The last day is always one of those lost says - you are physically vacationing, but mentally you have checked out at sitting in front of the computer answering a gazillion emails. But having zero connectivity was a great thing - for once! From the northern entrance through Gardiner - you have to drive up to Manmoth Hot Springs - about a 15-20 min drive and then go to other places, it's a cute little village with a couple of gift shops, lip-snacking ice cream, a hotel, and the last place you get a cell phone signal. It is also the home of the famed travertine terraces of Mammoth.

The agenda was to see Mammoth, do some horse riding in the back country and then go to Lamar Valley in hopes of seeing wildlife.

The lower terraces of Mammoth looked like a mountain fortresses - a combination of the white Minas Tirith of the Lord of the Rings and Satyajit Ray's Shonar Kella (the Golden Fortress). Nestled high up in the mountains, bright white terraces stood witness to history. The milky white travertine shone bring in the sun - juxtaposed with hues of ochre, burnt sienna and red on Pallette mountain. From the Lower Terrace there are hiking trails up to the Upper Terrace- by we chose to drive up, since the mere mention of another hike would have been met with some very unhappy reactions, eye rolls and expletives!

The drive through the Upper Terrace was a journey hrough a dystopian winter wonderland. The white rocks glistened bright like fresh snow after the first snowfall. But instead of lush green pines - dead blackish brown tall trunks clung to the rocks- a graveyard of desolate and silent trees.

It was off to horse riding at the Roosevelt Corral after that - about thirty minutes from Mammoth village. Unfortunately six year olds are not allowed! So the squeaky little voice and I hung out at Mammoth eating ice cream surrounded by the lush green fields, and collected multicolored rocks in the gift store (what a scam!). "Oh look look," said the excited squeaky voice, "a fake Bison- I can pet it- its so much better than the real one!"