Yellowstone

We had been planning to take a trip to Yellowstone during the kids' October break next week. But then we all got swine flu. Except for Jennie, that is. But with our fevers gone, a beautiful weekend forecast, and with all of us to weak to climb at City of Rocks, we decided to go early.

We got an early start and found out that the West Yellowstone McDonald's doesn't have a breakfast value menu. Hannah was a baby the last time we went to Yellowstone, so she was seeing everything for the first time. We visited all of the geyser basins on the way down to Old Faithful, then walked around the boardwalk there. Our hopes of seeing a lot of wildlife never materialized. We saw two bison, a coyote, and a bunch of ravens. And a couple of elk crossing the road in the dark. A highlight for Jennie and I was walking around the West Thumb geyser basin. It's a short loop on the edge of Yellowstone Lake, but neither of us had ever been there. Abby loved the story of the Fishing Pot where long ago visitors would have their pictures taken in chef's hats cooking their fish (still on the line) in the boiling water of the geyser. Seth loved Old Faithful and the different colored bacterial mats. Hannah got a notebook at the general store and made sketches for the rest of the trip. Caleb's favorite was the Grotto Geyser.

We drove out the South Entrance and enjoyed the spectacular backlit Tetons all the way to Jackson. Grace did well on the trip, but she was very excited to get home and sit contentedly with her two binkies.