Entering Yellowstone National Park

First my phone alarm went off at 8am and I had to crawl out of bed to turn it off. Why do I have an alarm set when it's summer vacation? Housekeeping knocked on our door at 9am so we took it as our cue to roll out of bed. We missed the complimentary continental breakfast so we headed next door to Winco to get our grocery shopping done. Today included another 6-7 hour drive to the gate for the west entrance into Yellowstone. I keep forgetting to take my benefits letter from the VA into a Forest Service office and apply for a lifetime pass to the state and national parks.

We stopped at a rest area to make some turkey sandwiches and let the girls out to stretch their legs and play in the grass. We made it to the park entrance just after 5pm. It is $25 for a seven day pass into the park. When we rolled down the window to pay the cashier, mosquitos were swarming all over in a cloud. Mom was trying to bat them away from the window while paying her. I made the mistake about asking about the veterans pass and allowing more mosquitos to come in.

We saw lots of buffalo all over the roads with their little babies. When we were almost to the lodge, we saw a black bear beside the road around Mount Washburn. Mom said that there are lots of bear caves in that area and sometimes you can see the momma bears with their cubs. We pulled into the lodge and secured the key to Cabin #71 on Running Horse Trail.

We decided to eat dinner at the restaurant in Roosevelt Lodge and save the cooking for the next two nights. The menu was pricey with few selections. Mia picked the macaroni & cheese of course for $5.25 and it looked exactly like it came out of the box. I opted for the taco salad with black bean chili on top for $8.95. Mom ordered the bean and cheese enchiladas for $10.25 and they were so spicy that it made her nose and eyes water. Erika got the cheese pizza for $6.25 and she scraped all the toppings off and ate the crust. AshLee ordered the Elk burger with cheddar and mushrooms for $14. It was okay but nothing worth repeating.

The cabin has one full bed in it, a woodstove with a bullet of sawdust rounds, small table with chair, lamp, towels, and soap basket. We're off to bed so we can spend tomorrow exploring the park and her wildlife. This is Mia's first trip into Yellowstone National Park.