Day 4

Day 4 finds us moving farther west. 

We still screamed tourist, but so did every single person in the park, so all was well.

The scenery was amazing. I have 40 more pictures I didn't post.  You can thank me later.

Funny little story here. 

There are wildfires all over the place right now.  Not specifically in Yellowstone, but several places in Colorado and Wyoming.  We have seen some smoke, but nothing major at this point.  However, there are "Very High Fire Danger" signs everywhere, especially with the 4th of July this week.  It is what everyone is talking about.

As we are leaving our first stop in the park, the gorgeous Yellowstone Lake, my oldest son says, "Dad, there is smoke!"  My husband spots it too and flips the car back around.  Being the firefighter he is, he ran up to see what he could do. 

Keep in mind that we have never been to Yellowstone before.

Keep in mind that we haven't been there long at this point.

Keep in mind that we haven't read any of the literature yet.

Keep in mind that we have no clue what all we will see on this visit. 

What does this picture look like to you?

Fire, right?  It's what any firefighting Kansan (and family) would think.

My husband came running back down to the car, which freaked us out a bit, and said, "Give me the camera."

Huh???

Not a fire.  Hot spring.  Oops.

So he grabs my 6 year old for a piggy back ride and my 9 year old follows closely behind.  They run up to take a picture.

I grabbed a water bottle, so I was a bit behind them.  As I crossed the road and approached the area where they were all standing, I saw the sign: "DANGER.  THERMAL AREA. KEEP OFF."

In their defense, the sign was tiny.  Seriously, it could not have been more than 4 in. X 4 in. on a little post in the ground.

I hollared at them to get off and get back to the car, and they felt really bad that they looked as if they were ignoring the park rules.  However, my husband was still thankful he got a picture before he knew he wasn't supposed to be up there.  I was just thankful they didn't fall in.

Moving on...

The wildlife were out in full force. 

And when I say "full force"....

 I mean full force.  This entire herd was parading up the road like they owned the place.

Well, I guess technically, they do.

This is what you call up close wildlife.   My husband finally rolled the window up because my oldest was panicking in the backseat, "he is coming at the car, he is coming at the car!"  My youngest, however, wanted to get out and see them.

Call us crazy, but we really, really wanted to see a bear today.  Not too close, of course; we are not stupid.  The information paper they give you really does not help an already skiddish child.  First thing the paper said -- two people were killed in Yellowstone last year by bears.  Nice.  I'm pretty sure he now wants Bear Spray for Christmas.  Just in case.  I didn't even know Bear Spray existed. 

At the very end of the trip, we saw this cute little guy. 

I'm not actually sure how little he was.  Or how cute for that matter.

He was a good distance away, and  my hubby teetered on the top of hill to try to get a picture.  This  is full zoom, so don't worry mom and dad, he was not in any danger.  Well, except for the teetering part.  That was making me a tad nervous.

And finally, a Yellowstone blog just wouldn't be complete without Old Faithful.

And on a completely unrelated note....this is most likely what this child will look like next time you see him.  He didn't wear the hat in the swimming pool, but that's about the only time it has come off of his head since lunch time today.