We took a weekend trip to Yellowstone, our local supervolcano. It was cool there which was refreshing after being so hot at home. We caught Grand geyser erupting.

We saw bison and geese and osprey and marmots and elk and deer and wildflowers. The harebell was Lilah’s favorite. We also saw asters and paintbrush and lupine and others I didn’t recognize.

 

We saw geysers and mud pots and hot springs and fumaroles and read about how they work and what minerals they have and why the bacteria inside and surrounding them are different colors. We learned that the difference between geysers and hot springs is how narrow the chute the water comes through up to the surface is.  If it’s narrow then it’s a geyser; if wide then a hot spring. I told Lilah how the wolves were systematically killed, then reintroduced and are doing well now.  We didn’t spot any, though.

Lilah pointed out this bird in a long-dead tree.

We ventured through the steam from erupting Sawmill geyser

and the kids climbed on trees.

At our campsite, we tried our hammock and found it was easy to put up and very fun to sit and lie in.

The kids were disappointed to leave for home and asked if we could go again next year, see some more of the park we haven’t explored yet. Yes.