Lakes, canyons, waterfalls!

Our second full day in Yellowstone National Park was so busy that I'm going to have to use two posts to cover it all. We started out with another pancake-less breakfast, but much better prepared for the weather conditions. The first stop was to get the obligatory family picture:

Then it was north-east on the Lower Loop road to Yellowstone Lake. The wind off the lake was cold, but we were bundled up in fleece and hoodies.

We stopped at the Lake Lodge for lunch. Ian enjoyed exploring:


We had intended to go on a short hike to the natural bridge rock formation near Yellowstone Lake, but the trail was closed due to bear activity:

So, we abandoned that hike for longer walks through the "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone". The Yellowstone River flows through this deep gorge with layers of colorful rock down each side.


Ian needed "just a wittle west" (a little rest).

The incredibly photogenic Lower Falls of the Yellowstone river captivated us for over an hour.

Mark hates heights, so the gorge and falls were his least favorite part of the trip. He was a trooper, though, and posed for a billion pictures.


Ethan took this lovely photo of the canyon.

The sides are extremely steep in places. Even I got vertigo, looking down this decline.


Most of the trees were stubby pines. This one, though, stuck in my head as "Tenedor del Diablo" (the Devil's Fork):

More to come!