Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

We recently returned from a vacation in Yellowstone. We joined up with Christina's parents and her sister Beth's family and rented a little cabin outside of West Yellowstone. We visited many of the popular spots and saw various kinds of wildlife throughout the park (no bears...too bad). We had a fun time and the kids really enjoyed it, despite all the time spent in the car. It's a beautiful spot and there is so much to see. Here's a random sampling of the 300 photos taken...


Standing at the west entrance...

Don't mind the guy in the reflection of the bumper...

Elijah trying to spot a couple of distant elk, but most likely just seeing the back of Carson's head...

Didn't need binoculars to see this guy...

Despite our concerns, the boys did very well at staying on the paths and away from certain death...

So many diverse landscapes throughout the park...

The wind tried to blow our hats off the first day...

Clarissa just happy to be staying at the Brook Trout Inn...

We had steady rain one morning. The official Yellowstone rain slickers we bought instantly transformed Carson into a Jedi Knight from Star Wars...

This is Yellowstone Lake. If you're a U2 fan this may look slightly familiar...

Elijah stares at something in the water...

The rains cleared just in time to visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone...

I know she ate at least a couple of dandelions during our trip...

Looking into the canyon below the Lower Falls...

Since we hadn't seen any bears in the park, we decided to visit the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. I believe the cousins are demonstrating how they'd react in the event of a bear attack. Elijah apparently believes that prayer will be the most effective means of preserving his life...

Fortunately, the bears at the Discovery Center came out to see us...

Carson and Elijah, along with cousins Kayden and Boston, scaling the boulders...

The view from the Paint Pots trail...

All the cousins on a bear couch. Somebody on my left must have told a pretty good joke...

On the way home, we went through Grand Teton National Park. The mountains are amazing...

Carson and Clarissa at Colter Bay...

Elijah loved this moose he found in Jackson. According to the tag, he is named Melvin...

The standard, obligatory family photo in front of the elk antler arch in Jackson...