More Yellowstone Memories!

 On our way to Montana, we had a layover in Las Vegas.  
We had just enough time to grab breakfast at the Chase Sapphire Lounge.

For our first night, we stayed in Gardiner, MT. Since major chains like Hilton or Marriott weren’t an option, we booked the Yellowstone Village Inn. We’re so used to unlocking hotel doors with a digital key on our phones that the check-in process threw us for a loop. This place was delightfully old-school. When the front desk clerk handed us a physical, plastic room key,
Harper stared at it in utter disbelief and exclaimed, "WHAT IS THAT???"
Honestly, I can't blame her—we don't even use a physical key for our own house anymore!

After our old-school night in Gardiner, our next hotel in West Yellowstone was
much more our speed.  We got back to the modern comforts we prefer, but the real highlight of the stay wasn't the digital keys -- it was the indoor pool.  Harper loved flying down the 100-foot waterslide!

The arcade was a fun spot too!

We were glad they had Uno, because we forgot to pack our game.

We checked out the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.

It was nice to get an up-close look at the animals.
This center acts as a sanctuary for wildlife that can no longer survive in the wild.

Harper, watch out for that bear!

No matter where we travel, Harper is always on a mission to find a penny press machine.

The girls found the coziest seat in the gift shop!

Hands down, our absolute favorite meal of the entire trip was at Firehole BBQ Company in West Yellowstone. This spot was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and it completely lived up to the hype! Ashley and I couldn’t get enough of their incredible pulled pork

and Harper was on cloud nine after ordering her ultimate favorite food: a massive loaded baked potato.

Yellowstone was so much fun. The miles were long, but the memories were the best!