"Mom, can we go there, PLEASE," she begged me.
I told her that with Daddy back in school, I didn't think we'd be visiting Yellowstone anytime soon. I really need to learn to have more faith in Heavenly Father answering the prayers of little children. Just a few days after this exchange, Dad asked us if we'd like to go with him and Mom to pick up some of his horses a friend had been boarding for him in Idaho Falls. He thought it would be fun to take a whole weekend to do it and to drive through...drum roll please...Yellowstone on our way down.
Todd couldn't go because of school, but the kids and I packed up and had a spontaneous vacation with Grandma and Grandpa. We took the truck with the camper, which Tori thought was just about the coolest thing ever since it was like we were taking a little house with us everywhere we went. We stayed in a Wal-Mart parking lot somewhere in Montana our first night (an experience I never thought I'd have, personally!), then stayed in Yellowstone one night, then in the Tetons one night (though we spent the day in Yellowstone, so we didn't spend any time in the Tetons other than to camp for the night).
Yellowstone was beautiful! The park itself is so large, and we were trying to see it all in two days, so we didn't hike as much as I would have liked, but there was still plenty to see from the truck. The wildlife was incredible, and I was surprised at how close to the vehicles the animals were willing to come. When we first entered the park, we were greeted by this guy, just wandering through the streets and buildings of one of the more developed areas in the park:
We saw several more elk, including an entire herd that we saw bedding down, as well as others simply meandering along the roads:
We also saw bison:
A coyote:
And even a black bear!:
The park itself was gorgeous:
Though it was sad to me that there were huge tracts of land that had been burned in forest fires:
There was a petrified tree:
And a really interesting columnar basalt flow:
For me, the most beautiful place in the park was also home to one of the most horrifying experiences of my life. Artist Point is absolutely breathtaking...steep, jagged peaks drop to a river bed, dominated by a majestic waterfall in the distance. The overall effect is simply magnificent.
As we were walking to the view point, I was trying to get a picture of the falls, and was extremely upset that we had arrived just as the sun was setting behind the falls, forcing me to shoot into the light. Trying like crazy to adjust the worthless settings on my point and shoot to try to do the view justice, I made the mistake of letting go of Aaron's hand for a second to change a setting. It was just long enough for him to dart under the guard rail and end up about two feet from a sheer drop off that would have killed him. I remember feeling strangely calm and telling him to come back to me. Only after I grabbed his arm did the reality of the situation and the panic hit me. There was a root sticking up out of the ground right behind him, and I know that if I would have panicked and yelled at him, that he likely would have scrambled away from me in typical Aaron fashion, and would have ended up tripping on that root...I am constantly amazed at the blessings of the Spirit when it comes to parenting. Once I got him safely back away from the edge, I was shaken and physically ill for the rest of the day. That night as we fell asleep, I held him close and thanked Heavenly Father repeatedly for saving him. I cannot even imagine the horror of what came so close to happening. I'm shaking even now, writing this at the computer while he is safe in his bed. Here's a picture I took of him with Dad right after almost losing him. I think Dad was almost as shaken as I was...notice how tightly he's holding onto him. For the rest of the trip, Dad and I took turns holding him tightly. I know Aaron wasn't too happy about the arrangement, but I just can't imagine not having my little boy.
And, of course, Tori got to see Old Faithful. I just felt bad because she ended up with a stomach bug that day and almost missed the eruption because she was sick in the bathroom at the visitor's center. Poor baby girl. Thankfully, I think she still enjoyed the eruption, as well as the other thermal springs we were able to see:
Some more stunning places and beautiful kids:
Finally, when we left Yellowstone after the second day and made our way to the Tetons, it was sunset by the time we arrived. The sight that met us was truly breathtaking, though it only lasted for a few minutes before the sun set completely. It was wonderful to arrive just in time!
The weekend was wonderful, and I'm so thankful we had the chance to go. We made some great memories with Mom and Dad and were blessed to see one of the most amazing places I've ever been. Good times.
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