More Old Faithful Inn Pictures

The Old Faithful Inn

Before we leave Yellowstone, and head back home. I thought I would post some pictures of the Old Faithful Inn. This is an amazing hotel. You can feel the history as soon as you walk into the lobby. It was indeed a huge privilege to stay at this hotel. I am so thankful that I had this opportunity and I got to share it with my family. LeAnn took some incredible pictures of the Inn, and I hope you enjoy.

More Pictures From Our Last Day in Yellowstone

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 10 or Mammoth Doesn't Necessarily Mean Impressive

On day 10 we woke to rain. This was the first and only day that it really rained on us the entire trip. So no one was really complaining about it, but I was worried that it might be really cold and that just wouldn't be cool. This day was also our last day in Yellowstone, and honestly, I just wasn't ready to leave yet. I don't believe that I was the only one either. Today's agenda included a trip to the northern part of the park to see the Mammoth Hot Springs and travel on up to the northern entrance and Gardner, Montana. The northern entrance was the original entrance to the park and you drive through the Roosevelt Arch, which is located at the spot that President Theodore Roosevelt officially opened the park.

So after another great breakfast in the dining room, we hit the road toward Mammoth Hot Springs. Along the way you pass several interesting natural wonders. One spot is a very tight and windy part of the road that you travel along the edge of steep cliffs and these huge round boulders. Another spot is called Roaring Mountain. This is a a spot where many heating vents are located along the side of a mountain. The heating vents make a roaring sound...hence, the name Roaring Mountain.

Mammoth Hot Springs is hard to describe. It is a huge mountain that has hundreds of hot springs. These springs constantly are overflowing their edges and the off flow carry deposits of this mineral which cause the springs to grow in height and width. The hot springs have formed these beautiful terraces that grow on top of each other, basically making their own mountain. The activity at the hot springs is determined by water levels underground. Apparently, while we were there, the water level was very low. There were only a few of the springs that were active at that time, and some had dried up. Which, of course, was a little disappointing. I had envisioned this beautiful mountain of hot springs with water flowing over terraces. But what we got was this white mountain with a few trickles of water in a couple of spots. Oh well, I am sure it is impressive when the underground water levels are high.

We then traveled on to Gardner, Montana and the northern entrance to the park. We had decided to have lunch there on this day. On the way, we got a huge treat. Along the side of the road, we had the opportunity to watch about fifty big horn sheep run and jump along the side of a mountain. The majority of this mountain side was really a cliff. But it was amazing to watch these big horn sheep run and jump across these rocky slopes. We were sure some of them would fall. Then they made it to top and stood at the edge of the mountain looking down at us as to say, "What are you looking at?"

We then traveled into Montana, through the Roosevelt Arch and into Gardner. Now the arch is absolutely beautiful. But the town basically has grown right up next to it, which is kind of sad that someone allowed that to happen. Also, Gardner is not really the type of town that you want to be walking around at night in either. It is your basic small isolated western town, that has a lot of the old cowboy attitude still in it. We did each lunch there a one of the local diners. It was decent. But while there, Ian, for some reason, got his "tickle box" turned over. I can't remember exactly what started the laughing, but he was quite entertaining. By the end of it, he basically had the entire diner laughing at him.

We then headed back into Yellowstone. Of course, stopped and took many pictures of the arch and the Entering Yellowstone sign as well. We then decided to travel over to the western entrance and West Yellowstone, Montana. It was a long drive and it was raining again. But we did get to see some of the park we normally would not have seen. Once we got to West Yellowstone, we discovered that we were only five miles from Idaho. So you know what we did, don't you? We went to Idaho, crossing the Continental Divide again! From what I could tell, Idaho is a nice state. It was getting late, so we headed back to the Old Faithful Inn for our last night in the park.

We had dinner reservations at the Inn's dining room. This is the only night we ate here for dinner and reservations were required. Now, I will have to say this is the only part of our time in Yellowstone that I was really disappointed and put out. Our reservations were late at 9:15pm. We were not seated until 10:00pm. We didn't get our food until 11:00pm. No lie. There really was no excuse for this, as there were empty tables in the dining room. By the time we got our food, Abby was not feeling well and went back to the room without eating. Of course, we had done a lot during the day and not getting food until that late probably didn't help her. Howerver, the food was really good, and our waiter was good also. He did take our order soon after we were seated. So I don't think it was his fault we didn't get our food until 11:00. But it was very irritating. We were the last guest to leave the dining hall. So if you ever go to Yellowstone, and decide to eat here for dinner, make your reservations early.

We went back to the room...LeAnn had already gone to the room to check on Abby. We packed the rest of our stuff up. Took our showers and loaded up some of the luggage into the car. Then settled in for our last night at the Inn.

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 9 or Where Did All of These Rotten Eggs Come From?

Our third day in Yellowstone was Geyser Basin day. We got up early again and had another great breakfast in the Inn's dining room. We headed north to Norris Geyser Basin. Norris is the home to the world's highest erupting geyser, Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat's major eruptions climb to a height of over 400 feet. Of course, it has been several years since it's last eruption, but it does give a good show while continuously having smaller eruptions. There were so many geysers, mudpots, steam vents, and hot springs at Norris, there is no way to count them all. And it does take a while to visit all of them. We spent a good chunk of the morning here and really had a great time. Of course the sulfur smell was everywhere. And Ian loved every second of that!

Next we traveled to the Firehole area of the park. This is a one way road that travels along a canyon and the Firehole River. It is absolutely beautiful here we saw two mother elks and their babies resting along the side of the river. It was a very peaceful place another one of my favorite places in the park.

We then traveled to the Lower Geyser Basin, Middle Geyser Basin, and The Upper Geyser Basin, which includes Old Faithful. I won't go into much detail about each basin. They all included beautiful geysers and hot springs. Each area is a little different. The great thing about Yellowstone is that the major roads go very near all the major sights. Also, each location has boardwalks that take you right out to the geysers, hot springs, etc. It makes it very easy with those individuals that have disabilities.

This day was very long, and very tiring. But it was awesome as the stars of the park really were on display and didn't disappoint. We spent a lot of time in the Upper Geyser Basin as it is the largest. Granted, it didn't get dark until 9pm so we had plenty of time to see most of it. No, we didn't see all of it. But we did get a very special treat. We were lucky enough to see Beehive Geyser erupt. It was amazing. This geyser shoots up through a very small cone that looks like a beehive. The force behind this eruption was overwhelming. Plus the boardwalk goes right up next to the geyser. Very cool experience.

We grabbed a quick bite at the Old Faithful Lodge and was able to watch Old Faithful erupt again. A perfect ending to a amazing day.

More Pictures From Our Second Day in Yellowstone

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 8 or You Mean There Is More Than One Grand Canyon

Our second day in Yellowstone was very much anticipated. We were going to visit the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and go to a Cowboy Cookout. The Cowboy Cookout is considered a must do if you have kids. So we made our reservation about six months before the trip.

We started our day with a huge breakfast at the Inn's dining hall. LeAnn, Abby and I had the breakfast buffet while Ian had a huge stack of pancakes. We then made a quick stop at the general store to get supplies for a picnic. We then hit the road and headed over to the canyon.

When we first got to the Canyon Village, we were greeted by a huge buffalo who decided the parking lot was a good place to stand....in the middle of the road. He had traffic backed up for a while. The canyon is being formed by the Yellowstone River and has two huge waterfalls. It has a one way road on each side that gives you several stops and short walks that give you the best views of the falls, river and canyon. The walls of the canyon are made of a yellow rock, hence the name Yellowstone. Every view is breathtaking and of course LeAnn took several pictures. It was one of my favorite things to see. During the morning we traveled along the north rim. We took several small walks down to edge of each of the falls and lookout points. It was an amazing morning.

For lunch we had a picnic at a rest area at the beginning of the south rim. While there, two buffalo meandered down from a large pasture above us. They got fairly close, but decided not to get to close. We then drove along the south rim of the canyon. This side doesn't have as many stops as the north rim, but it more than makes up for it with the views. The best view of the canyon is at Artist Point. An amazing view of the canyon with the Lower Falls is the back.

After we finished with the south rim of the canyon, we headed to the northern part of the park and the Roosevelt Corral. Here we loaded on to covered wagons and headed out to a secluded valley for the Cowboy Cookout. It was so much fun. The kids loved every second of it. On the way out to cookout, Abby and Ian got to set up front with the driver. The guide told us several interesting stories on the way out and back. On our trip we saw buffalo, antelope, and yellow-bellied varmints. Once out to the site, we were serenaded with campfire songs. The food was amazing. We had steak, baked beans, slaw, corn muffins, baked apples, corn on the cob, and watermelon. It was delicious. Ian even ate steak for the first time. I, of course, had to convince him it was just a hamburger in a different form. He tried it and loved it. The kids got to run around with the other kids and played in a stream that ran through the valley.

After we got back to the corrals, we headed back toward our hotel, which is the southwestern part of the park. Since it was still daylight, we stopped by and saw Tower Falls. It was beautiful. There normally is a trail that goes to the base of the falls, but it was closed due to a rock slide. We then headed back to the hotel thinking that the adventures for this day was over. But the day had one more surprise for us. As we were getting close to Yellowstone Lake, we saw the one animal we really wanted to see, but figured we would not get to...a grizzly bear! It was amazing. It slowly walked very near our car and then crossed the road to a small pasture. And in the middle of the pasture was a rather large elk. I thought we were going to see some real nature at this point. The bear walked up the side of the pasture up a hill. I couldn't tell if he ever noticed the elk or not, but the elk definitely saw the grizzly. The elk stayed perfectly still, but never took his eyes off of the bear. He slowly turned his head until the bear was up the hill in the trees. He then slowly walked to the far side of the pasture and into the woods there. Just simply amazing end to the day!

We finally made back to the hotel. It was late and we had all wanted some ice cream. But unfortunately, the ice cream shop was already closed. So we went back to our rooms, took showers, and went straight to bed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY!

I can't believe my baby girl turns eleven today! LeAnn is mourning the fact that Abby is off at Fusion Camp, and that this will be the first birthday we don't get to spend with her. But we sent her gifts and cupcakes to share with her cabin mates. She will definitely know we are thinking of her!

More Pictures From Our First Day in Yellowstone

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 7 or Wow, We Finally Made It!

On day seven of this adventure, we finally made it to Yellowstone! All I can say, is that it was well worth all the effort, planning, replanning, anticipation, etc, etc. It truly is amazing. God, gave us humans a great gift at Yellowstone. His awesomeness is on full display on a daily basis here.

We got up early, packed the car and headed out towards Yellowstone. We made a quick stop at the Buffalo Bill Dam so LeAnn could take a few more pictures since her camera's battery ran down the day before while we were there. We headed toward the entrance, paid our small fee, and entered into a wonderland. It just opened up in front of us almost like a movie. Snow-covered peaks in the distance as we climbed higher into the Rockies. Then suddenly, there was Yellowstone Lake. Just amazing! As we got near the edge of the lake, we came across our first thermal feature...a group of steam vents called Steamboat Springs. It was just a small sample of what was to come. As we got near the first major intersection, we came across our first Yellowstone buffalo. Three huge guys that were each as big as a car. It was like the park was putting on a show just for us.

We made our first stop at the General Store at Fishing Bridge. Made some purchases and got some goodies. We then went on the actual Fishing Bridge. The bridge is located where Yellowstone Lake empties and forms the Yellowstone River. This is a favorite spawning location for the Cutthroat Trout. It apparently got to be such a popular place to fish the trout, that the Cutthroat Trout almost became extinct. Hence, you can no longer fish off of the Fishing Bridge.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Lake Lodge for lunch. Great sandwiches overlooking the lake. We then drove down the road a bit and took a great hike. The Elephant Back Trail took us to the top a mountain that overlooked the lake. We decided to ignore the Beware of Bears sign and trek to the top. It was good thing everyone got new hiking boots before the trip as they were definitely needed. After we got to the top, we were rewarded with an amazing view of the lake, river and surrounding area. We then hiked down, which for some reason took only about half as long. We had wanted to take a smaller hike to a natural bridge, but they had a Beware of Bears sign as well, but this time, they put a road block barrier in front of the trailhead. So we decided, they were kind of serious about that on this trail.

We then headed down to the West Thumb Geyser Basin. The lake is "kinda" shaped like a hand and the thumb area is surrounded by this basin. We were excited to see our first geysers and hot springs. Ian of course was bummed that none of them went off while we were there. He apparently thought they were going off all the time. But we did see some beautiful hot springs, mud pots and geysers. It is amazing to see these geyser basins and know that there is a volcano fueling all of this heat. You can really feel the heat and with the steam coming off of them you get an instant facial. The smell of sulfur was there, but it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Which is fortunate, because Ian walked around with his nose buried in his shirt for four days. We saw the famous Fishing Cone Geyser. This geyser sits in the lake. The story goes, that in the early days of the park, people would fish here and then put the fish in the geyser and cook it still on the hook. Unfortunately, the water in the geyser has traces of arsenic, so they were slowly poisoning themselves. Obviously, that practice is no longer allowed. While we were there, Fishing Cone was completely submerged under the water. The lake was high due to large amount of snow melt they have had. You could still see it. It was probably only a couple of inches below the surface of the lake.

While we were at this basin, a couple of elk decided the geysers would be a great place to take a stroll and nap for a while. It was amazing to see these huge animals just walk among us, like we were not there. It was just another reminder that we were in a very special place.

We then headed over to our hotel, the Old Faithful Inn. I have always wanted to come to Yellowstone, and I have always said that I was going to stay at the Inn. I wanted to walk out the front door and watch Old Faithful erupt. It is crazy, but I wanted to experience that. As we headed over to the Inn, we crossed over the Continental Divide twice. Very cool, but I don't think we ever got the kids to understand what the Continental Divide is. As we got to the Inn and drove up to the entrance, it was a beautiful and amazing as I thought it would be. Walking in to the lobby, you immediately look up and the six-story lobby and fireplace. It is amazing. We quickly checked in, took the largest of the bags to our room...which I will describe later. We then walked over to Old Faithful, and right on cue, it erupted in full force. It was like the park wanted everything on our first day to be picture-perfect. Ian was on cloud nine...he finally got to see a geyser erupt! You just stand there and watch it shoot water over a hundred feet in the air. It was great. After we recovered, we went next door to the Old Faithful Lodge and had dinner. As we walked back, we got an encore performance by Old Faithful. Could our first day in the park be any better. We ran by our car and got the rest of our stuff out and headed to our room.

Now our room. We stayed in the original part of the hotel that was built in 1904, or was it 1914. Oh, well...it's old. It is in it's original form and is quite rustic and small compared to today's modern hotel rooms. That is to say, there was no bathroom. That was down the hall, with the showers. Now before you freak out, let me say this. We made our reservations a year in advance. And this was the only type room left at the Inn then. Also, it was $89 a night. We could of stayed at the Lodge with a bathroom for $200 a night. Plus, dang it, I wanted to stay in the Inn! It turned out not to be so bad. The bathrooms were right across the hall from us and there were private showers in each. We did have a sink in the room, so it wasn't that big of a deal. The rooms were quite small. There were no televisions, phones, or alarm clocks. No closets, just hooks and hangers to use. There was a small fan and a radiator for temperature comfort. But we found the room to be warm and we slept with the window open and that was just fine. It was actually just fine and the kids ended up loving it.

Now I know I have gushed more than usual. Okay, I never gush! But have you ever had a dream of doing something. And that dream comes true, and exceeds your expectations. Well, that was this day for me. It was amazing and one I will never forget. I am staying at the Old Faithful Inn, I walked out the front door, and Old Faithful erupted as if it had been waiting all day for us. WOW!! The park is beyond words. If you have never been, you owe it to yourself to go there. It makes you feel very privileged to be there and let's you know that only God could have created something so incredible.