Yellowstone - The Adventures

I guess since it took us years to plan this trip..... it should take me years to write about it.  At least that is what it seems like I am doing..... 

By now, you have probably seen all of my Yellowstone pictures via Facebook.... but this post about our "adventures" will give you some more information as to where they were taken and what they were taken of.

We drove over 1000 miles, so pretty  much every inch of the park was covered.  It was amazing to me how each corner of the park was different.  From geysers to mud pots to hot springs to lakes to mountains... it was like entering different worlds throughout the day.

Some of the sights:

Upper Geyser Basin - Sunset Lake

Sapphire Pool - even more gorgeous in person!

Fairy Falls.  A 5 mile round trip hike...

We actually got stuck in a hail storm hiking back from the Falls.  My Mom had started hiking back early anticipating the storm that was headed our way.  Dad and I took our chances and ended up getting pelted with hail.  I wasn't wearing a jacket, had my hair pulled up in a hat,  and was doing every thing that I could to protect my camera - so my ears and the backs of my arms got quite the beating.  Of course, in between saying "Ow", we were laughing and trying to move as fast as we could.  Mom later said that she could hear Dad's laughter echoing through the trees.

It was definitely a memorable and funny experience!

Dad and I climbed the side of a steep hill to get this shot.  The colors of the basin are gorgeous!

Gibbon Falls....

This was a place full of mud pots.  I ran ahead and climbed the bazillion steps up to the top of the lookout.  I managed to capture Mom and Dad in the scenic picture.  They are the yellow and blue dots on the walkway.

A boiling, bubbling mud volcano.  It reminded me of a melting Jabba the Hut.

Another beautiful "pool".....

This is what is left from the massive fires in 1988....

The Black Cauldron...

Artist Point....

Roosevelt Arch - North Entrance....

Standing at the edge of The Lower Falls....

The sign says it all....

Lower Falls, again...( I kind of have an obsession with waterfalls)

Fishing Hole Geyser in Yellowstone Lake

This geyser was named "Fishing Hole" because early explorers/trappers discovered that you could stand on the edge of the geyser, catch a fish on your fishing pole, and then drop the fish in the hole.  The HOT water in the geyser would cook the fish completely.



West Thumb Basin...

Rainbow at The Lower Falls...

Uncle Tom's Trail... 328 steps in to the Canyon...

328 steps is fairly easy going down... but climbing back up at such a high altitude was tough!! We had to take multiple breaks to catch our breath.  In fact, I was blown away by how hard it was for me to breath during some of our hikes... and we were just walking on slightly elevated paths.  I can't imagine actually running or working out at that altitude - it would definitely take a while to get used to.

Tower Falls...

Mom admiring a waterfall... Dad realizing that he just got phone service....

Rainbow at The Upper Falls...

One of the many entrances to the park.  We visited every single one!

Playing UNO and enjoying popcorn and a fire at Lake Lodge...

Mt. Washburn.  The hike that we are saving for next time.  Dad was checking out the peak of the hike.  It was too late in the day to get started but I'm sure the view is breathtaking.

Plus, fellow hikers told us that they had seen Big Horn Sheep on the path which we had yet to see without binoculars.

The lobby of Lake Yellowstone Hotel....

Enjoying hot tea from the Keurig!  No television, WiFi, or even phone service... but our cabins had a Keurig!  It was awesome!

Our trusty transportation...

In looking back through all of my pictures, I realize that this post is just a smidge of what all we did while in Yellowstone.  We definitely made the most of our trip and experienced as much as we possibly could in a week's time.

And then on our last day, we went  back to Old Faithful Inn for one last picture before we left for the airport...

I know that I've said this a million times.... but this trip was absolutely the BEST TRIP EVER!  I have the best memories documented in pictures, a journal, this blog, my head, and in my heart.

Mom and Dad, I can't thank you enough!!

Counting the days until I go back......

Yellowstone - The Wildlife

I can't believe that it has already been a month since our trip... and I can't believe that I still have two more recaps to post.

Life is busy and I'm ready for another vacation.  ;)

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The wildlife in Yellowstone is a huge part of the whole adventure.  An adventure because you never know where or when you will see an animal next.

In the middle of the road.  At a campsite.  Next to a picnic table.  On a hiking trail.

We  managed to see every animal that we hoped to... mainly because other people spotted them first and we just pulled over because they did.  

But every once in a while, we came across a creature all on our own.

Bison.... 

Deer..

Caterpillar...

Moose!! ( He was spotted the minute we drove in to Moose, Montana!)

More bison.... they were EVERYWHERE.

A rabbit.....

These guys prevented us from going any further on our trail.  They were ensuring safe passage for the mommas and babies.

The ranger that "protected" us and suggested we back up...

"Don't mind me.  I'm just blocking the road because I feel like it."

Elk...

The "Kentucky" bird named (by us)  because it was blue.

A ground squirrel... or "whistle pig"...

The face that it makes when it is about to whistle...

We also saw big horned sheep, a grizzly bear, a black bear cub, and a wolf.... all of which were moving to fast or were too far away for a good picture.

I spent a lot of time desperately trying to spot wildlife from the back seat of the car.  I had a whole set up of cameras, lenses, and binoculars.  And had to keep reminding myself not to scream if I did see something.  Screaming is not the most polite thing to do to your driver when he is cautiously driving on the side of a mountain!

A bison even made the trip home with us....

Mom's souvenir - which she named "Buffy".

I only have one more post about our trip.  I guess I've been dragging it all out because I don't want to believe that it is over.  The last post will sum up our adventures...... tours, hiking, excursions, etc.  In the meantime, if you would like to check out all of the pictures ( because I will never be able to post them all on the blog), I've got them downloaded on my Facebook page.

Hope you enjoy!

The Cowboy Cookout

When my Mom first asked me what I wanted to do in Yellowstone, I told her three things...

1.  Stay at The Old Faithful Inn.

2.  Hike to Fairy Falls.

3.  Participate in a cowboy cookout.

Other than that, I was game for anything.

So, Mom scheduled the cowboy cookout for the 30th ( four months before my actual birthday) and we decided to treat it as my birthday dinner.

And it was SO MUCH FUN!

This picture pretty much sums up the best parts about it... cowboys and coffee.

We started our adventure on a ranch.  Dad had opted to ride a horse out to the cookout area!  Mom and I chose the safer route and went on the wagons.

Dad was a natural and pretty much had this big happy grin on the entire time...

I envisioned the "wagons" being a little more covered like on "Little House".  I even told Mom that she might need to pack up my smocked bonnets from when I was little in case we needed to wear them while traveling.

But they were open...

And since the cookout involved such a large group, there were lots of them.  We traveled the gorgeous landscape for about thirty minutes before we arrived at our destination.  Dad was on the horse for the same amount of time.  He said his ride was awesome!  He was just like a real cowboy.

We did have a guide in addition to our driver which told us all sorts of cool information about the area... the history, the wildlife, and about her job on the ranch.

Dinner was served outside and was completely cooked by a crew of cowboys. <- straight out of my dreams!

They even rang the dinner bell ( triangle) when it was time to eat.

I went a little crazy...

All of the food was delicious... but especially the beans and the cornbread.  The cornbread was sweet and the beans were so flavorful and hearty.  One of the cowboys offered up the bean recipe and I went up and got it from him.... giggling like a school girl.  I'm such a weirdo!

Then came the highlight.... The coffee!

There was a cowboy manning the fire with a huge kettle of coffee hanging over it.  We were told that it was the strongest coffee in all of the land... which made my eyes light up like fireworks were going off inside of them.  Strong + Bitter is my favorite coffee flavor!

The coffee was SO strong!  I could even feel the coffee grounds on my tongue as I was drinking it.  It was heavenly!

A bit of our view....

The entire time that we were eating there was a cowboy playing guitar and singing to us.  And then I looked up and saw my Mom talking to him and I about died.  She asked him to sing me "Happy Birthday".

There was no where to hide.

So, I pulled my hat down low and stared down at my food and blushed profusely.

But as embarrassed as I was, being sung to by cowboys was an absolute highlight of the trip!

And I was able to cross that off of my bucket list.

Another cowboy + coffee picture.... ( I wish I could get Kev to wear chaps).

I know the experience was a little touristy... but it was incredible just as I had envisioned.  And those guys weren't just putting on a show.... they were REAL cowboys that can cook and sing and ride horses and make me giggle and blush.

I felt like I was 16 again.  Haha.

Me.. back at the ranch...

And one last picture of the best coffee of all time...

It was such an awesome night!