We packed up our Grand Tetons tent-cabin, had breakfast on the go, and were heading north into Yellowstone by 9am. My three oldest have been to Yellowstone once before, but they were little (Thane had just turned one) and barely remembered anything (Aubree mostly remembers bison stopping in the middle of the road).
It's a lovely drive from Grand Tetons up into Yellowstone. We saw a few elk and bison, but still no bears. Our first stop was to the Old Faithful Visitor's Center. We were disappointed to learn that Yellowstone doesn't have Jr Ranger badges; instead, they have Jr Ranger patches (plus, you have to buy the workbooks). Boo! We went ahead and got the booklets anyway. The kids worked on them while we waited to see Old Faithful erupt. So spectacular!
We did a little boardwalk hike to see other nearby geysers and hot springs. The things you see in Yellowstone are mind-bogglingly amazing!
Sue, who loves anything to do with volcanoes, continued to hike around the Upper Geyser basin while I took the kids to a Jr. Ranger talk. As we walked, we realized just how many mosquito bites we each had from our night in the tent. Graham's face was apparently an especially tasty treat.
Graham is always quick to volunteer for any opportunity to be in the spotlight.
As we finished up with the Jr Ranger talk, we realized it was just about time for Old Faithful to blow again. This second time, it went even higher!
The kids got their badges, and it was time for us to move on.
There is waaaaaay too much to see in Yellowstone in just one day, but we did our best to see some highlights. We visited Black Sand Basin and were impressed with Rainbow Pool and Sunset Lake.
From that point on, Nellie asked if every mineral springs was a "rainbow" pool.
We also visited the iconic Grand Prismatic Springs. It took a long time to get a parking spot, but it was worth it once we got to the springs. The wind was blowing hard, which sometimes made the steam envelop us as we walked. Bryce and Nellie were not fans of the spoiled egg smell. They did think it was funny to see all the hats that had blown off people's heads into parts of the shallow springs.
We also visited Fountain Paint Pots. I was glad the kids could see some mud pots, because those are so neat to watch. Just as we were finishing the hike, we passed a Ranger who was able to answer our numerous questions. A few things he told us that were extra interesting:
- In most places the magma layer is about 48 miles below the surface of the earth, but at Yellowstone, the magma is only 3-7 miles below the surface.
- In the Yellowstone area, Rangers pull (on average)19 parboiled bison per year out of springs where they've fallen in.
We made our way out the West Entrance in the late afternoon. We did get to see many bison, but I neglected to get a picture. We drove to Idaho Falls where Sue had saved the day by booking us two rooms. We were all super tired and fell asleep quickly, feeling exceptionally grateful the the warm, comfortable beds and mosquito and bug free rooms.
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