Into Montana, with a brief stop in my mom’s hometown of Butte, then onto Yellowstone where we camped and did some day hikes in the area. It truly is magical. And crowded with people from all the world. Still, quite beautiful and stunning and it brought back so many memories . . . .

A slice of downtown, where Copper Kings once roamed . . .

Our first hike back in Yellowstone, along the Yellowstone River, near Gardiner, Montana.

One of these guys is 20. The other, not so much. 🙂

Norris geyser basin in the morning was full of bright steam and sun.

Norris

In the evening after dinner we hiked in Hayden Valley, finding a sizable heard of bison. The moms looked upon us with some suspicion. After a bit, we heard a pack of wolves howl, from just up the hill to the left. We did not see them, but they sounded very close to us. I’ll try to post the audio at some point.

Sunset behind the lower falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It was a beautiful evening for a walk along the rim.

The next day we took a hike up to Observation Point in the Upper Geyser Basin, where Old Faithful is located and managed to catch an eruption. They are simply beautiful.

This is from inside of Old Faithful Inn, looking up at the “Crow’s Nest,” where Teddy Roosevelt used to sit. The Inn was built in 1909 and 1910 and is still as beautiful as ever.

Old Faithful Inn has three levels that ring the main floor. On many evenings I would spend time up here reading and hanging out with friends. It was lovely.