A dip in the hot tub, some games, and smore's helped to drown them out as well.
The next morning we woke early and assembled the whole family (excepting Uncle Lance who couldn't make it) for a group picture in the beautiful scenery.
Afterward, we headed over to the West Entrance. The kids cheered as we finally entered the Park. Our first family outing to Yellowstone was about to begin. I visited Yellowstone many times as a child, and then almost every weekend during the summers I spent in Rexburg. Later, when Nick and I were engaged, we took a camping trip up to the park. (Naughty, I know. But we were good--mostly. That skinny dipping in Yellowstone Lake was harmless--wink, wink!) In short, Yellowstone holds many, many fond memories, and we intend to make many more there in the years to come.
So, off we go. Come and take a drive with us through...
Yellowstone National Park.
And don't forget your binoculars. We've got wildlife to spot along the way!
Day 1
Our first stop, the Lower Geyser Basin and Fountain Paint Pot Mud Pots.
We couldn't help taking a shot of all of the kiddos in this crocked old tree before we started the walk through the geothermal features in this area.
They loved playing in the tree, but the hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, and geysers soon stole their attention away.
Here's Emma getting a closer look at this hot spring from atop my shoulders.
And here is one of the bubbling mud pots we all stopped to have a look at.
This one's a geyser,
and then another hot spring.
The kids were fascinated by the smoke, the smell, the whole place really. And to be honest, this was one of the most meaningful trips I have ever made there as well. It helps to know the difference between all of the geothermal features, not to mention a little of the scientific background of the place.
The hot springs and mud pots soon took a back seat to these guys though!
Oh my buffalo! We finally sighted our first wildlife. And they were BIG.
After admiring these giant hairy beasts for quite some time, we made another stop at the Grand Prismatic Pool. This was my first time to actually hike up to this pool. We couldn't get a great picture from the ground, but here's a shot someone else took from above this magnificent spring.
It is actually the largest hot spring in the United States, and the rings of color are made from the different types of thermophiles that live in the varying depths and temperatures of water. The kids loved this brief stopover, even though the hike to the pool was quite steep. I guess it helps when you get carried most of the way!
And what would a trip to Yellowstone National Park be without our next stop: Old Faithful! We arrived just in time to watch the steaming water rupture from the earth. We were too caught up in the moment to think to take a picture while Old faithful was in its full glory; however, we did snap one at the last minute before the great geyser settled back into the earth for another 90 minute rest.
Then, with Old Faithful marked on our bingo cards, and full bellies from the Geyser Grill, we decided to make a kind of crazy detour out of the south entrance to the park and across a less traveled road in an effort to get me to an Idaho Stake Center to see the Women's General Conference. The grey road appeared to be a short-cut; however, as many of you well know, primitive roads are hardly a short-cut. It was rather beautiful though, and we did catch a glimpse of a giant elk in the course of our drive.
We did not; however, in spite of Nick's amazing off-road driving skills, arrive at the Stake Center in time to see the conference. I was pretty bummed, but we had made a valiant (and somewhat crazy) effort, and that was all we could do. That scenic drive capped off our first day in the park.
Day 2
Today began with a 6:00 a.m. wildlife drive. We didn't see as many animals on day one as we had anticipated, so, we decided to wake up early on our second day and see what was out and about. We didn't get a very good shot of the deer or pronghorns that grazed along the highway as we drove in, nor did we capture the beavers or otters that we watched playing in the river. We also opted out of taking more pictures of elk, and buffalo along our drive; but, we did snap a shot of this rare and beautiful trumpeter swan.
Let me pause for a moment and share why this swan was such a significant sighting. Several months ago I read the kids E.B. White's The Trumpet of the Swan. The kids loved the book, and Madison became especially enamored with trumpeter swans. When she learned that sometimes these swans could be sited in Yellowstone Park, she was ecstatic. She was sure to pick a bingo card with the great white bird on it, and she watched diligently in every lake and stream for one of these swans to appear. She was so disappointed after the first day when we had been unable to spot this noble water fowl. As we drove into the park on our morning wildlife tour, Maddi told me she wanted to say a prayer that we would see her trumpeter swan. I agreed, but was secretly worried that this would be one of those "No" answers to prayer. After a few minutes of driving in the park, we noticed a bunch of parked cars along the side of the road. In Yellowstone, parked cars means one of two things: construction. Or wildlife. In this case, it was wildlife. There, in solitary perfection, right in the center of the Madison River, floated this great trumpeter swan. Maddi considered it an answer to prayer, and a special one at that. After all, the bird appeared on the river named after her.
After our early morning wildlife tour, we cut out of the top of the park and attended church in a tiny little branch in Montana. We actually doubled the size of the branch, and as a special answer to another prayer, the Branch President offered to re-bless and pass us the sacrament since we arrived a few minutes late. Here is a picture of the tiny church building, the smallest we've ever been in.
With a little spiritual re-fueling, we headed back south into the park. Within a few miles we came to the beautiful Mammoth Hot Springs. The tiered hot springs was quite the site to behold.
We explored several of the largest stops, heated up some leftovers in a gas station microwave for lunch, and then hit the Scenic Yellowstone Byway once more. We drove for quite some time without a break, and then began a series of stops at some more of Yellowstone's most famous sites. First, we slipped over to the Petrified Tree. (Maddi and Spence both needed it for a bingo on their cards)
Then we paused to watch a baby black bear--this one a little less forward.
And then on to our last stop, Yellowstone's beautiful waterfalls:
1) Tower Falls
2) The Upper and Lower Falls. We could actually see part of the falls from the overlook,
but we decided to take the hour hike down for a better view.
Finally we arrived at the overlook just above the lower falls.
The view was magnificent as the water flowed over the rocks,
and straight into the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
After finishing the rather steep hike, the kids celebrated their accomplishment before climbing back into the car.
Now the only thing missing from our bingo cards was a moose, and unfortunately, one did not present itself in our drive from the falls to Fishing Lake, where we stopped for dinner, or on the rest of the drive out of the park.
While our first family visit to Yellowstone was quite brief, it was memorable for a host of reasons. We loved the time we shared there with family, we loved seeing everything we had studied in school, and we felt God's love for us in the majesty of this beautiful world, as well as in His marvelously personal answers to our prayers throughout our journey. It was hard to drive out the fourth and final entrance to the park, but as we did, we felt the peace of knowing that someday soon we will return again.
1 comment:
Looks like so much fun!
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