We had our first upclose encounter with a black cinnamon bear while we were driving up north! But the only pictures we got of it was of its butt. After it disappeared back into the trees, we continued our drive - we were supposed to hike up Bunsen Peak & Osprey Falls but the whole Bunsen Peak area was covered in fog so we changed our plans and hiked to Beaver Pond in Mammoth Hot Springs instead.

It was a relaxing hike indeed! The area was serene & calm. And we had our picnic lunch by the pond. Too bad we didn't see any beavers. Or bears. After the hike we took pictures around the Mammoth Hotel and also dropped by Gardiner! But there wasn't really anything to see there, so we drove back to the north entrance and.. Took more pictures, heh.

We also drove to Tower-Roosevelt in search of more bears and to hike to Tower Falls. And we got lucky again! This time, we saw a cub and its mommy when we were driving. There wasn't any park ranger around yet so we could get even closer to the bears - maybe just a few feet away? The baby was so adorable! It was climbing a tree and eating flowers, haha. :)

The Tower Falls trail was closed so we couldn't go to the base of the falls. So we ended up just exploring the surrounding area. I love how every village of the park has such distinct features so we never get bored of the park. Had our late lunch at Roosevelt Lodge - it's such a cute cowboy-ish place with all the horses hehe.

Another employees' party! This time it was a beach-themed party. This time, I went there with Dawn, Faith, Bao Jing & Zhi Theng - all four of them have not been to any employee parties before and I was telling them that they should go before we all leave. It was the last party before we left, booooo. I miss partying at the pub! And dancing with Chino! And watching people dress up to the theme (they really go all out)! And hearing all the scandalous stories after the party!

We had our first upclose encounter with a black cinnamon bear while we were driving up north! But the only pictures we got of it was of its butt. After it disappeared back into the trees, we continued our drive - we were supposed to hike up Bunsen Peak & Osprey Falls but the whole Bunsen Peak area was covered in fog so we changed our plans and hiked to Beaver Pond in Mammoth Hot Springs instead.

It was a relaxing hike indeed! The area was serene & calm. And we had our picnic lunch by the pond. Too bad we didn't see any beavers. Or bears. After the hike we took pictures around the Mammoth Hotel and also dropped by Gardiner! But there wasn't really anything to see there, so we drove back to the north entrance and.. Took more pictures, heh.

We also drove to Tower-Roosevelt in search of more bears and to hike to Tower Falls. And we got lucky again! This time, we saw a cub and its mommy when we were driving. There wasn't any park ranger around yet so we could get even closer to the bears - maybe just a few feet away? The baby was so adorable! It was climbing a tree and eating flowers, haha. :)

The Tower Falls trail was closed so we couldn't go to the base of the falls. So we ended up just exploring the surrounding area. I love how every village of the park has such distinct features so we never get bored of the park. Had our late lunch at Roosevelt Lodge - it's such a cute cowboy-ish place with all the horses hehe.

Another employees' party! This time it was a beach-themed party. This time, I went there with Dawn, Faith, Bao Jing & Zhi Theng - all four of them have not been to any employee parties before and I was telling them that they should go before we all leave. It was the last party before we left, booooo. I miss partying at the pub! And dancing with Chino! And watching people dress up to the theme (they really go all out)! And hearing all the scandalous stories after the party!