Nature always seems to refresh Craig, the kids and I. We love getting out and taking a hike in the quiet sounds of nature, in the sun or a fresh stream, lake or river. Part of what we were mostly excited about on this trip was how much we would be out doors and the amazing beauty that God created and thankfully, much of our trip has been that. We have seen some amazing things and some beautiful states. Some what we expected and others not at all what we expected. But more on that later.
Going into Yellowstone we knew it would be crowded being one of the most visited National Parks. We thought we could get away from the crowds by doing off the beaten path hikes. We were able to do that, but to see the best thermal features and waterfalls, we needed to do the touristy stuff. There is SO much driving in Yellowstone! We drove along and pulled off at a lot of stops to see some of the stuff.
Our fist stop was a little walk down to the Yellowstone River. It wasn't a major attraction, so it was quite nice. Craig had to carve up little C's walking stick first.
This was a very relaxing little stop that we could just play around at. There were fish on the sides of the river and millions of huge moths and other flying bugs flying by. There were these black bugs that looked like long skinny black flying cockroaches! We could catch a bug and throw at the fish, then watch it pop up and eat it.
This was pretty cool! We stopped at one of the hot spots and saw some more mud pots (not much different then our little secluded hike earlier in the week) but at the end of this one was the Dragon's Breath. The picture just doesn't do it justice! The water was boiling way back in the cave and it would force steam out. The sound was incredible. It sound's just like what you would imagine huge real dragon breathing to sound like.
We had lunch at a cafe near Old Faithful...
The kids got sworn in...
And we saw Old Faithful.
Remember Lone Star? Lone Star was amazing! Old Faithful was like Disneyland. There were so many people! After we saw it, we left Yellowstone a day early. We were so worn out by so many people everywhere that we had to leave. Instead of cleansing the spirit, it was draining the spirit. I'm glad that so many people can see it, but I would rather see the back country and the not so popular parts of Yellowstone. I am so glad we did that first!
Now onto Northern Montana! I can't wait to see the whole west side of Montana.
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