Yellowstone

We had a day to recover after the 4th of July, and then we set off for Yellowstone at 4 in the morning.  By breakfast, we were picnicking at Mack's Inn in Island Park.  It's always tricky to figure out groups for our adventures.  This time, we chose a select group of teens as well as Ptolemy.  We told him that it was his "Seven Year Old Trip to Yellowstone National Park!"  In fact, I gave him an invitation and everything.  He was thrilled.  Scott gave him seven dollars.  He could not have been happier.  That's all it takes. I can't even remember why we didn't bring more kids, but I think it was because it's too hard to hop in and out of the car with 8 people, and we wanted to stop and see everything. 

A mile into the park, we stopped to see buffalo. 

And the falls.

And some hot pots. 

And the bear spray rental place.  We ate a picnic lunch at an outside table near one of the lodges.  We had packed food, so we didn't have to buy any.  Instead, we invested our dollars in caffeinated beverages.  Those 4 am call times are rough!

Our plan was to do the Grand Loop, so there would be no backtracking and we'd end up back where we started: in West Yellowstone.  Usually when we go to Yellowstone, we're on our way to or from my aunt and uncle's cabin in Cooke City, Montana, so there's limited stop time.  This trip, we had all day and it was great!  On the other hand, we still missed a ton of things.  The Lamar Valley, where all the buffalo live, on the way to Cooke City, was out of our way.  I would have loved to have taken the kids there, and to Mammoth to get ice cream and see the elk.  You can't see everything.  These cute pictures of Ruby were taken at the Old Faithful Lodge while we were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt.  The kids were tired but happy.

We definitely wanted to see Kodachrome Basin...if that's what it's called.  I can't remember.  We really did stop at a lot of the attractions.

Old Faithful Lodge is an engineering marvel.  I think it was originally built without steel.  Just wood.  Lincoln Log level: expert.

These vintage busses are so cool.

Thar she blows!

There were thousands of people lined up to see Old Faithful.  I commented to Ruby, "I can't believe we haven't run into anyone we know."  Moments later, Woody walked by.  He's my cousin Smantha's husband, and he works in the park.  Serendipity!  We found the DeBry in the haystack.

You'll see serious photographers in the park.

'Twas a bit windy.

Nikki and Clint encouraged us to swim at Firehole, and Bruce gave us directions. When we arrived in the early morning, we thought we'd tackle the swimming later in the day when it warmed up.  By the time we got around the loop, however, it had cooled down and we were too chilly to swim.  Next time!

We ended the Yellowstone day in the town of West Yellowstone, dining at McDonald's because free WiFi.  When I planned this trip, I didn't realize that every hotel, motel and inn within a 100 mile radius of Yellowstone would be $300 a night at peak season.  I booked cheap airbnb in Idaho Falls, thinking that we could drive up, do the Grand Loop, drive back down to Idaho Falls, and then drive over to Jackson the next day to explore Grand Teton.  It worked great.  After dinner, the kids settled in for a 2-hour drive.  It was just me, the open road and NPR.

Check out this scenery!  Sometimes you think Idaho is lame, but then you go there and you remember that it's not.

When we got to our place, we found a clean, spacious apartment in an industrial area of town.  It was perfect because it was quiet and right off the freeway.  There were two bedrooms and a hide-a-bed couch in the living room.  Ptolemy was beside himself with glee when I told him he could have the hide-a-bed.  Sometimes I wonder if he's putting on an act with all his enthusiasm.  He's so adorable and easy to please.  The rest of us were equally happy, because the WiFi worked and the beds were comfy.  What more could you want?