This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Vacation Recap 2018, Part 7
Sep
19
2018
Continued from last week
Day 11
We slept in a little bit, since this was just a travel day. Breakfast, clean up, pack the van, then go.
We drove for a while to our first destination – lunch at The Notorious P.I.G.
It was a good BBQ, but even better is they had a serve-yourself drink station. They kids were able to mix and match pop and lemonade and iced tea to their hearts’ content. Plus they got to fill up before getting back on the road so they couldn’t complain about being thirsty in the van. Due to that, we made extra sure everyone used the bathroom.
As far as the food goes, it was good. There was some sort of a package that got us a better deal than individual meals. I did not like the brisket as it was too fatty. But they had squeeze bottles of BBQ sauce on each table, along with rolls of paper towels, so it qualified as a standard BBQ joint.
If you do go looking for it, it is a bit off the freeway, more into the heart of downtown. But it’s not too bad to get there. And much better than any fast food that can be found right at the freeway.
We made another pit stop a couple hours after that, and then we were in Yellowstone country. We stopped at a gas station just outside the entrance to the park, since I didn’t want to have to leave the park to get gas once we were in there. Yes, now I know there are gas stations in the park, but at the time I was assuming there weren’t. When we stopped, the heavens opened and dumped rain and hail on us. The younger two kids were captivated by the hail and got out of the van to try to collect some hailstones.
Note: do not buy snacks at any gas stations around Yellowstone. Total ripoff.
Then we proceeded into the park, for free again because of our fourth-grader. The rain was still coming down hard.
But since the park is so big, by the time we got to a place that was scenic for our first here-we-are-at-Yellowstone photos, the rain had stopped.
Look, here we are at Yellowstone:
To me, scenic nature spots involve mountains and rivers, of which Yellowstone has both. The mountains are farther in the background than at Glacier, but the rivers are more prominent.
I was going to drive to our cabin for check-in, but we noticed smoke rising from the ground and figured we would pull off and see what it was.
It was, of course, a designated parking lot and boardwalk and such for tourists to look at the thermal features. The first thing I noticed was how desolate-looking the place was.
The water is hot enough to kill the vegetation, plus I’m sure the sulfur doesn’t help any.
That’s one thing we were not prepared for: the smell.
I read up on a bunch of things to prepare for the trip, but I don’t recall having seen any warning about the smell. So if you haven’t been there yet, be warned – there is a lot of sulfur smell in the air, especially around geysers and other vents.
At that stop (Fountain Paint Pots) we got to see a small version of one of Yellowstone’s famous landmarks – the prismatic spring.
And my favorite of the trip: Red Spouter.
It was a constantly gurgling and splashing little puddle of reddish mud.
Then there was this warning alongside the boardwalk.
I don’t know how to walk slippery. Perhaps someone at the Ministry of Silly Walks could help. But if it is wet out, you must walk slippery.
All the features there were quite interesting, and it was a good stop. It happened to be not too busy, which was good because that can be a very popular place.
Back in the van we went, then off to check-in. Check-in went well once we got to the right place. Yellowstone is huge, and the Old Faithful complex is confusing. Be sure to have a map and know where you need to go, because the signs are not helpful. We followed the signs and ended up in the wrong spot, even after we had been there and knew approximately where things were.
Anyway, our cabin was in an unexpectedly good location. Here is the view from our front door:
You can see the line of people along the middle of the photo – that’s the people waiting for Old Faithful to erupt. Not only was the cabin within walking distance of the geyser, but we didn’t even need to walk there to watch it. But of course we did go. Here is a photo of it close up.
It wasn’t much more than a puddle – disappointing after all the hype.
Ok, ok, here’s a photo of the actual thing.
And here is how it looks with all the tourists.
After watching an eruption, we wandered around the complex. We stopped in to see the Old Faithful Inn, the largest wooden building in the world.
They don’t make them like they used to. Building codes and such. Plus without the CCC, many things now would be cost-prohibitive to build. But I’m glad it was built and is still there, as it was even more impressive inside.
Dinner that night was snacky stuff and whatever we had left in the van. Since the rooms didn’t have fridges, we ate all the perishables that we could and threw the rest away. In bear-proof trash cans away from our cabin, of course.
Then it was evening, and morning the next day.
To Be Continued…
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills;
Deuteronomy 8:7
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:59 am and has been carefully placed in the Travel category.
