Day 4: Yellowstone National Park

Now that I'm all caught up on getting caught up, I wanted to finish telling you about how amazing trip to Yellowstone. Our theme for this trip was epic and it sure was amazing!

The fourth day of our trip I called it "Animal Day" because our goal was to see every animal possible. And, "Animal Day" did not disappoint. If you know me, I'm obsessed with all animals. So, our first stop was Lamar Valley where we saw so many bison. It was later in the morning so we didn't see a lot of action other than the bison.

We headed North and went through Silver Gate and Cooke City. We did some shopping and stopped for breakfast at the best breakfast spot called Log Cabin Cafe. This food was so good that we ended up eating here twice. Everything was so fresh and delicious that I seriously think about this breakfast almost every morning now.

We needed to connect to Wi-Fi to check in on our restaurant deliveries so it was a perfect spot to stop and take a break and plan the rest of our day. We decided to head to Roosevelt Lodge and check out that area of the park for the day and make our way back to stay in Silver Gate for the night. We decided that it was too cold to camp for the night.

As we made our way through the Lamar Valley again we stopped to watched the bison. We saw two get in a fight right by a line of cars which was probably one of the craziest things we've ever seen. You can see some action in these photos below.

We made our way to the Roosevelt Lodge and continued on where we saw some cars pulled over on the side of the road. We decided to stop and see what they had spotted. And, it was a MOOSE! I was in tears! This was the first moose I've ever seen in person. She was perfectly happy cooling off in the pond.

We made our way down the road and saw another group gathering. We pulled off to see what they were looking at and they said a black bear! He was behind a tree so we couldn't see him so we decided to wait to see if he would come out. And sure enough, he did! I was so excited.

This was such an incredible experience. I could have stayed there for hours just watching the animals! On our way back, we ended up seeing the Moose and her baby. They had made their way from the pond to the woods. It's hard to tell in the photos but they're both there.

We started to make our way back to Silver Gate to check-in to our little hostel/hotel for the night and find dinner. We stopped a couple of times to see bison, deer, and other fun sights. The fourth day was my favorite day of the entire trip. It was purely magic.

"Bison Jam"

Thank you for reading!

-M

Day Three: Yellowstone National Park

With two days in the books, I was ready to keep exploring. Andy and I were completely mesmerized by Yellowstone. On our third morning, we packed up our camp at the Madison Campground and headed into Hayden Valley. We planned to tent camp for the first two nights and stay at the Old Faithful Lodge for the third night. I was happy with this decision because I was ready for a hot shower and a bed. Don't get me wrong, I loved tent camping but we were ready for a good night's sleep in a bed.

Bison was at the top of my list to see and Hayden Valley did not disappoint. You would think I was kidding when I told you I almost cried watching these beautiful creatures. The morning light, the steam, and all of the animals were a recipe for the perfect morning. We took so many photos that it's impossible to only choose a few favorites. We made our way through the valley up to The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

The Canyon section of the part blew our minds. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone can't be beat. This was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I can't even begin to describe the magic. Artist Point was my favorite spot in the park. I could have stood there for hours just looking at this view.

We explored this area for hours and enjoyed everything we got to see. The waterfalls were incredible and you get to see them from different viewpoints throughout this section of the park. There was a viewpoint where you walked down over the water fall and saw just how much water was rushing down.

I loved it because there were so many beautiful colors to it all.

After this loop, we headed to the Old Faithful Lodge for the afternoon. We wanted to make the basin geyser loop and watch Old Faithful erupt before eating in the lodge cafeteria. We were able to check in early and head to our cabin. We decided on the cabins versus the room because it had private bathrooms. I believe that most of the rooms in the Inn have a shared bathroom. We didn't have any luck with the Wi-Fi at the lodge even after check-in.

If you're a picky eater, I don't recommend the food in the cafeteria. The choices were very odd and the food was bland for the price you pay. I would pack a dinner and eat in the park versus dinner at the lodge. We chose not to eat at the restaurant but I heard it was decent.

After seeing the eruption, I wanted to wait for the crowds to die down and head back to The Grand Prismatic. We were lucky and got a parking spot right by the boardwalk. The Grand Prismatic was also one of my favorite things I saw in the park. I wish I had the words to describe the colors. They were so bright and beautiful that all I can say is it was magical.

Traveling into Yellowstone during peak season has its stupidity. I tried to keep my people blinders on but when I saw the guy reach into his bag and pull out his cat to take photos.. I about died. Yes, a cat on the boardwalk right next to The Grand Prismatic. No words. This was right next to the girl who was lying on the boardwalk for photos. (And, no.. it wasn't me Ha!)

This was our last stop for the night so it ended Day 3 on the highest note ever. Thank you for reading!

Day Two: Yellowstone National Park

With the first day in the books, I had high expectations for the rest of the trip. After a night in the pouring rain snuggled up in our tent, we were up early and ready to hit the park. Coming from the desert, I was not used to 40-degree mornings. It was such a treat to feel cold. Ha!

Our first stop (which wasn't a great idea) was returning to The Grand Prismatic before the crowds started forming. We found a parking spot and started down the boardwalk where we quickly realized that the thermal pools were hotter than the air so the steam was thick. You couldn't see the brilliant colors so it was a bit of a wash. I highly recommend going in the evening when everyone has left the park for the night.

After leaving The Grand Prismatic, we saw the Paint Pots which I loved. We saw many thermal pools and geysers. We saw one erupt which was pretty cool. I ended up reading parts of "Death in Yellowstone" and it's crazy to read about tragic stories that happened where we were throughout our trip. (Including this spot)

After the geyser basin, we started up to Mammoth Hot Springs. I was excited for this part of the day as this is the park's headquarters. The drive there was stunning and we came across Gibbon's waterfall. The cool air and smell of fresh, clean water was exhilarating. This was the first waterfall I've seen in a long time.

The Mammoth area of the park is beautiful. We saw elk grazing by the buildings which was pretty cool. We decided to drive to the entrance to see the big Yellowstone Arch and eat breakfast in Gardiner, Montana at the Yellowstone Grill. We also needed to catch up on work emails during breakfast. Our food was delicious and the staff were super friendly. I highly recommend this place.

After our delicious breakfast, we returned to the Mammoth Hot Springs where we were greeted by massive amounts of people. I wanted to see this section so we ended up having to park down the road and walking to the boardwalk. Just a fair warning, you need to be ready for the people. You will see and hear the dumbest things. Just put your blinders on.. Ha!

Seeing the thermal features and all of Earth's beautiful colors was beautiful.

Once we saw everything in Mammoth Springs, we drove back down to check out Roaring Mountain, Artist Pots, and the Norris Geyser Basin. By this time Andy and I were so tired and hot, but we walked about half a mile around the Norris Geyser Basin boardwalk before calling it.

We decided to head back to the Madison campground but saw the sign for the Virginia Cascades and pulled off. This was such an unexpected beautiful surprise. We drove through big trees and ended up by a small picnic area with a trail down to the river. I ended up getting in and enjoying the cold, fresh water while Andy watched for bears. Ha! This helped me feel so much better considering the Madison Campground does not have showers. IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW.

We went back to camp, started a fire, cooked dinner, and went to bed early. We were so tired by the time we got back that we were ready for a good night's sleep. When you're out in the park all day, tent camping is easy!

Day three recap soon.

Thanks for reading! - M