1st Day at Yellowstone

We made it to Yellowstone! After arriving at the rest stop near Butte, Montana around 11 pm, the kids did their best to sleep in the car and I slept in the cargo trailer with Elizabeth and William. Elizabeth had to go to the bathroom at 5 am so we were back on the road pretty early. The vehicles beside us had been there when we parked and I was more than a little envious that they were still there while I was stuck driving away.

There are a few choices of roads to take into West Yellowstone. I don't think I picked the best one. Shortly after starting down it, I got stuck behind a fully loaded hay truck that could only go 40 mph in a 70 mph zone. Then, road construction delayed us and we went 10 miles in 40 minutes. Although I would have appreciated making good time to the park, the drive wasn't all bad. The snowy mountain framed rolling hills of Montana make my top 10 (probably top 5) of soul enriching places I've been. We finally arrived in the park, checked in at Madison campground and soon had our tents up and lunch eaten.

Our first destination was Norris Geyser Basin, my favorite place in the park. On the way, we stopped at Gibbon Falls and I'm so glad we did. It was a good “shake-down” for our trip to the geysers. The boys had to be instructed: stay on the trail, no horseplay, STAY ON THE TRAIL! We stopped at Gibbon Geyser for a quick look see and then headed off to Norris.

Elizabeth with one of her birthday presents, a webkinz owl

Standing at the overlook, it's hard to believe I'm standing on the same planet as the one I call home. The landscape is so different from what we are used to.

standing at the overlook

down in the basin, checking out all the colors

We could all tell that we were at a higher elevation as every time we had to go uphill, we were huffing and puffing.

We drove back to West Yellowstone for Elizabeth's birthday dinner. On the drive, everyone except me managed a nap. We arrived at Kiwi'z Takeaway and found sign that they were walking the dog and would be back in 30 minutes. We found a small playground in town where the kids could run off some steam while I typed up my blog for the day.  We went back to Kiwi'z and the owner was so nice.  She gave Elizabeth her burger for free and even threw in a surprise piece of cake.  Elizabeth was thrilled that she got cake and a trick candle on her birthday.

My burger.

Tons of blue cheese and pickled beets instead of pickles (New Zealand style)

The bottom layer under the lettuce was full  of beets.

I think it might have to become Stephanie style!  I love beets.

it was a sweet moment to see the kids gathered round, enjoying her excitement

 
We won't be back in town until Saturday for Isaac Colson's birthday.  We're leaving free wi-fi behind.  On our way out of town, we're stopping for ice cream.  I hope it's tasty!  The weather here is windy and cold and somehow I forgot to pack my heavy coat so I found a sweatshirt on clearance that I  hope will help me stay warm.