vacation re-cap day 4

We got up, broke camp and got on the road by 10 am. I swear, it did not matter what time we got up, whether we cooked breakfast or not, whether we took down the tent and packed the car . . . we could not get moving before 10. An aside . . . my man can really pack a car. We had a few passersby shake their heads and snicker when they saw our piles and piles of stuff to be crammed into the Taurus. I'm not saying Thomas was particularly comfortable. I'm not saying that there was a way to see out of every window. I am saying that it was all in there.

We drove Mike to the camp store so he could use a phone book and make some calls to arrange for the car to be repaired and for a hotel. I checked us out of the campsite, secured the refund for our unused night (how very nice of them!) and figured out the best way for Thomas to complete his Junior Ranger requirements. Met back with Mike at the campstore. While we were gone he had arranged for the car repair. When we arrived, he still had to make the hotel reservation. He had called the Best Western in Bozeman, MT and was quoted $140. He called the Holiday Inn, also $140. This, my friends, if how I know Mike was really ready to get moving with the day: He decided, after 2 calls, that $140 must be the going rate and booked it. I can't tell you if we've ever paid that much for a hotel room. We like to keep it under $100 around here, folks! And anyone who knows Mike at all can tell you, the man knows how to pinch a penny.

With our arrangements made, we set off. First stop was to see the West Thumb geyser basin and the West Thumb of Yellowstone lake so we could attend a Ranger talk and get Thomas's Junior Ranger requirements met. We attended they typical ranger talk about geology and millions of years and blah, blah, blah. We're pretty nerdy, but even my mind wanders when they start up with the millions of years. I'm not entirely sure why they make ranger talks a a requirement for Junior Rangers, but rarely gear them toward children. I *heart* our National Parks, but this is a peeve of mine.

By this point in the trip, I was kind of over the hot, stinky pools of water. But here's another one somewhere in the West Thumb Geyser basin

Our next stop was back at the visitor's center by Old Faithful because it, apparently, is the only place in the whole park that you can turn in work for their Young Scientist badge. It was kind of a pain and totally out of our way, but hey, we couldn't deny the little nerd the patch he worked so hard for.

upper Yellowstone Falls

closer view of upper falls

at Lower Yellowstone Falls

After the falls, we stopped at Canyon Village for dinner and started making our way to the North entrance to head to Bozeman. Saw a bit more wildlife on the way out.

Herd of elk.

This is a funny story. The bison was wandering down the road, first staying to the side, like above. Then it wandered closer to the middle. Right after this picture was taken, I made Mike roll the window up. Once it passed his window, Mike rolled the window back down and was going to take another photo. The bison turned its head, looking back at us. We could not get that window back up fast enough!

mule deer running around Mammoth village

Sorry it's grainy, it was getting dark.

leaving the North entrance, through Roosevelt Arch

Goodbye Yellowstone.