Once we got into Yellowstone, there were more buffalo around every turn. In fact, it was just an hour or so into or trip into the park that buffalo sightings started to become routine. "Oh! What's that?!" "A buffalo." "Ohhh..... (sounding dejected)" Tom won the eagle eye prize today though when he spotted a couple of bighorn sheep on the cliff over the road. Quick glimpse but still awesome. We made it to Fishing Bridge Visitor Center around lunch time so we took a break to eat some food and check out the center. Much less of a production when you travel with a kitchen and table all the time.
At the center we were able to pick a Junior Ranger packet up for Sophie. Nana and Papa also bought Sophie a little compass/sash to keep her badges on. She oscillates in her excitement for the completing the Junior Ranger activities. I think she likes the activities but isn't too keen on talking to the Ranger afterward.
I'm jumping ahead though. Back to the drive into the park. We stopped at Steamboat Springs Overlook that looked out over Yellowstone Lake with a view of the Tetons in the background. Sophie freaked out because she didn't like the smell (sulfur from the geothermal activity) but she toughed it out and walked around a little bit. When we were at Fishing Bridge we were able to walk right up to the shore of Yellowstone Lake and marvel at the black sand. Beautiful lake and a nice breeze coming off of it.
After Fishing Bridge we drove to the Mud Volcano. Beautiful river views through the park, bison scattered here and there, and a trip to see some geothermal activities. Such a typical Yellowstone experience and so awesome. The Mud Volcano was cool, but I thought the Dragon's Mouth (Breath? Dragon's something) was even more interesting. The sound of the bubbles echoing in the hidden cave chambers made a rumble to accompany the steam escaping through the mouth.
We spent the rest of our explorations today around the Yellowstone River and the Upper and Lower Falls. We first went to Artist's Point and viewed the Lower Falls from this spectacular vantage. Sophie kept asking if we were at the Grand Canyon and I tried to explain that it was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, not the actual Grand Canyon. I'm pretty sure that point was lost. Though this may be the lesser of the Grand Canyons, it's not lacking in it's own wonders. More than the reds of its Arizona counterpart, there are also spectacular yellow colors to help highlight the other hues.
Our next river stop was the Upper Falls. We were able to get a nice view of the Upper Falls which aren't as spectacular as the Lower Falls but still interesting to see. Our last stop was the most spectacular. We drove around to the North Rim of the Canyon and stopped near the Lower Falls Overlook. All 6 of us were able to view the falls from this close view but Tom and I took to the kids right down to the falls. Many switchbacks later (and a little nerve-wracking for me worrying about kids falling down the hill despite my death-grip on Max's hand) we made it to the falls. Overusing the word awesome but I'm a little too sleep-deprived from the last few days to think a better adjective. Plus, it is appropriate. Parts of the trail down had a view of the Upper Falls and then when you reach the bottom you are rewarded with a walk right out over the Lower Falls. Watching how fast the river flows right to the edge was sobering and then the water cascaded over the falls as if in slow motion. The spray produced a beautiful rainbow to our left and the mist rose up the canyon and condensed on the walls and then came down in rivulets along the rocks. So glad we made the hike. The kids were troopers too. But Max did bump his head on a bench at the bottom overlook area so the trip to the top was filled with many tears until he got over his sad/hurt/tired phase. All in all, I've been quite pleased with the kids and our hiking.
Have to get going now. We're camping in Canyon Village (laid out nicely, feels more secluded than it is given its size) and have weathered a couple of showers. Now the campfire is going (Max and Sophie did a fabulous job collecting sticks) and the kids are waiting for me to bring marshmallows out. Still loving this trip more and more every day.
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