(Small disclosure: Many, many pictures this post!)
This is the beginning of our road trip to Yellowstone. Thanks to Pinterest, I was able to keep the boys entertained most of the 4 1/2 hour trip with little gifts to open along the way. It was nice to talk and laugh and connect most of the drive as we anticipated a great four days in the country's first National Park.
It didn't take long for this bubble gum stick to provide lots of entertainment for all of us. I think I got gum stuck in my eyebrows only once...
We found a little lodge to stay in outside the park. Although it was 45 minutes away from West Yellowstone, the beds were comfy and breakfast was hot each day. They also had a big hot tub to swim in instead of a pool. This was one of the boys favorite activities to end the day.
Our first day in Yellowstone was visiting the many geysers on one of the main loops. I loved to see the different colors and amazing water displays. Watson loved to "read" the signs naming each formation. It was something Scott and Chandler had never seen before and they enjoyed their beauty too. There were quite a few people there but it didn't ever take away from our experience.
This was another Thumbs Up trip for this family.
Of course we visited Old Faithful. It was an amazing site. A little different from the last time I was here. I don't think there were benches for the hundreds of people waiting to see it explode from the ground. There was another geyser you could watch from a distance while waiting for Old Faithful to perform. The Lodge here was amazing. I can't believe it has been around since pre-1900.
One of Chandler's top 5 best things of Yellowstone was seeing the bison/buffalo. This is one of the first sightings, I thought we were dangerously close. I had no idea later in the week we would casually picnic with one..We had many encounters with bison. Chandler was determined to get one to charge our car by playing a recording of a bison grunting, as well as grunting himself. It was kind of entertaining to see him with his body out the moon roof trying to agitate these huge creatures. OK, a bit terrifying for me. Luckily, none of the bison came toward us with any malice.
The waterfalls were amazing. It seemed most of the ones we saw were on another loop in the park. We stopped every now and then to hike a little and watch the water rush past us. The weather was perfect and the scenery was constantly amazing.
More bison, again. I thought Chandler was dangerously close this time....
This picturesque spot is Yellowstone Lake. We stopped for lunch and Chandler and Watson dipped their toes in the cool water. The beach seemed to be volcanic sand and the calm surrounding the lake was beautiful. There are two large lodges here and we thought we might stay in one the next time we visit the park. One of the "lunch ladies" told us you can have the cafeteria cook up the fish you catch from the lake during your stay. We will have to definitely plan more in advance next time, though, as reservations for the lodge are a year out.
We saw a lot of wildlife. Mostly bison and chipmunks. However, we were in the right place at the right time to watch a lone wolf explore one side of the road and cross over to the other side. We thought he was probably looking for a new spot for his pack.
Another loop we went on had formations called Tables. I was constantly amazed that the landscape could be so entirely different in such a short distance from each other. The tables were interesting to see. The minerals that coated most of the areas looked like snow.
We were lucky enough to see bears three times. One on our drive from the lodge we were staying at into West Yellowstone. We saw it from the road, it was pretty far away. We also saw a couple of bears from really far away while in the park. A huge group of people were sitting on the side of the road observing them and willing them to cross a river and get closer. One very nice lady from Alabama let us use her binoculars to get a closer view. (I must remember to bring binoculars next time.) On our final day in the park we saw a black bear pretty close up. We were lucky enough to see her and 2 cubs. It was cool to watch the cubs climb a nearby tree and the mother bear be protective of them.
Yes, here is our picnic with the buffalo. I can't believe how close we were and how unbothered the bison was. He was sitting near the road when we pulled in and Chandler picked the spot to have lunch. Watson was as calm as the bison but I was not. When he started moving toward us I quickly gathered up the picnic supplies and got myself and Watson buckled in the car. We enjoyed another 20 minutes of watching the bison from the car. He walked to the side of the car and to the front, munching on grass and flowers the whole time. This was much closer than I ever thought we would be to this huge animal. Again, he never charged our car, despite Chandler and Scott's efforts to agitate him. Thank heavens.
Leaving Yellowstone was sad. We enjoyed our trip so much, although next time we want to stay in the park so we have time to explore more. Chandler loved it so much he suggested we make a yearly trip of it. Like Disneyland, I want to keep the magic alive, so maybe every couple of years we will be back.
Our top 5 of the trip:
1. Picnicking with the big bison
2. Seeing all the bears
3. Taking a hike to Yellowstone Falls
4. Seeing Old Faithful erupt and other geysers
5. Visiting the Wolf and Bear Preserve in West Yellowstone.
We loved our time together and are grateful we had a chance to see this beautiful place. We will be back!
