No Wifi in Yellowstone...

I suppose I better start with this picture...

Old Faithful lived up to it's name!  But what really surprised me was how many people were there!  I'd guess-ti-mate there were at least a thousand people standing around waiting to watch the geyser blow!  

As much as I found the hot springs and geysers interesting (there are a whole bunch in the same area as Old Faithful)...I really enjoyed the abundance of wild life.  Many, who are not the least bit afraid or interested in the visiting humans.  I suppose because they are completely protected.

This guy just ambled across the road right in front of our car.  These guys create traffic jams all over the park!

But these were my favorite.  I'd heard of Sand hill Cranes but never knew what they looked like!  We saw Trumpeter Swans too.  That was fun  because that was one of our kids favorite stories,  "The Trumpet of the Swan" by E.B. White.  I recommend it for kids of all ages!

There are signs everywhere warning about being Bear wise, this is as close as I ever want to be to a bear in the wild! 

We've made a few more stops since Yellowstone.  Even tho' Yellowstone is incredibly beautiful and has all kinds of interesting sights like Old Faithful et al, it is really crowded which takes some of the fun away...But the Grand Tetons are both majestic and less crowded.  We had some wonderful hikes up in the mountains there.

This place is called the Crater of the Moon national park, in Southern Idaho, and it does look a lot like the surface of the moon.  It's actually a whole bunch of ancient lava flows. 

Imagine, this was once liquid rock! 

But even in this harsh terrain Spring flowers grow!

cheers, Claire W.