Yellowstone!

To make up for a loooooong day of driving yesterday, today we made no Eastward progress on our trip and explored a sliver of Yellowstone National Park. We could have spent a week here, there is so much to see and do!

My mom has a Senior's Park Pass that got us into the park for free! Though we were greeted by this flashing Bison sign, unfortunately the amazing natural resources we saw did not include much wild life. We are hoping our morning trip through the park tomorrow will be more fruitful. 

Even without animals we saw so much! We started our day with a dip in the Madison River at a fly fishing spot at the side of the road. The water was clear and not as cold as you expect a mountain river to be (I guess all those hot springs and geysers heat the rivers and streams) We waded in one stream that was as warm as a toasty bath 

Crystal clear!

Wishing we'd worn shorts!

The road from the west entrance of the park to Old Faithful was peppered with mind-blowing sites. We stopped at several geyser attractions, a path through the woods that led to a meadow by the river and a historical marker that talked a out the Nez Perce war. We arrived at Old Faithful just after an eruption so we got some lunch at the 100 year old Yellowstone Lodge (that had a variety of gluten-free dishes and accommodations listed!) and explored the Visitors Center. Here are some shots of the day:

Lobby of Yellowstone Lodge

Old Faithful!

Visitors Center photobomb 

New National Park Passports, complements of Grandma Judy 

Spotted while eating dinner.