refuge. They fly north to Yellowstone in the spring to nest, retreating southward in the autumn. Sun fishermen signal that summer has arrived in Yellowstone. The chilling blue waters of Yellowstone Lake give forth a bounty of trout. From boat and bank these fish are sought by old and young with equal fervor. Who would rather take a picture than take a fish? Excursion boats show you a wilderness scarcely touched by the hand of man. Him has stood still for this lake and its feathery citizens, the seagulls, the pelicans, geese, swan, and ducks. They are at home in this wild, watery domain. They always have been. They always will be. The wandering geysers and delicate hot springs hold overs of a violent volcanic age that caused such astonishment that man created the world's first national park just to protect it from his fellow man. The secrets of Yellowstone's strange thermogeology. But the answers are so complex compared to the simple beauty of a geyser's or a hot springs' reflection. Defy the imaginations of explorers a century ago. But isn't everyone a skeptic until they've actually witnessed the grand geysers of Yellowstone? The tranquil terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs counterbalance the pounding, pulsating geysers. A rainbow of pastel pools shimmer against elegantly carved limestone formations. Beauty is at every turn of the eye. Where Bannock, Shoshone, Crow, and Blackfoot moccasins once trod, modern man now seeks the same sights. Sights that remain unchanged since those primitive Indian days so long, long ago. Sitters are leaving the comfort of the highways now for a peaceful stroll along Yellowstone's many byways. July and August call forth a perfusion of wildflowers in their richest glory. Indian paintbrush and countless other petals to dazzle the eye. They perfume an atmosphere already invigorating at this high altitude retreat in the northwest corner of Wyoming, a leather saddle. The spicy aroma of sagebrush on a cool summer morning. The stands of pine marching up mountain sides to meet the cobalt skies. Yellowstone is many things to many people, and there is nothing else to compare it with. Merch is the Concorde stagecoach. During the park's early existence, a stage was about the only way you could tour this wonderland. In 1916, the roads were improved and gateways thrown open to allow the marvelous horse-less carriage. Today, visitors can still enjoy a taste of Yellowstone's historic past. Days of summer find Yellowstone's waterfall, retreating to the cool stillness of shaded pond and high mountain meadow. There to raise their young to eat the rich water plants, to gain strength for the escape from the approaching rocky mountain winter. Food chain is the basis of all the circle includes the plant eater that becomes prey for the flesh eating predator. Man accepts the termination of life as a physical end. But in Yellowstone's scheme of things, it is only a beginning, since there cannot be life in the wild world without a corresponding loss of life. Indian soothsayers call this land the summit of the world, for out of its mountains, sprang great rivers descending in every direction. This abundance of water, of course, means an abundance of plant and animal life. But it also serves to replenish the geyser basins with water for new eruptions. Superheated underground caverns drink their fill, setting the stage for thermal extravagances on each boat anywhere on earth. There's a certain drama about awaiting the hourly eruption of old faithful geyser. Sometimes the hour is a long one. We do not know how old it is, but we do know it is faithful. And of extremes, some places crowded with people, other places wild enough to hide the giant grizzly bear. Animal species find safety here from the rapid expansion of mankind and all that this portends. It was a beaver who prompted the discovery of the Yellowstone country. Fur trappers sought beaver pelts from the streams and ponds of Yellowstone for the fancy hats of European gentlemen. News of this fantastic region soon reached the ears of a skeptical America. Scientific expeditions changed fancy into fact. Bottom of the ear is a magnet for those who would fool scrappy, tail-walking trough. Big city madness is soon forgotten. All is well with the world again. They're explode in the shrinking golden days of autumn, explode into reds, yellows, and oranges. The air is crisp in this high country now. Mountains seem close enough to touch, and everywhere one turns there is a picture worth taking. Many visitors find Indian summer the most pleasant time of all. Return of cool weather signals the wildlife down from the high plateaus. The mating season is at hand. High-pitched calls float through the pines. Slipping silently out of Yellowstone Lake, the Yellowstone River plunges on its way to meet the mighty Missouri. At the upper falls, currents leap into space, dropping over 100 feet, boiling, churning, then racing downward for another gigantic vault into a magnificent yellow-hued gorge. 300 foot lower falls of the Yellowstone is indeed a heart-pounding sight. What the season, no matter where the vantage point may be. Travelers seeing the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River for the first time, or even the fiftieth, pause in reverence before this tight, tannic, handy work of nature. It is wide and deep and long, but size is secondary to the colors and shapes of the rocky formations jutting upward from this chasm. Far below the Pinecrown Canyon Rim churns the Wild Wild River, cascading white in the midday sun. With autumn days fading into the past, these cascades will soon become frozen sculptures, locked in an icy coliseum. River has arrived in Yellowstone, covering River Canyon and Geyser Basin with equal nonchalance. The soft mantle of white seems to silence all activity in this largest of all national parks. The grasses are now browned and deep underfoot. Wildlife must now begin the struggle to survive. The weak, the foolish, will not live to see another spring. These thermal pools and terraces seem to erupt, splash, steam, and bubble with a vigor unparalleled at any of the time of the year. Winter's chill creates a weird fantasy land. Recently, the pageant of Yellowstone's spectacular winter landscapes were witnessed only by indifferent animals and an occasional park ranger. All this has changed with the whine of over-the-snow vehicles zipping along Yellowstone's snow-covered roadways. The curtain has gone up. It has gone up on a show of unexpected scale and beauty. Only the deep sleeping bear is missing from the cast. Gasoline engines split the lonesome stillness. There always has been a fourth season in Yellowstone, but until now, it could not be seen to be appreciated. In many ways, it's the most unbelievable season of a most unbelievable place. Yellowstone, there's the promise of a land that knows no days, no weeks, no years. Winter, spring, summer, autumn. The four seasons are endless seasons, and as long as there is an America, there will be the grandeur that is Yellowstone National Park for your children and your children's children to enjoy.