Yellowstone National Park is among the most unique places on this planet, and for decades, the secret’s been out, so much so that as soon as the winter weather subsides the park is literally flooded with tourists. So last month when I made my first visit to the park, I found it to be a little too ‘peopley’ and so my wife and I decided to escape to lesser congested areas. It’s lucky that we had done our research prior to leaving Ohio, because as soon as we came near the Grand Prismatic Spring, finding traffic backed up, we moved directly to lesser-known areas of the park.
What was more exasperating was the fact that we planned our trip to fall at the end of the tourist season in Yellowstone, but we were wrong. There is no offseason for Yellowstone, except perhaps when the snow begins to fall. But even then, I could see visitors fairing the harsh temperatures for a glimpse at the uniqueness of the place. So we eventually opted for a dispersed campsite far away from all the humans.
Yellowstone is famous for its geysers, wildlife, and sheer beauty, but what I loved most was feeling like I was on another planet when surrounded by the geothermal features. It’s a wild experience for anyone’s first time. Though, I witnessed something similar in Iceland, there it really felt like I was on Mars or something, because there are a few places where the ground is oozing and spitting, and boiling, and as far as the eye can see is red scorched earth and nothing to smell but sulfuric gas. Similar scenes can be found here too, because Yellowstone is a marriage of many ecosystems, from prairie to forest to mountains to geothermal wasteland. As you wander, each of these areas show themselves with characteristics unique to that region.
Having visited much of the world but not all of it, I’m convinced it’s a place unlike any other. Simply getting out of my car and venturing into the forest is among my favorite ways to submerse myself. I may not go very far from the road, but I’m far enough in to not hear another human or car, and close enough to experience anything. Out there, a wild animal can hide itself behind a single tree, so when you’re driving around, with your eye scanning the tree line, you won’t see most of what’s mere feet away. So hiking in far enough to know that I won’t lose my way, and taking the experience one moment at a time, sitting silent for upwards of an hour or more, can yield some pretty amazing sights and sounds.
Yellowstone is famous for its geysers, wildlife, and sheer beauty, but what I loved most was feeling like I was on another planet when surrounded by the geothermal features. It’s a wild experience for anyone’s first time. Though, I witnessed something similar in Iceland, there it really felt like I was on Mars or something, because there are a few places where the ground is oozing and spitting, and boiling, and as far as the eye can see is red scorched earth and nothing to smell but sulfuric gas. Similar scenes can be found here too, because Yellowstone is a marriage of many ecosystems, from prairie to forest to mountains to geothermal wasteland. As you wander, each of these areas show themselves with characteristics unique to that region.
Having visited much of the world but not all of it, I’m convinced it’s a place unlike any other. Simply getting out of my car and venturing into the forest is among my favorite ways to submerse myself. I may not go very far from the road, but I’m far enough in to not hear another human or car, and close enough to experience anything. Out there, a wild animal can hide itself behind a single tree, so when you’re driving around, with your eye scanning the tree line, you won’t see most of what’s mere feet away. So hiking in far enough to know that I won’t lose my way, and taking the experience one moment at a time, sitting silent for upwards of an hour or more, can yield some pretty amazing sights and sounds.
We decided to forgo the main park campgrounds and we searched for awhile by forest road until a private dispersed campsite came available. My wife Leah is 6-months pregnant and so we had to take some special precautions. While I typically enjoy disconnecting completely from the technological world while I’m in the forest, this time around I thought it best to stay connected. Because of the tremendous tourism crowds, cell phone service is available in some areas and we had just enough to make calls and send texts. Since grizzly bears do frequent the woods, I took precautions to ensure Leah was as safe as she could be. We powered our devices, our lights, and our tent heater with Renogy’s Phoenix generator, which allowed us to power ourselves while camping and being on the move for two weeks, and it worked non-stop without a recharge by way of an electrical plug.
Renogy’s Phoenix Portable Solar Generator has a built-in 20W solar panel, so you can stay connected, or at least powered up wherever the sun shines. Incorporating everything together with a large battery, solar panel, and control panel in one tight package is an awesome idea, because it allows backpackers to business travelers to take mobile power anywhere. Renogy designed the Phoenix generator to be everything you need in the modern age in one tight knit package, which I found to be a beautiful build that works really, really well.
Renogy’s Phoenix Portable Solar Generator has a built-in 20W solar panel, so you can stay connected, or at least powered up wherever the sun shines. Incorporating everything together with a large battery, solar panel, and control panel in one tight package is an awesome idea, because it allows backpackers to business travelers to take mobile power anywhere. Renogy designed the Phoenix generator to be everything you need in the modern age in one tight knit package, which I found to be a beautiful build that works really, really well.
The Phoenix offers off-grid adventurers and campers a modern approach to electricity that’s safe for the environment. In the past, to power a light or to recharge a device, or to power an off-grid appliance, you had to rely on gas-powered alternatives that not only scared away wildlife, but also leave a negative environmental impact. If you take one of those machines to a fragile ecosystem like where we spent time, you’re doing the natural world a tremendous disservice. But now, with the advent of lithium ion batteries and solar panel technologies, you can leave the place with no trace that you’ve been there, which is as it should be.
This generator is compact and dynamic, and boasts a very large battery that can charge your GoPro camera 47 times before needing a recharge, or your laptop 5 times, your DSLR camera 25 times, your iPad Air 2 8 times, and your iPhone 30+ times. What’s more is that the Phoenix powers four different ways via AC out, DC out x2, USB x4, and via Cigarette Lighter. All in one and capable of saving your ass anywhere the sun shines, the Phoenix is ideal in emergencies and for off-grid explorations of any kind. You can expand the 20 watt solar panel input with additional panels offered by Renogy, but with the built-in solar panel, you can charge the battery in 6 hours.
Renogy describes the inspiration of the engineering that went into this generator as being with convenience and versatility in mind, and it’s all of those things and much more. You can charge the battery with AC power, car power or solar power. Whether you’re a big adventurer, located in an area with frequent blackouts, or if you’re simply prepping your bug-out bag, this is a need that takes care of a very important niche in our modern mobile world. I highly recommend this mobile solar powered generator and take mine with me everywhere I go.
If you would like to learn more about Renogy, click here.
This generator is compact and dynamic, and boasts a very large battery that can charge your GoPro camera 47 times before needing a recharge, or your laptop 5 times, your DSLR camera 25 times, your iPad Air 2 8 times, and your iPhone 30+ times. What’s more is that the Phoenix powers four different ways via AC out, DC out x2, USB x4, and via Cigarette Lighter. All in one and capable of saving your ass anywhere the sun shines, the Phoenix is ideal in emergencies and for off-grid explorations of any kind. You can expand the 20 watt solar panel input with additional panels offered by Renogy, but with the built-in solar panel, you can charge the battery in 6 hours.
Renogy describes the inspiration of the engineering that went into this generator as being with convenience and versatility in mind, and it’s all of those things and much more. You can charge the battery with AC power, car power or solar power. Whether you’re a big adventurer, located in an area with frequent blackouts, or if you’re simply prepping your bug-out bag, this is a need that takes care of a very important niche in our modern mobile world. I highly recommend this mobile solar powered generator and take mine with me everywhere I go.
If you would like to learn more about Renogy, click here.
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