Yellowstone

Our first week of summer vacation was spent in a trip to Yellowstone with Aunt Becky and Aunt Christine.  It was super fun!

On our first venture into the park, we began looking for things on a scavenger hunt I made for the kids.  The scavenger hunt had some generic nature items to look for and some specific to Yellowstone.  But a waterfall was one thing, and so was volcanic rock, both of which we found very quickly!

Those discoveries were on our way to Old Faithful, of course, because that was the first thing the kids wanted to see.  We ended up seeing it erupt about three or four times over the week.

Yellowstone park is home to many hydrothermal features, like this growling, steaming cave called the Dragon's Mouth. 

Shareese and Liam were super scientists whie on our adventure.  We didn't just see the sights, but made sure we learned as much as we could about them.

We worked on our Young Scientist books while waiting for Grand Geyser, which decided not to show up until about and hour and a half after predicted.  We had given up and were halfway down the boardwalk when it finally started.

(This one is not Old Faithful, but a smaller geyser)

The hot spring pools were beautiful with vibrant colors

The Paint Pot mud pots ended up being my favorite.  They weren't amazing colors or an explosive show like other features, but the thick bubbling was mesmerizing.  

We put in some research, work, and exploration and Christine, then Becky, then Liam and Reese earned their Junior Ranger patch, so we had to get a picture with them and an actual ranger!

I loved the Mammoth Hot Springs, because the formations were so cool!  None of the information explained how they were formed, though, so I think I have some further research to do.

While driving home from Mammoth we saw a bear by the side of the road.  People were getting way close.  We stayed in the car but still managed to get a really good video.