I'm just mad about Saffron
Saffron's mad about me
I'm just mad about Saffron
And she's just mad about me
They call me Mellow Yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me Mellow Yellow (Quite rightly)
I'm just mad about Fourteen
Fourteen's mad about me
I'm just mad about Fourteen
And Fourteen's mad about me
They call me Mellow Yellow . . .
Born high forever to fly
Wind velocity nil
Wanna high forever to fly
If you want, your cup I will fill
They call me Mellow Yellow . . .
Electrical banana
Is gonna be a sudden craze
Electrical banana
Is bound to the the very next phase
They call me Mellow Yellow . . .
~ Donovan Leitch
Okay, so what's this song doing in my road trip stash? We were in YELLOWstone yesterday! Cheesy, I know, but hey, cheese is also yellow.
My readers of a certain age know the impact this song had on us back in 1966 when it was released on the album of the same name. Donovan was hailed as "the British Dylan," and even though he never reached that stature, he goes down in music history as one of the first folk-rock artists. But part of the reason that this song also goes down in history is because of the rumor, apparently started by Country Joe McDonald, that one could get high on banana peels. Electrical bananas! Hey, we didn't have Google or Snopes to check things out, so we all bought it! The truth is that, according to Donovan, the electrical bananas were a reference to "ladies' vibrators," believe it or not!
Anyway, none of this has anything to do with Yellowstone, land of geysers and waterfalls and hot springs and grizzlies.
Driving from Big Timber to Yellowstone via the Beartooth Highway (which Charles Kuralt labeled "the most scenic road in America") was not the quickest way to get there, but it was worth the extra drive time. Since our time in Yellowstone was subsequently limited, we picked a few of the must-sees and began driving "the Loop." Artist's Point gave us a great view of the waterfalls in the canyon. Old Faithful was as old and as faithful was ever. And Mammoth Hot Springs is still the most Dr. Suessiest landscape I've ever seen. Although we did not encounter a Grizzly, there were plenty of bison and elk to entertain us. It was a long but satisfying day. It was mellow.
And yellow.
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