Day 7: Awesome Day

We made our start today in Billings Montana.  We all seemed to sleep well and had a good breakfast.  After a short stop at Walmart for much lunch supplies and ice, we were on the road. 

We stopped again in Red Lodge Montana to fuel up and grab a few snacks (Sadie wanted some doughnuts, so guess who gave in...).  On to the Beartooth Pass.

We've only been into Yellowstone through the Beartooth Pass one other time.  We are convinced this it the prettiest way into the park.  I don't intend on going any other way again.  There is one small caveat to using this entrance, you have to be okay with narrow roads and heights. 

We made a stop at one pull off where the chipmunks begged for snacks and would almost crawl on you to get them.  Sadie received much joy by throwing small snowballs at us all. 

The thing about the Beartooth is, once you think you are near the top, you really aren't.  We thought we were close to the top once we hit snow, but then kept on going.  There is a ski lift near the top, and sure enough, there were many people skiing.  It is kind of wild to see people skiing in the middle of June, especially off the side of a really steep mountain. 

Once we reached the summit, Sarah and I walked about half a mile to the true peek where we had an unencumbered 360-degree view of the mountains...  It was spectacular.  I think the peak is somewhere around 11,000 ft.  We even got snowed on while we sat on the summit taking pictures and met a small mountain rodent called a Pika who lives at the summit and comes out to meet guests. 

On the way down, we stopped at "The Top of the World" where we used to the outhouse.  Even though this was a small latrine, it was Amazingly much better than any we experienced in Canada... (Yes, we're still ill about the Canadian "Rest Areas"). 

As we were leaving the "Top of the World", it started to snow/sleet/hail.  It made the hood of the car white, along with the road.  We drove in this winter wonderland for nearly 30 minutes. 

It was late (1:30) before we got down the mountain to a good spot for a picnic.  We stopped, but the mosquitos were bad, so we ate quick.  On our way down the mountain, we saw a pretty good sized bull moose and stopped for some videos and pictures. 

Once in Yellowstone, we went to tower falls first, then to the Roosevelt Gate.  If you haven't had your picture made at the Roosevelt Gate, it's worth the short trip from Mammoth Hot springs.  While at Mammoth, we saw plenty of elk wandering around and enjoyed climbing the thermal feature's boardwalk. 

We saw another bear on the road in Yellowstone and plenty of Buffalo. 

We at supper at Firehole BBQ which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.   It certainly lived up to our expectations!  I'd recommend it and can't wait to go back. 

We're staying at a condo Jenn found on VRBO and are looking forward to being here for two nights.