Yellowstone National Park

Emmi was wondering if we could boil pasta in the Geysers. That would be a cool science experiment I think. But I don't think they would let us try.

We splurged on a Hotel room to be able to stay inside the park without freezing our butts off. (It went down into the mid thirties at night). So we got an early start on some breathtaking beauty everywhere...

...and also some breathtaking smell at the mud volcanos.

The kids had a great time, but I would be lying if I told you that they were this happy about their parents telling them "Look at THIS!!!!" for the 1000th time at about 3 hours into it.

And whoever knows me is going to be shocked, but yes, we did let them watch a DVD in the backseat while driving through all this beauty.

We didn't get to do much hiking again. They are just too big to be carried and to small to walk a whole lot, but we still got to enjoy the small activities nature has to offer...

....like balancing on fallen trees.

We did hike down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and it was well worth it!

But a 200 yard walk to Mammoth Hot Springs turned out to be a big disappointment for Lily.

Emmi: "It looks like snow! Is it snow Mama?"

Us: Giving a big explanation on what it really was, but apparently the only thing that stuck with Lily was the word snow and she basically ran up the trail.

Lily: "Can I touch the snow?"

Us: "It's not snow Lily."

Lily: "Where the snow?"

Us: "There is no snow Lily, it's rocks."

Lily: "It's not snow? It's just rocks? Ohhhh! Let's go back to the car."

The kids did appreciate seeing all the wildlife in the park. We saw lots of elk, buffalo, a grey wolf but no moose or bear.

We ended out visit watching two young elk bulls fight at Mammoth Hot Springs. Luckily we were inside the safety of our car and took off after one of the elk charged towards our car getting really close. It was quite the spectacle to watch and a great end to our visit. We didn't get to see the Morning Glory Pool and there are some areas we would have really liked to hike, but I am sure we'll be back when the kids are a little older.