Yellowstone Vacation September 2015

Bear World

At the beginning of our adventure we stopped in Idaho at Bear World.  We weren't quite sure what to expect but decided to give it a go.  Jake and Carolyn didn't want to pay the exorbitant fee to get in so they waited in their car outside the gates.  It was $75 a car to drive through Bear World and we had to sign lots of disclaimers that we wouldn't sue them if the bears decided to use our car as a chew toy.  It was interesting to see the animals up close but also a little sad because they really have very little space to roam around especially when you see how many animals inhabit this small area.

Most of the bears ignored us but a few got pretty close to the car.  We were told to keep moving or they would attack our car so we went slow but kept moving.  We saw other cars stop but we kept to the rules. It would have been a bummer way to start our vacation if we had to get a popped tire replaced.

After driving through the "preserve" we parked and went into the gift shop/petting zoo area.  They take all the bear cubs away from their mamas and hand raise them so they can let people get pictures with them etc.  

Within the petting zoo there were tame deer, chickens and a pot belly pig.  The kids had fun checking them out.

There were also a few kiddie rides.  

Island Park, ID

Our first lodgings were in Island Park, Idaho just outside West Yellowstone.  It was a really pretty place but very rural.  There wasn't much there. We had a tough time finding anything that resembled a grocery store and when we did it was attached to a gas station and was pretty limited in selection.  

Henry's Fork River

Our cabin!

Our cabin must have been built and furnished in the 70's (of course Jake and Carolyn felt right at home, as this is still their home decor style preference).  It was decently comfortable and sorta clean (if you don't count dust, cobwebs and carpet in the upstairs bathroom).  Let's just say we survived. We had enough beds for everyone which turned out to be a bigger deal than we thought - at least compared to our next stop.

Yellowstone

 As we traveled through out the park to major attractions we stopped along the way to see the different smaller sights.  The first day we had decent weather although it was chilly and overcast.

You really need "smell-o-vision" to get a true sense of what it was like near these hot pots.  The steam coming off of them was very sulfurous - in other words . . . . bad dog fart. 

 Through the majority of our trip we had nasty rainy, foggy weather.  In some areas we had snow.

 Madison River

Sadly Carolyn stayed in the car most of the time. So she missed out on lots of the sights we had to walk a little bit to.

What trip would be complete without the obligatory animal traffic jam.

West Yellowstone

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center

 This was one of our favorite stops along the way.  I would recommend Discovery Center over Bear World in a heart beat.  It was cheaper, much more educational, the animals were better cared for.  The wolves were breathtaking! Jake and Carolyn missed out on this as well because Carolyn forgot to bring walking shoes. They spent the time we were at the Center shopping West Yellowstone for shoes.

They had a bear feeding while we were there. It was a little scary but mostly interesting to see the bears eating big pieces of carcasses.

Mammoth Hot Springs

This area is known for the herds of elk who "camp out" in the area. There were  lots of park rangers hovering around the large bulls making sure that tourists didn't get too close.  As the sun started to set in the evening the bulls began bugling.  I wish we had gotten a video of it.  

After checking out Mammoth Hot Springs we had lunch in the cafeteria and checked out the visitor's center.  We had researched and planned to spend a little time in the Boiling River.  Even though it was a cold day the water in some spots really was boiling.  Jake, Hannah and Asher were the most adventurous and explored the area.  Lance, JJ and Sara didn't like the slippery rocks so they held back a little but still got to experience the water.  Carolyn stayed in the car.

After watching the elk poop upstream Sara was glad that she only got her feet wet in the water.

Old Faithful

You can't go to Yellowstone and not stop at Old Faithful. That being said this was probably the most difficult day we had.  The weather was awful so we stayed in the visitor's center watching a movie about Yellowstone while waiting for the time when Old Faithful would errupt.  This was kinda boring for the kids.  We didn't have a lot of food with us because we had already had lunch quite a bit earlier.  JJ decided to throw a colossal fit because he was hungry and bored.  Dealing with a 13 year old acting like a 2 year old in a public place is not something I have learned to deal with easily or calmly.  By the time Old Faithful erupted Lance, Sara and Jake were about ready to erupt too.    

Upper Falls

Yellowstone Lake

Due to the crappy weather and some grumpy people, Jake and Carolyn headed back to the cabin to have dinner.  We continued around to see a few more sights and let the kids get their Jr Ranger badges.  

Jackson Hole, WY

After driving through the Tetons and stopping at a visitor center for a potty break we made it to the Jackson Hole valley.  It really is a beautiful area.  We had rented a condo just outside Jackson Hole proper.  It was in a residential area full of town homes and condos - some of which were vacation rentals.  It was really nice and clean, beautifully decorated but the bed situation was not ideal.  As I mentioned before JJ is not the most flexible person. On this occasion he threw a fit about having to not only sleep on a pull out bed in the family room but to have to share it with someone.  There were two bedrooms with queen size beds and one single bed in a sort of loft area. That left two people to share the queen size sofa bed.  After much wrangling and arguing Asher (who as usual tried to be a peacemaker)said he would sleep on the floor next to the single bed in the loft area.  JJ slept on the pull out and Hannah slept on the single bed.  It was difficult to try and not let these negative things cast a pall over our trip.  Sara got frustrated after the Grands decided to chime in on how they thought we were doing on the parenting thing.  Lesson learned for future experiences - parents are doing the best they can with the personalities that exist in their families. They know their kids better than anyone else.  Criticism is rarely helpful or useful.

We spent part of one day exploring downtown Jackson Hole.  Carolyn and I liked the shopping a bit more than anyone else but on this day most people were doing their best to be flexible. We had a disappointing lunch at a cafe downtown - next time we put a little more research into good restaurants in the area.

We explored the fish hatchery just out side of Jackson for Jake.

We attempted to explore the local wildlife art museum.  We rushed through it because they were closing early for some sort of private event.  If I went back to the area I would like to try and go again.  Out side the museum they had an art installation that was the zodiac.  We each stood next to our zodiac animal.  Carolyn stayed in the car so we didn't get a photo of her.

 Bar J Wranglers

Jake and Carolyn are big fans of the Bar J Wranglers and try to go to their concerts whenever they come to Utah County.  They are originally from Jackson Hole and have a dinner show there.  We got tickets in advance so that we could experience the fun.  We all really enjoyed it! I was a bit worried that the kids wouldn't enjoy the western music but they all really liked it - especially the comedy.  The food wasn't too bad either!

We left Jackson Hole while it was covered with a heavy blanket of wet fog.  As we climbed up out of the valley we left the fog behind and gained this breathtaking view.

This trip had its ups and downs.  Being in close quarters for long periods of time and lots of long car rides made some parts hard.  Nevertheless I am glad that we were able to go and see the beauty in and surrounding Yellowstone.  Next time I think we should go closer to mid summer and ride the snake river.