Yellowstone!

Wow. I don't remember ever going to Yellowstone although my mom swears I did. It was like 20 years ago though and I bet we just drove through a part of it. So I think I am safe to say that I have never EXPERIENCED the wonders of Yellowstone. It was also my boys' first time there and they absolutely loved it. I mean, it screams "Please come and run around and get dirty and explore and see all sorts of cool animals and better yet, there is no tv to distract you from having good, old fashioned fun." They played hard all day long and slept like logs. Andrew said it was the best vacation he's ever been on.





We arrived on Saturday afternoon, just in time to see a buffalo roaming about 50 feet away from our cabin and just plopped himself down to rest. At that time, we thought buffalo were cool, but by the end of the trip we came to regard them as we do cows in the pasture here in Herriman. They were everywhere. It is still pretty amazing to see them in their natural habitat and not feeling sorry for them as I go by them on the train at the zoo. We also had a little pajama party in our cabin before all the kids went to bed. We put on Madagascar 2 on my sister's portable DVD player but the kids were more interested in jumping from bed to bed.







On Sunday we ventured to West Yellowstone and Old Faithful. Poor Nicholas got food poisoning from his dinner the night before and threw up in the car so Justin took him back to the cabin to sleep it off. The rest of our family ate at a delicious pizza place in West Yellowstone and then headed to the amazing water feature. We had just missed it when we arrived there, so we wandered around the other geysers until the torrential rains started. The weather could not decide what it wanted to do, so we killed time inside at the gift shop until the appointed time (give or take 10 minutes). Luke wanted a front row seat and since we were inside most of the time, there was not much room on the benches, so he weaseled his way into the crowd and got his wish. The eruption was amazing and it sounded like a firework show the way the audience was reacting. We then went to go get some ice cream in the lodge and Justin called saying Nick was feeling better and they were on their way. Yay! So they got there just in time to see it and I got to see it twice. I know, I am lucky.









(If you look closely, you can see a baby between the moose's legs!)



On Monday, we headed to Roosevelt. On the way there, we saw Upper and Lower Falls and hiked on Uncle Tom's trail. Afterward, we checked into our place and we stayed in the cutest little rustic cabins. I felt like I was in Little House on the Prarie. There was one bed, no bathroom, and a stove that Justin had to light a fire in to keep us warm. I absolutely loved it. There was also a stream running right by our cabins so the boys played in that for hours, threw rocks, crossed the river and hiked around, and we had a cute little chipmunk that they would feed nuts to. We originally were going to swim in a warm river near Mammouth this day but the river was too high so we just hung around the city. We saw tons of elk there and lots of cute babies. We also saw a moose and her baby, a couple bear (one ran right in front of our car) and a mom and a baby bear climbing a tree. We went on a hike through some hot pots there and then had some ice cream and played on the lawn outside the general store since it was finally a sunny day. We had an unauthorized hot dog roast and smores that night for dinner in our cabins and just enjoyed each other's company.










(Liam's face when the boat started going fast)

Tuesday was such a fun day. Andrew said it was one of the best days of his life. We went fishing on Yellowstone Lake and the weather cooperated, all the boys caught a fish, and the scenery was some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I forget how our souls and minds are nourished by the wonders of nature and I was blessed to experience beautiful things day after day. We were able to see a rare view of the Teton's from the lake and we had a super nice guide named Tommy that was so patient with the boys and helped them with their casting and reeling in the fish. We ate at the Roosevelt Lodge for dinner--a fabulous meal at the end of a phenomenal day.

Yea for Yellowstone!