Yellowstone Campout

June 3-6 we went camping in Yellowstone. I had never been and it was on my Utah bucket list (to do before we move), so we went. Unfortunately Mother Nature didn't choose her best Yellowstone weather for our visit since it rained non-stop for all but most of one day! It was chilly, but so much fun!

But Uncle Bri, I'm so close to getting my license and I pretty much know how to drive already...won't you pretty please just let me take your truck for a spin?

At Old Faithful walking around the boardwalks. Did I mention we had very rainy weather? It was cold too!

All bundled up! Apparently I looked like a marshmallow the whole trip. Oops.

That's the end of Old Faithful's eruption behind us. So neat! Right after it was done though, the heavens opened up and let the rain fly! We ran for the lodge to keep dry.

Finally on Saturday we had some sunshine. You may think I'm funny, but this little tree and rock were maybe one of my favorite things. It's a lone tree growing out of the rock in the middle of the river. Talk about perseverance against the odds!

A classic sight in the park. It was so neat to have animals in the road or wandering alongside the road so close to your car you can almost touch them. It was really neat for Grace to see so many wild animals.

At Yellowstone Lake

Grace had a fun time being with Daddy so much!


This is me for pretty much the whole trip. There were so many beautiful things to see, even from the road!

Like this guy.
And this gal.

Sweet girl decided to climb out of her pack and play for her nap. The only problem was that she fell asleep on top of all the blankets, so it was kind of tough for me when I snuck in to nap too. Brian slept with us in our little tent. He was such a trooper to squeeze in with us. I don't think he realized that it'd be that squishy because I am pregnant and sleep with my leg out to prop my belly up (yes, like an outrigger, thanks Bri)!

That afternoon we drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs. Throughout the town square there were wild elk and buffalo roaming right there along with all the tourists!


Some buffalo were grazing in the park right next to the parked cars.

The North Entrance had this incredible stone archway leading into the park.

Rob was an amazing driver and wildlife spotter (all at the same time!). He saw this guy before the bear jam had even started. It was neat to watch him for 10 minutes or so. He was so close!

The neatest part was watching him try to ford the river. It was running so high and fast that when he got in it swept him at least a quarter of a mild downriver before he could reach the other side!

This was as far North as any of us had ever been.

At the Mammoth Hot Springs. This was the only one we saw that had water running on it. So beautiful!

DeDe even had a good time despite some teasing from Uncle Bri. She and Grace still sit and commiserate over it :)

Enjoying her lunch by the fire.

We had a delightful time with Brian on the trip. What an incredible park it is! We can't wait to go back and explore more in (hopefully!) better weather!