Yellowstone Journey Day 3

An Adventures by Disney Trip to Wyoming

July 11, 2006

Breakfast again today was in the Silver Dollar Grill at the Wort Hotel. Our bags needed to be ready to be picked up from our room by 7:30 so we headed to breakfast about that time. That morning Nikki had granola, Kelsie had a fruit plate, Regan had pancakes and I had eggs bennedict. We met in the lobby and boarded the motor coach.

All the kids decided that they belonged together at the back of the bus so the adults sat toward the front. From here on out the kids rode in the back of the bus and when the opportunity presented itself, they ate together too. The kids developed good friendships on this trip and so did the adults as well.

Our motor coach took us into the Tetons to Jenny Lake for our boat ride and hike. Before we started, we stopped for a group photo with the kids and then one with the adults. It was quite a scene as 14 kids and 17 adults plus two adventure guides and a motor coach driver all posed for photos.

We then walked to the boat dock and boarded boats which took us to the other side of the lake. We then made the hike up to Hidden Falls where we spent about 30 minutes before continuing on to Inspiration Point.

When we arrived at Inspiration Point, Chris and Christy took off their backpacks and gave us all bottles of water and snacks of fruit treats, jerky and granola bars. While we took photos and visited about the beautiful scenery we were in the middle of a few chipmunks started to beg for food. This kept the kids entertained for quite a while.

Our hike down was uneventful and we boarded to boats back across the lake to the parking area. Once we were on the bus we took a short ride to String Lake where we were to have our picnic. While Christy and Ray (our motor coach driver) went to find tables Chris showed us a few Disney shorts starring Donald and Goofy.

Christy came back and told us our picnic was ready and we headed off into the trees to the tables. They had put red and white checked table cloths on the tables and had our sandwiches, chips and brownies in baskets on the tables. Sodas were in a cooler on the ground. The sandwiches were huge and delicious and Chris suggested that we put our brownies in the sun while we ate our sandwiches so that they could get warm and gooey for dessert time.

After lunch the kids all started playing a game that looks something like survivor. They were all standing on logs to see who could stay on the longest.

While Christy and Ray cleaned up, Chris took us all over to the lake so we could see it. Then we made a stop at the restrooms before boarding the bus for our trip to Yellowstone.

As we entered Yellowstone, Chris began to give us information about the park. He had been a Park Ranger prior to becoming a Disney Adventure Guide so he was very knowledgeable about Yellowstone. He told us about the fires of 1988 and pointed out the new growth that is all over the place. We also saw some wildlife as we rode along.

We stopped at West Thumb Geyser Basin for our first experience in Yellowstone. Again, Chris' knowledge was very beneficial. He knew so much that we had people join our group to hear what he had to say. At one point he got laser thermometers out of his backpack and gave them to the kids to share so that they could see how hot or cold the different features around the geyser basin really were.

This was the kids first exposure to the lovely aroma that comes from the thermal features and they had plenty of comments about it. They also loved the thermometers and even watching fish swim in Yellowstone Lake.

After walking around West Thumb, we were back on the motor coach for the rest of our journey to the Old Faithful area. We were going to be staying at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Christy let the kids know that our rooms didn't have televisions in them and that there was no gym in the hotel. You would have thought they were going to die. (I think when the trip was over none of them missed these things.)

As we entered the Old Faithful area Chris explained that this hotel is open year round and was rebuilt in 1999. It was chosen over the classic Old Faithful Inn because it has bathrooms in the bedrooms and the Old Faithful Inn does not. The bus pulled up in front of the hotel and as we stepped off the bus Christy handed us our room keys and reminded us that dinner was at 6:00 in the meeting room on the second floor of the Snow Lodge.

Our room was nice, nothing spectacular but we were in Yellowstone Park and that is good enough. There were two double beds, a desk, two very small closets and a large bathroom. There is no air conditioning in the room so there was also a fan in the room. The hotel itself was very pretty.

Kelsie and I went for a walk around the area because she is on vacation so she had to buy something. While we were out, our luggage was delivered to our room and Nikki got them arranged in the room. We decided not to unpack anything because we were here for two nights and there really wasn't any place to put our clothes.

At around 6:00 we went upstairs for dinner. The kids decided that they would all eat together at one table and from that moment on anytime the opportunity presented itself, the kids ate with each other leaving the parents to eat and visit with each other.

Dinner was a buffet. There were chicken fingers and pizza (for the kids) salad, rolls, green beans, bison chili, elk medallions and wasabi coated salmon. For dessert we had huckleberry cobbler ala mode.

After dinner the kids all went down to the lobby to hang out and the adults stayed in the room to visit. Chris came by and told us that Old Faithful was getting ready to erupt and we could watch it from the windows of the room we were in. Just then the kids came into the room so we were all able to watch Old Faithful erupt.

Things started breaking up and so we headed down to the lobby. The kids wanted to stay and visit so Billy & Polly, Phil & Laura and Nikki and I walked over to Old Faithful. It wasn't scheduled to go off for a while still so we all walked around and talked. At about 8:45 we walked back over to the Snow Lodge to get the kids to come over and watch the 9:10 eruption of Old Faithful.

It turned out that most of our group decided to watch Old Faithful so we all watched it together. It was really a pretty site with the sun setting.

Then it was back to the hotel for the night.