Unhooking the toad, we spent the day in the southern half of Yellowstone. Our first stop
was the walking trail at Fountain Flats, which led to a bubbling hot spring, steaming mist in
the cool morning air and smelling of sulfur. Dawson was mesmerized.
Matt's reaction was "That mist stinks!"
After this we visited the Old Faithful area, in particular the
Old Faithful Inn, for lunch and some
gift shopping. Having stayed at the Inn three times in the last 10 years, Andra and I agree
that the Inn is a beautiful and special place. (It was here, in 2000, that we first learned that Andra
was pregnant with Dawson.) After a quick lunch, Andra, Madison, and my mom went for a walk around the
adjoining geyser basin while I took Dawson and Matt to the gift shop. Later we drove to the east-central
side of the park, where Dawson wanted to see the "Dragon's Mouth" and "Mud Volcano" thermal features
while Matt napped in the car.
During our drive around the park, we saw buffalo and elk, but not as many as we had expected based on
our past visits. Nevertheless the kids were amazed to see a buffalo walking down the road blocking
traffic in both direction.
By the time we return to the campsite, we're all exhausted.
Photos:
Matt's "stinky" hot spring
Hot spring runoff into a nearby creek
Old Faithful Inn
Old Faithful erupting
One of Yellowstone's many beautiful "mountain parks", or prairie-like areas.
Dawson takes in the view
One of Yellowstone's many waterfalls
Buffalo beside the road!
Note: this page was created retrospectively on 7/31/2006
The small dark spot near the center of the picture is a distant buffalo.
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Last updated: 10:23 PM 7/31/2006