After some rest, its off to Yellowstone for three days! While Kelli has had the chance to come through the park already, this will be the first time we really get to explore, get out of the car and see all that is Yellowstone. And away we go!
after a beautiful drive through Paradise Valley, our first stop was the archway at the North Entrance.
the original entrance to Yellowstone is a must see for a first timer into the park.
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| Kelli at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park on a beautiful day. |
the next stop for our motley crew, was the 45th parallel.
as it says below, the 45th parallel is the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole.
its a pretty cool stop and one I don’t think I have taken the time to do before.
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| The crew 45th parallel. |
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| Abby the explorer using her binoculars to find animals. |
after our stop we headed to Mammoth Hot Springs for a break and then set out for Lamar Valley.
on our way out we stopped at Petrified Tree, for a quick stretch and a walk.
the grasshoppers were everywhere on the walkway up, one even landed on Auntie Jillian.
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| Walking up to Petrified Tree with Auntie Jillian and Auntie Kelli |
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| Petrified Tree. There are a lot more along this hillside but this is the largest of them all. |
after our stop we continued on to Lamar Valley.
the day was a bit smokey but beautiful.
with the exception of bison and pronghorn, the animals were hiding from us but we were having fun.
we stopped for lunch at a beautiful picnic site right along a small creek.
we ate, enjoyed a cool breeze and then the girls played near the water where Grandpa showed them how to skip rocks.
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| Abby and Ellie sit down to eat lunch outside of Lamar Valley close to Ice Box Canyon. |
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| Skipping rocks along the creek with Auntie Jillian, Auntie Kelli and Grandpa Jerry. |
after lunch we made our way back through Lamar Valley and on to Tower Junction.
we took a drive down to Slough Creek Campground in hopes to see some wildlife
we found some and while it wasn’t a bear or wolf, it was the closest I have ever been to a pronghorn.
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| A family of Pronghorn right next to the road on our drive to Slough Creek Campground |
After our sighting, we hit the road again over to Tower Junction and up of Mt. Washburn.
Because of construction mess and noise, the usual spots to see black bears were empty.
Up on Mt. Washburn it was too early to spot the usual wolves and grizzly bears, but we were able to take a potty break!
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| Lower Falls at Sunset |
our trip over Mt. Washburn led us right to Canyon Lodge, our stop for the next few nights.
so… we checked in, unpacked the cars, freshened up and then headed to the Canyon Rim.
the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone looked gorgeous at sunset, despite the fire nearby.
after walks to the Brink of the Lower Falls and the Lower Falls overlook, we headed back for dinner.
as we waited for a table we met a gentleman who informed us about a bison kill in Hayden Valley.
apparently bears, wolves and other animals have been hanging out this spot for a few days.
at dinner that night we talked, laughed and Kelli tried something new for dinner!
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| Kelli tried a Bison Burger for the very first time and she liked it! |
A wonderful day has come to an end and its quiet in our cute little cabin. The girls are asleep and there is very little sound outside. I love being out in the woods, far from the craziness of life. I had hoped we would see more animals today, but we still have a few more days. What we did see was beautiful and I know Kelli has enjoyed it. Here is to hoping that we get some sleep. Both Abby and Ellie have the cold that I have been recovering from and its been a bit rough. Fingers are crossed but I wont hold my breath…
The Wharton Adventures 