My parents and Hanna came to visit us the 11th through th 14th, since Dad and Hanna didn't have school. We went to the planetarium with Ruth on Thursday night, raked some leaves and walked around campus Friday night, and on Saturday we went to Yellowstone. We visited the Norris Geyser Basin (one of the geysers is at left), then drove
up to Mammoth Hot Springs. I have never been to Mammoth before, and it was completely amazing. The colors were really beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing the different formations made by the calcite and travertine. Dave's favorite part was seeing this lady's huge bum as we stopped at this particularly interesting formation (right). The wind was blowing pretty hard but we had a picnic and had a great time eating our turkey sandwiches, even if a couple of plates did blow away. We also had to drink out of the bottle (as Hanna demonstrates below) because we were traveling light and didn't want to be troubled with cups, but you can see that didn't stop us from having a good time!
up to Mammoth Hot Springs. I have never been to Mammoth before, and it was completely amazing. The colors were really beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing the different formations made by the calcite and travertine. Dave's favorite part was seeing this lady's huge bum as we stopped at this particularly interesting formation (right). The wind was blowing pretty hard but we had a picnic and had a great time eating our turkey sandwiches, even if a couple of plates did blow away. We also had to drink out of the bottle (as Hanna demonstrates below) because we were traveling light and didn't want to be troubled with cups, but you can see that didn't stop us from having a good time! 
While we were downing our lunch, we heard some elk bugling. At first we thought it was some kids 
with an elk bugle toy, but it turns out that it was a rather large herd of elk hunkered down by some buildings to stay out of the wind. All together there were four or five bulls staying well away from each other, and probably about 50-60 cows. We had a great time watching and listening to them bugle and snort. The whole day was really fun, even if we didn't get to see a bear. But we did get to see some bison up close and personal as we drove along the road. It was really great. 
All in all, it was a terriffic day. I highly recommend going to Yellowstone before or after the "normal season" because it is much less crowded and you get a chance to see the park with a lot less people. It's quieter, too, so you have a better possibility of seeing animals that aren't normally active when it's busy. The colors were beautiful and it was a really fun day! Thanks Mom and Dad for putting up with the three of us in the back seat, and Hanna for being a good sport even if you would have rather been at home, doing something else (I won't say what to keep you from being embarrassed). 
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