Yellowstone (day 2)

Day 2 started off on a cruddy note. We stayed in Bozeman b/c it was closer to the north side of the park, where most of the bear activity is. We were headed to Lamar Valley when we hit a road closure and had to turn around. Apparently there was a mudslide earlier in the morning and it was going to take them a few days to clear it off. Sadly disappointing.

I'm glad these bison backed up traffic in their lane instead of ours.

That's a grizzly right there.

Our third traffic jam was caused by this grizzly. Everyone wanted a chance to see him so it was stop and go traffic for quite some time. We couldn't see the bear, but we knew we were getting close so Darin took the kids and started heading up the road while I inched through traffic to meet them on the other side. Darin took this picture when he caught sight of the bear, and then turned the kids around and put them back in the car. That hungry bear was eating grass (not digging roots, just eating the grass like a horse) and inching closer to the road while he grazed. No sense in putting the kids in danger. Darin headed back out for a few more shots though.

If you look back at the first picture you can see how the people are up on the road and there is a tree under my arrow. As I was passing the bear, it was right by that tree, I saw a camera bag roll to the bottom of the hill. Instantly I heard Darin and another man yell "No!" and can you believe the guy was actually going to try to get his bag!? What a nut!

The Canyon Village Visitor's Center.

The kids had a blast taking pictures on the trip.

It's kind of hard to tell, but that's a canyon.

Trekking through the snow.

Simply breathtaking views, I love this place.

Darin's shoes.

He always teases me about playing with the camera, but he's just as guilty.