Monday and Tuesday- July 8 & 9 The Adventure Begins

After months of planning (in fact, years!) our adventure to celebrate our 50th anniversary with the whole family in Yellowstone National Park began today!  We've had a reservation for four cabins at Mammoth Hot Springs, which we arranged when we were the last spring (2018). Except for some things we had to make reservations for, we figured everyone could be on their own since we all had our own cars.

The original plan failed miserably, although to no consequence as it turned out. Originally, Janet and Shawn and the kids would drive to Rexburg, Idaho, where we would meet at a hotel. There would be a pool for the kids and its only a 300 mile day....making it less stressful and tiring. As it turned out Shawn could not get this day off, so they drove directly to Mammoth the next day. Oh well, it was a good idea!

Meanwhile, Jake and Kelly and the boys were to have arrived in Bozeman about noon on Tuesday. We'd meet them there, pick up their rental car, then drive down to Mammoth. Due to a mix-up in the times they missed their flight and had to take the same flight on Wednesday.

So, on Tuesday, we left Rexburg for Bozeman, thinking we were going to meet Jake, and drove on down to Mammoth where Janet and Shawn would arrive later. The drive from Bozeman to Mammoth is beautiful! (Then, on Wednesday, we'd go back up to Bozeman to meet Jake.)

Andy and Helen would drive directly from Spokane.

So, by the end of this day, we were all there, except Jake. The cabins were great and the hotel people did a great job locating us near each other - two, two-unit cabins, overlooking the central lawn area where the kids would spend many hours running, laughing, chasing ground squirrels.

The meal plan was that we'd bring supplies for breakfast and picnic lunches. This worked out well but in the end, we had way too much stuff! Dinner this evening was at the hotel dining room.

Wednesday - July 10 Back to Bozeman

Jake made his flight this time! We drove back up to Bozeman, it's a beautiful drive, and met Jake and family as planned. After picking up the Hertz rental car, we drove over to Famous Dave's for lunch, then on down the highway, through Livingston, with a stop at Gardiner.

Gardiner has grown into quite a bustling town, northern gateway to Yellowstone. We visited the iconic Roosevelt Arch before heading up the hill to Mammoth Hot Springs.

Andy and Helen spent the day in the backcountry fishing, Janet and Shawn went exploring the canyon region of the park. John took Jake, Brennan, Rowan and Shawn on a hike around the Hot Springs terraces.

Dinner tonight at The Grill.

Thursday July 11- Horses!

Another spectacular weather day greeted us this morning! (Thunderstorms would rattle around in the late afternoon, but to no consequence). Our first order of business was a guided horseback ride from Roosevelt Ranch. Mom, Helen, Shawn and Jack decided not to participate, but the rest of us spent two hours in the saddle up in the high country enjoying great views and wildflowers. The others lounged on the deck of the Roosevelt Lodge with their books. There were about 20 horses in the line along with three "wranglers" who were full of information and silly jokes. Our favorite was a guy named Raven (a music major at Montana State).  It was great fun but boy were we old folks stiff! I hadn't been on a horse in what, 40 years? Olivia is a real cowgirl - she's been taking riding lessons every week.

After the ride, we went back to Mammoth and made our lunch. Then some of us walked over to the Visitor Center and Fort Museum (the US Army built a fort here in the 1880s). Then we walked back to the ice cream shop by the Grill. One has to be careful getting around the elk, which seem to be a real nuisance!

Later in the afternoon it was back to Roosevelt for the Cowboy Wagon Ride and Cookout. There were probably 200 people. We were taken out to the picnic site in wagons drawn by BIG beautiful horses - Percherons and Belgians. They treated us to a wonderful meal of barbeque steaks and all the fixins, including "real" cowboy coffee. Music entertainment and "tall tales" by our friend Raven.

Somewhere along the way, we had an excellent bear siting!

After dinner, with not much daylight left, we drove down to Lamar Valley and saw the large herds of Bison. Spectacular sunsets on the way back!

Friday July 12 - Thermal Features Day

Another beautiful summer day! Today is our day to explore the thermal areas of the park, including Old Faithful, of course, and end up at the Old Faithful Inn for our special dinner at 5:00.

We started out at Norris Geyser Basin, walking the "Upper Loop", to avoid the "Lower Loop" which required a hike back up! We walked past Steamboat Geyser, the largest geyser in the park which has been going off sporadically only for the past few years.

We then went down to our favorite place in the park, Grand Prismatic Spring. Like at every feature, there are cars parked everywhere. We figured out the secret of parking - the lots are always "churning", with people coming out as fast as they go in so just be patient! The colors of the spring are spectacular. And, there's one particular spot where the wind always blows and Mom was sure to remind everyone to hold on to their hats. Of course, she lost hers!

The spring is hard to see from the level of the boardwalk. Two years ago the park built a new trail from Fairy Springs to get an overview. Unfortunately, the trail looked pretty long so we'll save that for another time.

Lunch was from our picnic supplies, in the parking lot!

From there, we continued South, went past Old Faithful and down to "West Thumb", which has thermal features along the shore of Lake Yellowstone.

We arrived back at the Yellowstone Inn right on time for our dinner!  After a few minutes to explore the magnificent hotel lobby, the hotel staff was great - they accommodated our request for a "table for 12". I didn't count, but many of us enjoyed the buffet, which included Prime Rib. It was all good!

After our fine dinner, we went outside and waited patiently for Old Faithful to erupt. Before too long, "thar' she blows"! Unfortunately, the skies had clouded over so you really couldn't appreciate the height of the geyser - you need a bright blue sky behind it! Some of us couldn't stand the rain! 

We then adjourned to the outdoor patio on the second floor of the hotel.  We enjoyed "toasts" to our 50 years achievement and Jake surprised us with a very touching tribute (see below).

On the way back to Mammoth, as it got dark, there were thunderstorms and showers around which made for a great sunset and rainbows.

A great day!!