Elisa's Daily ScoopSpectacular YellowstoneHappy Throwback Thursday from Yellowstone!  Me and my girls in front of the Upper Falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone What a glorious trip!! As we begin our third day in this spectacular National Park, we are headed to one of the most iconic sights in all of Yellowstone: Old Faithful Geyser! Old Faithful is a cone geyser and according to Yellowstone Net, it erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for 1 1/2 to 5 minutes. Its maximum height ranges from 90 to 184 feet. You can bet this is going to be a fun experience! Of course, we will be making stops along the way for animal sightings and scenic locations, all of which Tanya and I will blog about tomorrow! So, let me do a little re-cap of yesterday... Our day consisted of 2 main sights in Yellowstone: 1) The Artist Paintpots 2) The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Upper and Lower Falls   Artist Paintpots  Colorful Hot Springs Just south of Norris Junction, there is an captivating thermal area, known as the Artist Paintpots. Our first stop of the day, we ventured along the one-mile round trip trail around colorful hot springs, two large mudpots, and a section of forest that burned in 1988.  Burned Forest   Mudpots bubbling up I have to tell you, I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely area - walking along the boardwalk area and dirt trails, each section we came to had it's only individual colors and characteristics. The bubbling mud pots were amazing to watch as they boiled away! Kelsey had a blast trying to photograph these intermittent moments. I managed to capture a few! Checking into the Canyon Visitor's Center prior to heading to the Canyon, the girls struck up a conversation with the ranger. She imparted a great deal of information about the wildlife throughout the park and answered a number of questions. Gianna, in particular was rattling off a bunch! The kids learned that around the turn of the the 20th Century, the Bison were on the brink of extinction from the millions that originally roamed the United States.  Thanks to the U.S. Army and conservationists like President Teddy Roosevelt, and later the U.S. National Parks Service (created in 1916), there are over 4000 Bison that roam Yellowston today. TRIVIA FACT Okay, so are these animals called Buffalo or Bison? Well, the scientific name is "Bison," from the Latin meaning "wild ox." The early American settlers called bison “bufello” due to the similar appearance between the two animals, and the name "buffalo" stuck as it relates to The American Bison. However, it is actually incorrect.  American Bison - commonly "incorrectly" referred to as "Buffalo" After stamping our National Park Passports, we were off again and on our way to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Park. TRIVIA FACT The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is 800 - 1200 feet in depth in certain places, is up to 4000 feet wide in certain places and twenty miles long. From several vantage points, you can view Lower Falls plunging into the canyon 308 feet, or the Upper Falls tumbling 109 feet. Upon arriving at our first scenic stop, Gianna and Kelsey pooped out after taking a very quick view of the Canyon. They decided they just wanted to go back to the car. However, their interest was soon piqued when Cosette told us that they had spotted an Osprey's Nest high upon hill! We were even able to hear the baby birds chirping away!   Me and Kelsey at the "Inspiration Point" Overlook of the Canyon  Baby Osprey in their nest high above the Canyon The Upper Falls of Yellowstone were visible from this particular look out. Unfortunately, the girls were so tired that they just wanted to go back to the car and rest after the thrill of seeing the Osprey's nest was over. So, I didn't get to see this incredible natural site from this vantage point. (Ugh, the sacrifices of being a mom). The good news is, when we eventually arrived at the "Artist's Point" lookout, I snagged some of the best pictures I had taken all day, including some incredible views of the Lower Falls of Yellowstone!! Check out Tanya's side for more history about this iconic location in Yellowstone and some of the talented artists who stood in the same place where we were yesterday!   Our Travelin' Cousins Gang at The Falls We took a group photo with the Falls as the back drop thanks to Tanya's photographic talents!! Well, my dear peeps, I'm so happy my pictures were able to upload today!!! (it only took me 3 hours to do so because of the crummy wifi we have in our vacation rental - grrrrr) See ya back here tomorrow as our gang heads to Idaho for a day of fun at Idaho Falls and The Idaho Potato Museum!! And don't forget to check out Tanya's Throwback Thursday Story today about Lake Maggiore, Italy! Have a splendid day! -E xoxo | Tanya's Daily ScoopGood Day Everyone! Wow...It’s already Thursday! Well it certainly doesn’t feel like I’ve been on the road for 10 days! Still here at Yellowstone and yesterday was yet again another blast!  Enjoying each others company and seeing such varying sights and an array of wildlife, standing in the exact place where Ansel Adams had stood when he photographed Yellowstone falls from Artists Point. Awe inspiring scenery and moments!   Heading to the Artists Paintpots  Artist Paintpots  The tower of which the Osprey were caring for their nest.  From North Rim Drive    "Yellowstone Falls" by Ansel Adams, 1933-1942; Records of the National Park Service; Record Group 79; National Archives.  Our Cousins Yellowstone Road Trip is winding down and we’ve only got one more day of visiting America’s First National Park. Have we saved the best for last??? Today we will be going to see the Grand Prismatic Spring - measures approximately 370 feet in diameter and is over 121 feet deep. Being the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. And lest we not forget good ol’ and mighty OLD FAITHFUL (read Elisa’s side for info about Old Faithful). Ya see...Dominic, Dave B, and I were forced to miss this area of the park during our last visit here back in 2013  National Parks Road Trip circa 2013 This was when the government shut down and we we amongst other travelers from around the world were out of luck and stuck outside the entrance gates of the park. That really sucked!!! And poor Dave B had looked so forward to seeing this phenomenal feature and he was asked out…boo. I know that if he could, that he would be with us here and now…and that since work got in the way that he is stuck at home in SoCal and quite a bit jealous that we are all going to see this famous Geyser! Speaking of Geysers…what a Geyser filled 5 months the kids and I are having! In November while touring Iceland, we were able to see and witness Strokkur, and see Geysir (the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans) the namesake of all other Geysers! Check out more HERE Disappointed that I can’t share with everyone the stinkiest spot of them all - West Thumb Geyser. The access road doesn’t open until May 1st. While my nose is benefiting from not visiting this area. The sights and sounds will be missed. It’s an amazing geothermal region of the park that shouldn’t be missed. But I guess it’ll just have to go on the TO DO list for our next visit! Today also happens to be TBT (Throwback Thursday)  TBT - NYC circa 2001 And it’s my turn to take you back in time…Read all about it HERE  Lake Maggiore, Italy This week I will be taking you to the Lakes Region of Italy in 2013 "ahhhh what a wonderful time that was!” I would love to redo that trip sometime! I’d like to thank you for all of your recent emails! Don’t forget that you can use the comment section too…no need to be shy ;) Catch ya back here tomorrow when we get back on the road and head to our next destination! -T  |
