Whitewater Rafting Part 7

B and I took some alone time and did a whitewater rafting trip while my Mom stayed with the girls at the cabin.  The girls really needed a day of just staying in and not going anywhere.  They had a great time just spending time with their Memom.

The drive to Montana Whitewater Rafting Co took about an hour and forty-five minutes to get to from Island Park.  We did the Gallatin River trip and it was so much fun!  The water was so cold, hence needing the wet suit.  It was a fun way to celebrate a belated 12 year wedding anniversary.  There is something about the thrill of rafting and I always love how the guides try to scare you.  Our raft did get stuck on a rock and I honestly thought we were going to flip.  Thankfully we got out without floating down the river without our raft.  

If you are visiting West Yellowstone, definitely find some time to take a trip.  Well worth it!!!

That concludes our first family of 4 vacation.  We honestly had an awesome time and definitely want to return years down the road.  Especially when the girls are older and will appreciate the stunning beauty.  They may vaguely remember this trip, but I will always remember!!!   

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center Part 6

We wanted the girls to have the chance to see a grizzly bear while on our vacation and decided to take them to the discovery center in West Yellowstone.  We truly had a wonderful time.  The place isn't huge, but it was so fun seeing the few animals they had.  The great thing about this, it's a habitat for the rescued animals.  We were able to watch a wolf catch a trout and watch the grizzlies search for food that the employees hid under rocks and tree branches.  Vivian was even able to join the kids program (Keeper Kid...you have to be at least 5 years old to participate) and went inside the bear habitat when the bear was inside, hide the food and watch her find the food when they let her out.  It was really an awesome experience for her!  An older girl kind of took Vivian under her wing and helped her hide the food.  It was the sweetest.  If you are in West Yellowstone, I highly recommend checking the center out!

West Yellowstone Part 5

After Grand Prismatic Springs we made our way to Old Faithful.  Once we made it to the visitor center, we signed the girls up for their Jr Ranger Program.  Joanna had no clue what was going on, but Vivian enjoyed it.  The girls filled out their booklet, listened to the national park ranger, then were sworn in as an 'official' Jr National Park Ranger.  It was really cute and the girls were happy to receive their badge.  

During the ranger's talk about the difference between black and grizzly bears with the kids, it was time for Old Faithful to erupt. The girls were completely uninterested in watching Old Faithful.  They only cared about playing with sticks, dirt and rocks.  Those little rascals!  After OF, we stopped by the Madison River then took the girls into town (West Yellowstone) to play on the playground and get ice cream.  All they cared about during our entire time HA!  Typical kids!

Since we only spent one day inside Yellowstone National Park, I'm glad we were able to see what we did see.  Yellowstone is so big there was no way to see everything in the short amount of time we had.  It would have been fun seeing all of the wildlife in Lamar Valley, but we did take the girls to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center which was really neat.  I'll do a separate post for that one as well.  

^^ Huckleberry ice cream, yum!!