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Sunday, July 2, 2017
The view of Yellowstone National Park from our cabin
The children woke up about 5:30 this morning. The campground has quiet hours until 7 AM, so we had to have a conversation about that first thing. Liam (8 years old) wanted to take the binoculars outside and look around immediately. I joined him after my coffee was ready (the kids had hot chocolate) and was rewarded by (what i think was) a hare sitting in the middle of the campground road. He sat still for a long time as Liam and I watched from a distance. I was surprised to discover that he had reddish hair outlining his whole body. The whole episode reminded me of the corncrake I saw on the first morning of our vacation last year!
The view of Gardiner, MT from our cabin
Checking everything out with the binoculars
The view from our cabin
Waiting for breakfast
The entrance to Yellowstone is visible from our cabin and there was no shortage of cars entering the park, even at 6 AM. By the time we got going, it was almost 10 AM. The line to get into the park was long and it took us 20 minutes to get through the gate.
The Roosevelt Arch as seen from the back
Built in 1903, the Roosevelt Arch was intended to provide the park with a grand entrance. It was the original northern entry into the park.
Once through the entrance though, the scenery was breath-taking immediately as we climbed higher into the mountains.
The Gardiner River just inside the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park
Our first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs. As we hopped out of the car, an elk was standing there eating leaves! After we finished admiring him, we headed into the Albright Visitor’s Center where we got two Junior Ranger books for the children, used the restrooms and purchased a few souvenirs.
Albright Visitor Center, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park
Fionnuala measures herself against a bison
Our plan was to see the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces first (since we were there) but there was nowhere to park. And I mean, NOWHERE! Every parking space was taken and vehicles were parked anywhere they would fit, so we moved on. We made a brief stop at a pullover at the top of the terraces for a quick view though.
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces as seen from the Visitor Center
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces as seen from the full parking lot
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces as seen from the overlook above
Our primary goal for the day was to see Old Faithful (since Fionnuala (5 years old) was really excited to see geysers on our trip) and return to the campground to eat supper before heading to Livingston for the rodeo. So, we headed south on the Mammoth-Norris road. It wasn’t long before we saw a bison. He conveniently was standing just next to the road by a pullover so we got out and looked at him and the river, checked for other wildlife and got back into the car.
Our first bison of the trip!
Yellowstone is home to the largest herd of bison in the world
Bison next to the Mammoth-Norris road
The signs says this is a moose flat, but all we saw was a bison
bison tracks
The road to Norris was really congested (think New York or DC during rush hour) and the portion under construction is not paved. It was really slow going! We did manage to see three more bison before finding a picnic ground to our liking though. We stopped at the Sheepeater Cliffs picnic area but there were no marmots out and the only open table was in the sun, so we kept going. It took us one hour to get to the next picnic area, but it was worth it.
At 12:30, we found a shaded picnic table next to the Yellowstone River at Gibbon Meadows picnic area. We ate our lunch, played a little in the river and headed toward Old Faithful. The traffic the whole way was awful!
The wonderful Gibbons Meadows Picnic Area
Exploring the Yellowstone River, Gibbons Meadows Picnic Area
Checking the water in the Yellowstone River, Gibbons Meadow picnic area
We arrived at Old Faithful about 3 PM and could see it erupting in the distance as we pulled into the parking area. We piled out of the car and started around the boardwalk of the Geyser Basin. Fionnuala pooped out after the loop around Old Faithful, so we skipped the main loop and got some ice cream while we waited for Old Faithful to erupt. About 4:30 it erupted and it was impressive, it lasted about five minutes. The kids loved it! We ended up sitting down wind and got some of the spray on us, which I think added to the children’s enjoyment.
Old Faithful
Old Faithful erupting
Rustic Falls, near Mammoth Hot Springs
When the geyser finished, we headed back to the car. We had tickets for the Livingston Roundup Rodeo in Livingston, MT (that’s right the one the song is about!) at 8 PM and we needed to eat before it started. It took us a little over two hours to get to the north entrance of the park, meaning we would miss the start time for the rodeo. We plugged away though, making a brief stop at the McDonald’s in Livingston before searching for parking and walking to the rodeo.
Livingston Roundup Rodeo, Livingston, Montana
The rodeo was a big hit even though we missed the beginning. Both kids really enjoyed their first rodeo. Liam’s (8) favorite events were Barrel Racing and Bull Riding, while Fionnuala (5) favored the Calf Roping. The rodeo ended at 10, and we stayed for the 4th of July fireworks that followed. Boy, am I glad we did! They were really impressive. Both children enjoyed the fireworks a lot (these were Liam’s second fireworks and Fionnuala’s first). Although it was really hard to get there, it was great.
Liam’s Highlight of the Day: Old Faithful
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