Yellowstone!

For the 11th year in a row, I made it to Yellowstone. We really missed Mike, but Abby and my mom and I had a great time!

Here is Abby at Big Springs in Island Park on the way in. She LOVED feeding the birds!

This is my favorite geyser--Great Fountain. This picture does it no justice:( It is usually predicted with a 2 hour window on either side, but I guess it has been more regular lately and we got there 5 minutes before it erupted. Lucky us!

A highlight for Abby was playing at the "beach" of Yellowstone Lake. It is sooo cold (reminiscent of the Oregon beach), but it didn't slow her down for a second.

Here is the back side of a bear off the side of the road. I love bear watching and was pleased to see this little guy. I saw his face nicely, too:)

We are hiking the rim of the canyon...

...with a tired little girl.

When the trail left the rim we ended up at this lily pad lake.

Token picture of the falls...(one of the most spectacular places on earth, in my humble opinion)

Abby playing in the Canyon Visitor's Center (the water globe is just like the one at the zoo)

My mom and Abby in front of the Lake Hotel.

Abby took this picture. She loves to take pictures and I thought it was cute that she actually got me in the frame:)

Abby (reluctantly) petting Clyde the Cutthroat Trout with the nice ranger.

Abby throwing rocks in the river (before the ranger asked her not to:)

Abby is the latest pro at identifying "luff-loes". (Yeah, I know they are bison, but buffalo is a "funner" word to say:)

The artist paint pots in the late summer are great mud pots. (I've usually gone to Yellowstone in earlier summer and the supposed mud pots have been too runny to be considered real mud pots, but here they are in all their glory!)

Abby and I in front of my second favorite waterfall in the park - Gibbon Falls

It was a great trip and I am glad that my mom could come with us! Thanks for humoring me and looking at lots of pictures!