Montana and Wyoming Summer Vacation - Yellowstone (Part 9)

On our last full day of vacation, we checked out of our airbnb and made our way back through Yellowstone to fly out of Bozeman. Michael really wanted to see Schwabacher Landing at sunrise. He was the only one to get up early enough to go see it. He said it was absolutely gorgeous, but really crowded.  

We made one last stop at the Tetons and stopped at Colter Bay. We hung out and ate some muffins and enjoyed our last view of the beautiful mountains. 

Right when we crossed over into Yellowstone National Park we hit some really terrible traffic. We sat for over and hour waiting on roadwork. It was a rough start to the day. After the crazy traffic, we stopped at Mud Volcano. The kids did not love the smell, but we all thought it was really cool to see all of the mud boiling and bubbling. 

After the Mud Pots, we drove about 30 minutes to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. 

We stopped at multiple viewpoints.

Saw a pretty rainbow in the falls. 

Then we hiked down into the canyon to get a closer view. It was a really tough hike with a lot of elevation change. 

Made it to the lower boardwalk view. The kids were annoyed that we did such a hard hike for "the same view."

After Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone we went to Fountain Paint Pots. The kids did not want to see any more "stinky things" so Michael and I did this one by ourselves. 

We ended the day at Old Faithful and ate in the lodge before heading back to Bozeman. It was a late night!

The next morning we headed to brunch at Jam! and it was really good! Then we found a local park to play at for a couple hours before heading to the airport. Unfortunately our flight was delayed for hours. So we had multiple hours of sitting in a restaurant at the airport. At least the Bozeman airport has beautiful views!

We got to Denver and our flight had been cancelled and our bags stayed in Bozeman. So we had to make a run to Walmart and buy swimsuits and toiletries for the night. We had a late flight out the next night, so we were able to stay at the Gaylord Rockies and swim in the pool for the whole day. It was a little stressful but we made the most out of the situation. 

The last time we were at this hotel in Denver the lobby was under construction. They did a great job and it looked so pretty!

Such an amazing vacation! I love this time with my family to see and experience new things!

Montana and Wyoming Summer Vacation- Grand Teton National Park (Part 8)

We booked a private wildlife tour with Brushback Tours. Our morning started bright and early with a 6:30am pick up.  The kids told our guide that they really wanted to see a moose, so we were off to find one. We found this beautiful bull moose. We were standing on a landing above him and it was the perfect viewpoint of him. We watched him in awe for a long time! Our guide told us this is the largest one in the park and weighs over 1,200 pounds.

We made a quick stop at Oxbow bend to see the reflection in the water. 

Then made another stop for the kids to throw rocks and run around. We also got a family picture with the mountains in the background. 

Then we stopped and watched some Bull Elk. Then our favorite part of the tour was spotting a momma bear and her adorable cubs. We watched them for SO long. They ran up trees and played in the water. We had the best time watching them. 

I don't think I have ever seen anything cuter! Adorable!

After the most fun morning, we went to eat at downtown and did a little shopping. Then back to the airbnb for a little swim and rest. 

We headed back out in the late afternoon to watch sunset. We made a stop at the Chapel of the Transfiguration on the way. 

Can you imagine having this view in church on Sunday?

We had picnic supplies and watched the sun go down behind the mountains. 

Right before sunset we noticed that there was a momma moose and her baby. We were so excited to start and end our day with such fun animal sightings. 

So amazing to witness!

It was pretty late and so we headed back to Snake River Brewing for dinner since it was one of the only places still open. This was probably my favorite day of vacation. Such an amazing day!