Day 5 & 6: Driving to YSNP and Old Faithful

Up and at 'em--

Day 5 Driving to Yellowstone
Monday, July 4:

Today was bound to be the worst (and I'm not just being dramatic....truly--) We had to break down our camp in Estes Park, drive 12 hours through Wyoming which is nothing but plains, a few mountains, and a Walmart in Rawlins, WY which we were delighted to see so we could stock up for our next 4 days in Yellowstone (YSNP).  Once we finished that long drive, we then had to race the sun to set up camp in Yellowstone.  Setting up camp/breaking down camp in the same day can make a grown man cry.  It is the same amount of hard work whether you are staying for a month or staying for only a day.  

The highlight of the drive was seeing the Grand Teton mountains as we approached the area and they were unbelievable.  They just shoot straight up out of the earth - We also loved seeing bison pretty soon after we got into YSNP.  There was a group of 4 that were grazing along the side of the road and walked right in front of our car.  It was so exciting!

We were a little bummed the next day to realize that we missed the 4th of July since we were driving and did not get to YSNP until late. I had little glow in the dark flags we were going to set out and other ideas for how to celebrate but we were so exhausted we didn't even toast a single marshmallow or crack open one beer before falling into bed.  (We did play a quick game of "Hi/Lo" or "Roses/Thorns" or "Peak/Pit" in which several of the kids said their favorite part of the trip so far was riding in the car and watching movies with their friends.....so glad we could take this epic road trip so they could enjoy sitting in the car and watching library DVDs.)

Day 6  Old Faithful 
Tuesday, July 5

So, here's the thing about Yellowstone:  it is HUGE.  It is the size of two or three small states and you could spend a week here and probably not see it all.  YSNP is divided up into several small villages.  We are staying in Canyon Campground which is near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (Yes, there is such a thing! Who knew!?)  

When you think of Yellowstone, most people assume it's just Old Faithful-- but in reality, that is just one small part. (It's the most famous part, for sure, but there is so much more to this park than that.  We are planning to see most of it and I hope to tell you all about it this week.)  From Canyon Campground, it takes about an hour to get to Old Faithful. 

After we got to the OF visitors center, we watched a "Welcome to Yellowstone" movie in which they warned you about getting too close to the wildlife by playing a clip where a woman gets gored by a bison (Noted.)  (Aside:  I LOVE visitors center movies-- they are one of my favorite things!)  

We got to see the 11:08 am eruption of Old Faithful and she is a beaut!  Old Faithful has predicted eruption times posted +/- 10 minutes, but she was right on time for this one.  While we were waiting, we got to see Beehive geyser erupt as well. 

There is a several mile long boardwalk that guides you through the thermal features-- more pools and geysers and hot springs than I can even describe to you.  Truly--  it took us about 90 minutes to walk through one section.  

And this is where we met Nancy.  I am kicking myself that I didn't get a picture of her, but I'll just say this:  she was like a Ninja Angel Unofficial Ranger.  Nancy has been to Yellowstone 29 times.  She loves it here and knows more about the thermal features than I could even begin to tell you.  We met her when she started talking to Will at one of the geysers and ended up taking our family under her wing.  She gave us a personal guided tour of the boardwalks as she talked of the history of YSNP and the science of the geysers.  And she just made it so fun!  About an hour into our time with Nancy, I asked her why she decided to help us along and she said, "I just love this place-- it is so special to me and I want others to appreciate it the way I do."  She regularly walks along and finds someone who looks like they need help with directions or assistance with knowing what to do next at YSNP and will guide them along for a bit.  She was truly a God send.  Let's all be like Nancy, ok?

We saw Old Faithful again at her 2:21 pm eruption then got back in the car to start driving back toward Canyon.  There are a lot of short hikes/points of interest along the way and we stopped at several of them.  We got to see the Prismatic Pools and we were there when White Dome erupted (I have to admit that I had had enough at this point and watched that one from the car......was having a "mom moment").  

This is the view from my car window as I begrudgingly watched my family excitedly watch a geyser that never erupted.  

It was a very full day with a lot of wind and temperature fluctuations (it's hot! it's cold!).  More to come tomorrow....