Wrapping Things Up in Yellowstone

 After Sophie's Birthday, we decided to visit Norris Geyser Basin and Porcelain Basin. 

Apparently so many days together was taking it's toll

Two scientists, who clean the geysers and pools of trash/debris from humans were on  one of the boardwalks with us. We talked to them a bit. Later, as we passed them again, they had just pulled a quarter out of Pearl Geyser and asked if Neal wanted it. It was pretty corroded but it was his favorite souvenir from the trip.

The ice cream place was closed when we got back to Canyon on Sophie's birthday, so we made up for it the next day.

We let Sophie roll the car for 10 feet.

The other thing Sophie wanted to do was ride in T.E.D.D.Y., The Electric Driverless Demonstration in Yellowstone or Automated Shuttle. It was new to Yellowstone this summer. We rode from the visitor center to the lodge and back. It was slow but informative.

The next day we visited teh Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone for an up close look at wolves, grizzlies, and otters.

We spent our last full day back at Lamar Valley, early in the morning in hopes to see more wildlife. We did see some but it was nothing like on Sophie's birthday. Still had a great time though! In all our time in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons, we saw cliff swallows, harlequin ducks, American white pelicans, red hawks, osprey, geese, sandhill cranes, black bear, grizzly bear, bison, elk, pronghorn, deer, marmot, chipmunk, squirrel, prairie dog, bat, coyote, and badgers. We never did see a moose. 

The important thing here is that we finally got our last state for our license plate game! We had eagle eyes especially at the parking lots during the trip and even spotted AK and HI, Ontario, British Columbia, and Washington DC, but was there a Connecticut to be found? No! When we had cell coverage in West Yellowstone, we checked images of what the plate looked like but knew we hadn't seen it. On the last full day in the park, just to make us squirm, I'm sure, in Lamar Valley we saw it! I made Neal jump off his driver's seat with my declaration of excitement at spotting it. When back at camp, we hit the gift shops and packed up what we could for an easy trip home the next day.

The ride out of Yellowstone was beautiful. We made a quick stop in some tiny town when we say kids selling lemonade and muffins for a good cause and continued on.

In Cheyenne, we visited the Big Boy Steam Engine 4014 on display at Holliday Park. Not only because it's cool but because it was significant to Neal and Rhys, as this was the locomotive they tracked together in Texas during 2019 when it made it's tour before it's final stop here.

When getting to a restaurant we saw the capital building (Rhys loves spotting these) and several murals which we stopped at on the way back to the hotel.

Then something GLORIOUS happened!!! Showers! Hot showers! With soap and fluffy towels!

And REAL BEDS with mattresses, not filled with air, but with foam or springs! It had been 14 days with out a real shower and 13 nights in a tent. It was a very special time that night in the hotel but we were so happy to have been blessed to have this amazing trip to Yellowstone after having to cancel the year before due to Covid and finally seeing all that Yellowstone had to offer!