Friday, July 30, 2010

Elk Farm

So on our way up to Yellowstone we stopped in Whitney, ID where my Uncle Eldon lives. He's actually by great uncle, cause he's my grandma's brother. :D but he owns an elk farm and we always love to stop and see the elk. We really wanted to stop so Isaiah's sister Kara and her family could see them, and so the kids could see them too. It was really neat to see all the big bulls that he's got this year, he sai one of them could reach over 500 points, and that was 2 weeks ago! So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him.

Isaiah has always wondered what my Uncle Eldon does with the antlers when he cuts the antlers off in the winter before he lets them fall off. Cause he's got loads of antlers in his back shed and such too, well I finally asked my uncle what he does with them. He told me that he cuts them off and then sticks the bulk of them in a deep freeze. Why you ask? He does this and send them to a 3rd world country where they grind them up and use them in medicine, because something about them have great healing properties or something or other..I can't really remember. But I thought that was so cool, and very giving.



The big bulls, he has smaller ones but they were farther away and harder to get pictures of.







For as long as I can remember my uncle has had a sort of domesticated cow elk. She is very good around people and you can pet her and touch her and even sit on her! She was bottle fed as a baby so she's really friendly. Kara's family really enjoyed that part, and we were even able to feed her some carrots. It as alot like a horse but better! LOL Kaylynn was a little scared but Riley loved every minute of it.






At one point she did get out, but all she wanted was the tree leaves to eat. It was kind of like rounding up cattle to get her back inside the fence, no harm done. :D

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Day 4 of yellowstone, and LOTS of other pictures there!

Day 4 was alot of driving, but still good. We started out the day by going to Yellowstone Lake. It was HUGE! We went to what as called the "thumb" of the lake. It was only I think an 1/8 is what I was told of the whole lake! It was so pretty and so big! But where we were was so neat cause there were geysers in the water just behind the shoreline of the lake. It was sure neat to see. It was odd though thinking there was a hot water geyser there in the lake. There were also very hot geysers all along the other side of the boardwalk away from the shoreline. Some were so blue they looked like pools..but they sure weren't! We drove all the way alone one side of the lake to make our loop. We stopped at a spot to see if joe could fish and catch something, but alas none! As we continues our loop we stopped at what was called the Mud Volcano. It was a small muddy geyser/crater thing. Cause it bubbles and is hot muddy water like a geyser, but it's a volcano that blew out, not up, but just exploded all around it. I wouldn't want to be around if it ever did it again. Since our site seeing ended earlier then we thought we headed back to the firehole swimming hole for the rest of the afternoon. It was tons of fun. I forgot my camera yet again. I'll have to see if I can get the video Kara took of us jumping in the river and riding the rapids back to the swimming hole. Austin's camera is waterproof and he took a video while jumping in, might have to get that one too. Over all the whole thing was a blast! Sorry for the picture overload on this post... :D :D





I had to get a sign of Montana, proving the I really did go there. :) I missed the one as we came over the Idaho/Montana border, so I got this one coming out of Yellowstone, WY into West yellowstone, montana. :D




Yellowstone lake



The kids and I on the walkway by the lake.




They was an extremely hot geyser. Looks like pool water.. but it's not!


The whole family that went to yellowstone!



Another geyser in the lake just above the surface.


Yellowstone lake.


A geyser in the water.



Shadows..sorry. But Isaiah and I infront of the "thumb" of yellowstone lake.




A geyser right by yellowstone lake.




Riley at Yellowstone Lake.



I had to take this picture of the grate. It was in the parking lot of the mud volcano. There was HOT steam rising from it and you could hear the water bubbling down underneath. The heat and sulfer just melted it! It was neat.



This one was called the Dragons cave or something like that. It smelled awful but was pretty neat to listen to and see. Cause the water kept being pushed out and in and it sounded like a dragon.. it really was neat besides the smell.








This was the Mud Volcano. It smelled AWFUL!


So the story on this guy was on during our fourth day at yellowstone. We had stopped for lunch along the yellowstone river, and right as we pulled up to a picnic area he charged right thru, right past Kara and Clints car and the rest of us were oblivious! A lady at the next table come over and told us he had be restless trying to get away from the river cause he's been there so long, and so he just ran right thru just as we pulled up. It was scary, we stayed in and close to the cars til he moved farther away.



The petrified tree. You wouldn't believe how many people there were...



Another place around Mammouth.


Isaiah and I at Mammouth Hot Springs Terrace.




This is a picture of roaring moutain. I forgot it in one of my other posts!



A geyser around the Old Faithful walkway. Angela said that when it erupts it goes up and out to the sides.



Isaiah took this picture for Angela's dad. :) she told us that he always had to stop and take pictures of the flowers...




I had to take a picture of the stairs under the stairs. Before they put in the metal staircase they had cut steps out of the rock and had rope ladders that they used to get down! SCARY! But still neat to see!




on our way down the staircase to see the lower falls from the opposite side. It was 328 steps!


On our way back up the stairs!

A waterfall we stopped at up some canyon, I don't remember which one.. I think Firehole Canyon.





Buffalo...




This is the infamous elk. He was always in the same spot every day just hanging out. I got some good pictures of him. :)



Kaylynn and I at the lower falls the first day



Isaiah likes these kind of pictures, but Kaylynn was asleep and he was holding her so he couldn't stand behind, so we had Austin do it. :)



A few of us at Geyser Basin.



I took a picture of Kaylynn and Riley demanded a picture of him too!


Riley after demanding his picture be taken. He was watching a movie.



I know I've been to Idaho a thousand or more times, but since this was a special trip I wanted to take pictures of the signs of each state we entered. :D




On our way up to West Yellowstone Montana!



We stayed at my Aunt Donna's house the sunday before we went to Yellowstone, and my Great grandma Golightly lives with her. This is my dad's grandma. I have a 5 generation picture with her when Riley was a baby, but I wanted a picture of her with my kids! Riley wouldn't cooperate, but oh well!