Day 4 The Adventure Continues

The plan for today is to travel the upper loop in the park.  The road had been closed all week due to snow and construction of sections of the road but it is open today.

We start out on a frosty note from our base camp in West Yellowstone.

We hope to see more animals that we haven't seen yet,  especially after spending the day yesterday at the Grizzly and Wolf Discover Center.  Well, not long into the upper loop we were lucky to see a mother grizzly and her two cubs walking through a meadow close to the road.

Our next stop was at the Mammoth Hot Springs and the Albright Visitors Center.

The Hot Springs keep building higher and higher due to the mineral deposits that bubble up with the hot water.
After all that walking through the Hot Springs we took time out to photograph some of the local elk taking a break under a tree near the visitors center.

We stopped in the visitors center to take a look at some of the displays.

Mason completed his booklet and was sworn in as a Junior Ranger.

Niko and Olive also received their Junior Ranger Badges (no photo available).

We headed down the east side of the loop and to Tower Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone again.

Niko gives it a thumbs up while Mason scopes out the scenery with the binoculars.

Tomorrow it's time for some of our party to head home while six of us head to Bruneau Dunes State Park in Idaho.

Day 3: A Different Plan

We decided to take a day to explore the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, which happened to be within walking distance of our rental house. Although we had seen plenty of bison and elk, we hadn't seen any wolves or bears yet so we knew we'd get our chance here.

The goal is to let wildlife remain wild, so one of the techniques involves using Karelian Bear Dogs to scare the bears away from residential areas. We heard about how they are trained, and then had some photo ops with Nakiska. 

Mason, Nikos, Kira and Olive also got a chance to pet and pose with her, too.

The center gave kids the opportunity to hide food in the grizzly enclosure, so our grandkids joined about a dozen others. When Sam, the center's largest bear, was released we all enjoyed watching him hunt for the apples, carrots, and dog food pellets that the kids had placed under the piles of rocks.

One of the tasks they give the grizzlies is to test coolers to see if they are as "bear-proof" as their manufacturer claims. One was being tested while we were there.

We learned that  gray wolves can be white, gray, brown, black or even red. There's a white one at the center whose name is Summit!

Passing through the gift shop on the way out, we noticed a comfy spot to take a break. It was just the right size! 

Day two in the Park

Our first stop was at the Gibbon falls on the Gibbon river.  Wow what a great place to take some family pics.

While we were there we came across a Pink brown tailed fox protecting her young.  We were lucky enough to get a photo of her before she ran off into the woods yelling we got ritz, we got ritz! (see below photo)

Our next stop was at the Norris Geyser Basin. We took a hike through the basin and got a few great photos.

From there we headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and we had some fantastic vistas of the park.

I don't know what they were looking at but whatever it was it got all of their attention.

Our next stop was Yellowstone Lake and it started looking like snow was on the way.

So we headed back to West Yellowstone and our warm cabin.  But first:

a stop for a photo op at the continental divide and

the usual buffalo rush hour road crossing!

We made it home before the snow and in time for hot coco and cards.

Busy First Day!

On our first morning, we awoke to temperatures around freezing. Our California grandkids couldn't wait to dash outside and play in the snow that had fallen overnight. There wasn't much accumulation, but they made the most of it!

Meanwhile, Linda and I went online to check road conditions (some required snow tires) then consulted a map to plan our day in the park.

We all piled into our 3 vehicles and headed into Yellowstone.

We didn't have to wait too long before we came upon a herd of bison. We had up-close views when a few of them crossed the road right between our van and Verne and Peggy's car! It was exciting for all of us.

We took the lower loop road towards Old Faithful, stopping along the way at Fountain Paint Pot. We enjoyed walking along a boardwalk through a thermal area of colorful hot springs.

When we arrived at Old Faithful, we had some time to kill before the next predicted eruption, so the kids all worked on their Junior Ranger books. Below, Heather and Peggy keep a watchful eye on Nikos, Maile and Mason as they find answers in the Visitors Center.

Old Faithful's eruption was worth the wait! As it was finishing up, Olive and Kira turned around for a quick photo.

After all that geyser-watching, it was time for Pop-Pop and the grandkids to take an ice cream and hot chocolate break at the Old Faithful Inn. (Photo-bombed by Heather)

Next stop: the Grand Prismatic Spring, which provided lots more photo ops with dramatic views.

On the way out of the park, we had more memorable moments -- with some bison crossing in front of our van, plus a sighting of a large bull elk  What a terrific first day in Yellowstone!