Yellowstone (Day 2)

Day 2 dawned still early, but not so bright, there was a storm moving in and boy could you feel it in the air. We got up and headed northward again, we figured we would complete the north loop this day. We started out at the Tower-Roosevelt junction where we left off yesterday, and drove to the petrified tree, where we got caught in a downpour which turned into a hailstorm, as we were waiting we saw these 2hikers that were trying to find shelter from the storm, we told them we didn't have much room, but would be gald to squish, and so we ended up giving them a ride back to their car at the Roosevelt Lodge, they where very appreciative and we were very glad for the lesson of kindness this provided for our kids. By the time we got done with our little detour, the clouds had cleared and the trails were dried up enough that we stopped by Lava Creek and had our lunch and played in the water a little, where Zacky and Bradley tried to catch a fish bare handed (they just couldn't quite reach far enough, so alas the fish eluded them). From there we went on a 1 mi. hike to the Wraith Falls and Undine Falls, which again were truly magnificent. Just as we were finishing our hikes it started to rain a little again so we headed for Mammoth Springs and the Albright Visitors Center, still raining so we went to the store and had some ice cream and wrote some postcards, still raining so we went and parked the truck in front of the Travertines, where Scott and I took a nap and the kids waited out the storm watching a movie. When the storm finally let up we were able to explore Mammoth Springs and I think this spot was one of our favorites, we loved the deep springs of blue water, the ridges of crust left by the minerals in the waters,
and the mists that surrounded us, making the scenery breathtaking. After Mammoth Springs we were able to drive through the Hoo Doos, visit the top of Rustic Falls and then just before dark we made it to the Roaring Mountain (which may have been falling asleep, hence no roaring). So a busy and eventful 2nd day in Yellowstone. Oh! I will be taking bets on how many state license plates we found.