Once the sun was higher, I got up and started grits and bagels for breakfast. The girls reluctantly came out of the tent but not their sleeping bags! This is how Florida girls do Wyoming!
After I finished eating and was putting the grill in the bear box, I kept hearing elk. It seemed very close and coming from the lake behind us so Dave went to investigate. I reassured the girls we were in the mountains where noises bounce around and echo so he probably wouldn't find any. Sure enough, he came up a minute later out of breath telling us in without words somehow to go down to the lake. I ran and grabbed the camera out of the car and we raced down the 100 yards to the lake.
There were actually three and we gave them some space as I took a few pictures. We watched them watch us and hop back into the woods. We could spy them through the trees as we walked back up but they were eating and taking their time. When we got back to our site I realized our huge mistake.
Not only did the girls leave their breakfast on the table, I also left the bear box open and the back of my car where all our food is kept. Lucky for me, we were back and sitting at the table again by the time a park ranger making his regular rounds drove by. Lesson learned.
Our tour the day before did not include one of the most photographed parts of the park because of a more than congested parking situation so we decided to drive up this morning. We met Grammie and Brayden at our visitor's center so we all could explore together.
Our first stop was the Grand Prismatic Spring. Apparently this is such a popular spot that buses can no longer fit in the parking lot after a certain time in the day. We decided to park at the first parking lot close to the area as it definitely still had spaces left and we were very able walkers.
We hit the trail toward the spring talking and boxing shadows for awhile. It almost turned into actual boxing for two of the kids so we had to stop. We kept walking and walking, passing the spring while Grammie and I kept searching for a boardwalk to take us there. We finally met up with a few people telling us this was simply a hike and if we kept going we would end up at the road after a few more miles.
Fortunately for us, we did spot a trail up a hillside to what we thought would be an overlook so we went back and headed that way. We were treated to an unbelievably beautiful view of the spring once we reached the top.
As we walked back we were all talking about how such a mistake turned out to be the perfect spot as there was no way people on the boardwalk would have been able to see much less photograph the entire spring. MomOnARoadTrip - 1, Yellowstone signage - 0.
The next place we wanted to see was Firehole River. My navigator told me to turn at Firehole Lake instead but we all really enjoyed looking at more thermal features and we spotted a bison laying down in the parking lot. As I was driving away people were parking their cars entirely too close. Must respect the bison!
Next we turned into the Firehole River drive and drove along the ridge next to the river. Our first stop was Firehole Falls where we could walk around and enjoy yet another powerful waterfall. The next turnout advertised a swimming hole so the girls got down there as fast as they could asking if they could swim. The water was not the coldest we'd felt on the trip but there was no way I was going in above my ankles. The girls on the other hand, decided to try their whole bodies!
We wrapped the girls in towels and headed back to our area to see Lola and turn in junior ranger books. By the time we got back the girls were mostly dry. This ranger altered the oath a little bit just the way I like adding, "I will always eat my vegetables and obey my parents", although we don't have much of a problem with either!
Grammie and Laney headed back to their campground and we stopped to hike the Natural Bridge since Dave would be working the next day. The hike was very easy along a park road for the most park. We walked with a couple from Tennessee feeling safe since the guy had bear spray.
Right when we got there, eagle eye Ryan ran to me and said, "I just saw the things we saw in the Rocky Mountains!". They had tried to show us the marmots there as the ranger wasn't certain they would be living at such a low elevation. And sure enough, there he was poking is little head out climbing through the rocks - they yellow-bellied marmot. He was way to fast for me to even attempt to get a picture! A lady came down from the top of the trail asking what he was because she'd been watching him for the last 5 minutes searching for food and grooming.
The Natural Bridge was very small compared to many we'd been able to see on our trips, but it was the first with a waterfall underneath! It was a very small waterfall but it had been responsible for creating the bridge in the first place.
We made it to Grammie's just as she was finishing dinner so we gobbled it all up and headed to the area for our sunset tour. On the way we had fun with a quiz Brayden had created about himself from one of Grammie's books. Laney and I falied, but I have placed the quiz under protest due to inaccurate answers.
Our tour car was the body of a 1938 Ford touring car that had been updated over the years with the original body. We all slid in and handed the kids the cameras to share for the tour. Our first stop was the rapids where the native cut-throat trout swim upstream to spawn. There season had just ended but it was still amazing to think these fish were able to do what we decided would bel just about impossible for us to do!
We also drove through a few of the areas with large-scale fires. This area had burned only a few years ago yet you can see the new growth beginning. The small Lodgepole pine trees are unique in that they have two types of cones. One type is sealed with a resin that will only open in high temperatures such as a fire of at least 113 degrees. The seeds inside are therefore the first seeds on the ground to rebuild the forest after a fire. I thought this was amazing after only being exposed to controlled burns at home. We learned about these trees all along the last few parks and could see different stages of their growth as they recovered the forest.
Brayden also captured a picture of a fireweed flower that only appears in these forests after a fire. Many of the grazing animals love this plant so they return to the area, fertilizing and spreading more seeds in the process.
We stopped by the water of Lake Yellowstone so we could put our toes in. Of the 12 people on the tour, oddly enough only us Floridians did. The girls kept going deeper and deeper in as they got used to the chill. They boy of course just skipped rocks. Ryan actually made a new record of 7 skips here!
Our last stop was Sunset Butte where we stayed until the sun went behind the clouds. It was a beautiful spot where if you climbed up a little ways you were treated to a 300 degree view of the park.
We enjoyed talking with all the people in the car with us and they enjoyed hearing about our adventures on the road. Once we got back to Grammie's campground we stopped by her General Store to buy shirts for everyone then we headed back to our tent. Laney was staying the next two days with Grammie so it was Brayden's turn to experience the nighttime freeze!
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