Day 3-5: yellowstone

Day 3: We check out early and departed toward South entrance of Yellowstone. First stop was West Thumb Geyser Basin

the first of many hot springs we’d see during the trip

the bluer and deeper the color, the hotter is the water

As we drove toward Canyon area… we passed by many valleys.

suddenly the cars stopped moving. And for two hours we barely moved. Nobody knew what was going on, we had no choice but wait.

and you know what happened? They were bisons, a lot of them, on the road!! So either cars had to stop to let them walk around, or people stopped to take pics of them.

he was walking just in front of our car 😯

After we check-in at our lodge (Canyon lodge), we went to Canyon South Rim Dr

we did Uncle Tom’s trail to see the lower fall. It was over 300 steps… a great workout for a great view.

Sofia hiked most of the time, and took breaks while Tony carried her.

I’m so proud of my parents to have done it with us.

and the most helpful man for the family 🙂

as we went back to the park lot, it was invaded by bisons. 😯 Sofia was amused seeing them altogether eating and shaking against the trees.

day 4: Mammoth

another beautiful day to be on the road

Mammoth Hot Spring was located at the north of the park, fairly close to Canyon.

we walked through Lower and Upper Terraces. They are the product of dissolved subterranean limestone which is continuously deposited as the spring waters cool on contact with air. Quite a phenomena nature beauty.

Sofia saw my mind tying scarf on the waist and she insisted  she’s big enough to do the same 🙂

after 2 hours of walking, we went back to the parking lot, deers were taking a nap

then we went to the park’s worst kept secret place: boiling river. It is a place where an underground hot spring surfaces from below a limestone overhang.

Tony took Sofia to the water and she really liked it.

then we drove all the way to the north entrance of the park.

Back to Canyon area, we went to Brink of the Lower Falls for a close-up views of the falls.

day 3: Tower Roosevelt

first stop: a nice small trail to a river

and a fall at the end of the trail back up

Sofia was waiting for us with her snack and water

next stop: petrified tree

then Undine Falls

then we drove a blacktail plateau. It was unpaved… really rough and lots of turns. Just when I was cursing why we took this route, we saw a black bear mama with two small bears. What an adorable scene!!!

in the afternoon we drove all the way to the north-east entrance and saw many animals on the way

as we went out all day long, Sofia took her naps in the car, usually 1-2 hrs. It made the trip so much easier this way!!!

we stopped by the lake side hotel on our way back to the lodge and had local ice cream.

it was really really good! we all loved it!!! And the view was spectacular too.

Sofia was super happy because I rarely give her ice cream. 🙂