Yellowstone Family Trip-2

I got up a little after 5 a.m. to find Will making coffee in the kitchen. Nancy wandered in a bit later, and eventually everyone was up and breakfast fixed, and we were ready to go. We piled in the van and drove the 6+ blocks to the park entrance. It was 7:20 a.m.

The cars were backed up at the entrance 4 lanes wide and a couple of city blocks long. It took about 20 minutes to get into the park. But from there the traffic was spread out pretty well and we drove at the 45mph speed limit most of the time.

The kids were excited to see a herd of elk, several mule deer, and one old buffalo that was right along the road. We stopped at Midway Geyser Basin for a look at Grand Prismatic hot springs, but the 39 degree outside temp condensed the steam to such an extent that it was hard to see. Still it was fun to see some of the thermal features and walk the boardwalk.

We left Midway and headed down to Old Faithful, where we parked the van in a vast parking lot and set off to explore. The Visitors Center was the first stop. Then it was over to Old Faithful Geyser to wait with the crowd for the show. The geyser did not disappoint, sending up a 70-foot plume of water and steam playing for several minutes.

Afterwards, we explored the Inn before making our way over to the Lodge for an 11 a.m. lunch. We got to watch Old Faithful erupt again from our table in the Lodge. Then, after lunch, we set out on a boardwalk tour of the Upper Geyser Basin and its abundant thermal features. This occupied the better part of the early afternoon. We walked the several miles of trail through the basin. Our daughter ended up staying back with her youngest, Tommy, as he got tired of walking, but the older boys charged ahead.

We left Old Faithful in the mid-afternoon in a massive traffic jam that went on for several miles. But once past Midway Geyser Basin, it was smooth sailing. We got back to the house around 4. We fixed some chicken on the grill and settled in for the evening.