These guys were getting pretty good at casting...
...while Jackie went for a walk and Sean slept in.
We all went to the lodge again for breakfast. But as we were getting ready, we turned to look outside our hotel window and this happens to walk by....his name is Byron – Byron the Bison.
As Sean put it...the world's largest lawn mower.
We than went to the lodge for some breakfast. This just never gets old...
As we wrote above, this was scheduled “downtime”. A small hike up Elephant Back Trail would be the perfect way to get some exercise, see the Lake from a different vantage point and to tire out the kids while having some fun – so 3 out of 4 ain't bad . It was a 3.5 mile round trip hike 800 ft from where we started. A piece of cake..?..?.. Jackie was so excited to go up this trail. We ventured out into the woods – all five of us. Sean of course leading the way. We saw this tree growing out of rock...
A great view of the lake from about 700' up...
...but than the trouble began (reenactment)
The trail turned into a series of thin ridgeback routes winding up Elephant Back Mountain. The fear of heights soon set in on Jackie. She hugged the side of the mountain and just had to go back. We tried to calm her down but to no avail. She took off down the mountain like a fat person chasing a twinkie. So Steve had to figure out what to do at this point. He had to deal with Sean who was upset for having to turnback after nearing the top of another summit (Inspiration Point was the first one) and tend to the girls who were ready to do whatever Steve told them. Fortunately, another family was not far behind us so Steve asked them if Sean could tag along to the summit – “no problem” they said. So Steve and the girls went down to tend to Jackie. In doing so, the girls were helping each other down the mountain.
Rule #1 – you should not be in the woods by yourself. Steve and the girls tried to catch up but it soon turned into a lost cause. Steve and the girls kept asking people we saw going down the mountain if they saw a freightened woman swoosh by them. They all said yes until we neared the end. The last family did not see such a woman. So the girls and Steve got back to the van but no Jackie. Where could she be? We didn't hear any screams so chances are a Grizzly didn't eat her. We couldn't leave the van, since Sean would be back soon. Fear started to set-in. Where could she be? What should we do? How could Steve explain this to Jackie's parents? Their daughter was lost in Yellowstone National Park....Holy cow...We must remain calm, wait for Sean, than alert the authorites. We thought since the Hotel was only a mile from the trail that possibly she walked back there. So once smiling Sean returned from his quest conquering Elephant Back Trail, we rode back to the Hotel. Sure enough, there was Jackie walking through the parking lot after embibing on a libation at the hotel....whew...crisis averted...but Steve now needs to gather himself
The downtime could now begin. We hung out at the hotel, sat by the lake, exchanged a few laughs and took some pictures.
Patriotic Shannon...
Nice Truck...
The cabin we stayed in for the first two nights...
We didn't take many pictures after this. We went to dinner at the lodge, drove off to find some more wildlife. We were particularly interested in spotting some bear and wolves but were too elusive for us on this trip. We went to bed early to gear up for our drive to Cheyenne, WY tomorrow....Good Night.
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