Yellowstone

We just got home from a quick trip to the East side.  Of Idaho that is! A good friend turned 30 on Thursday and another friend has a family cabin in Island Park that they graciously offered, so we all decided to celebrate by heading to Yellowstone for the weekend.  

HIGHLIGHTS:

- We were in 3 states on Saturday: Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.  Also, Montana happens to be the 28th state I've visited!

- The dogs left the cabin and they came back with a moose rack and an elk rack...who knows where from

-Staying up really late 1) having pretty deep discussions about meaningful things in life and 2) playing favorite games and new games, all which made us laugh

-eating. lots. of. food.

-finding a warm lodge out of the freezing cold to eat our lunch.  And it had huge windows that looked out to Old Faithful

-We had no idea that we were going to Yellowstone on National Public Lands Day, but it ended up being free to get in! 

Okay, now for the picture overload:

 Forgot to mention that we took the scenic route through the middle of the state to get there, passing Craters of the Moon.  Definitely worth the slightly longer route.

 Our first snowball of the season.  Couldn't believe how cold it was - we had snow coming down the night we got there!

Our drive through Yellowstone National Park
First stop: Fountain Paint Pots

 As cold as it was outside, I was tempted to jump in.  But the boiling and bubbling was enough to keep me "on walk"

 She really was so content for how cold it was.  It was so fun to hold and squeeze her all bundled up!  On bringing a baby to Yellowstone: If we do it again, especially in this weather, I don't think I would do anything differently except remember to bring gloves for her hands (socks work too).  We didn't bring the stroller which I'm glad because you are doing most of your sight seeing in the car as you drive the loop.  The stops, such as the springs and geysers we went to had somewhat narrow walk paths that would have been kind of annoying to push a stroller around lots of people. It was also fun to be automatically ready for a picture by holding her AND having the extra body heat was a plus.  Layers, layers, layers was key.  I also wouldn't put your baby in overalls like I did, being in the car for the majority of the day.  Changing a diaper in the car is hard enough let alone having to take the overalls completely off every single time.  They also aren't as warm, so I ended up putting some of my knee high socks on her legs underneath as leggings.

Wildlife & Scenery:

 Old Faithful Lodge and Geyser:
 We were smart and brought lunch stuff to make sandwiches in the lodge overlooking Old Faithful. It was warm, a place to sit and relax, and the bathrooms were stellar. We then went outside and waited for Old Faithful to erupt, which took what felt like forever.  Ava actually fell asleep while we were waiting, so we'll have to go back someday so she can officially say she saw it.

It ended up being worth the wait :)
 **Side story:  In the middle of lunch there was a debate about Miracle Whip vs. Mayonnaise.  If you know me, you know I prefer Mayo - Hellman's/Best Foods, ya know.  Our friend Race here, can't tell a difference - whaaaat. So we had him do a blind taste test (which has happened upon him once before) and he still had no preference and could not distinguish the two. Unbelievable. **

Last stop: Grand Prismatic Spring

Before going back to the cabin, we stopped in the old city of West Yellowstone (MT) at the Rustic Candy Shop. 

Let's just say that the amount of fudge we got made up for the free park admission ;)

At first we thought we were crazy for driving all that way (5 hours) for such a short trip. Fri afternoon - Sun afternoon.  But it was well worth it to get away from the hustle and bustle, laugh and enjoy each others' company, and see terrain like nothing else.  We are so blessed to have each other and live in such a beautiful country!

Pin It