Day 5 - 7/28/12 First Day in Yellowstone

Day 5 Yellowstone Exploration day!

No travelling today, we decided to take two days to go into Yellowstone National Park.

RV Park - Sacred grounds for the retired, Caucasian, road traveler and us.

 

This morning we wake up in the lovely Grizzly RV park in West Yellowstone. This place is like a master planned community, our 28 foot fifth wheel is almost dwarfed by the ginormous RV's we are parked in between. I am sure they feel we are from the wrong side of the tracks in the recreational vehicle world, we don't even have satellite TV. We always get up based on Katelyn’s schedule which tends to be about 8:00am, so we really can’t complain. Babies are so resilient and she has handled things so very well. Poor little thing, we have plucked her up from her home thrown her into a trailer for a month and then forced her to drive around and look at things that don’t even compute for her, not to mention changing her pants at rest areas and truck stops. She has really fallen back into her normal schedule, which makes me feel better in my hope that I am not ruining her for life. As I am sure, most new moms can relate to, you are sure everything you do has the potential to totally screw them up. This morning she wakes up as she normally does, very sweet and talkative. Since she has been very little we have done “Eskimo Kisses” with her, this morning she leans over and tries to give Oliver Eskimo Kisses. amazingly I realize that I am now someone who adores and cherishes moments like this, when your precious, delicate,  infant daughter is rubbing her nose on the nose of your dingy dog. The best part was that Oliver tolerated it. We are in such close quarters that I think the dogs have given up on trying to avoid Katelyn, the mini torture machine. It’s nearly impossible to ignore her when they are crammed into the back seat of the truck or in the trailer together. 

Today we are heading into Yellowstone to check out the park. There are two loops of the park; we have decided to do the lower loop today which has the more well-known sites like Old Faithful. We didn't have as many adventures for me to re-tell, it was more just the sites there were to see. So this blog entry will mainly be photos of our day with fewer stories to share; well up until the INCIDENT of that evening that almost ended this entire trip. But I will get there, now back to the lovely national park we are visiting.

First Elk of the day.
She was actually really close to the road, Scott didn't want me to get out to take this picture,
but I left the door open so if I had to run I could just jump right into the truck (that was my master plan)
Though that put me steps above the parents who actually sent their two children down the hill to be photographed in front of the elk. If that thing charged those kids were on their own...

The different colors would indicate different temperatures

Thermal pools and hot springs

You can't tell but Katelyn is as amazed by this as we are.

Yellowstone Grand Canyon and Artist Falls

We call this one -  "Asian Lady, Hidden Elk"

Bison, chillaxin'

Bison stalkers

More than one Bison

Old Faithful

Waiting for Old Faithful, Katelyn made a friend. Which kid is cuter?
If you choose the wrong kid your computer will be infected with a virus, choose wisely.

Katelyn giving her "This is super awesome" face

So our long day of seeing the sites has ended. Scott has decided he wants me to drive us back to the RV park, the driving can be very tedious as it can take 45 minutes to an hour to go 20 miles in the park. I am sure it's from all those fools getting out of their vehicles to take pictures of the Elk eating on the side of the road. Sadly I think that Elk fooled me again, I am pretty sure I got out and took another picture of the same stinking Elk on the way back, oh well. I SAFELY transport us all back to the RV park (here comes the incident). When we get to our spot Scott tells me to back the truck in towards the trailer, I do as I am told. As I back it in, Scott gives me some sort of fist pump signal, possibly even a Black Power fist, ignoring his odd gestures I continue to back in waiting for him to tell me to stop (possibly by putting his palm up facing me, in my world that means stop) Answer me this, when  you see police officers directing traffic what gesture do the make to the cars they would like to have stop?? It's not the Black Power fist. Anyway I am sure you can see where this leads. Suddenly Scott is yelling and swearing loud enough for that stupid Elk to hear, I quickly look back to make sure I have not run over his daughter, because that is what his current reaction seemed to warrant. I have not run over Katelyn or even the dogs so I fly out of the truck to make sure I have not run over some AARP member enjoying the RV park. There is fire in Scott's eyes so I can only imagine what I have done, he yells that I have hit the trailer hitch with the back of the truck. Really, that's it?? Well gosh darn - it that's a bummer!?!? I decide that I need a little air and go see if the weirdo is walking his cat. When I get back I inform Scott that I will call the insurance agent and will get the truck fixed. He then informs me it's not that bad, I didn't bother to even look at it. I head over to inspect the damage -

I am more upset about how badly my nails look.

The Damage. Oh really? You can't see it?
Let me help --->