Near and Afar

Life is a Trip

For the Budniks, memories of Yellowstone National Park last for generations.

Thirty years ago, my grandfather Clayne took the family to Yellowstone, his all-time favorite National Park. He was an avid traveler and explorer, enjoying national parks and white-water rafting.

We lost him in 2010, but his memory was alive during this summer’s trip. For the first time since 1991, I returned to Yellowstone with my family (12 of us, to be exact) including my two kids—one of whom is his namesake.

When you make memories while traveling, the memories live on at the destinations. National Parks are even more special because the landscapes largely remain unchanged. And the memories we made then can be passed down to the next generations.

Grandpa Clayne visiting Yellowstone with his family in 1991

Courtesy Ally Budnik

We flew into Bozeman, Montana, and spent a couple days there hiking and exploring. The scenery is beautiful and the town flourishes with breweries and yummy eats, much like Winter Garden.

We rented a 12-passenger van and traveled to Yellowstone National Park through the North Entrance. While on the road, we kept our eyes peeled and stopped for any wildlife sightings. Bison are plentiful in Yellowstone, but bears are the gold star. We were lucky to have three different bear sightings, including a mama with two cubs.

We explored the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone,” a beautiful canyon with a river running through, passing over giant waterfalls. You can hike along the rim or drive to different viewpoints, including the famous Artist Point and the brink of both the upper and lower falls.

Courtesy Ally Budnik

We drove to Lamar Valley, where thousands of bison graze in the fields, and hiked around Trout Lake to see trout spawning and otters playing. We also saw Norris Geyser Basin, where you can hear the ground sizzling and see the springs boiling. The landscape there makes you feel like you’re on a different planet.

Old Faithful was on the list for day three. We enjoyed several eruptions and hiked around the geyser basin. We also explored the Old Faithful Inn, considered the largest log structure in the world. Next was the Grand Prismatic Spring, where we hiked up the Fairy Falls trailhead for the top viewpoint of the park’s largest hot spring with its beautiful rainbow coloring, then played in Firehole River and visited the falls.

Courtesy Ally Budnik

On the fourth day, we traveled to Yellowstone Lake, took a boat tour, and explored the historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel. The landscape here was my favorite of the trip. The hotel lobby is a beautiful place to grab a beer and take in the views from the panoramic windows.

Day five we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs, described as looking like an inside-out cave, and the historic Roosevelt Arch on our way back to Bozeman.

We made new memories and reconnected to old ones, feeling Grandpa Clayne with us each day. My parents shared memories of his favorite parts of Yellowstone and the things they did some 30 years ago, telling us stories of Grandpa while holding their own grandchildren in their arms. It was the trip of a lifetime that transcended a lifetime.

Ally Budnik is a Winter Garden native and local family attorney. Ally and her husband, Kyle, were high school sweethearts from West Orange High. Both their children, Claire and Clayne, are named after late grandparents.