Day 24, July 30th
We woke up this morning ready to head back to Yellowstone Park. After showers and a decent continental breakfast, we stepped outside to get in the car. Much to our surprise, it was almost cold. Although sunny and clear, the air was crisp and cool. And it was fresh!
We drove back to Yellowstone, about 35 miles away from the hotel. We saw a bald eagle, which was great. Then a couple more bison as we made our way toward Old Faithful.
Before we reached Old Faithful, we stopped at the Painting Pots where we saw boiling mud and the Dragon’s Mouth, where we could hear the hissing of the steam as the water boiled out of a cave’s mouth.
By the time we reached the lodge at Old Faithful, it was lunchtime. We stepped into the café and bought a light lunch for a very high price. Then we walked through the gift shop and finally back out to the car. A few tour busses must have come through as it was so packed one could hardly move around the store.We found a parking spot right near the walkway to Old Faithful. We could see all the benches were full, and there were people standing around, waiting for the big event. I think we timed it just right, as we only had to wait about 20 minutes for the event. When it happened, Louie commented on how most of the spectators had their cameras up and taking pictures or video. The geyser lasted for about 5 minutes, much longer than I anticipated.
After we departed the Old Faithful area, we headed east to check out the Upper and Lower Falls. It took us over an hour to get there. The speed limit in Yellowstone is 45 MPH, and 35 MPH in the junction areas. The lower speed limit is for the safety of the animals (and humans) in the park. Also, there’s always a gawker or two driving slow to check out the wildlife or scenery.
The falls were very pretty, and we were able to stand at the top of them and look down. We took a few pictures and hiked back to the car. At this point, we decided to start making our way back out of the park as it takes so long to travel.
We had dinner at McDonalds in West Yellowstone, where the prices on everything was at least a dollar more than any other McDonalds we’ve been to. I was a little surprised to see that, but I guess when you are in a remote location…
We arrived back at the hotel around 6PM and Louie and Lynnae headed straight to the pool. They only had until 9PM to use the slide. I also tried it out after swimming a few laps. It was fun, and I watched them use it probably 30 or more times in the few hours they had. I parked myself in the hot tub with the rest of the parents. Struck up a conversation with a very nice gal from Federal Way. We chatted for about 30 minutes until the pool closed. I love my children, but it was wonderful to have an “adult” conversation that didn’t revolve around the next place to eat, or when we’d be back to the hotel room.
Went back to the room and got out of our swimsuits. I dragged the bag of laundry down the hall for the last two loads of laundry I would be doing for this trip. Very nice facility, two washers and two dryers. There was a long table to do your sorting and/or folding. I finished the laundry by 10:30PM and the children finished watching their movie.
We were in bed and asleep quickly in anticipation of our drive tomorrow to Spokane Valley/Coeur D’Alene area.
Tags: Travel
Lisa
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