Yellowstone... Day 1

After we set up camp we immediately headed out... had planned to stop at the same location as we had 2 years previously but that whole area is under road construction and you cannot stop... anywhere along the Gibbon Falls. So with that in mind we headed down to Lower Geyser Basin. First pulling over to check out the Firehole Falls.

We walked down to check out the Falls closer and the kiddos put their hands in the water... still chilly! The sounds here are amazing... the Falls are so loud... you have to shout to have someone hear you... and the smell... nothing beats that outdoor pine tree smell!

We stopped at the Fountain Paint Pots... where Walker was the leader of the boardwalk... and always asking, "When is the geyser going to explode?"

Love the paint pots... found it interesting that they change consistency with the weather... this time they were really liquidy due to the wet season the last time we visited they were barely moving and very thick.

Red Spouter..

We did a lot of this here... so stinky and when the winds change all that steam... makes you gasp.

We ran into a few Buffalo along the way...

Next stop Mid Geyser Basin... hoped to get a good shot of the Grand Prismatic spring... it's always under a thick steam. As we walked along Walker says, "That sure looks like Bacon!" Ha...

Grand Prismatic Spring once again was hard to photograph... think I'll just buy a postcard next time...

Love how the Buffalo just walk right out out to the areas at any given time...

Other favorites in this area... Black Opal Spring... just so different from the others.

Turquoise Pool... this pictures doesn't do it justice... it is amazing!

I thought the Bacterial Mats were also pretty cool... each color is a different type/temperature of bacteria.

I decided that Ainsley was old enough to use my little camera... she was so excited to take "real" pictures. I couldn't wait to "see" what she found interesting. She and Walker took about 350 pictures.

She too found the Buffalo prints interesting...

Herself...

Her brother DID NOT find this fun...

Spent the last of the day walking along the Madison river (at the campground)

Following trails... and chasing ground squirrels.