Yellowstone Day 1

Rising with the sun, we were the first at Artist’s Paint Pots trail. Cars slowly started to file in and we met a couple whose dog knew how to “wai” (Thai greeting)!  The wife was Thai and we chatted for a while before we hit the trail. The bubbling mud pits were really cool and smelled of sulfur. Next we headed towards Canyon Village. Our sleepy kids perked up after we entered the gift shop. Pradit found a Yellowstone multi tool - he was very excited. Next up was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.   We opted for the 3/8 mile hike down to the falls overlook. It was WELL worth it - the view was amazing but the hike back up to the parking lot was a little strenuous!  Next up was Inspiration Point - we were able to see the front of the falls (our hike took us above them). Pradit and I made it to Artist’s Point as well - where famous renderings of the waterfall have been painted. Everyone was sleepy so they took car naps while I drove us North on the upper loop. The goal was the Roosevelt Arch and I white-knuckled the whole way - 7% grades with no guardrail. I had to stop once to let the sweat from my palms dry out!  We were rewarded though with bison and elk sightings. The town of Mammoth was packed and we were only able to drive by the terraces - the parking lots were FULL!  We backtracked to the arch and the photo opp was well worth it.  We went into town for ice cream, which perked the kiddos up a bit!  Everyone was exhausted by this point (lots of time in the car), so we continued through the rest of the upper loop back towards the campsite. The whole thing took from 6:30 am - 3:30 pm - a full day to be sure!  We got back and the kids rode bikes while we recharged and made a dinner plan.  We had steak and broccoli an salad baked beans and then rode into town to find souvenir tee shirts and restock st the grocery store. That night we watched Ice Age because of the Yellowstone references. A great day!