Yellowstone, Part 2

Saturday night was a little tougher than Friday night, we both didn't sleep very well.  I did get to stay in the nice warm sleeping bag (covered in quilts :-) while Michael got up early to fish. He had really good luck fly fishing that morning, but he forgot the camera, so no fish pictures.  

We got the tent all packed up around 10am and then we hit the road to see the rest of the park (or what we could) before our 6 hour drive home. 

Gibbon Falls

The second place we stopped was one of my favorites!  It was called artist's paint pots.  You had to walk 1/3 a mile to get to the hot springs and paint pots. So we couldn't see what they were from the road.  We almost didn't make the walk, but then decided too.  I'm so glad we did!

At first all we saw was more hot springs and fumaroles (steam vents).

But then we got to the paint pots.  This picture doesn't really let you see, but it is a pile of bright white "mud".  That is the only way to describe it, and it is bubbly like crazy!  It is so thick though, and it looks crazy to see it bubbling!  The bubbles pop and splatter all over the place.  It was really neat!

Then it was on to the east side of the park to see the upper and lower falls of the "Yellowstone Grand Canyon."

upper falls

Remember, not fat, just a baby in there...and I was out of jeans that I could get on. 

Lower falls

This is kind of a tilted view of the canyon.  Isn't it pretty with all the rock colors and the river down below?

After stopping for a picnic lunch by Yellowstone river, we went on to the last place we wanted to stop, called mud volcano and sulfur cauldron.

We tried to walk to where there was more geysers off that trail, but a buffalo was right next to the trail up ahead.  It made for a fun photo op.

Then we hit the road home.  It was a long drive back.  We ended up getting home a little after 8pm, after leaving the park at 1:30pm.  We were both so tired, but we know we have to make these little trips while we can!  It won't be so easy next summer with a 7-8 month old, although we will still probably try to get some camping in.