The family departs shortly after sunrise for Hayden Valley where we hope to encounter wildlife. Our timing could not have been better. With steam still rising off of the Yellowstone River we spot four Grizzly bears fighting over a bison carcass in the water. I have a full series of the brawl in which the strongest bear establishes his dominance and sole rights to gorge himself on the bison before the 2nd place bear takes his turn. Between my long lens, our spotting scope and binoculars we all enjoy a front row seat to the amazing spectacle.

We also spotted a bison fording the river, elk, and Nico was lucky enough to see wolves before they disappeared over a hilltop. Feeling quite fortunate we continue on to Canyon Village where we have breakfast and take in the Yellowstone Canyon before continuing on to Tower Falls.

The Lamar Valley is next on our circuit and here we see something like ten herds of bison numbering 2,000 beasts. For the first time I understand why this place is often referred to as the Serengeti of North America. Encountering far less traffic than we expected for this time of year we backtracked the valley and continued on to Mammoth Hot Springs for lunch and some ice cream.