Destination 22: Yellowstone National Park

I'm struggling with how to describe Yellowstone. Before arriving, I knew that it would be a beautiful sight and a memorable experience. But I had no idea that it would be THIS beautiful, this impacting on my life and this much fun!

Yellowstone National Park is a place that can be described with no words. Nothing I say, no matter how hard I try to come up with just the right words, will sufficiently illustrate its power. Thus, I leave you with only pictures (and maybe a few captions), even though they cannot capture what we experienced in person. None of my photos have been altered in a photo editor in any way. Enjoy!

[The first of many bison]

[Little Rob in front of Old Faithful, the infamous geyser]

[Daniel waiting for it to erupt]

[There it goes!]

[The water and steam blended in with the clouds]

[I'm a tourist and proud of it :)]

[Look at those clouds...]

[The orange stuff is heat-loving micro bacteria in the hot springs]

[A baby and mama elk kissing]

[Going in for a little dip to cool off...I could stand there all day!]

[Bison crossing the road...no big deal.]

[A male elk napping in the sun]

[At Artist's Point, overlooking the Upper Falls]

[More bison crossing...]

[And the beautiful sunset on the way back to the hotel]

The next morning, we went back to Yellowstone for a few hours to check out a couple more spots and search for more animals. We were very pleased to see most of the animals we hoped for: bison, deer, elk, moose and even bears! In fact, all of us really, really wanted to see a bear but we weren't sure how likely it was. For the full day at Yellowstone, we spotted one very far away that could have been mistaken for a bison or even a boulder (the only way we were sure it was a bear was because others with binoculars told us so). We were thoroughly satisfied with just that, but then the next day, a grizzly cub jolted out onto the street and Dad had to slam on his breaks! Shocked, the cub stopped suddenly, just in time for us to not hit it, and turned back around to the side of the road. Daniel spotted the mama bear on the other side of the street, eating berries and waiting for her cub to join her. It all happened very quickly but it was neat to see the bear so close to us :)

Hands down, Yellowstone was one of the major highlights of this road trip. I'm certain that the entire family will remember it. I know I am. If anything, a day and a half there only wet my appetite. I can't wait to have another opportunity to go back! Thanks God for making such a beautiful place :)