Saturday's sunrise in the park was a lovely promise the day to come.
I was eager to find buffalo so we left early and headed to the lower loop.
Driving through Firehole Canyon, we found another batch of waterfalls for Bryan.
It was a brisk morning!
And lo, the bison materialized!
Four of these lovely beasties crossed right in front of us. Day made.
We stopped at Midway Geyser Basin, and slip-slided our way along the boardwalks, admiring the opal pools and taking care not to fall.
The steam rising from the pools made visibility difficult, but created an other-worldly atmosphere.
We drove further south, passing Kepler Cascades and then crossing the Continental Divide several times before reaching West Thumb Geyser Basin.
There were a few agitated elk in the area, so we avoided them and instead admired the strange contrast of a huge lake bordered by steaming geysers.
The ground was clearly fragile and strangely thin and we wondered about what it would look like in winter.
We continued along the road to Lake Yellowstone Lodge, which was closed. We attempted a family photo...with much giggling.
The lake is expansive, and we seemingly had it to ourselves.
Such fun!
This beautiful guy sent us on our way and we moved back up the east side of the lower loop.
Sulphur Caldron was delightfully foul-smelling!
The Mud Volcano was also an interesting pit.
We passed through Hayden Valley and were not disappointed with the bison sightings.
Then we went along the South Rim, stopping to admire the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone.
Then it was on to Artist Point - a breathtaking view along the south rim.
Cute kids
We were captivated by the views.
After Artist Point, we drove to the brink of both the Upper and Lower Falls. We hiked several steep descents, and subsequent ascents. The views were worth it.
Red Rock Point offered more great views.
The yellow walls of the canyon were clearly the namesake, and small geysers dotted the slopes.
Meanwhile, our license plate hunt was nearly complete and the kids searched every parking lot for the last holdouts. We stopped in Canyon Village for ice cream and shopping before driving back across the center of the loops and down again.
We returned to Midway Geyser Basin to round out the evening, climbing up the viewpoint to the Grand Prismatic Overlook. In my previous two visits to this park, I had never seen this. It was spectacular!
The colors were vibrant and the kids continued to be good sports.
We returned to the car, and headed back for West Yellowstone - completing 11 hours in the park for the day!
As was normal, the elk bid us adieu.
