Yellowstone Park

Yellowstone is a Kunz family tradition. I've been there so many times I can't count. It was fun to revisit all the usual places, look for wild animals, and tell old stories about previous visits. We have LOTS of stories about previous visits and most of them are only appropriate when reminiscing!

We always picnic in the park. We usually drive all morning and when stomachs start rumbling we look for picnic areas. This one was really nice. I liked the little stream and there were picnic tables in the shade. I remember eating on pine needles on the forest floor as a kid so this was a definite upgrade. The only problem was the mixture of small, curious children and the stream. I think all of us were getting after our kids to stay away from the water and not get too close. Of course, both of my kids got wet. I think their Aunt Krista helped them!

I remember being so tired of being in the car as a kid driving through Yellowstone. My kids felt exactly the same. It's really a hard push to get through all the places we wanted to visit in the short amount of time we had there. We really did a lot of driving. Scarlett especially was struggling with it. Beema Kunz was a life saver for her and for Robert and I. She would just take Scarlett aside, give her some loves, and then tell her she needed to behave. Grandmas have magical powers. That never works for me!

Scarlett loves her Beema.

I think this could be my favorite picture of the whole trip. It's Artist's Point. It's was my Grandma Kunz's favorite place in the whole park. I think I still see my dad getting emotional whenever we visit. One thing I never understood when I was growing up and visiting yearly was all the enjoyment you get as a parent watching your children explore and experience new things. I loved watching Nate try and see to the bottom of the deep blue geyser pools and Scarlett so excited to see bison and elk. It's a completely different experience as a parent of small children. I hope one day they'll look back at the places we have taken them and get a little nostalgic. This is why we have family reunions. Building memories and solidifying relationships so that when we are grown we can appreciate all the things that were done for us. I know that if I get the opportunity to return to Yellowstone once my family members are gone I will grow emotional, too.