Day 2: Grand Tetons

What a better way to start your trip than a 2 hour one way trip? It actually was one of my favorite days! We saw so many animals and breathtaking views.

We were making great time but as soon as we entered the park we came to a standstill. It took a while to figure out what was going on but once we did it was a perfect start. A bison crossing the road and walking right next to the cars. Granted the first sign you read as you enter says "Do NOT stop and block traffic" we obeyed and didn't stop but with traffic in front moving so slowly we had time to pray that he didn't just turn and ram our vehicle. Unfortunately our camera card went bad and we lost quite a few of our pictures. My brother in law captured the bison as well but I haven't asked for permission to use his photos.

Our first stop was around 12. I remember because it was lunch time and my son had a headache from needing to eat. Due to the delay we were about an hour behind schedule and all the food was in my brother's car...Lesson Learned! We took a quick stop to get him medicine and see if we could find a place to eat but it was pretty busy so we walked and took a few pictures before moving on. We spotted our first waterfall on the trip and snapped a quick family photo...minus me.

We are also missing my youngest brother who was not able to join us on vacation. Hopefully next time he will have some time built up.

On our way to the next picnic area which was just past the Grand Teton entrance we noticed a few cars slowing and saw a Bear! I looked down and there next to the road, maybe 5 feet from our car was a cub!

He was adorable and then ran off to join his family which was about 20 feet off the road. Mama was digging for food. We thought we were about to see a bear mauling when we saw a couple people get out of a car behind my brother's. Once they heard it was a bear they got back in but left their doors open.

Here you can see him joining mama and brother (or sister) bear. There are 3 cubs, one is on the other side of mama and you can barely see him. This was truly one favorite and most talked about parts of the trip.

I can't say what happened in my brother's truck but in our vehicle we had very little time we weren't laughing. My brother-in-law and husband really should film their interactions for youtube. 

Oh and we found our picnic spot...after the bears it was just around the bend. A little scary when you think about it but we took our chances, I think because we were all starving and the bears wouldn't have a chance again our hungry group. The view from the picnic area was...well here is a glimpse. 

The lake was created by glaciers. It was just a very peaceful spot to take in the view.

Although the one thing we did have to introduce the kids to the bathroom there. They were not the nice flushable ones that we had stopped quickly at near Old Faithful, or like the portapotties they use at football games. No they were more closely related to an outhouse...a very stinky and heavily used outhouse. We are thankful for Anti-bacterial wipes.

Our plan was to hike some trails but the ones we found were closed because bears were in the area (go figure) or the trail was being worked on. With how long we were already driving we were starting to look forward to heading back. So we decided to take the loop around and start heading back home, still taking our time.

Mount Moran was one of the outlooks we stopped at for the guys to get out and stretch. The kids were tired and the moms didn't want to vacant our comfy spots at the moment.

My sister and I were guarding the car ;) My mom is sitting between us and 2 of the boys were in back. My nephew and niece were in my brother's truck, the rest of the week my nephew joined our crew and my sister and mom took turns riding with my brother.

Our next stop was a quick trail walk/bathroom break. We were able to get more photos of the glaciers.

The stream which is much larger than it appears carrying water from the glacier to the lake. It was impressive site when zoomed in but the actual pictures were poor quality.

A park ranger brought a few wolf skins which the boys were fascinated with. My youngest was trying to figure out where their eyes were.

The first day we were amazed by all the animals, by the end of the trip we were saying "oh just another bison." On our trip 15ish years ago animals were very scarce so we were soaking up every one of them on the first day.

Just past where we had seen the bears earlier was this gorge. I stuck my camera out the window and started snapping, this was the 2nd picture I snapped and the only one without a tree in the way.

As we were exiting Yellowstone there was another traffic jam. This time it was harder to spot but it was an Eagle perched on a tree. So majestic looking.

After a long day, a delicious meal, and some great conversation we headed to bed ready for tomorrow...Old Faithful!

Day 1: Big Sky

In middle school I wrote an essay about "Old Faithful" and dreamed about going. As a teenager that dream was fulfilled but honestly it was not at all as I had imagined...although it could be due to me being a typical teenager or the fact I had a wild imagination of what I thought it would be like. 

Then again it was mentioned over and over by each of my family members how much better this trip was, the first time we barely saw any animals, we drove a van that didn't have A/C in the middle of summer, not to mention we tent camped so setting up camp and packing up each day didn't help my motivation.

When the trip was originally brought up we were not excited about going because of the camping aspect. I can do a few nights camping but at the end of the day I don't want to have to find a place and sit up my bed worrying about what critters may be lurking outside. My husband and first born get headaches pretty easy which also contributed to the thought that maybe we should just look into a lodge or cabin that would be near my family but have a/c and a place that if they needed to lay down they could. Then we found out my brother's family was thinking the same thoughts which helped turn the rest of our family into renting a house for the week as a homebase.

Once the idea of renting a house large enough for all of us was brought up we were all on board and excited. My dad and sister did the planning for our lodging and itinerary with the change that we decided to visit my husband's family in Boise over the 4th of July and then circle back to meet up with my family in Big Sky Montana. 

I had final walk through the morning we left so we didn't get to leave as early as we had hoped. Once we crossed into Nebraska it started to pour which helped me stay focused as I drove. At lunch I had received a text message with heartbreaking news so while my husband slept I prayed and kept my mind on the present. We stayed the night in Laramie, Wyoming at a very nice lodge "AmericInn Lodge" they had snacks out in the lobby and even though we had to get on the road before breakfast they had bananas and coffee ready. We made great time getting to Boise, Idaho but due to the holiday most sites we were going to visit were closed so we enjoyed catching up and getting to know my husband's aunt and uncle more.

On Sunday we had planned to meet up at Big Sky after church then go grocery shopping for the week but the first congregation we stopped at had cancelled services and the next was nearing the end so we ended up having lunch and going shopping for our group to help save on time. Here is where I would recommend before going on vacation or going on a roadtrip to make sure your credit card companies know that you will be traveling. We have never had an issue before but while checking out and having almost $400.00 in food we had not 1 but 2 credit cards declined! We keep cash on us but not enough to cover that let alone what else we may need the rest of our trip. Luckily the bank texted me and asked if it was truly us making the purchase and once confirmed allowed the transaction. Unfortunately this happened again on our way home but by then we knew the drill and how to override it. Can't say it wasn't embarrassing at the time but we can laugh about it now.

With having to spend extra time at the store fixing our credit issues we decided to meet my family in West Yellowstone at church for evening services. It was a lovely small congregation, very friendly. I love my family but was worried what a week spent in close quarters would do to us. The last time we had spent more than 24 hours together would have been at Christmas. It was my husband's first time meeting our niece who was 4 months now but so far so good.

Our first change to the group itinerary happened Monday. Instead of heading down to Old Faithful we decided to use it as a day to explore Big Sky and rest from the trip there, about 18 hours without stops. Considering that we had 4 kids under the age of 7 and we would be driving at least an hour into Yellowstone each day, it was a Great idea!

We went down the mountain explored the streams and a few shops. I think I'm the only one who bought anything and it wasn't anything related to our trip. :) New running shoes! We played games, relaxed, played in the hot tub (until my kid fell out) and worked together to make dinner and prep for the next day's travel.

Quick Update

Here I sit trying to ignore the sound of inning 11 of the World Series as my heart races and stress rises...this is why I avoid watching sports.

First I want to apologize for almost 2 months flying by without even a short post. Not that I haven't thought about it or even sat down to write but my attention was diverted EVERY time. Yellowstone trip post has been in the works but I am waiting to get my watermark on the photos before posting.

We have been hitting the gym hard 4 days a week and trying to stay on track with our eating. Although I notice we have a couple good weeks eating on track and then something happens like a wedding or family in town and those weekends we fail at eating right. Isn't that the excuse everyone makes? October has only had one weekend where we did well and guess what...it was a weekend that we stayed to ourselves doing our normal thing. Not saying that I don't love my family and the visits but during that time I am WEAK.

November is just around the corner and we are headed home to spend Halloween weekend with my parents (2 strikes in one weekend) Then of course we have Thanksgiving at the end of the month...yep must stay strong and work extra hard to avoid the extra pounds.

Speaking of Halloween my post of the boys costumes will be coming soon as well. We have had several trial runs already. I am proud to say that even with my sewing people have been able to identify them.

What are you or your kids dressing up as?

Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have at least one more post. Thank you for sticking with me!