Latest news with #YellowstoneNationalPark
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New blue water spring found at Yellowstone after 'mildly explosive' activity
Geologists discovered a new blue water spring at Yellowstone National Park that likely formed after a series of "mildly explosive events," the United States Geological Survey said. The new pool was found in a subbasin at the Norris Geyser Basin, which is the park's hottest and oldest thermal area. Scientists conducting routine maintenance in the area unearthed the spring in April, according to a July 14 release from USGS. The hole is about 13 feet in diameter and 1 foot below the rim, USGS said. The water in the pool, which is light blue in color, was measured at 109°F. USGS said satellite images indicate the spring formed in a series of events between December 2024 and February 2025. Geologists believe it formed as a result of a hydrothermal explosion, which is when hot water within a volcano flashes to steam, breaking rocks and throwing them into the air. More Yellowstone: Watch pair of baby bison run off the 'zoomies' at the park New Yellowstone spring probably formed in 'mildly explosive events' Yellowstone's new blue water spring "probably formed in a series of mildly explosive events" between late December 2024 and February 2025, USGS said. Geologists discovered the hole in April after visiting the site for the first time since last fall, USGS said. The pool was surrounded by small rocks that were covered in light-gray, sandy mud. The sides of the pool also appeared to have two exposed layers, but one was actually a coating left when the water was at a higher level, USGS said. Both the presence of the rocks and the water layers are evidence of a hydrothermal explosion, according to USGS. Satellite images corroborated the findings that the hole formed over several months. Can you swim in Yellowstone's hot springs? While hot springs are often popular swimming spots for visitors to national parks, it's unlikely the one recently discovered at Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin will allow bathing. According to the National Park Service, Yellowstone has very limited spots for swimming because of extreme water temperatures. The water in the park's hot springs often reaches the boiling point, so swimming in them is prohibited to protect visitors as well as the park's thermal environments, according to NPS. On the other end of the spectrum, the park's high-elevation lakes and rivers typically have cold water that can pose a risk of hypothermia, per NPS. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yellowstone National Park geologists find new blue water spring
Associated Press
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
Warming rivers prompt fishing restrictions in western Montana
Nearly a dozen rivers in western Montana and a handful of rivers inside the borders of Yellowstone National Park are under restrictions or closures as biologists seek to reduce angling-related sources of fish mortality. On July 9, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced that portions of Upper Rock Creek, the Clark Fork River, the Bitterroot River and the entirety of Silver Bow Creek are closed to angling after 2 p.m. to protect fish during the hottest hours of the day. The previous day, hoot owl restrictions were announced for sections of the Ruby, Big Hole, Beaverhead and Smith rivers and for the entirety of the Jefferson River. The Sun River and the Madison River, perhaps the state's most popular angling destination, were placed under hoot owl closures particularly early this year — July 2 for the Sun River and June 19 for the Madison River above Hebgen Lake. FWP initiates hoot owl closures when river temperatures reach 73 degrees for three consecutive days and uses angler pressure and flow-based criteria when considering full closures. Trout are particularly susceptible to disease spread and other sources of mortality from late July through late August, when meager flows, rising temperatures and low dissolved oxygen levels converge. Water temperatures above 77 degrees can be lethal to trout. On July 11, Yellowstone National Park initiated full fishing closures to protect aquatic ecosystems inside its boundaries. The Madison, Firehole and Gibbon rivers and their tributaries are closed to all fishing. Park officials consider closing rivers inside its border to fishing when water temperatures hit the 68-degree mark and will revisit the closures when those temperatures cool and flows return to 'more typical summer conditions.' Additional closures may be coming, park officials noted. The announcements come about a month after FWP hosted a virtual town hall to alert the angling public to rapidly declining streamflows across much of the state. Biologists attribute diminishing streamflows to the loss of much of the state's near-average wintertime snowpack in May. 'As things continue to drop … we'll continue to work with water users on where we can find conservation measures to keep as much water as we can in the river,' Region 3 Fisheries Manager Mike Duncan said at the June 11 meeting. Conditions are shaping up to be very similar to 2021, he added. That year, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte issued a drought-related disaster declaration on July 1 and more than 15 rivers were subject to some form of angling restriction or closure by mid-August. Other FWP biologists observed that several reservoirs in the state never filled this spring and cautioned anglers and fly-fishing guides to prepare for limited access to reservoir boat ramps at places like the Tiber and Gibson reservoirs. As of July 14, approximately 20 rivers in western Montana were within the 10th percentile for low flows, including blue-ribbon fisheries such as the Big Hole, Blackfoot, Madison and Missouri rivers as well as the Clark Fork and one of its largest tributaries — Rock Creek. The Dearborn River stream gauge near Craig, which has 55 years of records, was sitting at an all-time low, producing just 16 cubic feet per second of flow. Rivers across the state are experiencing near-record-low flows with additional challenges expected. In a follow-up conversation with Montana Free Press on Monday, Duncan noted that water quantity and fish health are closely linked. 'When we have water, almost all of these fisheries respond favorably,' Duncan said, going on to describe suboptimal flows as one of the 'major limiting factors' in overall trout population trends. Duncan added that additional restrictions and closures could be announced as rivers around the state continue to dwindle and heat up. FWP's Current Restrictions and Closures page is the best source of information for most of the rivers in the state. Yellowstone National Park notices angling closures inside its borders on the Plan Your Visit section of its website. About one-third of the state is in moderate or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. On Wednesday, the Governor's Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee will meet in Helena and virtually to discuss current conditions and drought mitigation measures. ___ This story was originally published by Montana Free Press and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bison stampede footage shows Yellowstone critters that are ‘born to run'
Bison jams are an exciting part of the Yellowstone National Park experience, but as Yellowstone Safari Company pointed out Tuesday, 'There are Bison Jams and there are Bison STAMPEDES.' The accompanying footage shows a long line of bison, including calves, running down a highway as idle motorists marvel at the spectacle. (Viewers can spot even more bison on the landscape adjacent to the highway.) "Today we found ourselves in the [stampede] as hundreds of Bison rushed past our safari vehicle, completely surrounding us!" Yellowstone Safari Company stated via Instagram. "There is simply no other place where you can step back in time and experience such an authentically American wild scenario like this!" While motorists were able to enjoy the sound of the gargantuan beasts clomping atop pavement, viewers can enjoy footage accompanied by Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run.' This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bison stampede video shows Yellowstone critters that are 'born to run'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Young elk exhibits remarkable speed while fleeing wolves in Yellowstone
Mature elk can run 40 mph when they become so inspired, and recent footage from Yellowstone National Park shows that young elk are likewise fleet of foot when their lives are at stake. The accompanying footage, captured by Andrea Baratte, shows part of a scene that unfolded last week after the Wapiti wolf pack had separated an elk calf from its mother. 'The calf swam across the river and, thinking the wolves were gone, decided to swim back,' Baratte explained via Instagram. 'Unfortunately, three wolves were waiting on the other side.' RELATED: Bison stampede footage shows that iconic critters are 'born to run' The footage opens with the elk sprinting at top speed and plunging into the Yellowstone River, with two of the three wolves continuing the chase in the water. The footage ends there, but Baratte assured, 'In a brave attempt, the calf made it safely back to its mother.' Yellowstone provides summer habitat for as many as 20,000 elk. The park is also home to more than 100 wolves, which prey on elk, deer, bison, and smaller mammals. As Baratte noted, wolves have a low success rate when it comes to hunting large mammals. But a single kill can provide days of sustenance. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Yellowstone elk calf exhibits remarkable speed while fleeing wolves
CNN
07-07-2025
- CNN
He saw her in Yellowstone and thought ‘I'm going to marry that girl.' And he did
The moment Andrew McGowan and Shallen Yu met eyes through a storefront window, it felt like something passed between them. Andrew was sure his life was about to change. 'I saw her through the window and I was like, 'I'm going to marry that girl,'' Andrew tells CNN Travel today. Andrew and Shallen were strangers. They'd never spoken before. They were from different worlds. But against the odds, Andrew was right. It was the summer of 2013 and twentysomething college student Andrew was on vacation in Yellowstone National Park, known for its incredible wildlife, volcanic landscapes and beautiful views. Vacationing with his entire extended family — siblings and their partners, nieces and nephews, parents, aunts and uncles — Andrew's main goal for the weekend was to avoid any complicated family dynamics and focus on catching a fish or two. 'My parents described it as a family reunion,' says Andrew. 'I was mostly just there to go fishing with my brother.' The McGowan family hailed from Utah and usually headed to Yellowstone for a camping weekend every few years or so. Andrew and his brother always spent their time in Yellowstone fishing for trout. 'We grew up fishing,' says Andrew. 'What was unique about this trip in particular was that my family had never camped at the Canyon area of Yellowstone before. We just happened to camp there that year, and Shallen was working in the Canyon village right next to our campground.' Andrew grew up in a conservative small town in Utah as one of seven siblings, part of a large Mormon family. In the summer of 2013, Andrew had just returned from two years in the Philippines on missionary service — a typical rite of passage for young Mormons who volunteer to spend time away spreading the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. But while he was away, some of Andrew's family had begun to question Mormon doctrine, with his parents eventually deciding to leave the church. 'My parents were these really conservative Mormons, all my life, growing up,' Andrew recalls today. 'Then they moved away from it. They left it, went completely the other way.' For Andrew, this was discombobulating. Even though he no longer shared a belief system with his family, they remained close. And so the McGowans decamped to Yellowstone for a weekend of hiking, grilling and family time. While most of the family set up camp, Andrew and his brother went to the park's nearest general store, to secure fishing licenses. 'And we went into the store that she happened to be working at,' recalls Andrew. 'She' was Shallen. A twentysomething student from Taiwan, working in Yellowstone for the summer, as part of a student summer working program. Shallen, who was studying for a degree in geographic information, was thrilled at the idea of working in the national park for several weeks. 'I had never been there before. It was magical, it was beautiful,' she tells CNN Travel today. For Shallen, the summer in the US was a new experience — though she had spent time away from Taiwan before. 'I had never done anything like this specifically before but my mom would send me to summer camps in English speaking countries when I was a kid,' she recalls. Before Andrew entered the store, he spotted Shallen through the window. He walked in determined to speak with her — even when it turned out she wasn't in charge of selling the fishing licenses. 'She was working over at another counter,' Andrew recalls. 'So I went and bought chocolate milk at her register that she was working at, so that I could talk to her.' I saw her through the window and I was like, 'I'm going to marry that girl' Andrew McGowan on the moment he saw Shallen Yu For Andrew it was something akin to love at first sight. For Shallen, it wasn't quite that. But it was a memorable first interaction — a tall, blond guy bouncing up to her with a grin on his face. 'He's smiling really big, and he looks like he froze,' Shallen recalls today, laughing. The employees at the store all wore name tags, listing both their name and where they came from. Shallen's badge said she was from Taiwan. When Andrew spotted this, he decided to attempt to introduce himself in Mandarin. Andrew had a bit of a flair for languages; he'd picked up Tagalog while living in the Philippines, and dabbled in Mandarin as part of a college language requirement. Still, Andrew had never attempted to flirt in Mandarin before. And what came out of his mouth was 'really poor Mandarin,' recalls Shallen today, laughing. 'And then he left,' she says. 'We had so many customers come in, I didn't think much of it.' While Shallen moved onto her next customer, Andrew sat in his brother's car, debating what to do next. Fishing licenses secured, the brothers could move onto the focus point of their weekend away. But Andrew couldn't stop thinking about Shallen. 'He was like, 'Alright, we gotta go back.' And I was like, 'No, I gotta talk to that girl again,'' recalls Andrew. 'My brother had started the car, he was starting to back up, and I was like 'No, I'm going for it.' So, I got out the car while he was backing up.' Leaving his brother baffled, Andrew ran back into the store. He met Shallen's eyes, and she smiled. 'She saw me,' he recalls. 'She was smiling really big, like she was waiting for me to say something.' For a moment, Andrew and Shallen just stood there, smiling at each other. Not saying anything. 'Then I was like, 'You got a boyfriend?'' recalls Andrew. 'He said this in Mandarin,' adds Shallen. 'He was just straight out saying, 'Do you have a boyfriend?'' She shook her head and told him she was single. Still speaking broken Mandarin, Andrew asked Shallen if he could take her out for dinner that night. 'And I go, 'No,' because we're in the middle of nowhere, and dinner sounds so formal,' recalls Shallen. 'I'm like, 'This is weird.'' But Shallen was intrigued by Andrew. 'So I said, 'Well, if you want to practice your Mandarin, we can grab ice cream,'' she recalls. 'My thought process at a time — it's like, 'I don't know you, and I'm here in the States, all by myself. If we just sit in front of the store, there's a lot of people watching over me.' A lot of retired people come work in Yellowstone over the summer, and some of them, I could be their granddaughter… They can see me, I'll be safe.' 'Okay. Deal,' said Andrew. 'We'll do it.'' The two set the ice-cream date for two days later. In the intervening days, Andrew and his brother enjoyed hours spent fishing, while Andrew daydreamed about his upcoming date with Shallen. He was so preoccupied that sun screen was the last thing on his mind and he ended up with some unpleasant sunburn after a hike to a fishing spot took longer than expected. 'The area we were fishing that trip was called Slough Creek and to this day it was the best trout fishing I've ever experienced, making the nine-mile hike worth it,' recalls Andrew. On the day of his date, Andrew borrowed some clothes from his brother as his own 'smelled like trail and sweat.' He did his best to hide his uneven tan lines and met up with Shallen outside her store. The two said their hellos, slightly awkwardly, but both smiling just as widely as they had the day they met. Shallen gestured to the ice-cream store, which was attached to her workplace. 'And so we go over to this little rustic Western ice-cream shop, and we grabbed ice cream,' recalls Andrew. 'And then his sister saw us,' says Shallen. 'My sister was coming over to the general store to buy something, and she had her DSLR camera with her,' recalls Andrew. 'So, I hear her yell… She's like, 'Drew!' She's the only person in the world that can call me Drew…' Andrew turned around, Shallen also looked over. And then Andrew's sister snapped a series of 'paparazzi photos.' In the pictures, Andrew and Shallen look surprised but happy. Andrew's sister had captured the chemistry brewing between them. Over scoops of Rocky Road and chocolate, Andrew and Shallen started opening up. Andrew's stilted Mandarin only took them so far, so they switched into English. Shallen talked about what brought her to Yellowstone that summer. Andrew talked about his travels abroad. Shallen asked him how he ended up learning Mandarin. 'Shallen remembers that I high fived her on a couple things we talked about that we had in common but I can't remember exactly what they were,' says Andrew. There was an easy camaraderie between them right away. Shallen says at this point it was 'more bonding than flirting.' But she felt 'like I've known this person for a long time.' A self-confessed introvert, Shallen usually took a while to open up to someone. 'But for him… I didn't feel uncomfortable. We just talk and talk,' says Shallen. 'As for me, I like talking to new people, but I don't really connect deeply with people very often,' says Andrew. 'With her, it just clicked. It felt like a really good connection. I liked the way she talked about everything. I could tell that she was a really curious person.' As the conversation turned to Yellowstone's beauty, Andrew mentioned a spot called Artist Point, a cliffside viewing area. 'It wasn't particularly scenic at the ice-cream store itself so we drove over to Artist Point, which is an incredible view,' he says. Andrew drove them over there, in his brother's truck. They talked the whole way. At Artist Point, the two stood side-by-side, surveying the view of the cascading waterfall, framed by red rocks, still deep in conversation. 'We talked about the beauty of Yellowstone,' says Andrew. 'For me it was more commonplace since I grew up in the mountains and had been to Yellowstone multiple times but I remember being impressed and enthralled with how much Shallen appreciated it.' Then, their conversation was disrupted by a a passing family, who asked Andrew and Shallen if they'd take a photo of them. The family turned out to the from the Philippines. 'We ended up speaking Tagalog with each other for a bit,' recalls Andrew. 'They then offered to take a picture of us, which I thought would be a little odd since it was our first date, but Shallen was very chill and said okay. I'm glad she was chill and said yes because now we have that picture of our first date.' Picture taken, Shallen and Andrew turned their attention back to each other. 'We were having a really good conversation. I don't think either of us wanted it to be over. And then my sister texted me and said that my family was making peach cobbler,' recalls Andrew. Without overthinking, Andrew asked Shallen if she'd like to join the family get-together. 'I didn't know what peach cobbler is, and I'm a sweet tooth. And he explained. I was like, 'Of course, I'm gonna come,'' says Shallen. 'And all I think about is the dessert. I didn't think about I will meet his entire family.' 'So she met my family on the first date,' says Andrew. In the moment, his priority was just continuing the connection with Shallen. But he had no qualms about introducing his ice cream date to his loved ones. 'I have a really warm family, and my mom was smitten with her, right away,' says Andrew. Looking back, Shallen suggests part of this enthusiasm was Andrew's mother hoping her Mormon son would 'meet someone that's outside of the church and then just pull him out.' 'She also just liked you,' says Andrew to Shallen today. In between bites of peach cobbler, Andrew's siblings and extended family welcomed Shallen into an environment Andrew describes as 'chaotic but always warm.' 'My sister had brought her dogs and my nephew was chasing them around the campsite. My little niece was 7 months old at the time and my sister-in-law or my sister was like 'here, hold the baby,' to Shallen,' recalls Andrew. Shallen loved babies so she was unpertubred. She held her while Andrew's family got the cobbler ready. And later, when the McGowans posed for a family photo, they encouraged Shallen to join them in the shot. For Shallen, the whole affair was a bit surreal. But she tried not to overthink it. She felt happy, relaxed and welcomed. 'I'm just having the best time,' she recalls thinking. She also felt like she'd never experienced an evening quite like this back home in Taiwan. 'My family is very traditional and very protective,' Shallen explains. 'They will never let me do anything like this. Even though I'm already an adult, but in Taiwan, a lot of times it's like, 'Oh, you're in your 20s, you're still a kid.'' But that evening, Shallen felt a sense of freedom. 'I can do things that I choose to do, and I'm having this great connection with the guy I just met,' she recalls thinking. I'm having this great connection with this guy I just met Shallen, remembering how she felt on her first date with Andrew As the night wound to a close, Andrew's family retreated to their tents to sleep. But Andrew and Shallen stayed up by the campfire, chatting. 'We ended up just staying out and talking,' says Andrew. 'We took my brother-in-law's truck, and we went stargazing for a bit.' 'So our first date, it was like, six, seven hours long,' says Shallen. 'It was more than that,' says Andrew. 'We stayed out until 2 a.m.' The next day, Andrew was set to leave Yellowstone. He and Shallen exchanged phone numbers before he left. And while they'd both had a great time — an incredible time — Shallen says she wasn't thinking 'too much of it.' 'Because I was like, 'Well, at the end of my job, I'm going to go back to Taiwan, you're going to stay here,'' she says. 'I hadn't thought that it's going to go anywhere. But he came up again in August for a camping trip.' 'I came up to see her,' says Andrew. On this trip, Shallen introduced Andrew to her gang of Yellowstone work friends, and the group enjoyed a campfire and evening swim in the park's Firehole River. 'We were jumping in and having a really good time. It was really fun,' says Shallen. Shallen and Andrew felt an even stronger bond on this second visit. 'We had more connection,' Shallen says. 'And my friends all liked him.' A few weeks later, Shallen returned the favor and visited Utah to meet Andrew's friends — who couldn't quite believe she was real. 'His friends, they thought he was lying,' she says, laughing. 'Like, 'How do you meet someone in Yellowstone, just like that?'' 'They all liked her,' says Andrew. 'They all thought she was hilarious.' But then, just like that, summer was over. Andrew and Shallen were both in their early 20s. Still at college. From opposite sides of the globe. It wasn't obvious what their path forward could be. 'I was more like, 'Let's make this work.' She was more like, 'Let's just see what happens,'' recalls Andrew. It was the same sentiment — more or less. Andrew felt things deeply. When he was sure about something, he was sure about it. Shallen was more cautious. And she was sure her family back in Taiwan wouldn't approve of the relationship. 'One part of me is like, if I go home, I know my family would have all the disapproval,' she says. 'Which they actually did.' But Shallen was falling for Andrew. She loved spending time with him, and loved the idea of a future with him, even if she wasn't sure what it would look like. So, Shallen agreed, they should stay in touch. 'I went back to Taiwan, and we began our long-distance relationship,' says Shallen. The two navigated the multi-hour time difference as best as they could, organizing video calls, sending instant messages. 'I would call her early in the morning as she was getting ready for bed,' recalls Andrew. And for the next nine months, Andrew and Shallen communicated from afar. Meanwhile, Andrew started saving up 'as much money as I could' to buy a plane ticket to Taiwan. 'I worked two jobs, as a carpenter for a friends' construction company and then as a youth mentor at a boys home for kids that were in state custody,' he recalls. In the summer of 2014, Andrew reunited with Shallen in Taiwan. 'I loved Taiwan because it's this semi-tropical, verdant, agricultural paradise,' he says. 'I grew up in a smaller town, farming, and I've always had this fascination with the green things of the world. Taiwan was just this beautiful island, so there was a lot of natural beauty there. And then because I grew up in a smaller town, I was really impressed with the cities, how they function… You can take public transport everywhere.' Whenever Andrew and Shallen were together, eating out in Taipei or hiking in the countryside, things were easy. They also went to the Philippines for a little while, and Andrew showed Shallen where he'd lived. They felt closer than ever. But Andrew's interactions with Shallen's family were more complicated. They made it clear that Andrew wasn't what they'd envisaged for Shallen. 'My family's standard is like, 'Oh, did he graduate yet? Does he own his own house?'' says Shallen. 'It's very traditional East Asian culture. So, my mom's like 'Yeah, this would just be child's play.'' Andrew was intimidated by Shallen's family of academic high achievers. 'Her mom is, like, this really accomplished person in the finance industry,' he says. 'When we met, her mom was like, 'Okay, I guess I'll take you around.' I think at that point she was like. 'All right. I have to deal with this.' 'So, she takes me golfing, takes me to a driving range, and I've never golfed before…she's trying to teach me. I think she thought I was pretty dumb or something, I don't know, because I could not get it.' When Andrew finally managed to hit a ball properly for the first time 'it flew up over the fence, and it came down and it hit a golf cart.' It turned out one of Shallen's mother's friends was in said golf cart. 'And they're like this, this dumb American or this dumb foreigner hit my golf cart,' recalls Andrew. While bonding with Shallen's family was a little tricky, Shallen's friends liked Andrew right away. 'Her friends always had fun because I really tried to learn Mandarin,' he recalls. 'You also have a gift of learning languages,' says Shallen to Andrew today. 'I don't think anyone could just pick up Mandarin like that. But he's also very curious all that time. So, he had questions, and he's funny, making all of us laugh… All my friends liked you.' Post-vacation, in a quest to spend more time with Shallen, Andrew applied for a semester abroad studying Mandarin at Taipei Normal University's Mandarin Training Center. He enrolled in January 2015. 'That's when things became more serious,' says Shallen. 'He moved in with me in my apartment.' The couple started talking about marriage for the first time. They discussed the idea of Shallen moving to the US. 'And that's when her family was like, 'Absolutely not,'' recalls Andrew. After many difficult and tense conversations, Shallen made the decision to disregard her parents' pushback. 'We didn't get my family's approval,' she says. 'So we just eloped.' 'We were like, 'They're not going to support us, but we have to do what we want and what makes us happy,'' says Andrew. 'And so, we were like, 'Yeah, we're gonna get married anyways.'' In the summer of 2015, two years after they first met in Yellowstone, Andrew and Shallen eloped in the hills above the Utah town where Andrew grew up. 'The ceremony itself was really small,' says Andrew. 'My closest friends helped me carry up tables for food and blankets for people to sit on. I think we had like 20 people there in total.' While it was a special day, there were mixed emotions at play. Shallen was saddened by her family's absence. Andrew's family wasn't there either, but they wholeheartedly supported his decision to marry Shallen. Shallen, meanwhile, felt conscious she was breaking from her family's expectations. She was unsure what her relationship with them would look like in the future. 'I get really emotional when I talk about my family,' she says today. But Shallen and Andrew were excited to start a new chapter together. And in time, Shallen's family came round to her decision to marry Andrew. 'My mom was like, 'Okay, my daughter is not coming back to me,'' recalls Shallen. 'She went to this Chinese fortune teller… and got both our birthdays matched. And the guy actually told her, 'They match really well. They're going to have their differences. But they always work it out.' And so because of the fortune teller, my mom's like, 'Okay, I guess that's okay.'' In 2016, a year after their elopement, Andrew and Shallen — who took Andrew's name following her wedding, becoming Shallen McGowan — celebrated their marriage with a big party in Utah. Andrew's family were all in attendance. And this time around, many of Shallen's loved ones were present too. 'My mom, my brother, his wife, and their one-year-old baby; they flew here and two of my best friends came,' says Shallen. During these celebrations, Shallen and Andrew referenced their first date in Yellowstone: 'The catering that we hired…' begins Andrew. '… Half of it's ice cream,' laughs Shallen. This day also marked a moment of healing for Shallen and Andrew, as they spent the day celebrating with Shallen's loved ones. 'Now her family's come to terms with it, and they see how happy we are,' says Andrew. 'And we also have really cute kids, like really cute kids, and so you know, you can't complain about that.' Andrew and Shallen welcomed their two children in 2017 and 2019. When their second child was born, they left Utah and moved to California. Over time, Andrew also distanced himself from the Mormon religion he grew up with, before leaving the church altogether. Moving to California allowed the couple to find a new community. 'We're in a very multicultural place, and so it's better for both of us,' says Andrew. 'And better for our kids,' adds Shallen. Their love of their children is a big unifier for Andrew and Shallen. 'We said, 'We're going to have our family. It's going to be us and our kids, and that's going to be what matters the most to us,'' says Andrew. When it comes to raising their children, and navigating life together, Shallen and Andrew pride themselves on working as a team. 'We work things out, we try to see each other and see how we can help each other grow,' Shallen says. While Andrew views the moment he saw Shallen as love at first sight, as fate intervening, he also stresses their romance is an active choice. 'I think in some ways the universe chose us for each other, but we did ultimately make the choice of each other,' he says. 'And then we've made choices to respect and care about our relationship with each other and value that.' The result, he says, is they're very connected. 'I feel like she's an extension of me, and I'm an extension of her,' he says. 'And we're able to work together.' And whenever summer rolls around, the couple remember their first date. 'When we eat ice cream, we definitely think about it,' says Shallen. Shallen and Andrew also took their kids to Yellowstone a few years back. 'We told them, 'This is where we first met,'' says Shallen. 'It was very cute.' While their children were too little to take in the significance of the moment, for Shallen and Andrew, it was special. They hiked to Artist Point, and looked over the waterfall and views, thinking of the hours-long first date, and of the moment they first spoke to one another in the general store. 'Walking in and seeing her, like I said for me it was love at first sight,' says Andrew. 'I obviously couldn't see where our journey would take us, and I couldn't see where life was going to take us… but if I could go back, I would do it 100 times over. I mean, even with the difficult things, even with the hard things, 100 times over, I would do it again.'
