Part 3~Pinedale

We tend to linger in Yellowstone as long as possible. Our next destination was Pinedale WY where Mark had a meeting the next day. Since there was no rush to get there, we made a few more stops. The walk to Harlequin Lake was an easy 1 mile round trip. Loved the lily pad covered water.

 

We made a quick run into a gift shop in Grant Village to get our soda fix:( and we had to commemorate the NPS 100th Birthday!

Another stop at West Thumb.

Compared to other trips, we hadn't seen a whole lot of wildlife so it was a treat to watch this group of Elk that were stopping traffic. There were probably 8-10 cows but the real show stoppers were the babies {we could see 3 of them}

After one more picnic in the park, we headed south

We whizzed by the Tetons and Jackson so that we could find Granite Hot Springs. A pool was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's and now this natural hot spring is maintained by the Forest Service. You can pay a fee to soak in the man made pool OR you can take your chances and hope to snag the one pocket the locals know about just beneath the falls. Of course we chose the latter;) Mark seems to always know about these unmarked places. It was a real gamble because you can't see the pool from the road and it's too intimate for more than one small group. We took our chances and crossed the icy river {and I do mean ICY}. It was also very slippery and fast moving which I think is what Emm is trying to tell Mark here:)

When we got over there a couple was just leaving .. whew! We also knew that another group had arrived after us. Trying to find that balance between making it worth your time and being considerate wasn't easy. It was beautiful but would have been more relaxing without other people waiting to soak.

We stopped on the Hoback River for a while in hopes that Kars and Emm {Bay already has} could catch their Snake River Cutthroat for the Cutt Slam. Only Emmrey had success this time.

We got to Pinedale well after dinner and we were all hungry and some were ornery. We found a local burger joint that hit the spot and called it a night. Mark left early the next morning for his meeting at the GF office. Bailee wasn't feeling great and so she slept at the hotel most of the day. I took the other girlies to the Rec Center. Pinedale is a really small town, but they have a pretty awesome rec center. The girls LOVED it and we spent hours there playing in the lazy river and going down the slide.

Later that evening Mark wanted to go for a drive to check out Fremont Lake not far from town.

 This was the girls "on the edge of falling in". They so funny!!

Our final stop on the way home was at Fontenelle to do some fossil hunting

Mark has a really cool fossil in his office that he found here a few years ago. We didn't have great luck but honestly the hunt is as much of the fun.

 The car vibe is sure different on the way home. It's hard to return to "life" after nine days of adventures. Until the next one!

Part 2~West Yellowstone

We arrived in West Yellowstone on Sunday after spending the day in the Park. After checking into the hotel {or motel cause Emmrey always wants to know which it is} and getting cleaned up we headed to town to walk around.

Mark owed the girls ice cream. We tried City Creamery this time. 

Homemade ice cream while you wait .... see the little churner

Mark would say it was no better than some of the others. Maybe it was just psychological for me, but I thought it tasted so much creamier:)

The next morning we drove back into the park to hike the Artemisia Trail which is sort of the back way into Old Faithful along the Upper Geyser Basin.

We have been along this trail before from the other direction. This time we were hoping to catch Daisy Geyser. There was no lack of beauty along the way ...

Artemisia Geyser

Daisy is said to be one of the most predictable geysers in the park. She goes off every 2-3 hours with a 30 minute window on either end.  So you could get there and just miss it or if you're really lucky arrive right when she goes off. In our case it worked out that she went off toward the end of that window so we made it there and waited ... and waited. We waited through the rain that inevitably came:)

before the rain rolled in and some of us sought coverage in the trees

When she went off it was worth the wait. Daisy erupts on an angle and reaches up to 75 feet. 

Pretty neat to see geysers erupt off the beaten path.

Not so off the beaten path ... we had to go see Old Faithful. It is part of the Yellowstone experience. We enjoyed the show with thousands of other Americans and Foreigners alike. Can't think of a better place to spend Independence Day than in the nations first National Park.

Ice cream on the porch ... another Yellowstone tradition

After the day in Yellowstone we headed back to get ready for the festivities in West. We decided to try the "Taco Bus" for dinner. It had great reviews and the night before it was packed. 

We deliberately went early to avoid the crowds. It was a little claustrophobic in the Bus but a memorable experience anyway. I can't say any of us loved the food but I think that had more to do with what we ordered. The guy's next to me looked yummy. 

Next time we will stick with straight up tacos rather than enchiladas.

We found a good spot at the beginning of the parade route and hoped the rain would hold off. 

It did not so we ran to the IMAX center to wait it out. 

It cleared up just in time for the parade to start and it was a perfect small town parade. Short and sweet with way too much candy:) We only got nailed in the head a few times!

We played Frisbee in the park until the fireworks started. The music wasn't as entertaining as the Adam Ezra Group that was there the past two years, but they did play some good songs.

The night ended with a pretty fantastic display! 

Then the locals continued with their home shows until early into the morning:(

Happy 4th of July!

Part 1~Sunlight Cabin

The first four days of our road trip were spent in Sunlight Basin at the G&F cabin. 

I never grow tired of the sheer beauty of this place.

A place that has become even more special to us since moving away

 Our first morning we awoke to the sound of a chirp which Mark assured me was just outside the window. I was sure it was coming from inside and sure enough we found this little guy in the living room. We think he got in accidentally through the chimney and was trying to find his way out.

It was pretty entertaining watching Mark run around the room trying to catch the little baby. 

He then set it free.

Bailee and I got right to work hanging all the new curtains she had sewn for the cabin as a personal progress project. 

 

She did a great job and although we had to fix a few that didn't fit the handmade log rods correctly, they look terrific and were a much needed update to the rustic place.

Lots of time at the cabin is spent on the rocky shore of the creek. This year there was a Killdeer that had laid her eggs right in the rocks. The only reason we knew this is because she would fake a broken wing which is what they do to deter predators, and make this high pitch noise if we walked anywhere close. 

After it being so unusually hot last year, we decided to bring tubes to float in the river. The water was FREEZING ! I have a weird lack of tolerance to cold water and I don't adjust to it like most people. It kind of makes me lose my mind a bit. Emmrey begged me to give it a try and so I wanted to be a good sport. It was fun {minus the cold water} but lets just say there is a video Mark took that is hidden deep in the family vault;) I did float down several times but it never got easier. Emmrey on the other hand couldn't get enough!

The weather was a little unpredictable ... or predictable if you consider we could count on rain everyday we just didn't know when.

It did make for some cozy cabin time. Mark had this great idea. To combat some of the cooped up time, he told the girls to each make a doll using things they could find around the cabin. This is what they came up with. Pretty creative!

L to R- Emmrey, Bailee, Karsyn

We had a couple of failed attempts of fishing due to that rain. We tried to fish the upper Sunlight Creek one evening and as soon as we walked to the bridge it started to downpour. Oh well ... we tried.

We tried the next day to fish Little Bear Creek which is located in the Beartooth Mountains in an area known as "Top of the World".

It was a success to say the least. Everyone got in on the fun of catching these little baby brook trout. The action was constant making it easy to hold the girls interest. By the time we made our way back to the car, Kars had caught a nice round 30, Emmrey 26 and Bailee about 14 {although she quit far earlier than the other two}. Fun stuff!

It was a great spot for a picnic too and we managed to finish just in time for another afternoon storm to roll in

 This trip made me appreciate the cabin more than ever. It was so nice to have a refuge from the storm {literally} and be able to carry on inside while we waited for it to pass ....

Once it did .. .. we were back outside

Gorden and Bode kept this girl busy

Enjoying time around the fire

 Smore's are pretty much expected. Although I think it is more about the camping tradition than loving smores per se. Most of us eat one at most and then maybe toast a few marshmallows. This girl could eat them all night if we let her. She took it upon herself {likely with a little coaxing from a sister;} to make a double decker. She was most certainly cut off at this point:)

 

Our last day before heading to West Yellowstone we got going earlier to do a hike in the Park. Mark gave the girls the choice between a longer hike that was flatter and a shorter hike that is steeper. Those little rascals chose to climb ...ugh!

Another time we will do Osprey Falls, but this time we hiked Bunsen Peak.  The appeal of this hike are views like no other.  I wouldn't disagree but we didn't exactly get to take it all in. About halfway up the mountain the dark clouds started to loom. We proceeded with unnatural speed so we could make it to the top before the rain and I thought for sure Mark was trying to kill me. Climbing is not my forte as it is. Ascending at a speed that allows for no stopping to catch your breath made bad words swirl in my head {and possibly out my mouth}.

The views that make it worth it

Overlooking Mammoth~ 

We made it just in time for a group photo{silly faces at Emmrey's request} ...

...and then ran for cover under the roof of the radio tower. Thank goodness that was there because it poured for a while. We signed the log to prove we made it and had a quick snack lunch.

A few hundred feet from the summit is another peak which may be the official "peak". I thought it was all the same given the weather conditions. Not these two. Once the rain let up they wanted to touch ground on the other peak as well. I think they were just showing off;)

The rain let up but soon the lightning started and Mark was all business about getting us off the mountain! He is typically telling me not to worry so when he gets worried ..... I am a wreck! We more or less ran down through the switchbacks at record speed. I was in shock and worried about the handful of people we passed on their way up. Already uneasy about possible bears in the area, adding the fear of being struck by lightning was almost more than I could take. We made it back in one piece and thankfully the girls all said it wasn't that bad:)

What an adventure!!