Yellowstone Day Three, July 2018

On the last morning in Yellowstone, we were all a little sad to leave.  It was such a fantastic vacation and we were not quite ready for it to end.  Before starting the drive for home, we decided to see a few more things.  The town of West Yellowstone is an interesting place that clearly revolves around bears and other wildlife.  That's great if you are like us and always looking for another photo opportunity.

While we were at the park we were on the constant lookout for wildlife and really hoped to see a bear or a wolf.  Other than the bear that Tim glimpsed swimming across the stream, these animals were a little tougher to find.  Jarin and Jami had told us about the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center and how much their kids loved it so we decided to make one last stop before heading home.  It is a non profit wildlife center where they have re-homed several bears and wolves that for various reasons can no longer life in the wild.  The kids all loved being able to watch the animals and see them so close.  Luke and Ruby were especially excited to take their own photos to remember the animals - they took their LeapPads and took tons of photos of everything.  It was pretty great to watch their excitement.

They had a great location for close up views

The wolf den was the perfect place for these two wild ones.

In addition to the bears and wolves, they had several raptors - all who had been injured and could no longer fly.  It was sad to think that they could no longer live in the wild, but we loved seeing the birds up close - a golden eagle, great horned owl, turkey vulture, falcon and three bald eagles.

Inside the center they had some really cool exhibits.

Of course the gift shop was one of the kids' favorite parts

All of the kids were surprisingly great on the trips there and back.  I had been a little worried, but I think we have officially reached the stage where road trips can be enjoyable.  I brought a lot of activities for the little ones, and they watched a few movies and played on their leap pads.  This view was one of my favorite moments - Luke and Ruby built forts over their car seats with their blankets and kept themselves entertained for a very long time.  I love listening to their imaginations at work. 

Erika was able to meet us and visit for a minute on our way home.

Always a highlight for all of us

I like to think these views haven't changed much in the past 100 years