:: yellowstone national park - part 2 ::

Our 2nd day at Yellowstone National Park was even more eventful than the 1st! As we were driving into the park I was telling Danny & the boys how much I wanted to see a bear. I had high hopes but you can't plan these things... 

Here's the map if you want to have a look at the upper loop that we followed. We went from Madison, up to Norris, over to Mammoth Falls, then on to Tower Falls, Canyon & back to Madison. It was a fantastic drive & here are the highlights. 

First off we stopped at Gibbon Falls...

...and the boys used up some energy climbing the rocks.

Then as we were driving onto Mammoth Falls we were held up by a "Wildlife Jam" (a technical term used for when all the tourists stop to look at an animal & create gridlock).

There was a bear just down the embankment from the road! So we got out, had an amazing close up view of a grizzly bear walking around down by the creek digging for food. It was AMAZING! He was totally uninterested by all the people standing there with cameras. Kael learned to say 'bear' & he kept on signing 'more, more'. After about 10 minutes we decided to move on & as we were driving away a ranger was coming down the road to create some order of the chaos.

A beautiful view as we were driving over the ranges. 

We came to Mammoth Hotspring Terraces & did a small drive through them while Kael had a short sleep. 

Then we drove on down to the town & spotted a family of deer. The fawns were so small & I loved their spots!

We went for a short hike up to the terraces.

They were spectacular & quite steamy too.

There was something beautiful about the formation & colours of them. 

After lunch we drove onto the Tower Falls & on the way were held up by another wildlife jam for 2 bears meandering along the river. The ranger here is trying to get the traffic flowing. 

Then we drove over Mount Washburn at 3122m & there was still a lot of snow beside the road.

On the road between Canyon & Norris we spotted a elk from the roadside. These people looked a bit too close & the boys were done for the day so we kept driving.

Nb: We recommend iPads for any parents driving long distances with children. They WILL save your sanity!

Another Bison spotting, this time meandering along the road. 

The next day we were packed up & ready to head off home through the South entrance of the park. Over the 3 days that we were in Yellowstone we had a great opportunity to see pretty much all of the park & its spectacular wildlife, scenery & natural wonders. It was such an amazing experience & worked so well for the stage our family is at. 

A beautiful early morning picture as the sun was rising in the sky over the river.

Another Bison! & this time he was just walking in the middle of the road, totally ignoring the traffic that was carefully driving alongside him. It was great to get such a close up view of one!

We drove home through the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. It had a different feel & look to Yellowstone but the Teton Ranges were just spectacular. 

It was a long day in the car, starting at 7 o'clock & not getting home until 8 o'clock that night. But we had some fun stops along the way to break up the day. Check out our 4th July Festival in Jackson, Wyoming here.