Although the weather was marginal when we first flew into Bozeman, by the time we got down to Old Faithful we had some blue skies.

Our second full day we toured and hiked around the Old Faithful area. We got off the board walks to trek up and see the Solitary Geyser. The average elevation in Yellowstone is 8,000 feet and when you climb you have even less oxygen, so it is important to slow your pace and stay hydrated!

Yes, the crowds did gather around to see Old Faithful blow!

As we left the Old Faithful area on our third full day in the park and headed north to Mammoth Hot Springs, my sister had a smile on her face, but I think these bear warning signs everywhere were making her a little uncomfortable:)

We used our maps to find the perfect areas to picnic for lunch and many dinners. The weather was warm and sunny and it felt so good to be outdoors most of every day.

Road work between Norris and Mammoth slowed us down a little, but because we left early it did not delay our trip up the west side of the park to our second destination in Gardiner.

We met up with Cousin Jeff at the Albright Visitor Center in Mammoth. Jeff is working in the park this summer and snapped a photo of the “Albright girls” on the front porch of Horace Albright Visitor Center;)