Girls Grand Expotition.. Day Seven: Surprises In Hayden Valley

I am very glad that I didn’t hold my breath when it came to the girls being sick and getting some sleep because I didn’t. At all. Okay, well maybe a few hours but that’s about it. I was hoping to be up and go out with my dad and Kelli to walk to the Lower Falls Overlooks but I was too tired to do it. I tried to sleep in a bit but based on the meltdown I had with my mom, an extra hour of sleep didn’t help much. Once they returned and everyone was dressed, ready and fed, our day began together.
Lower Falls at Sunrise

Lower Falls at Sunrise
after breakfast, our first order of business was to head out to Hayden Valley.
we all wanted to check out the tip given to us by a gentleman we met the night before at dinner.
sure enough, the tip was a good one. When we arrived there were wolves feeding on the bison carcass.
luckily my dad had borrowed a spotting scope from a friend at work, so Kelli was able to see them wolves up close.
we also had the chance to see a young bald eagle perched atop a dead tree, probably waiting for the wolves to leave.
A young Bald Eagle watching over the kill. He doesn’t even have his white feathers on his head yet.

Looking at the carcass and the wolves. The small black dot in the left,center of the picture is the black wolf. Her pups were feeding on the carcass so they were hard to see from our spot.

after stopping and watching the wolves for at least half an hour, maybe more we continued on our way.
we stopped at Mud Volcano to get out, walk the boardwalks and show Kelli what makes Yellowstone so unique.
it had been a long time since I have walked this boardwalk, but it was completely worth it.
Abby and Ellie used their imaginations to figure out what the mud pots and fumaroles looked like to them… dragons.
we found the mommy and daddy dragons hanging out at Mud Volcano, one was hanging out in a cave!
Ellie even had the chance to catch a fun and bumpy ride down the stairs in her stroller. Thanks Grandpa!

Heading up the hill and enjoying the view!

Mud Volcano, one of many bubbling mud springs.

Dragons Mouth Spring

Dragons Mouth Spring. It was determined that this was the “Mommy Dragon”.

after a wonderful but stinky walk (according to Abby) we decided to drove around Yellowstone Lake.
we drove a little ways out towards the East Entrance, but stopped at the Yellowstone Lake Overlook.
the smoke from fires kept the day from being clear but the blue water was still amazing and the view was stunning.
we stopped at Fishing Bridge for some souvenir shopping and some yummy ice cream.
as we sat out on the general store porch eating, my dad and I watched as a raven stole cookies from a side bag.

Overlooking Yellowstone Lake. So beautiful.
because we did dessert first, we headed back into Hayden Valley to stop for some lunch.
we chose the LeHardy Rapids picnic area, which was shaded, tree lined and very quiet. So perfect!
the girls ate on their own picnic blanket and ate their lunch quietly. Their focus was on the river and skipping rocks.
after eating and cleaning up the girls had the chance to skip rocks and relax by the river.
it was a perfect afternoon and so much fun to enjoy with the girls, Kelli and my wonderful family.

Eating lunch and having a chat.

Just in case we don’t end up seeing a bear.

Skipping rocks.

Le Hardy Rapids on a beautiful and clear day.

Little bird playing in the rapids.

after lunch we continued through Hayden Valley, hoping to see some bears or wolves.
the bison kill site was empty and it was obvious that the animals were probably still snoozing after filling their bellies.
from Hayden Valley we cut over to Norris and headed over to Old Faithful for dinner at Old Faithful Inn.
the largest and closest fire burning in the park was the Cygnet Fire.
on the road to Norris we could see the smoke plumes. At one point we could see the flames in the trees near the road.
along the Firehole River we spotted a big bull elk that we stopped to snap a few photos of. Boy was he pretty.

The Cygnet Fire burning on the ridge near the road closest to us.

Beautiful Bull Elk just hanging out near the Firehole River.

next on our agenda… dinner at Old Faithful Inn! Yummy!
as always the Old Faithful Inn was beautiful and the food was great. I will dream about that risotto for a while.
with our tummies very full we quickly made our way over to the Old Faithful viewing area.
we had timed everything just right and within twenty minutes of dinner, we were watching Old Faithful erupt.
watching Old Faithful was perfect. Kelli had the chance to see Yellowstone’s most famous locations.
that and Abby was excited to see the “Grandpa Dragon” talking to us.

Old Faithful erupting at sunset.

Pondering life and where the Grandpa Dragon lives inside Old Faithful.

After the eruption the light faded quickly. We packed up into the car and headed back to Canyon to wind down and relax. On the road from Norris to Canyon the flames from the Cygnet Fire were very apparent  especially the ones right next to the road. You could see the firefighters setting up a sprinkler system to create a fire line from the road. It was sad and impressive all at the same time. Now the girls are asleep in the cozy nests we have made on the floor. I hate doing that to them but they are enjoying it. It was determined that they needed to sleep there so that I could get a good nights sleep without children kicking and smacking me all night. I need the sleep so lets hope this works! Oh well, despite the exhaustion I had an amazing day full of amazing memories. Cant wait for tomorrow!

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