Yellowstone

We had a fabulous trip to Yellowstone and I even survived packing. Though the verdict is still out on the unpacking. How is it that being gone for four days can create such havoc?

We began our trip by stopping at a restaurant called Big Jud's. We then proceeded to share 10 of the biggest hamburgers I have ever seen in my life. I kid you not! There were 15 adults and a gazillion kids and we couldn't finish those burgers. Each one was as big as a pie! One in our group ate and entire burger and that resulted in having his picture put up on the wall of shame. It was a fun meal which ended in a bunch of kids making a huge mess with giant ice cream cones. I don't think they know how to do things small at Big Jud's!

We then stopped at Wilford and got to hear some wonderful stories about some ancestors. The kids enjoyed this and it was great fun.



Our first day in Yellowstone we spent on the northern loop. Before we got out at the first stop, Michael informed us that he bet he could find a great big stick. I think he was successful. What do you think?



There were a bunch of Bison in the background and the kids were so excited. I think they wanted to pet them, but were deterred by the signs that said the Bison would gore you if you got too close. There was much stopping of traffic to view these big guys. They liked to wander right next to the road. I suppose I wouldn't be afraid of cars either if I was as big as they are!



We hit all the main attractions and wore everybody out. By the end of the day I was bribing the kids with gummy bears if they'd get in the car again and get seatbelts on. It worked well, but by the end of the trip, Odessa didn't know how to get in her seat without saying, "Bear, bear" repeatedly. Such a helper!

She loved running and wiggling all over the walkways as we saw the different places. She's so stinkin' cute, if I do say so myself!



Mammoth Hot Springs



Sadly, we were unable to escape illness during our trip and Lillie ended up with the stomache flu that we have been plagued with. Dad was a trooper and stayed home with Lillie the second day and let me go play with the kids. Apparently they had a wonderful Daddy-daughter day, so it wasn't a total loss. However, we still had some issues on the way home. Poor girl!



We spent our second day in the park on the southern loop and of course we made it to Old Faithful. It was a wonderful day and a great trip to Yellowstone! I definitely appreciated the beauty of the park much more as an adult, although I have many fond memories of going there as a child. I'm so glad we got the opportunity to go!