Yellowstone 2015 Day 3 (Cody)

Day 3 in Yellowstone started out early. We got up early and headed down to Duck Lake near West Thumb. We'd never done this hike or even been to the West Thumb geysers since we had the boys, so this was a new adventure. We started on the trail over to Duck Lake. There wasn't anyone on the trail except a few rabbits, so we had the whole lake to ourselves. There was one duck, too, a Barrow's Goldeneye. The boys were so excited to put their feet in the water until dad pointed out a leech. Then they were horrified and they still worry that there are leeches in any water we hike near. But we had fun walking along the edge of lake and throwing sticks in the water.

Mark on the trail to Duck Lake.

We saw this cute little bunny!

Aaahhh! A leech!

We try to take pictures of us together now!

The boys really wanted to get in that water.

After we finished the hike, we walked through the geysers at West Thumb. There were some that were right in Yellowstone Lake. The boys really liked the story about the mountain men catching fish in the lake and cooking them in the geysers without even taking them off the line. Then to make the trip a little more perfect, as we were walking back to the van, we saw a beautiful elk calf with her mom in the parking lot!

We love seeing the babies!

Dax was fascinated by the geysers in the Lake.

This pool was very beautiful and blue!

We started toward the east gate after eating lunch at Fishing Bridge, but before we left the park, we stopped to hike the Pelican Creek Nature Trail. This short trail takes you down to the lake's edge, which means that the boys got to throw a few rocks, so they loved the trail. We love the short trail because it's shady and flat.

Such great hiking boys!

I love going on trips with these four. 

We'd never been out the east gate of Yellowstone, and our first stop outside the park was at Pahaska Teepee. There was a small giftshop and several cabins. You could also walk around the old inn from the 1800s. It was pretty cool. There was an upstairs balcony with individual sleeping quarters around the edge. On the lower floor, there were many artifacts and lots and lots of wood and antlers. We didn't spend too much time at this stop, but it was fun.

We didn't take any pictures at the teepee, but luckily Mark needed to go to the bathroom next to this waterfall.

Next we continued on to the reservoir and the Buffalo Bill Dam. We really liked the small museum on top of the dam, and the boys (mostly) sat through the 20 minute dam construction movie. It was breathtaking to walk across the top of the dam and look down at the water spilling out at thousands of gallons per second. It was also really cool to see the wood that had collected behind the dam. They said it sometimes backs up for several hundred yards, and then they scoop it out and stack it next to the reservoir where anyone who wants it can take it for firewood or driftwood art, or whatever. We were sad that we didn't get to see the beaver that Melanie's family saw right after we left.

The boys love visiting places with Grandma.

The dam was pouring out tons of water.

We couldn't believe how much debris there was.

Our next stop along the route was the city of Cody. Cody is basically a resort town like Park City or Jackson. There is a pretty cool downtown area centered around the Irma Hotel, which was originally owned by William Cody. Each night at the hotel a bunch of locals perform the Cody Gunfighters Show. The show is free and features tons of characters including Buffalo Bill, Doc Holliday, Belle Starr, Wild Bill Hickok, Ike Clanton, and the Dalton Brothers. The show set the bad guys against the good guys and there wasn't much story, but there was a lot of loud shooting. Seth started crying almost immediately, and Mark and Dax were covering their ears and wincing most of the time. At least it was free, and the cast let us pose for pictures with them.

The show was fun, but the boys weren't to sure about it.

After the show, we had pizza in Cody and then headed back to the hotel to sleep. The boys love sleeping in hotels. It is a huge treat for them, even though their was no pool at this one.