Reading

Posts here are from oldest to newest so if you want to read the trip in order you should scroll down a ways.

Home again home again jiggety jog

Mike and I stop in Billings, MT for some new brakes

We headed home through North Dakota with a "short" 5 hour stop in Billings, MT for new brakes. They were the low low price of $900. At least MT doesn't have sales tax. :) While we were waiting for the car, Mike gambled for the very first time. I lost a dollar on video poker, but he won $2.50! :) We stayed in Glendive, MT. The next day we drove and drove all the way home (North Dakota was unexciting and thus I didn't feel like taking pictures of it).

Cabin

Me attacking my cousin in front of our Cabin

This is the cabing that we stayed at. It slept 10 people in it (5 bedrooms 5 baths). It was really nice inside. I stayed there with my Uncle Louis (pictured) and Aunt Kathy, my cousin Karen and my 1st cousin once removed Josh (being squeezed by me) as well as my immediate family. For family pictures from yellowstone, you can go to www.juliayellowstone.blogspot.com. Some of the pictures are repeats but there are more people pictures.

Storytelling

My mom looking like a nut. :)

My mom told stories for my whole family. Here she is describing a stone witch. She also told a story about my family which was very nice.

Big tits

The Grand Tetons

I guess that maybe it's just me, but these don't look all that breast like to me. I can almost see it, but not really... Maybe I haven't had enough tit experiences to expand my horizons... They are beautiful though.

Bigger roar

A big black bear that almost ate tourists

On our way to the Tetons, we saw more people stopped and then noticed a big black bear. Once again, people were getting way too close. There were these two German motorcyclists with really fancy camera that followed the bear into the woods area. They got about 10 ft from it when the bear decided that he din't like them that close and charged them. I admit they can run pretty fast. The bear then settled down into the creek for a nap. Bears have to build up energy to chase and eat the tourists.

Roar

A Baby Black Bear waiting to eat tourists

On our way back from our hike we decided to try the road that was closed earlier. It was open this time so we took it all the way around to the highway. Good thing that we did because when we got back to the highway we saw that it was blocked by swarms of people. We decided that it was far too many to be for elk. Sure enough it wasn't elk but this baby black bear. People got sooo close to it (morons). You are supposed to stay 100 yards away, but people were like 20 ft. We stayed in our car and the bear walked right in front of us. :) I decided that like with the birds... where there's a baby... there's usually an angry mama. While I could handle the blue grouse's scolding, I'd rather not endure mama bears.

Being the bird watcher that I am...

Mama Blue Grouse

I saw something small walking in the grasses and realized that it was a baby bird. We saw five babies... and I started to wonder where mama was. Then we found mama as she launched herself loudly and angrily at us. She scolded us for getting so close to her babies.

Flutterby

A Blue and Purple Butterfly

I'd never seen a purple and blue butterfly so I had to take a picture.

See Julia...

See Julia Bird Watch

This was a neat suspension bridge over Hellroaring Creek which we found on our hike. It was indeed quite loud. I was impressed.

See Mike...

See Mike Hike... Hike Mike Hike

Into the wild blue yonder

River and mountains

Finally Mike and I got on our hike. This was the view from the top of the mountain we were on.

Coyote

A Coyote

Mike and I went off alone to go on a hike. We decided to stop and take this little road (which as you can see from the sign is closed). We were sitting there trying to determine why the road was closed (it turned out it was because of the rain) when two coyotes trotted right up next to our car. They proceeded to stop and pee on the same tree and then trotted off. Also on our drive to a hiking place we saw something moving in the hills. We stopped and followed it at a great distance (more than 100 yards). In the binoculars, I could see that it was black and wolf shaped. Sure enough... it was a wolf! The wolves are really hard to see at this time of year so it was very exciting. Sadly, no picture of it. He ran off into a drain pipe and I sure as hell wasn't going to corner him in there.

Heaven

Mountain in the Clouds

So if heaven is in the clouds and the mountain is above the clouds, then to get to heaven we just need to climb the mountains. Mike really liked this view so wee stopped and took pictures.

Babies

Juvenile Eagles

Here were two baby bald eagles just leaving the nest (the second is hiddem behind a limb). We never saw the babies after this day, but the mother appeared when my parents were leaving.

Amazing

Artist's Point

This view was one of the most spectacular views in yellowstone. Bright colors, lots to see. I took a lot of pictures of it. :)

Don't do it...

Don't jump Mike!!!

Mike ponders a plummet into the canyon here.

Yellowstone Canyon

Yellowstone Canyon

Someone said that this was where yellowstone got its name. The canyon is really yellow and the water is really blue.

Pot o' Gold

A Double Rainbow

Although you can't see it here, this was a full double rainbow. It was amazing. The colors were so bright! It stayed a really long time too.

Old Faithful

Old Faithful (which is not quite so faithful anymore)

Old faithful was really quite impressive. It probably shot up 50 ft. when we were there. Funny enough the one behind it shot up even higher.

World's Largest Dragon Fly Eats Mike

World's Largest Dragon Fly Eats Mike

We heard this really loud buzzing sound and then this dragon fly landed on Mike. You can see his wing is broken. He was huge and quite pretty.

Art

Artistic Dead Tree

This really pleased me. I'm not exactly sure why, but I found it beautiful.

Blue waters

Cyrelean Pool

The color of this pool amazed me. It was so bright and so clear. My sister said she thought it was copper that made it that color.

Elk

Elk in Yellowstone

Funny how the first time everyone saw an animal in yellowstone they all had to stop. There were so many cars pulled over for the elk that it was hard to drive around them (obviously we pulled over too). The second time you see something you just drive by cursing at all those ridiculous people who stopped to take pictures of elk.

Wall cloud sunsets

Pink Wall Clouds

This wall cloud was just turning pink from the sunset.

Sunsets Yellowstone Style

Mountain Sunset

This is one of my personal favorites from the trip. I like the clouds in it... also the random tree.