day 6 comming home....

Good bye Yellowstone...until next time!
This was the family crew that went to Yellowstone. It was AWESOME! Thanks Manda for setting it all up! :o)
after the family pic, Ransom wanted me to take a pic of him. He's cute so why not!
Instead of doing Yellowstone we decided to start heading back and see something different...not that rainbows and waterfalls are that different from what we saw in Yellowstone but none the less it was a different place! So we started our drive back through ID and stopped in Targhee National forest for some sightseeing.
PD just wanted to get to that water!
our little crew - mom and dad came with us, because they needed a new battery for their car and we were heading back to civilization so they tagged along, we did have to jump start their car everywhere we went but it was fun to have them with us.
This is Upper Mesa Falls in the Targhee National Forrest.
PG lovin' on PD, it is cute until he forgets to be SOFT! PD loves her brother though
These are the Lower Mesa Falls they were far away but still breath taking.
On our way back to Rexburb, ID (where Dad was going to get a new battery for his car and they were going to stay the night) we found this rootbeer stand and stopped for a float.
They had a big pig for PG to climb on! He was Happy!
We got Mom and Dad safely delivered to Rexburg and a new battery in the car. and then we were on our way home. We made it home by 8:30 got the kids to bed and started to put stuff back together. It was a great vacation or as PG says "cation" to "yellowstoon". It was a great time with family and nature. Thanks Heavenly Father for a great place to go and see how COOL you are! :o) Until next time....

day 5

This was our view for what seemed like FOREVER which was really only 40 minutes...
All I have to say is "STUPID ELK"! Maybe if I was more gracious and loved the elk I would have gotten to see a cool animal like a MOOSE or a BEAR...but no such luck....Just stupid Elk and SLOW elk on lookers that don't know how to PULL OFF the road to take a picture, instead I have to sit there for EVER and look at the car in front of me
I guess it is a good thing that she can drink out of a straw, at the rate she is going she is not going to get any teeth anytime soon so she will be drinking her food from a straw for a while!
She sure is CUTE though!!!!
We drove the long way around (because the shortcut road was closed) to Upper and Lower Falls.
It was a long drive, but WORTH it!
As soon as we got out, PG went strait for the rock wall and started to climb...I didn't even know he could climb rocks but there he was, scaling the wall...it was awesome!
our family in front of lower falls
lower falls with the river, it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!
we found a few more rocks to climb together!
another shot before we move on to upper falls....
this is upper falls, we didn't have the time or energy to climb down the stairs to see it closer so that will have to wait for another time. :o)
I LOVE waterfalls!
PG just loves to push the stroller and PD loves to Run! (or in this pic be pushed around on the rocks by daddy)
there was another traffic jam because the silly bison wanted to keep crossing the road.
why did the bison cross the road?
To get to the other side only to change his mind and come back again and again....so that the ranger had to come and herd him off the road with his hoof sounding loud speaking and a big truck!
Here is a cute bison family drinking together.
These are the hitch-hikers that we picked up on our way back. when we stopped to see the stinky mud volcano area they got out and keep going to find someone else to hitch a ride with.
KJ face about says it all...it stunk!
This is the first time in my life when a smell hit my nose and I almost INVOLUNTARILY Gagged!! The sulfur smell was RANK around this churning chaldron...it was GROSS, yet strangely fascinating...from UP wind.
at the top of our trail was "sour lake" it was dead but kind of pretty...not saying I would like to build a summer home here, but the trees were quite lovely!
This is my favorite part...DRAGON MOUTH!
PG was fascinated by it too.
the lapping of the waves in the cave make it sound like a dragon breathing. I love this one.
these are some pretty rapids that we saw as we drove along.
PG really wanted to touch some water so we stopped in the lake area and played by the water for a few minutes.
we skipped rocks too...
KJ got some in too!
This was back at the cabin in our little driveway, the kids LOVED to play on the gate and
PD loved to eat rocks!

day 4....

We started out the day by seeing a ...
bald eagle!
and it's nest. It is always very cool to see Eagles. I love 'em!
it was still chilly in the morning so the rivers were foggy. It was really pretty.
We decided to go see Old Faithful first. PG's new thing is to lay down on things and slide around on the ground, whether it is a store or a dirt road...or a bench around old faithful! It was really funny this time...in the middle of Walmart, NOT so much! :o)
Our Family at Old Faithful!
This is PG playing in the water over the edge of the boardwalk...just minutes before he fell over into a big puddle and got soaked! BOYS!
Thar she blows!
It was a BEAUTIFUL day to watch a geyser!
And we had a bit of a traffic jam on our way back to some other things because a Bison decided he wanted to walk on the road too!
this is only a few feet from our car as we drove past when he finally moved over.
We stopped and say the Grand Prismatic Spring...KJ thought the steam was a nice effect!
This is what it would look like from the air....
and this is what we saw! It is amazing, all the colors that God uses to paint the world!
There may not be periwinkle in a man's world but there is in GOD's world! :o)
This was a smaller spring on the walk back around. Look at the Studly man of mine! :o)
KJ was also very happy because 2 of the 3 nights we were there he got to play D&D with Mitch, Melissa and David Scott. They were all pleased! :o)

day 3..

THis was the first site we came to ...
PG was SOOOO excited to see bubbling water and mud pots and geysers....
I don't think this one had a name. it just had a pull out so we stopped.


our first family photo at Yellowstone! :o)
a little bubbly stream!
walking around
After hours of driving, the kids get a little slap happy!!!

Gibbon Falls
Beryl Spring
The kids were happy to get out and run. So Daddy was happy to chase them!

Artist Paintpots....
this is what happens to wildlife when they see humans ALL the time....
this is the look of the artist paint pots from the top. I know the pictures never do them justice...I forgot my filter...grr...but all is well..it still is beautiful
this is a mud pot that was at the top of the trail.
I love the colors and smoke and cool things you don't get to see everyday...I guess unless you lived here...
Rainbow!!!

Mammoth Hot Springs
When we entered the park we found out that a road from west yellowstone (where we stayed) to Mammoth was going to be closed the next day so we decided to go that way first....
this is what all of Mammoth used to look like before an earthquake moved the water somewhere else and mammoth is now dead!

Now it is all white and gray
I love this part it looks like scary ghost faces.
it says DO NOT touch silly boy!
it started to rain, and PD was NOT very happy about being in the backpack in the rain. She started to get cold and a little hungry!
This is next to Mammoth and this is where the Hot spring moved. it is SO pretty!