At the beginning of this summer we sat down and calendered in family time. Park days, zoo days, camping trips etc. We also scheduled some bigger trips- a trip to SeaWorld in California and to visit with the cousins, a couple’s only trip to San Fransisco, a trip to Yellowstone and moving. Well- we lost three weeks of July to school (dumb C track) and our move was a different week then we thought it would be and then we had family here a different time then we were expecting. We still managed the smaller stuff but had given up on the bigger trips. We kept trying to schedule a time to get down to California but it just didn’t seem to be working- then some friends invited us to their cabin in the Tetons and we decided to do the Yellowstone trip in conjunction with that since they were in the same general area.

So Monday we took off to Yellowstone.

**Brief disclaimer** I took nearly 400 pictures. I’ve whittled it down to considerably less then that. I won’t be (too) offended if you don’t watch the slideshows… I may die just a little, but I’ll work through it.

We saw animals- we also saw a bear briefly in the woods but weren’t fast enough to get a picture. Also Steve and I were nearly attacked by a flying squirrel- but we narrowly escaped with our lives.
Geysers- I may be dumb- but I didn’t realize that there were so many geysers and hotspots at Yellowstone. But apparently the entire park is the rement of a volcano- causing the extreme geological activity in the area.
We saw lots of other cool stuff too.
We camped the whole time we were in Yellowstone- and since we didn’t have any flats on the trailer we had issues with our tent instead. When we tried to set it up the top pole’s elastic had snapped- by the end of the week I had to rig a tarp for a door. Good thing I got the one that has a 30 year guarantee right?We also brought our hammock and used it for the first time since we bought it 6 years ago in Mexico. The girls loved it, but the biggest ‘fun’ in camp was the dirt. We really didn’t spend much time ‘in camp’ though- we would leave after breakfast and get back in time for a late dinner most nights.
I didn’t realize there was so much walking. But most the paths are handicap accessible and would be great for strollers. If you go and have a child (or three) under 6 I’d bring a stroller. Steve definitely got his workouts in carrying kids. Some fun pictures.
On Thursday we went to a place where the Boiling River (too hot to touch) meets the Gardener River (brr- mountain run off) and creates a warm pocket that’s great for swimming. It was a nice break from the walking (after the walk from the parking lot to the warm spot- but strangely none of the girls complained) and we spent several hours there and made ourselves a little rock pool to hang out in. After spending the week at Yellowstone we drove out through the south entrance and down through Grand Teton National Park. Here’s another dumb thing. When I think of Wyoming I think flat, windy and ugly. I didn’t realize that most of Yellowstone and all of the Tetons were in Wyoming- and they’re all beautiful!We had a great time at the cabin and made some new friends. It rained most of the weekend- but it was really relaxing to just chill. I also had and audience to cook for- which I always enjoy.

We left before we were really ready on Monday afternoon and then stopped to see some friends from Las Vegas who now live in Idaho on a farm. My kids were fascinated with the animals- too bad their parent’s are ‘allergic’ to most pets.
Picture for Lucy. I giggled when I saw the name of this geyser and knew I had to get a shot for you.

From Yellowstone Geysers

Whew! If you made it to the end you’re a saint or really bored. I highly recommend Yellowstone for a visit if you’ve not been. It was really fun and quite kid friendly.

Filed under: Uncategorized, camping, family vacation