Yellowstone the Third Time Around

Yellowstone is one of our favorite places in the world so we head in for the third summer in a row. There are 5 entrances and we've been in 4 so we head to the 5th to complete our rounds. This part of the park is known as the Serengeti of Yellowstone. I'm excited and hoping to see lots of animals.

We saw quite a few bison but they are becoming 'common' to us know... how weird is that? We saw some pronghorn as yet another storm roared in. Lightning, heavy rain, hail... gorgeous setting to sit and experience it!

We headed to the great falls in Yellowstone and sat in on a Ranger program.

Yet another amazing storm swept through while we were at Lake Yellowstone. The lake had been calm and then suddenly it was covered in white caps. The rain was blowing sideways so we waited it out over a snack indoors.

We did get to see elk and our first moose!

We went to check out Grand Tetons National Park again and it was as spectacular as ever. You could see a huge storm cell over Yellowstone... kind of eerie. Into Jackson Hole and we got a little cabin on the river. Hoping for good weather and maybe some rafting tomorrow.

Time for Goodbyes...

We meet up with Alex for breakfast at a cute place across from campus and enjoy 'the last meal'. We had some great conversations and then it's time to let her go. Of course, she has left stuff in the camper so we sort that out.

Words of love and encouragement accompany hugs and tears and Alex is off on her college career. She looks so happy and confident. We're very proud but sad. Now the countdown to Thanksgiving begins!

To soothe me, Dan heads to CVS (weird, I know) to stock up on our Flathead Lake Cherry Ale.

Poor Brenna, we make every trip educational! As a fifth grader, they do state reports so she is doing hers on Montana. We head to Helena, the capital of Montana, to get some information in preparation for her report (which isn't until early next year!) We had a chance to tour the original Governor's Mansion, a museum on Montana history and the Capital Building. All were gorgeous, especially the Capital Building.

We head towards Yellowstone and hit lots of rain. When we finally arrive in Livingstone. It poured, lots of lightning and booming thunder. Found a litle leak in the camper... oh fun!

Had a chance to get laundry done and of course, I find some of Alex's clothes. Hmmm, ship them or let her get them when she comes home...

The weather matches our moods.

Griz part 2

Being a good sister and seeing how sad Brenna is becoming, Alex spent some time with Brenna riding Banana bikes around the campground. I'm not sure she really knows how much Brenna looks up to her.

It is a spectaular day.... 71 and it was 100 yeaterday! We head to Target to pick up more last minute things (which are adding up!) and head to UofM to get her set up. Of course, she's on the top floor of a building with no elevator... nice! Had some random college kids step up and carry in a few loads for us.

Her dorm has a loft bed so it was a challenge making her bed, especially since they haven't delivered the ladder for her bed yet (uhhh, when you make it a loft bed, wouldn't it be obvious that you need access to it?) She has so much stuff.

We head over to the bookstore after getting some nourishment for Dan, Brenna and Alex. Wow. Books. Are. Expensive. Wow. It was nice to walk across campus and see everything.

Alex is already in a rush to meet up with friends so we leave her to spend her first night in the dorm.

Tears are being shed but not by Alex. That's good, right?

We go for bbq and my favorite beer, Flathead Lake Cherry Ale... it hits the spot and we head back to swim and hang in the jacuzzi. Just in time for Huckleberry sundaes!

Becoming a Griz

Well, we're off to Missoula. Red flag warnings for high winds and rain so we leave early to try and avoid it. We cross Washington, into Idaho and then into Missoula. It was a hot day and smoky from fires in the area.

After checking in, we headed to the University of Montana to move some of Alex's stuff into her dorm (as much as we don't want to be away from Alex, we are thrilled to be free of her 'stuff'!!) Her roommate has moved in already and it's interesting to compare what they put on their bookshelves...

We head to an Irish pub for dinner (so yummy and a great glass of wine!) Alex was meeting up with some friends to listen to the Beach Boys, who are in town, so we drop her off and head back to the campground. We were so glad when she was dropped off and spent the night with us.... it's the last one before she moves into the dorm.

I love having my wee family all around me...

Heading East

Before we hit Missoula and get Alex set up, we stay in Leavenworth, WA. No, not the prison. It's a cute Bavarian town... think Solvang but German. It was a hot day so we headed into town to the beer garden for bratwurst and beer under misters.

After enjoying our late lunch/early dinner, we headed to the campsite to swim and relax on the huge lawn. We were next to a river so it sounded so peaceful.

I find I'm taking fewer and fewer photos. I can't stop thinking of what the next few days hold. I'm so excited for Alex but I'm having a hard time letting go. We'll manage somehow, right?

Off to spend time with my girls...

Searching in Seattle

Alex has friends in Seattle so we took the ferry over for her to meet up with them and for the rest of us to try again to get some good clam chowder.

Now, the only ferry that Brenna knows of is the Balboa ferry. When she saw the 'ferry' in Washington, she was shocked. It was pretty funny. We got on board and everyone seached out their favorite spot to enjoy the scenary and to see Seattle as we came around the corner.

We did the obligatory Pike's Place walk and Alex met up with her friends. We did finally locate some great chowder so we decided that we'd really rather be back at the campground relaxing.

Brenna was able to use the Monster Bikes, swim and we watched an outdoor movie before snuggling in for the night.

Our first night away from Alex on this trip... I guess we're easing into letting her go... I'm starting to have a hard time.

Watch Out Washington

Awakening to a gorgeous sunrise on the Oregon coast.... ahhh. Time to continue our journey north to the top of Washington. Enjoyed some nice time on the beach with Dan while the kids snored.

After stopping for the requisite coffee, pastry and salt water taffy, we headed to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Yes, we are the biggest family of goobers! This is our second trip here and we'll come again if we can! Great tour if you're in the area and yummy samples! I think Dan and Brenna sampled the cheeses at least 3 times! Not only is their cheese wonderful, they have some great ice cream! $3 will get you 3 sample size scoops that are huge!

After making our cheese purchase, we continued north to enter Washington. Now, our cousin states to the north have a fondness (ok, and a need) for bridges over water. What does Alex not care for? High bridges, especially over water. So after giving her a heart attack, we stopped for a lunch picnic along the Washington coast. Again, beautiful.

Dan racked up major Dad points when he searched for Kurt Cobain's home in Aberdeen, WA. Alex was excited so that makes us happy.

Staying on Highway 1 we ventured north, eventually hitting Forks, WA. For all my friends who love Twilight, we checked it out. No Edward or Jacob but we did find the car! We eventually made it into Port Angeles and set up camp. It was late as usual so Brenna will have to wait to check out the pool.

Oregon Bound

Of course, today is clear and sunny and we are leaving the beach... Oh well.

Off to Oregon we head along Highway 1. We spent a little bit of time in the Redwood National Forest and it was awe-inspiring. I'm not sure many people can actually drive their car through the huge redwood anymore...

We spent most of our day in the car, enjoying the beautiful coastlines of California and Oregon. Dreading Dan complaining about not being able to pump his own gas in Oregon (state law!) We finally stopped at one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Lighthouse on the cliff, amazing rock formations, beautiful sunset... ahhh. Trying to capture it on a camera is near impossible. I found that alot on this trip. Sometimes the beauty of things just doesn't translate onto the camera.

We continued to drive and it was getting dark. Exhausted, we decided to stop at a cliffside motel and check it out. The room was ok but you walked out the slider onto a huge lawn and were overlooking the ocean! It was so gorgeous and we were blessed to have found it. And cheap!

Anxious for some good clam chowder, we headed to a popular local restaurant only to have to have one of the worst clam chowders ever. So disappointed.... very watery. Oh well, at least we had our oceanview room to head back to!

Hanging in Westport with the Hippies

Today was like most days... everyone is up and Alex is still asleep! Dan, Brenna and I head to the beach to check it out in the morning light. It's completely clouded over but beautiful. How can you beat waking up to the sound of waves crashing?

Off to explore the little quaint towns in this area. Last night (at the only store in town) we met some girls who invited us to the town BBQ fundraiser for the fire department. Sounded good... but first, Glass Beach! We headed south to check it out. As we hiked down the path we came across wild blackberries growing everywhere! Joining in with the locals, we picked the gorgeous berries and stuffed ourselves, spitting out the sour ones.

We headed down the path to a beautiful beach where we searched for glass treasures. Finding the white ones was easy... the blues and greens were tougher and occasionally we'd stumble on a pink or yellow one! I really enjoyed the search and now have a tub of sea glass as my memento of this trip.

After going through cute areas and a little shopping, we headed in for the local event.

It was not Mission Viejo...

Well, the people were really nice and the food was great but it was a total throw back to the 60's. Let's just say, I wouldn't let the kids eat the brownies! Great band was playing and I thoroughly enjoyed the 'dancing'. I think it takes special brownies to dance that way. Alex wouldn't let me take any photos but I will have these moves and outfits embedded in my head for a loooong time.

I also learned that I too can apparently do belly dancing... you don't have to be a size 2 in Westport to shimmy! Don't worry, I like you too much to subject you to that!

Back to camp for some bike riding for the girls.

Great day and night but time to rest and head to Oregon.

Heading North

Well, off we go to take Alex on the first great adventure of her adult life... college. We got a bit of a late start but still beat the sun as we headed north to Westport, CA. Not a bad drive but long.

Cutting from the 5 above San Francisco towards the coast provided us with an amazing drive. We are so blessed to live in such a diverse and amazing state!

We finally arrived for our first night of camping and we are right on the beach. It's been a long drive so we've decided to stay another night here and enjoy some family time.

College Road Trip 2010

Year Three of my attempt at a blog. This time our motivation for our trip is to take Alex to the University of Montana. I am so excited for her... it is a beautiful campus with so many new and interesting opportunities for her. We're just going to miss her like crazy. It will be a new experience for our family ~ back to just three.

Plan is to leave Friday the 20th, head north to San Francisco, over to the coast (Alex wants to be at the coast as long as possible!), up through Oregon, maybe check out Olympia National Park, Seattle, and across to Missoula. We'll get her set up, I'll pop a Zanax when we say goodbye and our new mini family will head to Yellowstone.

I'd love to hear your comments as we travel. Hopefully I do a better job posting updates than I did last year (that was because we lacked WiFi in many locations)

Morag-

Day 4 - Glad to See Ya Glacier

We woke up in Missoula, Montana and thankfully, it had stopped raining. It was good to sleep on a bed and not in a tent. Missoula is actually a bit more interesting than we expected but there was no real time to explore. We needed to push forward to our ultimate destination, Glacier National Park.

The road to Glacier took us through Flathead Lake, a really beautiful lake surrounded by fruit trees. They are apparently known for their cherries so we pulled over to a roadside stand and picked some up for the road. Yum! They were delicious and Dan is now determined to grow a cherry tree at home... I'll get back to you on that!

We pulled into our campground in Glacier...and it's called Glacier Campground. Very creative, don't you think? It was heavily wooded and we had reserved a small cabin since this is bear country and we've already had our one mandatory bear experience. Basic but nice cabin. It's nice to just pull sleeping bags and clothes out. Once we set up, we headed into Glacier. We didn't get too far in. We hung out in Apgar Village and enjoyed the lake and the mountain views. Of course, Brenna had to run into the water and claims it's not too cold... we'll see.

We drove a little way into the park and saw beautiful waterfalls and thundering rivers. We were starving soon and headed to a restaurant close to the campground. Great BBQ and our new favorite fruit... huckleberry. We are eating ANYTHING that has huckleberry. If you're in the northwest area of the country, it's everywhere so try it!

Off to the cabin to rest up for our exploration tomorrow of Glacier.

Day 3 - Yellowstone Surprise

Sunday morning we packed up early and loaded the kids in the car. When we told them where we were going, they were so excited. We headed in the Western entrance, make a right towards Old Faithful and made a loop around the park, exiting at the North West entrance. We were able to see some tings that we missed last year on our trip.

It is just jaw-dropping when you come upon a stretch of the road and can see six or more geysers erupting in front of you, on both sides of the road. As one starts, it seems to trigger others close by. We saw some beautiful geysers and crystal clear 'lakes' that were bubbling from deep below. The colors in nature here are a Pantone dream ~ shocking blues, yellows, greens, oranges....

One of my favorite sites was at Yellowstone Lake in Big Thumb. There are geysers, paint pots, lakes.... all boiling and churning, next to this amazing lake. You can see volcanic activity at the edge of the lake with crystal clear blue waters. Beautiful scenery so hopefully the pictures can capture some of it!

We also visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The teal color of the water tumbling over Upper Falls was captivating. Not a 'dirty water' teal but so cystal clear and clean that it is teal.

Wildlife was out in full force. We saw elk, Canadian geese, and a herd of HUNDREDS of bison. Talk about causing a traffic jam. The bison were all around us, walking in front of our car to cross to the other side of the meadow. Four male bison were acting really aggressively with each other and were chasing one another alongside the cars. You could hear kids screaming two cars in front of us. I didn't think this could be topped but we saw a mother bear and two cubs amongst some trees fairly close to the road. Based upon her size and their coloring, we think they may have been grizzly bears. Wow!

Off we went to head back to Montana and towards Glacier National Park. Dan has been a saint with all the driving. Montana is a beautiful state. We drove for h-o-u-r-s and finally stopped in Missoula. It was pouring rain for hours and we saw a lot of lightning (very impressive!) We have collapsed at the Holiday Inn Express (and as I type this, Dan has fallen deep asleep ~ poor guy!) We're learning that there is great distance between 'big' cities which can sometimes make finding services difficult. Add in a Sunday when things close early, if they open at all and it makes it challenging.

Tomorrow we head to Glacier National Park. But not until we find Wal-Mart and get me the device to download pictures!

Day 2 - Hello Idaho

Finally connected again... tried to update this last night but had problems with the WiFi...
We started off by having breakfast at the KOA in Twin Falls and then headed over to the actual Twin Falls.

These falls are called the "Niagara of the West" and were really incredible. It is the Snake River that plunges over these falls. Double rainbows appear in the mist of the falls while you are surrounded by plunging cliffs, beautiful mountains and trees. And as soon as we find a Target or Wal-Mart and purchase the right device to transfer pictures, I'll post some! We then headed over to the upper level of the Snake River, where they have created a 'swimming hole'. Brenna just had to try it out. Although it was slimey on the steps built to help you in, she really enjoyed it. Swam out to the diving platform and also dove in from the diving board... fun, even though it ended in a belly flop! But a beautiful one it was! As we left the lake, we saw a dozen or so elk on the crest of the hilltop. Wow!

The one thing Dan wanted to do was to see the spot where Evil Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River.... we have no idea how it happened but somehow we forgot...oops! Next time, right?

We headed north to Shoshone and visited the Ice Caves. It is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lava fields. You climb down about 100 feet into a lava tube. Then you are allowed into the cave, where it is about 40 degrees and ice covers the cave floors. They have built wooden walking paths above it and you walk all the way to the back of the cave. It was awe-inspiring and a welcome relief from the 90 degree weather up top! If you are ever in this part of the country, check it out!

We then headed to Craters of the Moon National Park. Such a stark landscape that was oddly mesmerizing. We went to the visitors center and learned more about it. Informative, interesting and more importantly, an air-conditioned escape from the heat. There is a campground there which boggled my mind as to why anyone would want to stay there, camping on black dirt and uneven ground, no trees and high temperatures. I must be missing something because there were lots of people there. Oh well, to each his own!

The kids had been very excited about the trip but kept asking to return to Yellowstone again. It was a trek out of our way but with Alex being a senior now, we want every opportunity to make memories. So, unknown to them, Dan and I planned on surprising them with a visit to Yellowstone. We headed towards West Yellowstone with no reservation, never thinking we'd get that far today. Well, we did and long story short, no room at the inn! It was getting late and we had been driving through a thunderstorm so we just wanted a place to stop. Trusty KOA to the rescue again. We got the 2nd to the last spot and were glad to have it!

Tomorrow, Yellowstone!

Day 1 - Blowing through Nevada

Unbelievably, we got out of the house at 4:15 a.m. to hit the road and begin our new adventure. Our goal was to stay in Ely, Nevada so we headed out past Las Vegas and up the 93 through Nevada. It was actually pretty beautiful, better than we expected. Thunderstorms surrounded us but we were never lucky enough to get caught in one.

We hit Ely...... cue tumbleweeds. There was nothing to do so we decided to push on. But before exiting Nevada, I had to play a slot machine, right? No luck but how do you pass through Nevada and not gamble at all? No luck but still needed to try. We pushed on into Twin Falls, Idaho and found a campground. They are on Mountain Time so it gets dark late. But still barely late enough for us. We hastily threw up the tent but were too exhasuted to drive for dinner. Cup of Noodles anyone?

We forgot the cable to download photos but I'm heading to find one and get some pictures up.

Montana or Bust

We're getting ready to hit the open road and explore more of the beautiful Western U.S. My goal is to update this blog daily, of course hoping for WiFi somewhere along the way each day. We would love your comments as we travel. Montana or Bust!

Adventure 2009 Approaching....

Hello Family & Friends!

We are preparing for our 2009 trip. Last year we were lucky enough to visit Wyoming (Yellowstone Park and Grand Teton National Park), go whitewater rafting, etc. This year we are again heading north, this time to Glacier National Park in Montana. Figured we better check it out before it's gone, right?

So check us out as we explore the great Western states. The adventure begins Friday around 4:30 a.m......

Day 14

Ok, I'm finally back on schedule with writing this blog. We were able to sleep in a bit today and the kids spent some time visiting the resident bison that live at this hotel They were even able to pet them... well, the babies anyway.

We had big plans for today that we have been looking forward to this whole trip ~ whitewater river rafting! As you can see, we were successful at meeting this goal, even though we just scheduled it this morning. This photo is from the end of a HUGE rapid we went through. But I'm jumping ahead of myself.

We headed back into Jackson Hole and had lunch at the Wort Restaurant, which is one of the oldest hotels in town. When Brenna's kid's meal was delivered, a woman from the hotel came to us and asked Brenna if she would be a junior sheriff for the town. She said yes and was sworn in right there. She received her badge and a chocolate silver dollar as payment. It was really cute and she loves having a new souvenir.

We then hurried over to Mad River Boat Trips for an 8-mile whitewater trip and dinner. To be honest, I was a bit nervous since I'm not a real strong swimmer and Brenna was nervous as well. We loaded onto the bus and headed down to the launch spot. We were divided into boats and were lucky enough to have really, really nice people on our boat. A family from Kansas City. We got our life-jackets on and loaded into the boat. I headed to the back, Dan and Brenna were in the front and Alex was behind them. We took off and pretty quickly, Brenna fell completely in love with rafting and basically became the hood ornament for the boat, hanging over the front to get soaked. Alex was such a stud on the boat and paddled with the best of them!

I soon relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Our guide was awesome and let us try lots of fun things. Everyone jumped overboard and floated for a wee bit... and by everyone I mean, not me! But Brenna was the first in and loved it. Since I hadn't jumped in, our guide made sure to turn the boat at the next rapid in order to ensure that I was completely christened with river water. My sinuses are clear, thank you.

We stopped partway and climbed up a hill to a setting with tables and a bbq. As we dropped our life-jackets off, Brenna wasted no time and ran straight to get a cheeseburger, salads, brownies and a drink. It was pretty good but only enhanced by the ability to sit overlooking the river and watching other rafts and kayaks tackle the big rapids. We saw plenty of people pop out of their boats or flip their kayaks, which brought my nerves back.

We got back in the raft and headed for the big rapids. This was the only time that Brenna sat on a seat and had me hold the back of her jacket. It was just a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!! We had so much fun and the biggest smiles on our faces.

It ended all too soon and we have all decided that another rafting trip is on our list! The people we rafted with had a waterproof camera and took pictures of us saying they would send them to us so hopefully they don't lose our address!

We start heading home in the morning. We're going to hit part of Idaho just to say we did... not sure where we will end up Friday night but if there is WiFi, I'll update this blog.

Day 13

This is being written the day after but..... I was just too tired when we finally landed to write.

Wednesday saw us leaving Montana and entering Yellowstone for the third day. We were lucky enough to be camping at the edge of the campground and awoke to a herd of horses right next to us. It was so pretty to see all these horses on the hill with miles and miles of beautiful scenery behind them. The kids had a great time petting and feeding them.

Today our plan was to cover the lower part of Yellowstone and head out to the Grand Tetons. We pulled over on many side roads and saw incredible geysers, paint pots, etc. It is just impossible to describe everything we saw and give it proper justice. The colors and sights are just unbelievable.

We also fell in love with the funniest sign and Alex requested that I post it here for your enjoyment. We especially love the dad who is completely oblivious to his children... hmmm, please notice it's not a mom....

We eventually made it to Old Faithful. Of course, as we pulled in there was a huge crowd leaving so we knew that we had just missed the eruption. No problem. It was 2:00 and we still hadn't eaten yet so it gave us a chance to pick up some really great sandwiches and picnic near Old Faithful. It was a cloudy, rainy day so the impact of Old Faithful doesn't show up as well in photos as it does against a blue sky. Still, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was also a great chance to observe human expectations now ~ we are such an instant gratification society that when it didn't erupt exactly at the predicted time, people started grumbling. Like someone is flipping a switch or something! Anyway, on to the Grand Tetons.

On our way out of Yellowstone we crossed the Continental Divide three times. But we were too tired to stop, get out, pose and take pictures next to the sign. But I did get pictures of complete strangers next to it!

The Grand Tetons are just spectacular. What an amazing range of mountains that look like they just erupted out of the earth. Still covered with snow, they are a sharp, dramatic range overlooking meadows and lakes. The rain started again and gave us some beautiful images. We checked a few places there for lodging but didn't find anything that really suited us. We pushed onto Jackson Hole...

Remember the 'loose' trip that this is? Well, we hit Jackson Hole and there was NO WHERE to stay. No where. Not even the gross, scary places. We headed to campgrounds... booked. Headed out farther. No vacancy. By this time it was getting pretty late. The kids were starting to stress and we were a little... We continued heading out through the canyon towards Alpine. Found a cute place that said Vacancy... phew. Nope, we need two nights and they only have one. She was nice enough to direct us to another place, much farther down the road. We booked it sight unseen, with me worried to death that they might also be renting rooms by the hour... kidding. Anyway, we finally find it ~ the Wolves Den. By now it's after 9:00. Turns out to be a great place. New, big rooms and very, very clean. We all are thankful for a hot shower and big comfy beds. Ahhhhh.

Day 12

Today began with breakfast at the campsite and then we headed back into Yellowstone. This time we were heading north towards the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

Again, stinky but the colors and formations are so beautiful (Alex demonstrates 'stinky' above). We spent a lot of time hiking here, checking everything out. It still amazes me how these dramatic landscapes butt up against soft meadows of yellow, purple and pink wildflowers. You'll see delicate yellow daisies growing alongside this white sulfur material that looks like snow or a moonscape.

This journey has made all of us appreciate the intricacies and immense power of nature. Despite the many hours spent in the car, the kids keep telling us how much they are enjoying this trip. And notice Brenna's new pink cowgirl hat. She loves it!

After spending time at the hot springs, we headed over to the visitors center and lunch! Actually decent food and very reasonable prices. Seems like when the park system is running it, as opposed to big hotels, they are more realistic about prices ~ kind of surprising but very much welcomed! And lunch of course finished with huckleberry ice cream. Yummmm!

It was neat to view the hot springs from this new location, lower than the springs and to see how it causes formations over the sides. We then headed South, towards the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and had a chance to check out all the falls. Everywhere you turn here is beautiful. We found a huge geode that had split in half with crystals in it but being the good citizens that we are (and the fact that it was pretty darn big and a ranger was nearby) Dan and the kids took it to the ranger who said they will display it in the station/visitors center. So there you go, we are now part of Yellowstone's history. Trying to get it out would have required Dan looking like the second pregnant man so it wasn't worth it!

We crossed west again, heading back to the campsite. Dan has done all the driving and was feeling pretty tired at this point. We saw more wildlife on the way back and stopped for pizza in town before stopping for the night.

So far we have seen the lower west side, upper loop and east side. Tomorrow will be our third day in Yellowstone and the day we head towards Old Faithful and the Grand Tetons.