My dream of visiting Yellowstone in the winter came true and it was beyond expectations!!! It was so beautiful AND I got to share it with my family!!!

We arrived in Bozeman the day after finals were over. Ready for rest and family time!!

 
We waited at the airport for Nonnie and Poppie…

 

 

It was awesome to be together!

On Saturday we headed into Yellowstone.

We stayed at Mammoth Hot Springs in a hotel built in the early 1900s

  
  

Here is a photo tour of our adventures. The pictures correspond to this map:

1. Around the hotel:

A magpie

Fort Yellowstone

The Elk love to stay near Mammoth Hot Springs.  It’s easier to find grass at this lower elevation.

The sunrise was always amazing!

2.  The Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs

  
On Sunday, we took a snow coach to Old Faithful!

The roads are all closed for winter, and We were the first to travel in and out this season. Our guide, Wim, was awesome and of course the girl charmed the socks off of him!

I enjoyed my photography the whole day!

(Photo credit: the girl)

We followed the blue route with the snowcoach:

3. Swan Lake Flats

I thought this was one of the most beautiful places we saw.  Photos do not do it justice.

This is the “road”, and I don’t need to explain why snowcoach is the only way in.

Mule Deer
4.  Near Norris

Bison are perfectly adapted for this weather.  Their shovel-shaped heads help them dig under the snow for grass.  They are so well-insulated that the snow doesn’t even melt…no body heat escapes that thick fur.
  

We saw 3 eagles in one place!

Trumpeter swans are rare in Yellowstone!

This coyote was “mousing”
5. Gibbon Falls

6. Firehole Canyon

7.  Fountain Paint Pots

This was a terrific stop!  We saw all 4 types of thermal features: Geysers, Hot Springs, Fumeroles, and Mud Pots.  We arrived just in time to see Fountain and Jet Geysers going off simultaneously.

 

  
  
  

8. Old Faithful

  

On Monday morning, we got up really early and went on a Lamar Valley Wildlife tour. Our guide was Kirk, and we had an incredible day of wildlife viewing!

(Photo credit: the girl)

We followed the red route into the Lamar Valley:

9. Hellroaring Mountain Overlook

  

10. Yellowstone River (heading towards the Lamar Valley)

(Photo credit: the girl)

This is a “nursery boulder”.  The fir grows up in the microclimate of the boulder!  

Supposedly, the pronghorn had left the valley for winter.  We were really glad that these two did not get that message!
11. Lamar Valley

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Coyote in Soda Butte Creek

We saw these two dots far off… hoping for wolves…and upon further inspection….

….definitely WOLVES!!!  Three!!!  Two gray and one black!!

  



12. Near Barronette Peak

13. Northeast Entrance

It was an amazing trip!  We made lots of friends:

This is Connie, a local photographer.  She saw the girl with her camera and gave her a signed copy of her book!  We enjoyed sharing the girl’s photos with her after our tours.

The Girl decided that she would like to be a ranger one day!

This is Andrea, the girl’s “favorite water pourer”.  We enjoyed visiting with her and her encouraging smile!    

Ms Jerene was the Volunteer host who encouraged our little “junior ranger”.

 

Nonnie enjoyed playing the piano in the famous Map room!  All of the guests enjoyed that Nonnie played the piano for them!
  

 

This was the most amazing trip ever.  THANKS MOM AND DAD!!
  

When it was time to leave, we were escorted by this beautiful animal…

…and we enjoyed the scenery all the way home…