Practicalities

This will be the last Yellowstone post, I promise.

Just a few practical tips that I want to pass on because they served us well.

We got this Adventuring with Kids Yellowstone guidebook from the library and used it to pick all of hikes. A winner every time!

Secondly, we didn't eat meals at our campsite. Originally, this was to ensure there was no reason for a bear to come check us out, but the real win was the gorgeous spots where we dined. Though right along the main road, we had each of these picnic areas basically to ourselves! Every night a new dining adventure.

There were more people at the picnic area we stopped at in the Grand Tetons, but we still managed to snag a table to keep the "dinner with a view" streak going.

The two final points that made the trip perfection you might not be able to or need to re-create. First, you need a dad like mine who gifted us hotel rooms for the three nights on the road. We tent camped while in the park, but we didn't have to set-up the tent on the nights we would be getting back on the road the next morning. Great gift! Secondly, to work on the road, we checked out a mobile hotspot from the library. Philip was able to work while I drove, giving us more time to explore without taking the whole years' worth of vacation days at once. Added bonus: it was easy to jump back into work after vacation because emails had not piled up in his absence. A lifetime of memories while staying caught up on work. Another gift!

I hope you are inspired to head to Yellowstone yourself! It's unbelievable. As soaking in a hot tub soothes the body, so this time in the wilderness soothed my soul.