Day 19 - We're Here! We're Really Here!

As usual, I made everyone get up early! I wanted to get into Yellowstone and to Old Faithful before the crowds moved in. As we drove through the park, we could see the steam a-risin' from all the geysers because the air was still pretty chilly. It's crazy to be wearing a sweatshirt after the 110+ degree weather we had been in.

We arrived at the Old Faithful Visitor Center and had a little time to kill before the next eruption, so we picked up the kids' Jr. Ranger books and checked out all of the exhibits. There was a Junior Scientist area that we all enjoyed. I can't tell you about our favorite part because it is going to be a top secret project for Gavin to enter into a future science fair :-) Then, we headed out to the geyser so we could grab a front-row bench. The kids worked on their booklets while the seats around us filled up.

waiting...

The show was worth the wait! It was just awesome to see it in person.

We were about to go to a Junior Ranger program at the visitor center when they made an announcement that the nearby Beehive Geyser was about to erupt, so we high-tailed it over there just in time. It was actually even more impressive that Old Faithful.

The people on the boardwalk on the other side got a wee bit wet.

When the geyser fizzled out, we booked it back to the visitor center to catch the ranger program to satisfy a Jr. Ranger requirement. The kids learned about predators and prey and got to handle several skulls from animals from the park. We then headed back to the truck and drove to Biscuit Basin, which is full of pools, steam vents, springs, and geysers. The photos just don't do the colors justice, but we tried!

Black Opal Pool

A mini little geyser bubbling away

Run-off from the Sapphire Pool

Sapphire Pool - It was such a clear blue, you could see right to the bottom.

Linda and Bob at the Avoca Spring

Then, I had the bright idea that we would go on a little hike. The Mystic Falls trail sounded perfect, as it was advertised as being .7 miles long and a relatively easy trek to a lovely waterfall. Heh heh. Things are never as they seem. We went off into the woods and followed the path for quite a ways, with a few hills here and there. That's when we came to the sign that the official trail started there. So, we hadn't actually started the hike yet. My mom and Bob decided they had seen enough and were going to wait there while the rest of us pressed on. The trail followed the Little Firehole River.

 It was beautiful, but it went on and on and on. And we were right out in the blazing sun. I'm not sure who marked that trail as .7 mile, but we strongly disagreed. I went on ahead to see if we were anywhere near the falls, but they were nowhere in sight and the kids had had enough, so we turned back. We picked up Grandpa and Gramma K. and went back out to the boardwalks in Biscuit Basin. After talking to some people on the way back, I think we were quite close to the end when we threw in the towel, but c'est la vie.

 After the hike, we were tired and incredibly thirsty, so we took a lunch break and went to another picnic spot on the Firehole River. After we ate, Don, the kids, and I naturally headed right for the water.

Photo by Mom

After lunch, we went to the Midway Geyser Basin.

Run-off from the Excelsior Geyser - this is what heated the river water we'd been wading in downstream

Excelsior Geyser Crater

Excelsior Geyser Crater - free facials included

Turquoise Pool

Last photo of Gabriella's favorite hat -
a moment later a gust of wind came up and deposited the hat in the Grand Prismatic Spring

Bacteria mat surrounding Grand Prismatic Spring - appetizing, isn't it?

Grand Prismatic Spring

We knew that we could have gotten a better view of the spring if we had done the Fairy Falls hike, but no one was much interested in another hike :-) Plus, Gabriella was apparently a bit overtired. Once she lost her hat, she also lost all control. She had a complete and total meltdown. She loved that hat. It was her favorite hat. She wanted it back. She wanted to get another one just like it. Nothing would ever be the same again. This was really out of character for her. She's not prone to tantrums or meltdowns, but this was just more than she could handle when she was incredibly tired and hot. So, we decided to call it a day and head back to the campground.

We pulled over to watch the elk mommies and babies by the Madison River

Even during the car ride, Gabriella was still inconsolable until I proposed a stop in West Yellowstone to buy a new hat and get some ice cream. She thought that maybe that would help :-) And lo and behold, it did! We would have liked to hang out on our patio at the campground and relax, but we had some overly-friendly neighbors that thought we needed company every second we were outside. They were nice enough, but we really needed some downtime and the kids needed to finish their Jr. Ranger books, so we hung out in the camper for a while. Later, we had burgers on the grill and enjoyed the evening air.