Our Summer Vacation - The Yellowstone Leg

Ethan was sitting on Dorothy's lap when the photo was taken to answer a question posed in our first blog entry. The photo was one of last decent ones that we got out of our digital camera before it succumbed to the rain squall that drenched us.

This was our second visit, but first with our kids. We didn't cover nearly as much of the park this time, but did manage to squeeze as much as we could into parts of two days. I think the kids will not forget Old Faithful (left, best picture that we got), but mainly because it was cold and wet. Although we didn't venture enough to see bears, there were sightings of geese, one coyote (although the kids may have missed this one between the yelps of "where? where?"), eagles nesting, elk, deer and bison. Perhaps when the kids are older we'll spend more time and get in a hike or two.

We arrived in West Yellowstone on the fourth day of our travels to overcast skies having driven through rain on Highway 20 from Idaho Falls. In Idaho Falls we heard so much about this place called Yellowstone Bear World, but paying money to feed bears didn't strike a chord with us. From the highway, Bear World looked like a Six Flags amusement park surrounded by log cabins.

Enroute to West Yellowstone we made reservations with a hotel that was listed in the AAA book as a Fairfield Inn, but upon calling we found that it had gone independent. You could tell this in their pitch to us, even being so enthusiastic about their new make-it-yourself waffles that were now part of their continental breakfast, the same make-it-yourself waffles that seems to be the staple of every hotel chain continental breakfast this year. In the end, their homey hospitality won us over.

Note: In the Bay Area, you might want to check out the geysers at Calistoga or the bison in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.