Animals of Yellowstone

One of the can't miss (literally- you can't miss them, they're on the sideof the road) attractions of Yellowstone are the animals.

We saw Elk,

And of course Bison (Buffalo).

It really is amazing to see these animals so up close (not to close crazy people), but also out in the wild.

There were a lot more little creatures, but we just didn't have the camera ready!

Halloween 2012

We still have more summer adventures to post about, but before Mom gets too behind, let's break in with and up to date post about Halloween!

Just a few quick picks:

With curious George and Elmo you can't go wrong (even with a dirty old man laker fan).

JB may have got the ahhhh award around the block, but Papa definitely got the scary award.

We even got to visit with some cute friends.

Carve a pumpkin,

Roast some pumpkin seeds,

JB really thought there had to be something good in their to put in his mouth.

I wanted a dragon pumpkin this year, (Mama got a bit carried away, but it still turned out scary!)

Even had yummy stuffed pumpkins for dinner.

Hope you had a good Halloween too!

P.S. AK's favorite quote of the week:

"I got a chocolate bar," Pigpen reported.

"I got a quarter," Schreoder added.

"I got a rock," Charlie Brown said.

(All followed by copious amounts of AK laughter)!

Waterfalls of Yellowstone

Yellowstone has many amazing water features, including so pretty awesome waterfalls.

The Yellowstone River runs through the park

creating the Upper Falls

and the Lower Falls

(Where's Papa?)

We checked out:

Lewis Falls,

Virgina Cascades,

Gibbon Falls,

and Tower Falls.

Some require a bit of hiking, while others are just off the road.

(We were a bit worn out by the end of this day).

Either way, we recommend checking out the awesome power of Yellowstone's waterfalls.

Yellowstone

Next up on our National Park Tour was:

Yellowstone!

There is so much to see and do at Yellowstone.

We checked out:

Old Faithful

(Lucked out on the timing and got there just before the steaming water shot into the sky- awesomely powerful).

Fishing Bridge,

(it was a fairly easy 3 mile round trip hike, peaceful through meadows and forests).

Yellowstone Lake,

(132 sq. miles, the largest high altitude lake at 7,733 ft above sea level, but it does freeze over in the winter).

Midway Gyser Basin, with amazingly colored pools.

Grand Prismatic Spring,

(I love how you can see the colors of the pool in the steam)

(amazing colors made by living microbs, that like the different warm- hot temperatures).

Bubbling pools of sulferic mud (stinkkky).

Mammoth Hot Springs.

Even played baseball at the Continental Divide.

(We played a lot of baseball).

Treking around the park, over so many geological wonders, you feel as the earth below your feet could erupt at any moment, definetly on the edge!

Grand Tetons National Park

The first National Park of our tour:

The Grand Tetons.

Absolutely stunning. Mountains jutting straight out of the valley floor (no foothills to disguise the grandeur). 

Waterfalls bring the snowfall down into pristine mountain lakes.

Storms that move in and our with amazing swiftness.

We explored the drive through the park,

played some baseball by the lake,

saw Moose (real and fake)

and found a nice place to camp.

"wake up AK, time to play"!

The next morning we really wanted to be out on the water, 

so we rented a little motorboat for a few hours and did some great exploring from the water.

AK really enjoyed the boat ride,

I would have liked it better if I didn't have to wear that bulky life vest.

But just give me some food, and the bumpy waves put me right to sleep.

The Grand Tetons are stunning and amazing, if you're heading to Yellowstone, take the short drive down to the Tetons, very worth it!!!

More to Come, JB!