Day 5 - Yellowstone

We took advantage of a big continental breakfast this morning to fuel us for a huge day in Yellowstone. We entered the East entrance and past Pelican Valley in search of all of the animals on Emma’s list. There we saw tons of buffalo, deer, and wouldn’t you know, pelicans!

 After Fisherman’s Bridge we then headed north on the lower loop to check out the Mudpots. Given that the girls had just heard that someone last week wandered off the path at Yellowstone and fell through one of the thin thermal areas, they were sure to stick to the paths and follow the signs.

 After hiking through the Mudpots we headed towards the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and were blown away by both the upper and lower falls. Just the sound of them gave us goose bumps, so we were excited to make the short trip over to actually view them. They were breathtaking, as was the amazing color, width, and depth of the canyon.

 From here, we headed to the Norris Geyser Basin. We just lucked out as they closed this area off for maintenance right after we got in. We hiked around the geysers taking in the sulfuric smells and bubbling springs. The girls were not a fan of the smell or the steam, but at each turn brought out more, “oooh, look at that one!” We headed south to Beryl Springs and the Lower Geyser Basin with a few more small hikes until we reached the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful. 

Though we just missed the eruption and had to wait the full 90 minutes until the next one, we lucked out while hiking around the basin and saw the eruption of Beehive Geyser, which only erupts once or twice a day and is much higher, longer, and louder that Old Faithful. We were tempted not to stay for Old Faithful, but – you’re only in Yellowstone once – according to Mark. So we toured the Old Faithful Inn and more geysers and before we knew it Old Faithful erupted.

We continued on the lower loop until Craig Pass and, of course, had to take the obligatory photo at the Continental Divide. The girls couldn’t believe that water could flow all the way to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. With a trip around West Thumb we said goodbye to Yellowstone and headed to the Grand Tetons. On our way out of the park we crossed off our second to last animal we were hoping to see as we encountered a moose crossing our path on our way out. All animals spotted, except for a bear. Maybe next time, Yellowstone.

The Grand Tetons proved to be more beautiful in our opinions than Yellowstone. With their snow-capped tips and endless pine trees every turn was like a painting. We took the scenic route through the Tetons and ended in Jackson Hole for the night. 

We arrived downtown and walked around to familiarize ourselves and realized we were just in time for the Jackson Hold Shootout. It was a bit cheesy, but the girls enjoyed it and the demonstration of how painful their “real ammunition” can be was shocking. It completely destroyed a water bottle at close range. It was entertaining none-the-less and the weather was beautiful, so it was a great night downtown.

 Some of the locals suggested eating at E.leaven for dinner, so of course, we tried to go local. It was delicious. Mark got the “Fire in the Hole” burger and a beer and was basically in heaven. We then headed to check in to our hotel for the night and the outdoor pool called our name. It was a cool 68 so we were anticipating a short swim, but it was heated to a balmy 82, so everyone enjoyed swimming until the sun went down. We all will sleep well tonight!