[Image]  Later in the afternoon we encountered a bear jam--a traffic jam caused by folks who wanted to see a bear.

My brother Ed took the wheel so I could hop out and see the bear.
[Image]  A grizzly was lunching nearby.

[Image]  We later encountered another bear jam. I wondered how fast the bicyclist could leave the scene if the mama grizzly got mad at him and charged.

We were hungry so we stopped at a picnic area and made dinner. We had the picnic area to ourselves. If you're ever in Yellowstone and everything seems crowded, try a picnic area. It might just be a quiet spot.

[Image]  From there we headed to Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest one in the park. I love it; it seems so otherworldly. The evening light made the Porcelain Basin seem even starker.

[Image]  The kids did awesome walking the boardwalk. I think Desert Boy walked about five miles that day between the bear hike and the geyser basin.

[Image]  The kids saw their first geyser--Constant Geyser. They didn't know what to think.

[Image]  Desert Boy was very curious about all the dead trees.

[Image]  It was really nice having my brother along, and the kids appreciated having their uncle joking with them.

[Image] Ah, this was the quintessential Yellowstone day: wildlife, traffic jams, geysers, and a feeling of serenity.