Yellowstone: My First Love

Grand Prismatic Spring at sunset, the steam actually picks up colors from the spring.

I began to venture to Yellowstone National Park when I was in 5th grade.  My sister's eighth grade class went for their class trip and I went along too with my parents.  I went to Yellowstone again three years later when I was in 8th grade.  I didn't get a chance to go again until college.  I can't remember exactly, but either in 2000 or 2001 one, my boyfriend (now husband) and I went to Yellowstone and camped for a week.  My heart hasn't left since! We're heading to Yellowstone again in less than a month.  No matter how many times I go, I can't get it out of my system.  This post is going to feature my trip to Yellowstone in September of 2010.

This trip is our annual "girls" trip.  My mother, sister and I began to go in the fall while my husband and father were hunting.  After my daughter was born, she began to come as well.  Over the years we have collected more tag-alongs and last year was our biggest trip yet.  My sister-in-law and my brother-in-law joined us on the adventure last year!



Just another Bison in Yellowstone, right?  Look closely for its playmate.  There is a coyote off to the right about midway up the picture!



Yellowstone River at the far end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  See the "yellow"rocks along the canyon, this is where the name Yellowstone comes from.



The Lower Falls at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  This picture was taken from Artist's point on the South Rim.  The Lower Falls are 308 ft high!



Storm clouds and a rainbow above the prairie by Blacktail Ponds.




These are aspen trees on the Blacktail Plateau.  I love getting pictures from different vantage points.  Instead of looking down, I was on the ground and looked up!



A trip to Yellowstone always has to include a trip to Old Faithful!



Chromatic Spring in the Upper Geyser Basin in the Old Faithful area. 



Castle Geyser is my daughter's FAVORITE geyser, likely because of the name "Castle!"  It is also in the Upper Geyser Basin.




Sunset on Opal Pool in the Midway Geyser Basin.



Sunset on the runoff from Grand Prismatic Spring at the Midway Geyser Basin.  I recently submitted this to the "My Shot" contest at National Geographic.  I LOVE this picture!