Yellowstone- Part 1: The Story

My first trip to Jelly-stone and I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  Zach, Lucy, and I headed east to meet up with my mom and Ben for a weekend in the world's first National Park.  Fall is well known for the elk rut which we encountered first hand.

The weekend started in Island Park at the Latham's family cabin.  We are very lucky to be able to use this launching pad to an endless paradise of the outdoors.  Jeannie, Ben, and Luke arrived in their RV and we spent the afternoon canoeing down the Henry's Fork of the Snake River.  The indian summer weather felt warm and relaxing.  A rather close encounter with a bull moose resting in the willows shot us back into reality before we excited the river.

The early bird gets the worm... and we weren't disappointed the next morning with our early start into Yellowstone.  Within fifteen minutes of entering the park we were surrounded by a herd of elk being serenaded by their ever present "bull".    There had to be at least fifty or so people pulled over in their cars witnessing the morning meadow scene and you could have heard a pin drop.  Everyone seemed enthralled to step into a seemingly amazing National Geographic moment.  The rest of the day was chalked full of gorgeous scenery, more wild animal encounters, and a lot of history.  A stop at Old Faithful and another encounter with the elk in rut left us excited for the next days activities in the park.

Our final day in the park we witnessed the volcanic aspects of Yellowstone's varied terrain.  The geyser pools seemed other worldly and literally appeared to be an artists palette in pure turquoise, amber, yellow, crimson, emerald, and whites.  We had a rare mountain goat sighting before leaving which made not seeing a grizzly bear or wolf seem manageable.  But in the short time we spent in the park it's truly amazing how many wild animals you see up close and personal.  Here's our list of sightings: elk (bull, cow, and calves), bison, coyote, bald eagle, blue heron, muskrat, mountain goat, moose, rainbow trout, Sandhill cranes, antelope, Kokanee salmon, and more.

I felt so grateful that a few pioneers had the foresight to save this national treasure from economic development in the early conquest of the American West.  It was wonderful to share this experience with people I love.  I look forward to our next visit and many more to come!

Part 2: Zach's photos...to be continued.