Old Faithful and More Yellowstone Beauty

Today, the kiddos were up early to make sandwiches with Ron. They were a big help, making sure we packed more than enough food for the day (see, we’re learning to be prepared with more snacks!) and still made it into the park by 8am. We caught our first glimpse of Old Faithful erupting as we arrived and made our way into the lodge area.  WOW.  We had some time before the next eruption, so we checked out the gift shop and hiked around the boardwalk to see Grand Geyser and the smaller geysers along the walk.  

The colours of the soil surrounding the hot springs and geysers were striking and the water was crystal clear. In the frigid early morning air, the steam rose into the sky, making it feel like we were in the middle of a fairytale. We warmed up with a fast walk to reach Grand Geyser in time to watch it erupt. Then, we walked back just as fast to see Old Faithful’s full eruption.  We did it!! And, despite the fast pace Ariel and I managed to take some pretty amazing pictures along the way.

Old Faithful was spectacular, and watching her erupt was an unforgettable moment for all of us. The kids chattered about it all the way back to the car. From Old Faithful, we decided to check out the General Store at Fishing Bridge. Oh my goodness, so many fun souvenirs! The kids have been good at respecting our one souvenir policy, and they’ve enjoyed picking out pins and keychains to decorate their backpacks.  

As we left Fishing Bridge we saw two young male elk having what I would call a gentle battle. They locked antlers for at least five to ten minutes and made small noises at each other. As another tourist explained to me this was the equivalent of two 13-year-old boys having a little tussle. The female elk wouldn’t be too interested and would be waiting for the older elk to come by.

I’m not sure the two males knew their antics wouldn’t draw the attention they wanted—but, hey, all the tourists were really impressed! 

We found a beautiful quiet beach along Yellowstone Lake for a picnic and swim.  Even our pups water went in for a swim and we didn’t think they liked water. After lunch, the pups relaxed, Ron took a nap along the shore, and the kids played in the sand, while I typed up part of this blog entry and enjoyed the peaceful moment.   

After lunch, we were back on the road to finish our day with a short boardwalk hike to Midway Geyser Basin, Excelsior Geyser Crater, and Grand Prismatic Spring.  Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest and most brilliant of Yellowstone’s hot springs.  I am still in awe of the beauty of the hot springs and geysers in these basins.  Even the barren landscape is beautiful with the shades of orange and white that cover the land, contrasting with the emerald blue of the hot springs. 

We pulled back into camp around 5:30pm. Ron and the kids headed to the pool while I put things away from the day’s adventure. Yesterday was laundry day, but it seems I already have more to do (how is this possible?!?). We bbq’d up some salmon for dinner, while Ariel snuggled with Remi. Wyatt was so exhausted he fell asleep on the camp chair with Maggie. What a great day we had! I’m sad to be leaving Yellowstone tomorrow but I know we are going to have more amazing adventures ahead.