July 9: Old Faithful and West Thumb

Couldn't stop to see it but you know the water was really blue when you can see the color in the steam.

Old Faithful.

Sophie in front of post-eruption Old Faithful.

Tom and Max after their little shopping trip.

...and here's the moose that Max picked out.

My little sign reader.

Colorful pools.

All decked out in Yellowstone gear.

The whole gang.

Colorful pools.

Max thought this one looked like Toodles.

Day 7: A Day of Rest (Kinda...)

Our last night in Yellowstone and today was much more laid back.  When I was planning the trip I really loaded the activities at the beginning and then tapered off as the trip continued.  Partly  a conscious effort to judge interest/energy levels of our happy campers, but also out of necessity because we do a lot more moving around in the first days.  The kids are holding up well - getting along as good or better than at home.  Max was coming to bed before Sophie tonight and on her way out of the camper she kissed him goodnight on the forehead and said "When you fall asleep, just tell me."  That kid.  :)

Before we left Madison this morning, Sophie and I went to the Junior Ranger program there.  She did wonderful listening to the ranger talk about the animals in the park.  She was shy at first about answering questions, but she did pipe up when she recognized the wolf hide.  As we left the talk and were walking on the path through the woods back to the camper she was telling me all the stuff that she had just learned.  It was really neat to see her so engaged and to learn some stuff on this trip.  This Junior Ranger program really is great - I probably would either be talking over her head about stuff or just neglect to discuss certain things at all.  We did turn in her book today at Grant Village and she earned her Yellowstone Junior Ranger patch to hang on her compass sash.  She was pretty proud of herself - even if she was shy with the Forest Ranger.  Those guys really do a good job focusing on the kids turning in their packets - they never seem rushed, give the kids their undivided attention, and really make a big deal out of it.  Kudos to the Rangers.

Once Sophie finished up her program in Madison, we headed south to Old Faithful.  We were going to try and stop at the Fountain Paint Pots but were unable to get a parking spot.  Pretty sure this is the busiest two weeks at the park.  There are RV spots in the lots but cars end up using them because there is no other parking.  So, after a drive through the parking lot, we just continued south to Old Faithful.  I didn't realize how not busy this was until we left and the sparsely populated parking lot that we started in was filled right up when we left.  We walked up to the most famous geyser in the park just as it erupted.  I remembered it being taller...  So, eruption over, we turned around and did the Visitor Center (Sophie got another stamp in her Passport) and Tom took Max to the Gift Shop to find a stuffed animal.  He's been feeling left out while Sophie has her prairie dog.  He took to this giant moose head that he liked to hug so that's what he got.  See what happens when we send Dad in to get a toy, they come out with the biggest one!

We also decided to eat lunch in the little cafeteria at Old Faithful.  Sandwiches have been a staple and even though the chicken sandwich I got is technically a sandwich, it was a nice change of pace from the turkey and ham in the camper (and I'm sure the bologna eaters amongst us enjoy these hot meals.)  Lunch over, we headed out of the now very busy parking lot and on to West Thumb Geyser Basin.  Mostly unspectacular (I'm more impressed with snow capped mountains and valley views), there were a few interesting and colorful features.  We even caught a little big of a Ranger talking about why Black Pool is actually blue (used to be dark green, so they called it black; then the next year there was a mini eruption underground and hot water came in and killed the bacteria that thrived in the previously cooler water and new microorganisms populated the pool.)  The kids were disappointed that with all this talk about pools that they couldn't go swimming.  After some very busy days and lots of hiking for little legs, these two sites with minimal walking was a good change of pace.

Since the day was loosely scheduled, we opted to strike from the itinerary an afternoon hike and instead allocate that time to showers since there was a facility at Grant Village, just south of West Thumb.  Not sure if the facilities have changed because of Xanterra control but it was nice to not have timed showers - the unlimited time was nice (as was the fact that kids 5 and under are free).  After getting everyone through the showers and getting Sophie her Junior Ranger badge, it was time to drive the 20 miles or so north to Bridge Bay.  I would have preferred to just stay in Grant Village but to be honest, we were lucky to get the sites we did.  It was slim pickings when I was making reservations online and showing up each night every campground has had a full sign on it.

The trip north to Bridge Bay may just have been worth it though (isn't it funny how things like that work out?) since we were lucky enough to be entertained by 4 bison strolling through our camp near our site.  When I say near our site, I mean one could have chosen to use our motor home as a scratch post if it had so chosen.  Very cool indeed.  We must have watched them for more than a half hour just meandering back and forth (and maybe getting a little annoyed with campers) before moving on to another grazing ground.

Now I've got the kids in bed - Max is sleeping and Sophie is tossing and turning - and I'm wrapping up the day.  Tomorrow we leave Yellowstone and head south to Jackson and Grand Teton National Park. We have a minivan lined up so fingers crossed that the rental agency actually has it for us (Seinfeld episode anyone?).  Not exactly sure what's in store for us tomorrow.  I know that we hope to get into Signal Mountain early to get a site before we pick up the van.  Other than that, everything is just general ideas of what we can do and how much time it might take.  I'm definitely looking forward to setting up camp in one spot for a few days - hopefully it will work out at Signal Mountain and we won't have to drive all over trying to get a spot.  Some of the highlights (perhaps) of our Jackson/Teton trip include:

* Time in Jackson - including the gunfight at night

* Tram to Teton Village

* Boat ride across Jenny Lake 

* Mormon Row for pictures

* Chuck wagon dinner

* Swim in the COLD lake

We will also try to hit some scenic views of the Tetons and Jackson Hole and may even try to get out to Camp Davis to show everyone where I was fortunate enough to spend a summer (though it had changed even when Tom and I came last time...they had insulated the cabins and you didn't have to fill those little fireplaces to keep your tin contraption warm...kids these days have it so easy.)

I know that there is so much that is missing from these blogs but I hope that when I look back on them it's enough to jog my memory and remind me of what a wonderful time this has been as a family.

July 8: Camp Time at Madison

The rain left us with a beautiful evening.

Ground squirrels are almost as much fun as prairie dogs.

Throwing rocks in the river.

Flower time.

Pine cone time.

July 8: Artist's Paint Pots and Firehole River

More geothermal wonders.

Daddy's shadow.

Nana and Papa with their little guy.

Flower time.

View from above.

Sophie posing at Firehole Falls.

Swimming in the Firehole River.

Sophie and Tom went out to the middle to swim in the current.

July 8: Drive to Mammoth and Mammoth Hot Springs

Our bear friend in the construction zone.

Rain = muddy water.

Little detour north of Mammoth took us over the 45th parallel.

First elk sighting of the trip.

Mammoth was flowing more than any other time I've seen it.

Geothermal goodness.

Max just wants me to pick him up; Mike is saying "Papa can hold you Max."

Thumbing a ride as Tom is pulling in to get us.

July 8: Tower Fall Area

The drive from Canyon north to Tower Fall was beautiful.

Sophie always admires Mike's Lucky Lizard pin.

Maxton always needs to stop and check the sign...every sign, many times.  "Just one more thing" he says.

Tower Fall.

Nana and Sophie were quite color-coordinated for the day.

Wild Rose.

Day 6: Wow, What Was I Thinking?

I have no idea what is so different about Yellowstone this time compared to the last couple of times that I visited but it definitely seems more impressive this trip.  Maybe it's because my previous visits came after seeing the Tetons and this time we came into Yellowstone from the Black Hills; it's like we are slowly increasing our mountainous views.  Another theory is that things are greener this visit than past trips.  It sure seems like a wetter, cooler trip than our last one.  I think it's rained at least part of every day of our trip but no total washouts so we've been lucky with that.  The resulting runoff is making for dynamic views of all the streams and rivers that we've been driving along and over.

Our day got off to a little slow of a start because we took a little bit of time at Canyon for laundry and showers.  Two showers were included in our Canyon reservation so that was a nice bonus; the laundromat there was really nice too.  I took Max across the street for some breakfast in the little cafe - that boy sure likes his home fries.  After everyone took care of what needed to be done, we were on the road north to Tower Fall.  Nice little trip up to the overlook and another chance to see the Yellowstone River crashing down.  There was road construction just past the store there but we got lucky and were waved through as the last vehicle as we were approaching.  Turns out that this was extremely fortuitous since near the end of the construction we couldn't figure out why the cars were stopping in the middle of the one lane road...that is until we saw the bear off of the passenger side!  Just a little black bear but pretty awesome nonetheless.  Tom and I weren't sure if we'd be able to show the kids a bear on this trip and that was the best scenario for seeing one:  in the RV, going slow, near the road.  So lucky!  We did catch a glimpse of another one further up the road but it was over the hill and a piece of its head was all I saw.

The plan was to head just north of Mammoth to the Boiling River, a spot where the geothermal activity heats the water that runs into the creek there.  My information wasn't that good though and I wasn't sure about the turnout that we needed until we passed it.  We ended up just turning around and heading back to Mammoth for lunch.  The error did give us a chance to drive into Montana and cross the 45th parallel (in addition to a very scenic drive along the Gardner River) so all was not lost.  After lunch at the Terrace Grill in Mammoth we made a short trip along the boardwalk to the Mammoth Hot Springs.  Though we didn't venture far (and Tom didn't venture at all because we couldn't find a parking spot for the motorhome) it was cool for me because it was the first time I really saw water flowing over the terraces.  Max of course has to stop at every sign and map.  I indulge him though because I think it's pretty cute (and cool) that he wants to learn about that stuff.  He spend a lot of time with Papa on the drive looking at the map and trying to learn about the different symbols (no camping, no dogs, campground, etc.)

After Mammoth we headed south to the Norris area and did the Artist Paint Pot Trail.  (Oh, but before that we stopped for some firewood along the road.  You can collect and burn an dead, downed wood in the park but by the time you get to the campground everything is picked over pretty darn well.  We got smart though and stopped to get dead wood at a turnout before we got to camp for the evening.)  The Paint Pot trail was nice - not difficult but still a little bit of a hike.  Lots of geothermal features, including mud pots which were on Tom's list of things to see this time.  One of the coolest things about this trip is how different it is from our last trip to the area.  The kids may have necessitated a change in plans from the previous itinerary, but I really feel like we are making the most of it.  

Ughh, as I write this (9:15 MST) it is raining again.  Big thunder too.  Oh well, at least the tent's been holding up well.

Our last stop of the day was just south of Madison Junction:  a swim in the Firehole River.  We almost didn't take this little trip because the one way road cautioned RVs and buses to not enter but Tom figured it would be OK and we pushed on.  After some of the VERY narrow two-lane roads that Tom navigated in South Dakota this one lane wide track seemed like a piece of cake.  It as a nice drive along the Firehole River with river canyon rising up around us.  We were rewarded with a couple of different falls views and did eventually find the swimming spot.  Though the storm was approaching, we still decided to get the kids down and give them a chance to swim in the river (and us too).  It was a short trip in the water but worth it in my opinion.  The water wasn't too cold (as we were getting out a guy asked me if it was cold as he was getting ready to get in.  I asked him where he was from.  "Ohio" he said.  "No, not too cold then" was my answer.  Really, it wasn't that bad.  Tom and Sophie made it to the middle of the river where the current was stronger.  There were people further up river that were jumping off of rocks and riding the little rapids down.  Definitely a cool little stop.  

Leaving Firehole we were just a few miles from our camp for the night at Madison.  We were going to try and get in and set up the tent before the downpour but didn't make it.  Fortunately, that first rain didn't last long and we were able to set up camp and get the fire ready and still have time to go down by the river.  We weren't lucky enough to see elk at camp (but we did see some on our drive around Mammoth, forgot to mention that) but it was still nice to hang out by the river, throw some rocks, and watch the fly fishermen.  Max and Sophie had fun chasing the prairie dogs around along the riverbanks too.  We are so fortunate that the kids have each other and enjoy each other's company.  Max is really learning from Sophie and is so considerate and caring toward her (most of the time...they are still kids!)

That's the recap for the day.  Not sure when we'll have WiFi to post this - I'm thinking probably not for a couple of days in Jackson.