Yellowstone National Park

 We are finishing up a final week of "off track" time.

Seriously.

I must say, I am pretty worn out.

We decided that we all needed a little change of scenery, and we picked Yellowstone National Park as our destination.

Looking at this photo,  you may think that I am a total whimp for flying to a place so close to our home.
This is a true statement.

The drive=6.5hours

The flight=45minutes.

Take your pick.

So, this is a photo of the Tetons while landing in Jackson Hole.

Beautiful.

(This is also the moment I realized, that I had forgotten my camera.)

 We rented a car and cooler.

Did a little grocery shopping in Jackson Hole and headed for Yellowstone!

 The boys kept reminding us that we promised we would do some hiking.

Just when everyone was sick of sitting, look what we saw!

Yes, that is an Eagle's Nest.

We hiked up to get a closer look.

It really is a huge thing.

 That night we stayed in a little "lodge" at the lake.

When we woke up and came out to get some fresh air....look what was a "stone's throw" from where we stayed!

A whole herd of Bison.

(If you say "buffalo" someone will correct you and tell you the "buffalo" are from Africa)

 We saw LOTS of hot springs.

 A small hike and several hundred stairs DOWN a cliff to Tower Falls.

Lauren had a little anxiety attack...and I don't blame her!

The stairs where affixed by steel beams that had been drilled into the wall of a cliff.

Then, the stairs were a metal grate that you could see just how far up you were.

It was a little scary.

But worth the worry!

 Lodge at the Lake where we stayed our first couple nights.

 We made a run for Fishing Bridge the second morning.

They only allow fishing in certain parts of the park....this is not one of them.

The water is quite shallow and clear here.

It's really neat to stand in the middle of the bridge and look down to the bottom of the creek and see fish, rocks, and algae.

A few miles down the road they allow fishing.

Of course, we had to stop.

We picnic-ed in the shade and fished for a good few hours.

Not catching a single thing.

 Lauren is not much of a fisher-girl.

She is more of an explorer.

She spent those hours walking the banks.

Searching for signs of life.

Little salamanders, tadpoles, and fish are all very exciting to this girl.

 The next night we spent at "The Hotel on The Lake."

(I liked the lodge better)

Thinking that these structures were built in the 20's, there was no air conditioning.

It was a little muggy that night.

 This photo does not give this fireplace justice.

It is an "arts and crafts" style fireplace.

Original to the hotel.

 This day was geysers and sulfur pots.

Here's what Ava thought of it.

"Old Faithful"

The children did not really know what to expect!

It was fun to see their delight!

 Gabriel found a little hole in one of the "vents" that was heart shaped.

For a mother that collects heart rocks...we had to take a picture.

 While coming up the trail a bit, Ava found a fence post that was heart shaped as well.

 While driving to our next cabin....we passed this interesting sight.

Pretty cool!

 We rented two of these little cabins in Roosevelt.

This was my favorite little spot to sleep.

The boys cabin had a wood burning stove for warmth.

Our's...had the bathroom.

They were the cleanest spot we stayed and had the most wild life around.

 Petrified tree.

After a volcanic explosion the lava filled the cells of the tree, turning it to stone.

 Our last day, we hiked the Mt. Washburn Trail.

The ascent to the peak is nearly 1400 feet in 3 miles.

It is UP HILL.

 We nearly made it to the top, by a mile.

We were tired.
The wind. was. blowing.
We also had a surprise for the final night......

 We went on a Chuck Wagon Dinner Adventure.

It was so great.

They let the kids all ride in the front with the driver.

How cool is that?

Our driver's name was: "Ludy" (Lootie)

or: "Lady with a U," as he said.

We had a team that liked to make a run for it.

It would be OK, if you were not the LAST wagon about to smash the other wagon in front of you.

This is the wild frontier.

 You eat this delicious steak dinner...all you can eat.

But who could eat more than a plate? 

Mmmmmmm.

 "Ludy" took a liking to Gabriel and handed him the reins on the ride back!!!
A 7 year old DRIVING a TEAM of horses.

7th HEAVEN!!!

Tadje got a turn too!

It made their entire trip!

 That night we stayed in Grant Village.

Really fun.

The kids had been working on their Junior Ranger Patches the ENTIRE trip.

We learned so much about preserving the enviroment, protecting animals, and being responsible citizens.

It really was quite an accomplishment!

When you go to the Ranger Station, they announce your names and award the children their patches.

(Lauren chose the quiet award ceremony)

 They were all so proud to earn this award!

 On our drive in the day we also passed the Continental Divide.

 Each child was given $20 to spend at the beginning of the trip on souveniers.

This post was our last stop...and look who was there!

That was a fun surprise.

This was such a last minute trip.

We all commented to each other how much fun we had.

We really enjoyed being together and making some new memories.

(Next post:  Spotting the animal?)