Yellowstone

All of us got up and out in reasonably good time for our trip to Yellowstone.  We bought some pastries from a local restaurant, put N.'s car seat in our car so that all five of us could travel together (and get in free with our National Park Pass) and set off for the hour drive to Yellowstone.  After about a half hour, we came to Quake Lake, and stopped to use the bathroom and show the others this fascinating place.  The visitors center wasn't open, but an outdoor toilet was, and there was plenty of information to explain about it.

When we got to Yellowstone, there was a big line. Reminder to self: do not go to popular national parks on a weekend in the summer.  However, we eventually got through the line and found a place to park.  First we went to the paint pots.  This is an area that is full of clay of different colors.  The Indians collected clay from here to make paints.  However, the clay was also boiling, and there were many warnings about bad things that can happen to a person who steps off the board walk (such as being boiled alive!). 

Then we wanted to do some more serious hiking, so we hiked down to the Lower Waterfall.  Here are Josh and N. at the top of the path.  Josh pushed N. in the stroller for most of the way down the path. 

 Here are Janine, N., and Josh at the bottom of the path, overlooking the waterfall.  It was really lovely. 

Here is a picture of me and my good looking rugged husband.

Then we had to hike back up the stairs.

I will say that N. was a trooper when it came to climbing back up all the stairs.  I was tired by the time we reached the top.  We were also all getting hungry, and tried to find a place to eat.  Eventually we found a pull off on the side of the road with picnic tables where there was almost no one!  We had a very nice lunch and we did not see any bears.  As we were driving along later, we did see a bison wandering across the road!

One of the last places we visited was the Dragon's Mouth Spring and Mud Volcano.  The bubbles from the ground, and at the end of the boardwalk is a cave where sulfuric smelling steam comes out and it makes a roar just like a dragon.  You really have to be there to experience it, but here is a picture. 

It was almost time for Old Faithful to go off, but we just missed it.  Janine said that she did not particularly want to wait another hour, so we left the park and headed back to Ennis. 

Josh said maybe we could get ice cream, and that made N. very excited.  She would not stop talking about the ice cream, and how much she wanted it, and Josh kept egging her on, until Geoff said that we should stop talking about the ice cream.  Then N. told me her knock knock joke: knock knock, who's there? Buff. Buff who?  Buffalo!  We told knock knock jokes until I couldn't think of any more.  Then we sang many verses of "Down By the Bay."  Then I suggested that we play the quiet game.  The person who can stay silent the longest wins.  After about 2 minutes, N. declared that this was a dumb game.  Finally we got back to Ennis, and there was an ice cream place, so we finally got our ice cream!

There was one tired little girl, and some tired adults, so we all went to our cabins and went to bed shortly afterward.  Yellowstone was fascinating.  I hope that I can return someday and see more of it.