Yellowstone

 

We finally made it to Yellowstone! Olivia has been wanting to go to this location since her third grade "Ranger Day" project. We had it all planned out in 2020, and then COVID shut us down. It's been hard to get back since with rising amounts of tourists and costs. 

We road-tripped it through North Dakota and entered the park through the north entrance, staying at Mammoth Hot Springs. We were supposed to stay in a rustic cabin, but they had some issues with our cabin, so we were given a free upgrade to their very nice hotel. We showered in luxury and watched elk bed down right outside out window. 

We hit all the major spots including the mammoth hot springs terraces, the geyser basin, Old Faithful, the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, and Grand Prismatic. We didn't really focus on hikes so much this trip, since most of the sites were attractions close to parking areas. Boardwalks were provided for most of our walks, since the ground could be dangerously hot to walk on. I hate to admit, but I had no idea Yellowstone is basically a super volcano that erupted 640,000 years ago! It was amazing seeing the steam coming out from various spots in the crust. It makes it feel like the ground is going to open up at any moment!

We made many drives through Lamar Valley, each time seeing some new wildlife. We spotted several bison, pronghorn, and elk. We say 11 bears- mostly grizzly including two mamas and their two cubs. We also saw two black bears. Coyotes, marmots, and a wolf were also spotted. 

Since we were so close, we also swung through Grand Teton. We stopped by Jenny Lake and dipped our toes in the freezing cold water. Henry even managed to get his whole body in! No hikes were attempted here, as we were all pretty worn out from the trip, but we did take in the beautiful mountain views. 

All in all, a great and memorable trip. :)