We enjoyed our sunrise spectacular so much that we planned on going again the next morning. We decided to leave earlier and go on the Fairy Falls hike to watch the sunrise from a different angle. This time, Alissa wanted to sleep in and my dad wanted to come. Unfortunately, Max and Sam didn't set alarms right or slept through them or something so they didn't make it, but that meant that I got to have unusual alone time with my dad which was awesome.
It was so cool to see all the undisturbed hot pots and geysers. The steam was billowing straight up instead of twisting all around with the wind from cars and people all around like it does during the day.
This is the parking lot at the Fairy Falls hike. It was so cool! But there were four new big "watch out for bears" "high bear activity" "don't travel in groups smaller than 4 people" signs so my dad and I didn't feel good about doing that hike alone. There was absolutely nobody else in sight, not even any cars in the parking lot, so we turned around and my dad took me to Firehole Lake instead.
Look at that! AMAZING scenery. It was the perfect Yellowstoney place to watch the sunrise. I love this picture. The sun was rosier and softer this morning instead of the goldeny blaze the previous morning.
My dad and I parked and walked down this road just as the geyser was erupting. Perfect timing! We felt very privileged since a sign said it erupts every few hours.
We were constantly amazed by the sinkholes and caverns and craters in the landscape.
We loved this bubbling caldera. We talked about how much energy is coursing through the earth in Yellowstone as we observed so many bubbles and geysers and mudpots and hot springs.
This is called "Young Hopeful Geyser" and it was aptly named. You can see it in the right corner trying its hardest to be impressive. We thought it was very cute.
Our footprints in the early morning dew. I know I keep saying it but being in the park at this hour, alone with nature and the elements, is a moving experience. It was so nice to share it with my dad.
It's so amazing that things continue to grow with all the sulfur and heat and minerals and erosion. Life is resilient!
PopPop took the kids who were ready to get a head start, and the rest of us soon followed.
Stockton loved getting this close to a stop sign. It was his brilliant idea to bring his scooter!
notice the noodles mess where Claire was eating to Natalie's left haha
We came home and had a delicious take out breakfast on our picnic tables in the sunshiny morning. Then a big group went on a day-long hike up the cliffs that we had seen near Mammoth yesterday, and the rest of us walked into town to find prizes for the kids and ice cream.
Gassing up his scooter, making sure we're good to go
Jack chose a bag of rocks/gems, Stockton chose a sheriff star with the name "Patrick" on it, and Natalie chose a heart shaped gem. Mimi got Jack a hoodie and Natalie a Yellowstone shirt, and Stockton freaked out when she offered to buy him a shirt so we quickly dropped it and went looking for ice cream.
We played at the playground, watched TV (the kids did not understand how cable works because they've only ever known DVDs or the Netflix model...they were pretty confused that you couldn't skip the ads or choose what you wanted to watch), made breakfast casserole for lunch (so lunch casserole?), and I did a load of laundry/got our cabin organized. Sara, Krispy, and my parents were so helpful keeping me company and helping with the kids while everyone else was gone. We decided it wasn't right not to venture into the park on our last full day, so we loaded the kids up and went back to the river wading spot where we had been a few nights before. This time we brought chairs and snacks and sat there enjoying the river. So delightful!
Monday was designated "fend for yourself" for dinner, so I asked the kids what they wanted and they all requested the same Chinese food that we ordered before haha. That didn't sound good to me so I ordered their Chinese and then literally ordered my own pizza! I got onions, peppers, and pepperoni, thinking the vegetables would prevent the kids from stealing it, especially after eating their fill of Chinese........how wrong I was. I shared with my parents, and the kids saw the pizza and were very interested in partaking, so while I was putting Claire to bed they decided to help themselves and I only ended up with a piece and a half of what was supposed to be my personal pizza. Good thing I love my children!
My sad pile of pizza remnants. I almost ordered another one haha but we had so many snacks and treats I felt like that would have been excessive.
Look at these views!!! I need to get a picture that one of my brothers has that shows the cliffs in the background because this picture doesn't properly show how extremely high up they really were. So cool! Austin and Jack even found a pair of elk antlers so they each took one side home.
They finally returned from their hike around 8:30 that night and it was good to see them again. We hung out a little bit all together but since we were leaving the next morning everyone was kind of getting their stuff ready and cars packed. It was another great day!
My dad, Sam, and Krispy left for home (Utah), my mom, Max, and Abeepa left for camping in the Tetons, and my family and Jack/Sara left for Cheyenne the next morning. It was funny how much the kids floated around in all the different cars. Stockton's favorite place to be was next to Sara in her car. So cute.
We got home and felt so gross after all the junk that we consumed for the past 5 days, so Austin and I had this pan of vegetables for dinner and it was amazing. It was fun to spend another night and morning with Jack and Sara before they went home to Omaha.
I am so grateful for this time that we got to spend together! It is so fun that ALL of us were there. It takes effort and time and preparation and sacrifice to make this kind of reunion happen but it is always so worth it!
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