Yellowstone

 The weather was lovely and we had season pass, so the Grovers who were available (Ana stayed home to do school work and Rebekah stayed at college because she had a band commitment) took a day trip to Yellowstone on Saturday, October 21. Our stops in the park included the Artists' Paintpots, Norris Geyser Basin, Artist Point (at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone), brink of the Lower Falls and the Mud Volcano area. 

October was a wonderful time to visit the park. There were people at every stop, but the crowds were manageable. We were always able to find parking no matter where we went. If we had to do it over again, we'd skip the steep hike to the brink of the Lower Falls and instead try out Uncle Tom's Trail. And every time we're in the Canyon area of Yellowstone, we will have to revisit Artist Point; it's amazing.

Hiking the Artists' Paintpot Trail. It was brisk in the morning, and there was a lot of fog before it burned off later in the day. This was probably my favorite part of the day because everything looked ethereal.

Artists' Paintpots.

Steamboat Geyser at Norris.

Winnie drinking two apple juice boxes during lunch at the Virginia Cascades picnic area. This was perhaps the best picnic lunch I've ever had in Yellowstone. It was sunny with no wind and just one other group of people at another table.

Miriam taking a breather during lunch.

Artist Point. We couldn't believe the spectacular beauty of this place. We'd all seen the Upper and Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone before, but never from this vantage points. It was breathtaking.