We had a casual morning enjoying the comforts of the hotel. Ben and I did a short workout and then joined Katie and Ryan who were already enjoying the delicious continental breakfast. The kids were stoked to discover that they offered Lucky Charms in the mix of cereal choices. They also enjoyed making waffles using the fancy waffle maker. We filled our coffee mugs to the brim, grabbed an apple and some yogurt and hit the road.
For the first leg of the journey we continued to enjoy the Montana plains with glimpses of mountains in the distance, sometimes sneaking up closer to the edge of the highway. I caved and let the kids download Netflix movies on their tablets so the first part of this long day was spent watching one of the movies they had downloaded at the hotel. It was 28 degrees by 11am.
We have discovered that the highways in Montana have super high speed limits (80 miles per hour which is nearly 130 km per hour). We were traveling around 85 mph while many other cars were blowing past us. As a result of these high speeds, our mileage was reduced so we decided to top up in Helena for an added quick charge. We made use of the Super 1 Foods in the same parking lot to pick up some more essentials including a 48 cent loaf of bread, some more bananas and some organic grapes. On the way out, we made use of the shaded overhang of the store to do some stretches and lunges.
The next stop was in Belgrade for another charge. The view from this charger was pretty beautiful with the mountains in the background. There was a casino attached to the gas station beside us. We talked about sneaking the kids in so they could get a glimpse of what the inside of a casino looked like. Ryan went to check out the food options inside the gas station and he enquired inside the casino about the kids coming in. The guy at the desk said it was fine for them to walk through as long as they didn’t sit down. The family conversation about entering the casino was actually pretty hilarious. It was like we were asking the kids to try a cigarette or drink some alcohol. They knew it was against the rules and were super hesitant about going in. We “peer pressured” them into it and they walked through as fast as they could. Inside the gas station there was lots to see. Ryan went straight to check out the cinnamon buns and donuts with Ben. Katie and I used the washroom and then I found the perfect hat for Katie that said “I love tacos” since that is her absolute favourite meal. I tried to get her to try it on so I could get a picture, but her pre-teen attitude said “no way”. I resorted to a bribe and got my picture. You can see her eye roll in the photo. She scored a bag of Harvest Snaps that she managed to stretch out 1.5 days.
We got back on the highway and were motoring along when I spotted a grizzly bear rescue and education centre on the side of the road. After some heated discussion in the car, we decided to turn around and check it out. It was 7 mins back on a service road by that point, but worth the turn around. It was nearly $50 for the family to enter but it turned out to be a super cool experience. The sanctuary has 3 bears living in it. They take turns rotating the bears into the viewing area since the bears don’t get along with each other. When we arrived, Bella, a 10 year old bear, was the one in the viewing area, but not currently visible. We wondered how long it would take for her to appear. The teenager working there informed us that the trainer was at the back of her area cleaning it out. Apparently they have started using a new soap that smells like apples and Bella really likes it and now wants to hang around while her cage is being cleaned. She said she would call Bella out in a few mins if she didn’t come out on her own. Luckily, Bella appeared and we got our first glimpse. It was pretty awesome to see. She was quite large and you could see her power as her fur shook with each step she took. She stopped at a rock and rested her head on it. We all looked at each other and laughed since that is exactly what our dog, Sammy, likes to do. He loves to rest his chin on anything, including your hand when you are petting him. Eventually Bella made her way to the pond and spent a good amount of time having a bath and cleaning her nails with her teeth. It was especially funny to watch her clean her toenails. We learned that Bella was rescued after she was discovered in someone's tree as a baby. The family that discovered her called the MNR and she was monitored for nearly 10 days before they concluded that Bella’s mom wasn't coming back, likely killed by hunters. I could have watched Bella forever, but unfortunately time is always a concern since there is always more to see and do on this journey. On the way out I noticed the teenage worker's tattoo which I thought was super cute and a testament to how much she loves the bears she works with and she gave me permission to take a picture of it.
The next leg of our journey we noticed a beautiful winding river that was following alongside the highway. It zigged and zagged and sometimes crossed over to the other side. It made for an idyllic view. Ryan was highly entertained while he drove since he loves water, rivers and dreaming of all the fish that might be in it. He has already mentioned a few times how he wished that he brought his fishing rod on this trip, but it’s probably a good thing that he didn’t since our trip would have taken a very different focus. Eventually we stopped so he could take a look and we could all stretch our legs. The water was very clear and cold. It was beautiful and refreshing to dip our feet in. The kids desperately wanted to go swimming, but we didn’t think this was the right spot. It was fast flowing and generated a pretty strong current. Ryan tried crossing it towards a higher spot in the middle of the river, but decided to turn back when he realized the kids were trying to follow him.
We loaded back into the car and headed towards Yellowstone National Park. The next stretch became more populated and evidently more touristy. The lodging accommodations looked rustic yet upscale. We started to see lots of signs for white water rafting, which made us contemplate for a moment the idea of stopping for a side adventure. Once again, it was time that held us back on this decision and also the uncertainty if this might not be the right age for the kids just yet. Note: one more thing added to our family bucket list!
The final and most exciting part of the day was when we entered Yellowstone National Park. We came in from the top left (North West) corner of the park. Paid $35 USD which gave us 7 days access to the park. Shortly after, we drove under a significant archway called the “Theodore Roosevelt Arch”. At the top of the arch was the inscription: “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people”. We would later learn that, during his presidency, Roosevelt (who was a nature lover) was instrumental in establishing the National Parks system that currently protects Yellowstone and all of the other protected lands across the country.
Just moments after we drove under the arch and started ooh-ing and aah-ing at the landscape around us, Katie spotted some wildlife gathered in a herd beside us. We pulled over on one of the many pull offs - built on the highway for this exact purpose - to get out and take some pictures. We couldn’t tell if they were deer or elk, but it sure was an exciting way to begin our Yellowstone experience. From there the highway climbed up - up - up. The kids noticed their ears popping as we marveled at the amazing views around us. The road was twisty and turny, and the speed limit was low. It was at this point that I realized the “car sickness” complaints from the kids had stopped many days ago and I crossed my fingers that they would still be ok on this highway.
Our first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs. When we got out of the car it was smoking hot. We walked towards the attraction and explored. I dipped my finger in some of the water that was trickling down the rock structure and gathering at the base beside the boardwalk. It was surprisingly cool to the touch. There were boardwalks all around this phenomenon and we checked out the map to find a route to follow. We climbed halfway up the rock structure but it was so hot out that the kids were not interested in continuing (you can see their excitement level in the picture we took as we paused to consider our next steps). We decided to turn around and head back to the car. After a washroom visit, we were back on the twisty turny highway and in the comfort of our air conditioning.
Not too far down the road, we saw someone pulled over in one of the pull offs. We looked at what they were taking a picture of and excitement erupted in the car. It was a buffalo!! The kids and I piled out of the car and cautiously walked across the road to get a closer look. Ben was ready to walk right up and pet the thing while Katie hesitantly hung back. My fear radar was somewhere in between. The buffalo was by itself and quietly minding its own business snacking on some grass in the ditch beside the road. This was an oddly familiar scene since I had a buffalo encounter on my bike trip where I came across an entire herd of wild buffalo on the highway. I convinced Katie to get closer to Ben so I could get a picture. Ryan being the rational parent called to us to hurry up and get back in the car. What a rush! How exciting! We got to see a bison after all!
We continued back on our way and just a few mins later I heard Ryan yell “Oh my God!”. We looked out the front window and I grabbed my phone and hit record as we approached. This time we found the traffic on the other side of the road backed up as we pulled up alongside another buffalo!! The next 20 seconds were the most hilarious of the trip and it was all captured on camera. We are all yelling at Ryan to slow down and as we approached he kept driving and the rest of us were all complaining in the background, me calling Ryan lame and Ben yelling "come on dad!!" Once again, Ryan being the only sane person in the car.
We continued driving, occasionally passing by mysterious springs on the side of the road with a gassy steam quietly floating up towards the sky. Within a few more mins, we spotted quite a few cars pulled over and naturally, we pulled over to join, to see what the excitement was about. This time it was a deer or reindeer (not sure which one) walking away from us into the forest in the valley down below. This drive was beginning to feel like a safari! I was not expecting this at all. We couldn’t wait to see what would happen next! We saw one final glimpse of a couple deer bathing in the evening sun in a grassy field before we neared the edge of the park.
We were booked at the West Yellowstone KOA which was just outside of the West Entrance of the park. It had been a very long day of driving so it was nice to pull in, although we were still on a high from all of the excitement that we’d just experienced. This was our first stay at a KOA and we were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. The people who greeted us were soooo friendly. They seemed genuinely happy to be working and living where they were. Who wouldn’t? Being in the mountains and breathing the fresh air does something indescribable to your body. We found our RV site that we had booked so we could make use of charging. The first thing we did when we pulled in was make sure the charger worked. Jackpot! Ryan was so happy. It even turns out that the KOA includes an extra plug in their electrical box that allowed us to plug directly into the dryer plug that we use at home. So after all that, we didn’t need the adaptor that Ryan had ordered on Amazon and had shipped to Cory, although it will come in handy when we camp in Ontario Provincial Parks in the years to come.
The kids were excited to explore, so they went and checked out the playground while Ryan and I set up the tent. There was a narrow patch of grass just wide enough to fit the tent. The kids came back to find us after Katie twisted her wrist on one of the spinney monkey bars that rotated faster than she was expecting. Thank goodness, not broken. The kids helped us finish unpacking and a big science discovery was made… the bag of Smokey Bacon Lays Chips that Uncle Cory had sent with us had expanded to a giant balloon. The kids marveled at this and we explained how the air pressure impacts things inside sealed packages that come from a lower elevation.
We wandered to the onsite restaurant that we had read about online. We ordered a bison burger and a hotdog to share. They came with chips and BBQ baked beans which turned out to be the best part of the meal. The beans, I guess, are an American staple… mixed with hamburger chunks and BBQ sauce. After dinner we toured the gift shop and had fun admiring all of the gadgets and souvenirs. The kids checked out the indoor swimming pool, but decided to give it a pass (shockingly!) since they were tired and we were ready for bed.
We returned back to our campsite, brushed our teeth in the nearby washroom, admired the cute dogs that were having their bedtime pee in the small enclosure beside the washrooms, and climbed into the tent. We played a couple more rounds of Euchre under the glow of our LED lights that Katie has become quite proficient at stringing up. The campsites were tightly packed and our next door neighbours were having a campfire that was probably 15 feet from our tent, with no brush separating us. They were being respectfully quiet, but we could still hear them talking. We fell asleep to Yuri and the Dragons on Katie’s tablet, one of her favourite bedtime meditations. We all drifted off to a beautiful sleep.
