Geyers and Bison and Elk oh my!

We have had a glorious day in Yellowstone. If you have never been here, you need to make your reservations for next summer. This place is absolutely amazing. We entered the park at about 9:30 and drove around all day seeing the sights. We were in the park ten minutes when we saw a bunch of cars stopped...animal sighting. It was a male Elk with antlers and all. I was a bit disappointed because he was kind of hidden in the bushes eating. OH well I thought at least I was able to see one...even though the pictures did not turn out that well. It made me remember the time my dad, brother-in-law Stewart and I went trekking through the woods to see a bear and its cubs. I am a bit smarter now and won't get too close!

Next we were off to the see Old Faithful. Wow what an amazing experience! Then we walked around the loop to see all the other geysers and hot pools...so awesome. On the way back to Old Faithful, Nick said BISON! We followed the path and sure enough there was a bison about 100 yards away laying in the grass. We also had a coyote walk about 25 yards from us. It was so incredible. We had lunch and sat to watch Old Faithful again. This time Hal had the video camera. It was again a sight to see.

After Old Faithful we started our drive to Mammoth Springs where we will stay for the next two nights. We made many stops along the way to see waterfalls, more geysers and beautiful hot pools. The colors were indescribable. The smell was look Glen Ivy in Corona in a really bad day....total rotten egg smell. I told Haley that when we walked through the steam we were getting a facial, but believe me, I would not pay money for that smell.

Our favorite stop today was the artist pots. It was quite a hike up there and we were tired, but quite thankful that we made the trek. These "pots" are boiling mud pools that spew hot mud into the air. Some of the mud flies about 20 feet. It was so funny. We were laughing because it looked like mouths spitting our mud. This place is very hard to describe, but definitely something that must be seen. Nick and Haley have become our navigators. They want to know if Hal and I will give them a tip.

We checked into the hotel...only $85 a night. We have a lovely room that overlooks a grassy area. There are no private showers, but the bathroom is located right down and the and the showers are super clean. I would stay here again in a heart beat. It is perfect. Then to top off our glorious day we saw not one, but 6 female elk, two babies (still had their spots) and a male elk antlers and all. We were so close to them, it was breathtaking. Photographer Hal was snapping so many pictures. Haley was freaking out because she was afraid daddy was to close. Hal was smart and kept his distance. People sometimes are not very smart. We witnessed several people try to get to close to the babies. Of course the mother charged. One older woman actually tired to pet the baby and the mother knocked her down...not to smart.

Well, we are off to bed. I am happy to be sleeping inside for the night. We will not be cold and a bed is always better than a cot!
Much Love-Lisa
PS- I will try to post some pictures so you can see our crazy adventures.
HAPPY 78 Birthday Dad! Wish you were here!