Vice President Joe Biden gave a surprisingly personal speech to 100 Park employees, their families and contractors yesterday, saying a Yellowstone National Park trip after the loss of his wife and daughter "gave nourishment to the body and soul."

"I can't even explain it. But it was real," he said of the 1974 trip with his two sons. After renting a camper in Salt Lake City, Biden and his sons drove north to the Park and spent a week here before returning to the Washington routine.

Biden was in the Park to inspect work on the 14 Yellowstone construction projects receiving funding under the federal stimulus package; overall, $12 million has made its way to various Yellowstone projects. While some are very high-profile -- like the reconstruction of the Grand Loop Road in the Gibbon Canyon -- others have been behind the scenes but necessary, like the $4.7 million wastewater-management facility, which doubles the capacity in the Park.

Biden and granddaughter Naomi spent the rest of the day in the Park before heading to the Grand Canyon.

Photo courtesy West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce.

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