On Monday we went to Yellowstone. It was amazing, of course. We did the lower loop from Old Faithful through West Thumb and back to Madison. It was a long drive but way fun. We were so fortunate to have hosts who knew the park like the back of their hands and knew the "secret" places to see.
The first stop was Firehole Canyon Drive where we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over our first waterfall, the Firehole Falls (if you ask my kids, they believe my goal was to see every waterfall in the park). After that we went on to the Lower Geyser Basin and stoped at the Fountain Paint Pots. It was freezing cold and the wind was blowing but it was worth the walk. From there we went on to Firehole Lake Drive where we saw the Great Fountain Geyser as it finished erupting and the White Dome Geyser and walked through Hot Lake (appropriately named) and Firehole Lake. The colors were amazing. Then on to the Grand Prismatic Spring and the Upper Geyser Basin. By then it was getting late in the morning so we hurried to Old Faithful. Armed with a great parking tip (park at the Old Faithful Lodge), we made it just in time to see the eruption. We waited only 5 minutes. Yeah for us! But I realized here that my camera batteries were dying so I had to conserve the pictures. Boo hoo!
We pressed onward, past the Kepler Cascades and then up to Craig Pass to have lunch. It was freezing so we shivered through sandwiches and grapes but hurried back to the car for the rest of lunch. N was having a hard time eating her twinkie; it was so cold and she was shivering so hard, she kept missing her mouth.
We continued our drive past Yellowstone Lake, a lake so cold that a man can only last 9 minutes in it before hypothermia will kill him. There weren't many on the lake due to the cold and the wind. As we were coming out of West Thumb, we hit a buffalo road block. There was a herd lounging on the road. It took about 20 minutes before the rangers arrived and cleared them out. It gave us time to find out M is scared of buffalo. When they finally let us through, a buffalo was walking down the middle of the road, following the stripe. Unfortunately for M, it was on her side of the car. She freaked when Dilbert opened her window and locked it open. Her screams were priceless. Just so everyone knows, he did roll it up before the buffalo went berserk over her screams.
The last stop was at a place called Mud Volcano. It was a stinky place but it was amazing. In 1979 there were a series of minor earthquakes that caused the ground to heat up. All the trees in the area died and the geothermal activity picked up. We were also treated to an exciting walk along the boardwalk with a herd of buffalo. One even crossed the walk right in front of us, breaking through two boards. We were uneasy being in such close proximity to those beasts, but we managed to make it through the walk unscathed. It was here that we saw our favorite geothermal feature, the Dragon's Mouth. It sounded just like a dragon breathing fire, with steam belching from the mouth of the cavern. Coooool!
It was getting close to dinner time and the kids were getting restless so we hurried home. That night the Garners took bnlfan_1 and M to see "Catch Me if You Can" at the Playmill Playhouse in West Yellowstone. They had a fantastic time.
The first stop was Firehole Canyon Drive where we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over our first waterfall, the Firehole Falls (if you ask my kids, they believe my goal was to see every waterfall in the park). After that we went on to the Lower Geyser Basin and stoped at the Fountain Paint Pots. It was freezing cold and the wind was blowing but it was worth the walk. From there we went on to Firehole Lake Drive where we saw the Great Fountain Geyser as it finished erupting and the White Dome Geyser and walked through Hot Lake (appropriately named) and Firehole Lake. The colors were amazing. Then on to the Grand Prismatic Spring and the Upper Geyser Basin. By then it was getting late in the morning so we hurried to Old Faithful. Armed with a great parking tip (park at the Old Faithful Lodge), we made it just in time to see the eruption. We waited only 5 minutes. Yeah for us! But I realized here that my camera batteries were dying so I had to conserve the pictures. Boo hoo!
We pressed onward, past the Kepler Cascades and then up to Craig Pass to have lunch. It was freezing so we shivered through sandwiches and grapes but hurried back to the car for the rest of lunch. N was having a hard time eating her twinkie; it was so cold and she was shivering so hard, she kept missing her mouth.
We continued our drive past Yellowstone Lake, a lake so cold that a man can only last 9 minutes in it before hypothermia will kill him. There weren't many on the lake due to the cold and the wind. As we were coming out of West Thumb, we hit a buffalo road block. There was a herd lounging on the road. It took about 20 minutes before the rangers arrived and cleared them out. It gave us time to find out M is scared of buffalo. When they finally let us through, a buffalo was walking down the middle of the road, following the stripe. Unfortunately for M, it was on her side of the car. She freaked when Dilbert opened her window and locked it open. Her screams were priceless. Just so everyone knows, he did roll it up before the buffalo went berserk over her screams.
The last stop was at a place called Mud Volcano. It was a stinky place but it was amazing. In 1979 there were a series of minor earthquakes that caused the ground to heat up. All the trees in the area died and the geothermal activity picked up. We were also treated to an exciting walk along the boardwalk with a herd of buffalo. One even crossed the walk right in front of us, breaking through two boards. We were uneasy being in such close proximity to those beasts, but we managed to make it through the walk unscathed. It was here that we saw our favorite geothermal feature, the Dragon's Mouth. It sounded just like a dragon breathing fire, with steam belching from the mouth of the cavern. Coooool!
It was getting close to dinner time and the kids were getting restless so we hurried home. That night the Garners took bnlfan_1 and M to see "Catch Me if You Can" at the Playmill Playhouse in West Yellowstone. They had a fantastic time.
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