Picnic Dinner at River

On our way back from Norris Geyser Basin to our hotel we stopped to have lunch at a picnic spot along the river.  It ended up being a really nice place for our picnic dinner.  On the drive there we also happened to see a mama grizzly bear and two cubs running across the road right in front of my parents' car.  Unfortunately none of us got pictures but it was a really cool thing to see.  

My kids had a lot of fun playing at our picnic spot after they ate.  Anders was very happy to just play in the dirt and get very dirty while Alden wanted to play with sticks, dirt and go close to the river.  It was a really nice stop to end our day.

Eliza was a happy little girl, enjoying sitting in the stroller.

The boys loved playing in the dirt there.

Anders sat on this tree stump and played in the dirt most of the time we were there.

He had so much fun making circles with his feet in the dirt.

He was so happy!

Getting dirty and having fun!

It was a very pretty picnic spot that we all enjoyed.

Daddy and Alden enjoying their apples together!

Time to wash hands before we left.

Washing Anders' hands was interesting because he just wanted to grab the mud below the water but eventually they got cleaner.  This was a great stop for dinner and I am glad that we randomly decided to stop here.

Norris Geyser Basin

We had a lot of fun going back into Yellowstone park to the Norris Geyser Basin one evening.  It was a beautiful area to walk around and see some more thermal features.  There were a lot of small geysers and hot pots around the trail and there were some bubbling mud pots too.  It was neat to see everything and see some more active features while we were walking the trails.  I also liked being back in the park in the evening because it was relaxing and starting to cool off as we walked around.

Grandpa talking to Alden about everything that there was to see.

Anders had fun looking at everything from the stroller.

I love seeing how the trees come right up next to some of the features.  

Alden loved stopping to look at everything for about 5 seconds, and then he would want to keep walking.

There were so many cool things to see and my boys thought Grandpa was the best buddy.

One of the little geysers was going off and it was really fun to watch.

I love seeing the steam just rising off some of the ponds.

So many pretty views!  I just loved the diversity of landscapes within Yellowstone National Park.

Eliza enjoying some time with Grandma.

Walking the trails through so many diverse landscapes.

Snack time!

I believe this is one of the biggest geysers in the park but it goes off sporadically and infrequently.  Still, it was neat to see it!

Bear and Wolf Encounter

Right across the street from our hotel was the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.  We decided to go over there one day to see the bears and wolves and enjoy seeing some up close.  It ended up being a really fun experience that Alden particularly enjoyed.  Alden actually got to help put out food for some of the bears which he thought was really neat!  It was cool to be able to put him in an activity that was hands on and where he got to learn a little more about how they take care of the bears.

Alden got to pick a badge there to keep and he picked the one with a picture of the bear called 101 and for the rest of the trip he kept telling us about 101 and how he got to feed her.  He also started naming other bears that we saw in the park 101.  It was cute and fun to see him get so excited.

The building at the front had some really cool exhibits that we had fun looking at.

Anders loved the computer exhibits but he got really excited when we went outside and he saw the bears for the first time!

The bears are out wandering the enclosure and they switch out which bears are out throughout the day.

They usually have two bears out at a time.

They also have a couple different types of wolves out.

It was fun to just watch the bears explore the enclosures.

These two bears were playing around and fighting in their little pool.  It was really neat to watch.

Alden loved seeing all the other animals like birds of preys and prairie dogs.

Alden had fun exploring and going in this little den they had for kids to see.

Alden was the littlest kid in the program to help feed the bears.  You had to be 5 years old to do it so Alden was barely old enough, but he was so excited.

Alden carrying his bucket of food out.

He was so focused the whole time.

They had to try and hide the food for the bears so Alden put his under some rocks.

Here is the bear finding the food Alden hid!

Alden was so great and it was great to see how excited this whole experience made him!

Eliza was perfectly happy sleeping in the stroller!