Bison running through the campsite

Spent some actual time at the campsite this morning.  We gave up on having fires at night.  We are too tired and it's too late by the time we get home.  This morning we finally had one.  I was excited to try my new pie iron's (bought specifically for this trip).

 

I made Pillsbury biscuits in them.  Yum.  We had our usual hot breakfast this morning: oatmeal, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee.

 

After breakfast we cleaned and organized (remember this is an ongoing battle) while the kids messed around in the hammock.  

 

I worked with them on their Junior Ranger sheets so they could get their Yellowstone badges later in the day.  I guess it's good that you have to actually put effort into getting one but I was so ready to just sit back and relax for once.  Oh well, maybe when I'm not on vacation I'll have time for that!

On our way to Black Sand Basin we saw some bison and elk with huge racks (the only reason I even took the picture).

Lunch was at Black Sand Basin (.47 miles) before we started looking around.

 

We headed to Biscuit Basin (.68 miles) after (so-so thermal features-the Mystic Falls hike would have been nice to do but I made a promise yesterday that we wouldn't hike today.)  I fooled them into thinking that the boardwalks don't count but they do start to add up over a days time.

 

 

The Firehole River was a great place for a dip in the heat of the day.  It was made even better with the steam and springs all over.  Since we had only one shower at this point it was a nice feeling to be kind of clean again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all the swimming we headed to Midway Geyser Basin (.87 miles) for more viewing opportunities.  This was a very cool area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 We drove down Firehole Lake Drive,

 

and then did the Artist's Paint Pots.  The kid's loved this area the best.  They couldn't stop talking about the gurgling and bubbling.

 

 

 

 

After that I saw the Gibbon Fall's overlook

 

and saw two moose from far away.  So far away that I didn't even bother to take a picture.  I would have been hard pressed to even say they were moose but that didn't stop the 30 cars in front of us from staying in place.

I had bought this for the hubby's birthday.

 

We missed drinking in celebration by a couple of days due to our over flowing schedule.  After the first welcome cup that night I thought I was hallucinating (really, I hadn't had that much)...we looked up and saw a bison across from our campsite pulling a long piece of bark off a tree.  We put the kids in the truck and stood behind it ourselves.  It was a good thing.  He went running through our site off into the woods.  This gave the kids something to talk about for days.

After we got the kids in bed I biked up to the Norris Geyser Basin (5.75 miles).  It was dusk and it was this spooky, industrial wasteland that was burping, fizzing, and venting.  I got back at 10:15 and Chris headed out in the darkness to do the same.  

 

Q's quote of the day:  "I wished we lived by the bubbles with all of our stuffed animals.  I wish it could wake us up in the morning."

C's quote of the day:  "I enjoyed the bubbling at the Artist's Paint Pot's so much that I could hike more today!"

Mommy's quote of the day:  "I want to sit around the campsite in the Tetons, do nothing, and get drunk all day while the kid's play in the hammock."  (In defense of mommy, she was exhausted after her long day!)