We love Yellowstone and it's practically in our backyard, so we decided it would be nice to make one last trip there. We left immediately from our camping trip and headed up. We decided to make a fire and cook up some lunch as soon as we got in, so we could fuel up and be ready for the rest of the day.
We toured the shops and museum around old faithful while waiting for her to go off, and then headed towards the hotel to walk around and get out of the sun. We walked up the stairs and peeked into some of the rooms that were being cleaned, to capture the ambiance of West Yellowstone. The rooms were super cute! They have a big window and are decorated with a classy, old western feel (NOTE: This is when we learned the hotel rooms have community bathrooms, so if you plan on staying there, expect public toilets and showers). As time got closer for Old Faithful to erupt, we walked down and looked for the best place to view. We waited, and waited, and waited...apparently she is becoming less and less faithful, but as we waiting, something amazing happened! In the distance we saw a huge gush of water that went over the tall trees, park rangers started racing towards the geyser on foot, bike, truck...however we could get there. We caught the attention of one of the rangers and asked what the fuss was about. He told us "Giant", the geyser, was going off for the first time in 2 years, and that it is one of the biggest geysers in the park! With the 2 kids we weren't going to be able to run as fast or as far as we needing to, to enjoy it up close, but it was still pretty awesome to see from a distance.
The highlight of our Yellowstone trip had to be the grand canyon of Yellowstone. The Canyon is 20 miles long, over 1,000 feet deep, and over 484,000 years old! It is comprised of two falls that flow over volcanic rocks. We drove to the look out and Drew started unbuckling the kids to hike down to the falls. The kids were asleep and I wasn't feeling great, so I was seriously considering staying in the car and letting Drew do the hike himself. I am SO GLAD I didn't. If you only see one thing in Yellowstone, see THIS! The hike is a little rough with young kids, but doable, and SO worth the view. I was so awe inspired by this massive canyon and the thousands of gallons per second that flow over the falls. It makes you remember how big the world is and the beauty she has to offer. I am always reminded of my appreciation for this Planet whenever I visit Yellowstone.
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