When I considered vacations this year, I realized my children hadn’t been to Yellowstone yet, and it would make a nice quick vacation. PB already love geography and volcanoes and just the right kind of subjects to make Yellowstone interesting to him. We camped for three nights and spent two full days and a little more exploring the park. I’ve been there quite a bit, it was fun to go back to places that I remember and show them to my kids. We also were able to take my sister with me. She was a lot of fun, and a great help in the car.

In Yellowstone you spend a lot of time driving and walking. My kids actually do pretty well in the car, and thank goodness I could occasionally had them a device when tempers were short. Sometimes the hiking/walking part was a bit hard, but luckily there are plenty of short hikes to do. If PB puts his mind to it and wants to keep going he can hike for over a mile and did quite cheerfully on at least one occasion. But if he doesn’t quite see the point or he is a little tired or it is raining…that kid can complain a bunch too. C is still young enough just to carry, and luckily Joe is willing enough to do so.

It did rain, but luckily only in the afternoon although not timed up well enough to match our trips to the visitors centers and nap time in the car. We brought rain ponchos and jackets and used them to keep exploring. The kids looked cute in them.

Before, and often during the vacation I was stressed a lot. Vacations aren’t as relaxing when you are camping with little kids and you happen to be the one in charge. But everything worked out well, and now I can remember the trip with much more joy than leading up to or even during it.

Having fun not getting wet in the rain.

At Sheepeater Picnic area. I love this place, and we also missed it due to a non existent sign.

Made it to the top of the pile of rocks, although not up cliff.

Joe climbed all the way to the top of the cliff.

C called this a volcano at first.

Joe’s neck was a bit sore after the trip.

The good tables were taken…but this spot was more fun anyways.

This squirrel actually climbed up on PB’s lap.

This is Grand Prismatic Spring during a rain shower.

Joe took this picture, explaining that this is how we spent most of the trip.