So last night I went to bed under a partly cloudy sky, but with the occasional lightning flash out on the horizon. It was a cool 60 degrees at 10:30 but felt really good.
At 2:00 in the morning, all heck broke loose. A major wind preceded a storm front and was followed by massive lightning and thunder. I thought it was pretty cool until poor little Gideon Fox woke up screaming and scared to death. They might have been able to settle him down but the wind and noise just kept coming and coming.
Even when the storm settled down a bit after 30 minutes, he just kept crying. Koren said he was shivering from fright. They've taught him a bit of sign language like more, and finished, and he kept making the sign for finished over and over.
The rain was coming down very hard but Rex got up and went out in it. He moved everything from the back of their Explorer into the trailer, then got the baby and lay down in the car to block out some of the wind noise. It also muffled Foxy's cries so everyone could go back to sleep. Rex said he settled back down pretty quick once he felt a more secure environment, but he was so full of adrenaline that he just wanted to play and squirm. I don't think Rex got a very good sleep.
It rained off and on throughout the night, but broke for a good long spell at 6:00 which allowed several of us to get up and work on the campsite. We moved all of the chairs under one awning. Then we took the awning that was over the kitchen and moved it over the campfire so people could get warm without getting wet if it rained again. And it did. And the temperature dropped to the high 40s.
The plan for today was to have a simple breakfast to let people eat quick and get out to tour the park. So we sat around eating cold cereal while the rain drizzled on us. Koren got out her supply of hot chocolate and we boiled a pot of water to help everyone warm up.
It was funny and a little sad to see so many people trying to huddle under 2 awnings, one with a fire in the middle, and one with a picnic table in the middle.
It worked because many decided to sleep in, waiting for the rain to stop. It didn't stop.
By 9:30, Rex and his brothers Mike and Burt were ready to go. They all wanted to hike the trails down into Yellowstone Canyon and see the water falls. We figured it would be a good day with less people because of the rain and if we got there early.
We loaded up 2 cars and headed north up the grand loop. We stopped at a few little pullouts, but mostly we headed straight toward the falls.
I had purchased an app for my iPhone called "Gypsy Guides". It's an audio tour that is triggered by the phone's GPS and will tell you about the things you're passing and the things that are coming up. The narrator told us about the history of the park, both geological and political. He told us about the little hidden treasures and the big must see items.
We took one scenic drive that he suggested. A few miles after we turned East on Norris Canyon Road, we turned off onto Virginia Cascades Road. It is a part of the original one lane road that was originally built to cross the park. It is now one way, but it used to carry 2 way traffic. I bet it was quite a challenge sometimes to find a place to pass the oncoming traffic with a canyon and river on one side and a sheer cliff rising up on the other side.
We stopped at the cascades for pictures. The bypass was just as good as the narrator promised us and it boded well for following his advice in the future.
We arrived at the bring of the lower falls trail head and saw the car with the others in it was just unpacking. We pulled into a parking spot right by the trail and started to unload ourselves. In years past, I've taken up to 30 minutes to find a parking spot here, and often well away from the trail head and had to walk back. So the plan is working, rain and early in the day gave us good parking and a relatively empty trail.
I was a bit nervous about this hike. It's about 1/2 mile and 450 vertical feet. I usually come here on a motorcycle with big boots on and wind up with blisters and exhaustion. But this time I was riding in my daughter's car and wearing Asics sneakers given to me by my nephew. This shoes feel like walking barefoot on a plush carpet with a thick pad underneath. I almost feel like I bounce as I walk.
It was sprinkling when we began the hike but the trail wasn't slippery at all. The trail was paved with asphalt and kept the traction all the way down and back.
Rex used a baby sling to carry Gideon down the trail on his stomach. Gideon has a habit of throwing his pacifier and we worried that we were going to see a pacifier go flying over the falls, but he didnt do it. He didn't seem to care much about the falls, he was just happy to be with everyone and kept giggling and playing with everyone.
I started back up the trail before everyone else because I knew I'd be slower than them. I kept myself to an even pace and took a break at every switchback. Half way up the trail, Sydnee caught up with me by running, then she walked with me the rest of the way up. I was passed by everyone else on the last switchback but I didn't make everyone wait for 30 minutes like I'd feared.
We piled back into cars and drove up to Lookout Point. This time I waited in the car with the baby because it was raining. We wanted to go on to Inspiration Point but it was closed so we went to the Canyon Village instead.
We visited the gift shops, museum, and then got some warm lunch. Hot dogs, chili, and backed potato soup. It wasn't great but it was warm and filling.
By the time we got back to the car the baby was very grumpy and tired. Rex was also getting tired after his poor night's sleep so I offered to drive.
This part of the park is know more for it's wildlife than it's thermal features so we were hoping to see a herd of buffalo or elk. It's also a very beautiful part of the park.
Our narrator, who we've nicknamed Phil, kept telling us about the park and pointing out scenic places to stop. But Koren was worried about the baby waking up so we just kept driving. At the north east corner I turned off toward the exit and toward the Lamar Valley. Every time I've been here in the past, it's been full of buffalo but not this time. It was completely empty of wildlife so we turned around and headed to Mammoth Hotsprings.
More narration and more skipped views as the baby stayed asleep. But when we got to Mammoth, the baby woke up in time for us to go to the park's museum. Then it was back into the car to head back to camp. The baby was awake but he was very tired of being in the car and we were late for dinner.
Dinner was pulled pork sandwiches with cobbler for desert. Yummy.
The kids were kind of dominating the fire, so the adults started another fire at one of the other camps, then the kids started coming over and the parents had to send them back. It was funny hearing all the excuses why the kids needed to come over to the adult fire.
To heck with the kitchen, we moved the awning over the fire
Cold and wet
Cold cereal and fruit for breakfast. And rain
More people and more rain. It started to puddle around the fire
Stack all the stuff around the sides and turned the tent into a giant playpen for Foxy
The problem with the awning over the fire is that it traps the smoke if there's no wind
Thanks heaven those chairs are nice and dry
Rex, Gideon Fox, Koren, Sydnee and Beckham at Virginia Cascades
Me and my baby at Virginia Cascades
Starting down the trail to the brink of the lower falls
Looking down the canyon
On the trail
Rex and Gideon with pacifier still in place
Brink of the falls
Sydnee photo bombed by her mom
Sydnee reluctantly posing with her mother
Scenic overlook. Every puff of steam is another thermal feature
The one buffalo we saw all day
Beckham loved having his own personal personal binoculars
More crowding around the fire
Bubbles!! Foxy loves bubbles
These girls love making giant bubbles
More Bubbles
Haven't had much chance to use the hammock. That's my small tent in the background
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