My husband is so good about introducing us girly girls to the beautiful back country here in Idaho. Coming from a lifestyle of glitter and Barbies, these girls and I definitely are expanding our horizons – whether it’s watching a sunset from the sand dunes, or ripping earthworms in half for the fish hook. I’ve enjoyed watching them discover new activities, and gain interest in animals, wildlife, and nature.
So, of course living this far north, we needed to take advantage of the mother of all nature and wildlife – Yellowstone National Park! Ever been? I hadn’t - unless I went as a child and just don’t remember. So we wanted to give the girls some memories of the beauty and nature.
Even up close…
We saw many paint pots, which didn’t let off the best of aromas…
… many prismatic pools and hot springs (we didn’t touch the water, but the steam and heat that emitted from the pools were enough to convince me not to go for a swim)…
Not much luck on the “wildlife” part of Yellowstone. We saw two bison clear off in the distance while driving, and we did see this elk just lounging in the leaves. But other than that, we were cheated out of that grizzly bear encounter I so hoped for.
And of course, we saw plenty of what Yellowstone is famous for – Geysers!! It makes me wonder why this place hasn’t imploded (or exploded) from all the activity that happens underneath the earth! One day, I have a feeling it will…. but I won’t be there when it does!
Plenty to see and do in Yellowstone, just not enough time in one day to see it all!
A few things I learned from our day in Yellowstone:
1) If planning on spending a night anywhere in the park (lodging), reservations need to be made at least ONE YEAR in advance!
2) The ice cream tastes like whipped cream.
3) Kids don’t necessarily enjoy all the walking on boardwalks and they need time to rest and nap in the car.
4) Always go prepared with a cooler of food – meals and snacks – and plenty of water to drink. Not many options inside the park and what food you will find isn’t a bargain!
5) I’m a VERY paranoid mom around the cliffs, hot water pools, and any sign warning of “danger”.
6) What a beautiful world we live in and I take it for granted most of the time.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like a fun way to spend a day. I haven’t ever been there.
[Reply]
Camille Reply:
September 24th, 2012 at 11:39 am
Diana, you need to go! Or, you can just live vicariously through this blog post and pics.
[Reply]
We drove from Provo, Utah to Toronto, Ontario, Canada this summer and stopped in to see Old Faithful.
It had been a life long goal of mine to see Old Faithful, and I was so excited when we finally go there. However, I was the only one. My 3 kids shared my enthusiasm for crossing off a list from my goals list, and my wife was happy enough to see the geyser, but nobody was as excited as I was.
Bottom line…we got there…I went to go see at the Information building when the next eruption would happen…and while I was asking, I missed it! My wife got a video, and my kids are all shouting on the video over and over again “Where’s daddy? He’s missing it!!”.
[Reply]
Camille Reply:
September 25th, 2012 at 10:25 am
oh Duncan! haha! I’m sorry to laugh, but that’s just terrible! Luckily you’re still young and another opportunity may arise for you to actually see it!
[Reply]
Yellowstone park really is a beautifully amazing place! You got some great pictures! Cute top, BTW.
[Reply]
Camille Reply:
September 25th, 2012 at 10:24 am
Thank you – Clearance rack at Target… picked out by the hubby!
[Reply]
I simply must get our family up there. I’ve never been and neither have our kids. Love the photos, though they make me miss you even more!
[Reply]
Camille Reply:
September 25th, 2012 at 10:23 am
so, bring your family up, and come spend some time with us!!
[Reply]
Fun times!
[Reply]
Gorgeous pictures! I especially like the first one — a cute mama and her cute littles all snuggled up. Love it!
[Reply]