7-12-16
DAY 24
This morning we woke up in a Holiday Inn. It was one of the two hotels we have stayed in within the past 3 1/2 weeks. All three of us kids managed to sleep peacefully in one queen size bed, and I also had a chance to work on some VLACS homework with the WiFi. We woke up to a delicious breakfast consisting of delicious pancakes, freshly made cinnamon buns, some cereal, crispy bacon, and a couple oranges. Since we didn't have to pack up tents and sleeping bags, it was a more low-key morning, and Maya and James got to sleep in a little. We managed to leave around 9:00 am, taking some cinnamon buns for the drive.
About and hour later, we stopped at a small hike to some hot springs. Here, Maya discovered her inner Goldilocks with temperature. It is either too hot, too cold, too slimy, or just not right. However, the rest of our crew had a great time. There was a couple other people there, but they eventually left and we got the hots springs to ourselves. The stream on the hike up was gorgeous, with bright, emerald mosses and the clearest water. Although the hot springs smelled of rotten eggs and farts, it was still fun. There were also colorful dragonflies of red and blue, skimming across the water.
We finally left when some older men arrived and my parents warned us they may be going naked, since there had been a small sign on the hike there saying "nude bathers at springs". We then headed back down, trying not to watch James as he sprinted down each hill, and watching out for snakes. We had already seen a snake on the way there, and when we were at the springs, we saw a huge snake lying on a rock, along with a snakeskin shortly after. We were happy to arrive back at the car, since we were listening to another good audio book.
After a couple more hours of driving, we added a little bit to our drive by visiting the Great Salt Lake. It was not exactly what I had expected - lot more wildlife, a lot bigger. The part we visited was actually the former great salt lake, so it was all dry, cracked, white ground. It was actually pretty cool, although it was also pretty hot. I think we'd all had enough of the desert heat.
Then, we continued on to Yellowstone. We saw lots of potatoes growing in Idaho and could see the Tetons off in the distance in Wyoming. The skies were a little stormy which we found out was a cold front coming though (which would last the whole time we were in Yellowstone). So, we went from "frogs" slowly boiling in the desert to below freezing temps in Yellowstone.
Just before arriving at Yellowstone, we stopped at a small local deli/market called Grub Steak, where we got some good sandwiches and read some funny cards. The owners were a older couple, and they were really chatty and nice, making our egg sandwiches despite having to close a little later. Clearly, this trip is not about a making sure we have a great culinary experience. We got to the campground around 10:00, at which point everyone dropped off to sleep if they weren't already sleeping in the car. It was a pretty relaxing day.
We have visited many springs and I get what Maya means, but it is really awesome to have water perking out of the ground that is so warm. A hotel night is always a nice treat after camping. When Grandpapa was in the Army, he swam in the Great Salt Lake.
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