Island Park and Yellowstone - August 12-August 16, 2015

(Left to Right:  Boston, Easton, Spencer, Sadie, Macee, and Payten)

 

Big Springs to Macks Inn

Moose we saw while floating

 

We decided to make one last trip with the kids before school started.  We went to Nick's Uncle Dan and Sandy's cabin to stay in Island Park for a few days.  Thursday we decided to run two rivers with Gma Kathy, Whit, Eddie, cousin Macee, Sadie, Spencer and our family.  We first ran a section on Henry's River near Angler's Lodge near the cabin (about an hour raft trip).  Then we went to Big Springs, Island Park and ran that section to Mack's Inn (about 3 hours).  The first was faster but the second was a beautiful slow float.  The kids got antsy at the end but it was fun to see a moose, and have the kids get out and swim in sections, and fish off the raft.  We ended up eating at Café Sabor across from Mack's Inn - food was great.  Easton fell off about 1/2 hour before we were to the end and froze until we could change clothes at the car.  He said he loved it all except falling in. 

 

 

Friday, we took the kids into Yellowstone National Park through the West Yellowstone entrance in Montana.  We went towards Old Faithful and stopped off at the Lower Geyser Basin and the Midway Geyser Basin where the Grand Prismatic Spring is.  Then we went to Old Faithful (which had just gone off).  We made some sandwiches and ate while we waited for Old Faithful to erupt again.  I couldn't believe how they know exactly when it will go off (give or take 17 minutes).  They told us it would go off approximately at 4:27 pm ... it was 4:27 when it started erupting! CRAZY!  It seemed pretty high the day we were there.  Then we stopped at the General Store at Old Faithful and got some ice cream and rocked in the rocking chairs on the front porch. 

 

making heart shadows on the road while waiting for Old Faithful

 

Then we headed to West Thumb area and got out and stopped right at Yellowstone Lake (beautiful) and saw a huge elk just laying in the grass eating.  A ranger let us get fairly close to take pictures of him.  We wanted to stop off at quite a few places but everyone told us to head to the Canyon to see the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with the Upper and Lower Falls) so we headed that way.  We stopped and hiked to the falls - amazing sight to see (pictures don't do justice).  Then it was getting dark so we did a few hikes off to observation points near the falls and started heading home.  As soon as we got in the car, there was a DOWNPOUR of rain.  It was raining so hard.  We saw people and cars in parking lots knowing people were still out on trails hiking and getting soaked.  There were quite a few more stops we would have liked to make before heading out of the park or wished we had another day in the park, but it was a fun day and GORGEOUS country we drove through.  Downfall...Payten threw up two times in the car on this trip.   I've got to find something that works for carsickness.  I'm sick of cleaning out her car seat!  Good thing Dan and Sandy had a washer and dryer in the cabin so I could wash out her car seat, towel, and multiple sets of clothes she went through.

 

We saw many bison along the way (especially through Hayden Valley).  We first stopped at this power / ranger station and saw many bison on the road.  The boys and Nick got out of the car to take a picture - Payten started bawling as though she just saw a ghost.  She was screaming out the window to the boys, "Kill you....kill you....get in car....boys...." She was petrified of the bison so we just stayed in the car from a distance to look (that still wasn't far enough away).  The boys loved seeing all the bison - we saw so many bison along the way.  Each time the boys would say they saw a bison, she would say, "Dad, go, drive".

 

Hike down to Lower Falls

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

 

Beautiful rainbow in Yellowstone park
 

 



Saturday morning, Boston and Nick, woke up and went with Uncle Dan to Henry's Lake on his boat to do some fishing.  They didn't have much luck there but said it was fun.  Easton just wanted to ride four wheelers while they were gone so we went with Gma Kathy and her sister Sandy on a ride to Pond's Lodge and back (and then realized not one of us brought a wallet with us ... dang).  While we were there, there were 2 separate sightings of a grizzly bear in the Moose Breath area where we were. 

 

That afternoon ,we met our friends, the Crystals, at Island Park Reservoir to see their brand new boat.  They let us try some surfing, wake boarding, and knee boarding.  Boston didn't want to get in the water but we talked him into knee boarding with his dad.  It ended up being his favorite part of the trip overcoming his fear and getting up on the knee board!  Way to go!