110 Bison, 32 Elk, 1 Black Bear, 13 Cowboy Hats, and 22 Camouflage Ball Caps

Based on this headline, where do you suppose we traveled to this past June?

Iowa?

Yellowstone?

Canada?

Estes Park, Colorado?

If you guessed Yellowstone, then you’re right. We were there before all the snow melted, before the grizzly bear attacked and killed a man, and before Exxon managed to tick off thousands of environmentalists and locals. It was a nice way to kick off the summer.

The best part? We got to see family.

And we also got to see all those things mentioned in the headline.

Bison

Black bear

Surprisingly, we didn’t get any shots of elk or cowboy hats…they were everywhere! But if you want to see a camouflage ball cap, see the first image above. (There were definitely more camouflage hats than cowboy hats. We know because we really did count!)

The wildlife viewing opportunities in Yellowstone are out of this world. Really, you can’t visit without seeing something amazing…right outside your car window. Just expect to spend a lot of time in the car since the park is massive. You should also bring your walking shoes, because the trails around the geysers and to the waterfalls are well worth it.

Few other Yellowstone travel tips:

• Make everyone in the car promise to make only one fart joke during the trip. It DOES stink. Well, it smells like sulfur and some people (usually men) can’t help but comment.
• It might be cold! Yellowstone in June is brrrrrrr. Wear layers.
• Bring hand sanitizer. There aren’t many facilities up in ‘em hills, so you’ll be using these fancy porta potty type things. No sinks…or at least not very many.
• Pack a good picnic lunch. Again, there aren’t many facilities. Thankfully, my sister thought ahead. She brought sandwiches, chips, sodas, and all the other things you need for a good picnic.

Thanks, Jen!