Finally . . . Some Bears!!

The only thing we didn't do in Yellowstone was see a bear.  For some reason, the kids were obsessed with finding one of those furry, adorable creatures that might possibly eat them.  Mom made some phone calls and found out that the real way to see bears is to go to BEAR WORLD!  Of course!  What was I thinking?  We shouldn't have gone to Yellowstone at all.  In actuality, all we had to do was drive to Rexburg, Idaho, to see bears, bison, and deer.

Bear World is an amazing place.  I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.  We watched the bear cubs play for over an hour.  It was the best entertainment I've ever had.

Bear World also had a petting zoo with deer, chickens, an unattractive pig, and a crazy goat.  Every time "Crazy Goat" heard a quarter turning in the food machine, he would run over and start to head butt whatever innocent child or adult was turning the knob.  It was very entertaining!

The best part of the day was the bear tour.  We got to drive around with a guide that introduced us to all the animals, including the bears.  We got to feed the bears bread and watch them do tricks.  It was truly an amazing experience.

Bear World also had some "kiddy rides." It was like a miniature amusement park.  Great way to finish off our time at the park.

After spending 3 hours at Bear World, we were all starving.  I decided to look on Yelp to find a restaurant that Rexburgians enjoy.  I found a "taco bus" that got 5 out of 5 stars.  It was the best Mexican food any of us have ever eaten.  

Last, but not least, we drove to the Rexburg temple.  It was beautiful.  

I find it fascinating that our favorite vacation day was not in Yellowstone at all, but in Rexburg, Idaho!  

Yet Another Day In Yellowstone!

 Cali and I started the day out with a run up and down the highway.  It was the only place to run without worry of being attacked by bison.  We were still nervous due to this beautiful sign posted by the road.  Fortunately, the scariest wildlife on the road that day was me!

The thought of another day of aimlessly driving through Yellowstone looking for bears was not exciting for any of us.  Luckily, Aaron had planned our adventures for the day.  The kids and I made a pact to not complain EVEN ONCE the whole day.

 We stopped off at some beautiful waterfalls and made some funny faces.  It was cold, but we didn't complain!

We saw LOTS and LOTS of stinky geysers.  We walked through one steamy section where I actually felt like I was eating fried eggs!  It was gross, but I didn't complain!

We looked at some BACTERIA MATS that made me feel like vomiting.  Some previous Yellowstone visitors had ignored the signs that read, "Do not write on bacteria mats."  I found one section of bacteria that said, "Joan!"  I showed my mom and she pointed out that it actually read, "Juan!"  Close enough!

Lucky for us, we got to see about 1,000 more bison.  No bears, but lots and lots of bison.  We were all sick of bison, but we DIDN'T COMPLAIN!! Our positive attitudes about spending yet another day in beautiful Yellowstone really paid off.  It ended up being a very enjoyable day.  Plus, we went back to the cabin and ate a 1/2 gallon of ice cream to congratulate ourselves for our great behavior. :)

Another Day In Yellowstone

I woke up Thursday morning for my run. I realized that my body does not run well in Gardiner, Montana. It was the worst run of my life.



To cheer myself up, I climbed a tree to escape a pretend bear.



The rest of the day in Yellowstone was filled with LOTS of complaining.
 "Not more buffalo!" the kids moaned.


"Not another picture with an elk!" I complained.
"I want to see a bear!" Ian said.
"Me too!" Carson pleaded.
"There are some bears!" Aaron announced proudly.
"Where?" Carson asked.
"You mean those little black dots way up on the mountain?" Nyah asked.
We returned to the cabin four hours later, feeling tired and grouchy. Aaron was disgusted with our lack of excitement over the buffalo.
It was still cold outside. What were we going to do? It was only 3 o'clock. We couldn't start watching movies yet.
I grabbed my little hand-held pepper spray and forced everyone out the door for a walk/hike. We found some horses and everyone perked up.



What in the world are we going to do to entertain ourselves tomorrow?!
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Yellowstone

We rented a cabin over the Internet that was located at the North Entrance to Yellowstone. I don't think many people stay at this entrance. The town there is called Gardiner and all the locals carried around a large can of bear spray at all times. It is a VERY small town.  You can run around the whole thing and only log a mile.

When we pulled up to the cabin, I was shocked. "This isn't what I rented off the Internet!" I shouted.  The cabin on the Internet looked like a two story, modern building.  This cabin looked very old and tiny.

We walked inside to check things out. Yes, indeed. It was the right cabin.  It turns out that the picture shown on the Internet was of the BACKSIDE of the cabin.  Of course!!

The only other surprises we had on the inside were 3 mousetraps with fresh cheese in them and a wooden staircase that only a 60 pound 9-year-old could walk up comfortably!


There was a fun loft for the kids to sleep in, a TV room, and a wonderful kitchen (minus the mousetraps!).

The view from our cabin was beautiful. A nice big river ran downstream directly below us. The only problem was, it was a chilly 45 degrees with a cold rain the entire visit.









We bought some hot chocolate and umbrellas and hunkered underneath storefronts to hide from the rain. Then, we decided we might as well head to Yellowstone to see some geysers.



On our way into Yellowstone this elk stood right by our car. Great way to start the afternoon.


















We saw some great geysers, watched Old Faithful erupt, and ate some delicious ice cream. I know. Why would people that are freezing cold eat ice cream? It was the best part if the day!






On our way back home we saw LOTS of bison. Some came closer to the car than I would've preferred!
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