Days 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 & 35-June 26-July 3

On Sunday we drove up to Grant Village in Yellowstone to see if we could get in a couple of days early.  They were able to accommodate us so it was pack up and go time again.  This would give us a couple of days to prepare for Melinda and her family’s arrival on Tuesday night. 
Monday morning we were up bright and early to take the canoe down to Lewis Lake where we hoped to catch a few lake trout.  It was an absolutely beautiful morning.  The lake looked like a mirror without a breeze to cause a ripple. We had the water to ourselves as we proceeded to try to catch our supper.  Jess got us started quickly with a nice size trout for the stringer.  That was the end of our fishing success for the day.  We did stop to stretch our legs and were excited to find some fresh bear prints in the sand.  After a couple hours the wind picked up as usual so we headed back to shore.  Early afternoon found us restless again so off we went to check out West Thumb Geyser Basin which is a short drive from Grant Village.  We decided it was time to see some of the unique features that Yellowstone is famous for.  The boardwalk trail weaves its way around a number of thermal formations.  This is where Abyss Pool is located, one of the deepest hot springs in the park.  Some of the features, Fishing Cone for one, actually flow out into Yellowstone Lake.  It is hard to explain the beauty of these thermal areas.  Some are brilliantly colored in blues, oranges, yellows and greens while right next to them there will be one that looks like mud. The depths visible in the clear pools are amazing. I felt like I was getting a view of the earth without its outer shell.  After leaving West Thumb we rambled around the edges of Yellowstone Lake.  The lake is quite large, taking several hours to drive along its northern shore.  We stopped at Fishing Bridge to look out over the Yellowstone River.  The bridge was originally built for fishermen to use as they fished for cutthroat trout.  It was soon discovered that as the trout went up the river to spawn the fishermen were catching so many of them that their numbers were dwindling rapidly.  As Yellowstone Lake is the home to the only native cutthroat trout population in the world there is an extensive effort underway to save them.  They are a major food source for many of the animals living in the park so it is important that their numbers continue to thrive.  Fishermen are helping by releasing any cutthroat trout they catch, while keeping the lake trout that are caught.  Lake trout are a non-native species that are over populating the lake as they consume the young cutthroat trout.
On Tuesday our goal was to keep busy so that the time would fly by while we anxiously awaited the arrival of Melinda, Dave, and the boys.  Jess and I knew that hiking would be limited when Ethan, Brady, and Griffin joined us so we took off for Lone Star Geyser.  This 5 mile round trip borders the Firehole River through a peaceful wooded area.  The geyser erupts about every 3 hours so we were just hoping we would time our hike to coincide with an eruption.  As we rounded a bend in the road Jess stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted a bear just a few feet away.  Having missed a photo op with the snake in Missouri I was not going to let it happen to me again.  So while Jess is trying to decide whether he is going to have to rescue me from a bear attack or leave me to my own devices I am snapping away.  Luckily it was a black bear and she didn’t seem to care if we were there or not.  We realized later that she had a cub napping nearby and like any good mother she was patiently waiting for him to finish his nap.  Jess and I continued on to the geyser arriving shortly before it finished erupting.  The show we saw was sufficient enough that we chose not to wait 3 hours to see the whole performance.

The Rouliers finally arrived shortly before 10:00 p.m.  We shared a late night supper and then bedded down in anticipation of a big day of sightseeing.
The next four days were spent rambling to every corner of Yellowstone Park.  Thank you to all of our leaders who had the foresight to make sure that these special places were kept from private ownership so that we are all able to enjoy the wonders the parks have to offer.  It is not hard to see why Yellowstone National Park has the honor of being our first national park.  The uniqueness of this area is beyond the imagination.  From the many thermal features, the crystal clear streams and lakes, the vastness of the canyons, the thundering waterfalls, the majesty of the mountain ranges, the emerald green meadows, the many colors of the wild flowers and the abundance of varied wildlife there is something here to enthrall every visitor.  There is no way that I can describe all of the sights that we have seen.  I hope that the pictures I have included will give everyone a glimpse of this amazing place.
We spent a very busy 4 days covering as much of the park as we possibly could.  Jess and Dave enjoyed fly fishing in the cold, clear streams.  Melinda and I took the boys fishing one morning.  No luck but it was an interesting experience to say the least.  Ethan, Brady and Griffin had fun fulfilling all of the requirements needed to receive their Junior Ranger badges.  They kept track of the many animals they saw, checked off all of the places we went to and made sure they took care of the park by following all of the rules.  Our days were very busy, but we did find time to make the necessary campfire smores.  Our time together went by way too quickly.  After purchasing a few last minute souvenirs on Sunday morning it was time for the Rouliers to head south to Denver for their flight home.
Jess and I pointed our camper west as we continued our trip by making our way into Montana. 

Reflection on Lewis Lake.

Our one and only lake trout.  I "let" Jess beat me today.

Bear print in the sand.

One of the beautiful hot springs at West Thumb.

Yellowstone Lake

Close enough!

Lone Star Geyser

The Roulier family waiting for the big moment.

 

Old Faithful



Fishing with the boys on a blustery morning on Yellowstone Lake.

Fishing Bridge

Preparing the perfect Smore.

Upper Falls

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone

Tower Falls

40 million year old petrified redwood.

Wraith Falls

Marmot



Ground squirrel



Mule deer buck

Grizzly, definitely close enough!



A stark scene at Mammoth Hot Springs.



Bull elk

The edge of Canary Springs.



Kepler Cascades

An absolutely awesome sight!

Grand Prasmatic Spring

Excelsior Geyser

One of the large herd of bison that grase in the meadow at Fountain Flats.

Granddaddy helping Brady learn the basics of the fine art of fly fishing.

Dave assist Ethan as he practices fly fishing.

Griffin didn't mind taking a dip in the clear, cold water of Nez Perce Creek.

The boys as they are sworn in as Junior Rangers.