Yellowstone National Park

Before we left Kyrgyzstan to come back to the US, we sat down as a family and made a list of things we wanted to do together, the five of us. The next time we come back to the US will be just a few months away from Krypto graduating high school and heading to college, and so we knew, if we wanted to be guaranteed these memories, as a family, we should work them into our travel plans this time. For Indy, that meant seeing Yellowstone and the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he was born, with the children. He finally got his part of the trip!

Some of the views entering the park were incredible.

You can still see the damage from the fire in 1988.

We had lots of opportunities to get out of the car and look around.

Indy and I, right after entering Yellowstone National Park.

Oh, and if you have a 4th grader, be sure to get on the "Every Kid in a Park" website and get your free National Park Pass. It's good for the whole year that your child is in the 4th grade and is for the whole family to enter all of the National Parks, for free!

Here is our 4th grader. Thanks Sissi for all the memories we made these past few months using your free National Park Pass.

Gwangi, overlooking Yellowstone Lake.

See the little bears...no zoom on this picture, they were just off of the side of the road.

Same thing here, no zoom, that guy was just laying 100 ft from the side of the road, taking an afternoon nap.

For Sissi to earn her Junior Ranger badge, she had to attend a Ranger presentation. This one was about Eagles and other birds of prey found in Yellowstone.

Walking down by the lake.

Back on our drive, and we saw more buffalo.

And deer.

More deer...can you see the edge of the road there, they were very close.

Some of the steam pots that we stopped to see.

Part of another lake in Yellowstone.

I love the coloring that the minerals give to the ground and the water.

So blue.

Old Faithful. We were able to see it erupt at least three times that I remember. This was our first night.

The requisite picture by the Old Faithful sign.

We stayed that night in some of the wooden cabins right by Old Faithful.

One of the eruption predictor clocks you see in the Old Faithful Lodge.

Look at that architecture. One day, I'd love to stay here.

Earning her Junior Ranger badge.

Taking her oath to protect National Parks.

Outside of the Old Faithful Lodge, one of the old fashioned cars that used to take people around the site. Very cool!

And, here it goes again. This was first thing in the morning, after we woke up and came out to see Old Faithful.

Got a family shot, thanks to the stranger who took our camera and got a picture of us while Old Faithful was erupting.

We took a walk around the area to see all of the other geysers and steam pots that surround the Old Faither Basin.

Sissi really enjoyed all the opportunities to stop and draw what she saw. She hopes to turn her drawings into paintings when we return to Kyrgyzstan and she gets her birthday art supplies.

Photo taken by Sissi.

The view back across the path we were walking on. Love the colors and seeing the Old Faithful Lodge in the distance.

As we returned from our walk, Old Faithful was going off again! So glad I got pictures from several different angles.

We left the Old Faithful area and continued our loop to the north.

We stopped at the old Ranger Station house and got to learn about the history of the Yellowstone Rangers. I wonder if this picture is a predictor of the future?!

So many buffalo to see, just off the side of the road as you're driving.

The falls of Yellowstone. One of the things that I was really waiting for. I love waterfalls!

One of the Rangers took this family picture for us!

Working on her drawings.

All done and ready to head out of the park.

But, not before we see more buffalo.

And make another stop to see more steam pots...

And amazing vistas.

Yellowstone is truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth.