tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91952183906911335472024-03-13T15:30:40.751-04:00Another Adventurebusydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-72924689084404658042013-08-20T18:16:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:08:05.057-04:00Day 20After a nice breakfast, we started to get packed up. We hadn't got much out because we knew our stay in Wisconsin was going to be really short, so packing up was quick and easy. As Willie Nelson put it, we were "On the road again."<br />
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After about a 10 hour drive, we pulled the trailer back into our driveway and unhitched for the last time of the trip. This was positively, absolutely, 100%, the greatest trip we've taken to date. I can't imagine how we'll ever top it, but we're going to give it our best shot in the years to come!busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-10444949418898139682013-08-19T18:07:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:08:32.892-04:00Day 19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today was spent at Noah's Ark Waterpark. The drive from South Dakota to Michigan needed to be broken up and this was a perfect break! The Wisconsin Dells area is a giant tourist trap and a family could easily spend 3-4 days here enjoying the normal tourist town attractions. There are actually several very large waterparks both indoor and outdoor and many had an amusement park area and/or go-carts too.</div>
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We didn't bring our camera so we didn't capture any personal pictures - these were pulled off the web<br />
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Of course we had a great day and enjoyed the whole park, but the ride below stuck out in everyone's mind as one of the scariest! The look on the kids' faces were priceless!<br />
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<br />busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-44307949462644934102013-08-18T17:44:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:08:57.449-04:00Day 18<br />
Time to head out and move on down the road. We were ready to put South Dakota in the rear-view mirror and head to Wisconsin.<br />
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We made a quick stop at the Badlands Visitor Center to turn in the kids' junior ranger books and get their National Park Jr. Ranger badges.<br />
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After about a 15 hour drive, we pulled into Mirror Lake State Park. It was dark, the mosquitoes were hungry, and we were tired so as soon as the trailer was backed in and set up, we went straight to bed.<br />
<br />busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-42789803002313574362013-08-17T17:24:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:09:18.174-04:00Day 17<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today we were taking it pretty easy and decided to drive the Needles Highway and check out the Needles Eye and Cathedral Spires in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. We thought the area was beautiful and were really glad we didn't skip over it.<br />
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Getting closer to the edge to get a better view.<br />
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We had to pull in the truck mirrors because it was a little close for comfort.<br />
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We parked in the small lot just past the tunnel and explored the area. We had such a good time climbing the rocks and getting a birds eye view. Who needs a McDonald's play-scape when you have this?!<br />
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Once again, looking for wildlife and we were NOT let down. Wild turkeys, deer, bison, pronghorn, and prairie dogs, oh my!<br />
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With the sun setting on day 17, we headed back for a grilled dinner and a nice campfire. I found a large amount of firewood along the road today so the fire was extra large on this cooler night. The kids stayed up with us for awhile and the whole family enjoyed talking about all the neat things we had seen so far on this trip. After a few too many s'mores, the kids hit the sack. Tina and I stayed up late talking by the fire with some adult beverages to keep us going well into the wee hours. After so many nights camping without a campfire in the Tetons and Yellowstone, we were really glad to be able to wrap up our days around a fire once again(:busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-10836775953619326192013-08-16T19:57:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:09:43.616-04:00Day 16<br />
Wooohooo! Badlands National Park! We got up and early on this morning and ate breakfast/snacks on the way. We'd been really looking forward to going here and we weren't at all let down. The place is gorgeous!<br />
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BNP is about a 1.5 - 2 hour drive from Custer State Park with the famous Wall Drugs on the way. I had ZERO intention of stopping there but Tina convinced us stop and at least check it out. After walking through it out for 10 minutes, we left unimpressed. The place is a giant tourist trap selling all the same souvenirs available at the the NP stores plus a boat load of dollar store toys that are priced too high. <br />
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On to bigger and better things! We made our way to the visitor center to get the kids' passport books stamped and talk to the rangers to gather any pointers would could get. The center had all sorts of cool information and displays available. We could have hung out there longer, but we really wanted to check out the park itself and not feel rushed. I had planned on us hiking the Notch Trail after reading several reviews online and the rangers positively agreed.<br />
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Notch Trail is actually located between the enterance and the visitor center, so after backtracking a few miles, we found the large parking lot and set out to explore.<br />
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We had all sorts of fun walking around the area in awe before starting down the trail. The formations are made of a very delicate stone that breaks off in your hands. We learned on this trip that about an inch is naturally worn away each year. Just by walking around this area close to the lot, I'm guessing the erosion rate is much higher. We felt very lucky to have seen it in person before it disappeared!<br />
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Dominick acting like a goof. He saw this in the film Kungfu Panda and finds it hilarious to copy it.<br />
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Above: Drama Queen<br />
Below: Drama King<br />
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This is a big reason people avoid the Notch Trail. Several people stopped and turned around at the base of this ladder. Not us. The ladder is extremely well built consisting of fence posts and thick cable. Time for another adventure!<br />
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This is the another reason people avoid this hike. The trail runs along the edge of the cliff/canyon in several places. Like I said earlier, the formations fall apart easily making for slippery and dangerous situations. I would highly recommend avoiding the trail if it were raining.<br />
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The trail is very well marked with these poles. My one and only job as a dad is to keep Brianna off the pole... fail.<br />
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Several cool spots to stop and take pictures!<br />
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Check out the "path" we were following. I would call the hike moderate on difficulty and high on awesome! <br />
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Me being an idiot and scaring Tina.<br />
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The trail is only about 1.5 miles round trip.. this is us pretending it was 10.5(;<br />
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At the end of the trail, we were greeted with fantastic views!<br />
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We hung out at the "end" of the trail before heading back the way we came. We took all sorts of pictures and climbed what we could.<br />
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Google took our pictures and merged them to create the effect.<br />
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We took our sweet time heading back. This is definitely a hand-holding experience for younger kids.<br />
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We hiked the trail in the mid-afternoon... around 3-5ish if I recall correctly. For the most part, this was perfect timing because the trail was shaded.<br />
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Down we go! A little more nerve racking than going up but not a big deal for us.<br />
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I don't think worn out crocs are what they had in mind(;<br />
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From here we drove around the rest of the park taking in the beautiful views.<br />
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I love my truck.. sometimes more than my wife. Tina messing around taking pictures and me playing along.<br />
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No one told these big horn sheep that blocking traffic is a job for the bison.<br />
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Watching them climb and balance never gets old!<br />
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One of the ladies with a radio collar. The park rangers keep tabs on the herd for educational purposes.<br />
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Down goes the sun as we headed out of the park... perfect timing!<br />
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We were tired and starving and didn't want to wait until getting back to the campground to have dinner. PIZZA NIGHT! We headed towards Rapid City while Tina checked out reviews online. After much discussion (pizza is serious business in our family), we decided on Piesano's Pacchia. The place was closing soon so I drove a little faster.... just in time. We half expected the staff to be rude because of our late timing.. we even talked about just getting it to go. However, they were VERY nice and we had some of the best service ever. The pizza was absolutely perfect! I'm sure it tasted even better because of the long day, but it was seriously a 10/10. There were very little leftovers but we made good use of them for lunch the following day. Once returning to the CG, we enjoyed a campfire and then hit the sack dreaming of what Day 17 would bring.busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-26577506837036103562013-08-15T21:41:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:09:58.117-04:00Day 15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today we decided to head to Jewel Cave - the third longest cave in the world! We had originally planned on going to Wind Cave National Park, but someone along the way recommended that, because we had visited Mammoth Caves in Kentucky the year before, we would like Jewel Cave National Monument better because it's a bit different. They were right - we loved it!</div>
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We took the Scenic Tour which I believe it was $8 per adult and $4 per child, but I think I read somewhere that they'll be raising rates in 2014. Tickets are first come first come first serve and fill quickly. Operating times change each season so make sure to call ahead before driving there. Unfortunately, we saw many people arrive after tickets had sold out and then more around closing time.</div>
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We arrived about 2-3 hours before the tour departed which gave us the perfect amount of time for the kids to attend a ranger led program and complete most of their Jr Ranger books. The ranger led program was really neat. They had all sorts of animal pelts and footprint casts for the kids to feel and handle. EVERY kid in attendance just had to drape the large ones over their heads and pretend they were that animal. How many kids can say they held a bobcat or bear skin?</div>
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To get to the cave, there is an elevator in the visitor center that will take you down over 300'. If you notice, the kids were wearing jeans and sweatshirts. The cave is a cool 49 degrees (9 degrees Celsius) all year round and when the tour stopped to talk, Tina and the kids mentioned being a bit cold. Luckily I listened to Tina when I thought the kids were going to be fine in shorts... several children on the tour were freezing in their shorts and t-shirts and had a hard time enjoying it.</div>
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On the Scenic Tour, the cemented path is lit every so often. According to the ranger who led the tour, there are 723 stairs along the 1/2 mile loop. Although almost all the stairs are easy because you are heading down instead of up, there are several spots to take a break and listen to the history and stories the ranger has to share.</div>
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Jewel Cave was named after the Calcite Crystals found throughout the cave. Originally, the owners thought they might make money off the "jewels" but unfortunately for them, the crystals fall apart easily and couldn't be successfully used as jewelery.<br />
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In addition to the crystals, we saw boxwork, cave popcorn, flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, and draperies. Probably my favorite part was seeing a long ribbon drapery called the cave bacon. Everything is better with bacon!<br />
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Even though the trail is lit, the national park has done it's best to keep it as natural/original as possible. This makes for a great experience in person but unfortunately isn't the best for pictures. Luckily we, and by we I mean Tina, took quite a few so I was able to find a few that turned out.<br />
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Our guide (pictured) was fantastic! We all learned a ton from her and so, after our tour was complete, we were able to easily finish up the Jr. Ranger books with our new-found knowledge.</div>
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Outside the visitor center, they have a sample crawl space to test. Younger kids aren't allowed on the tours that require this, but even if they were, I'm not sure Tina would have the courage to crawl/squirm through such tight conditions. I think the three of us will try to convince her to go when the kids reach their teen years!</div>
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We were having such a good time exploring the visitor center that we didn't want to leave. So, after dragging our feet and whining, the kids convinced Tina and I there were other great things to see and do and to put our happy faces on(; The kids stamped their National Park Passport books and away we went!</div>
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After Jewel Cave, we still had quite a bit of motivation to go and do more. Tina and I were pleasantly surprised just how well the kids had done up to this point overall. We never really had a day off although we had taken our time and still felt relaxed. Everyone was still in good moods and no one wanted to off a family member yet(;</div>
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It was getting close to dinner time but we wanted to check out Wildlife
Loop Road. It turned out to be perfect timing - the animals were out having dinner. We saw pronghorn,
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Holy cow... or maybe instead, holy burro! These guys are used to getting handouts and are none too shy about asking for them. We hadn't planned on stopping here so we didn't have carrots or apples with us in the car like people had recommended to us. As hungry as the kids were, they decided to let the donkeys have their granola bars. Normally, we are majorly against the feeding of wildlife. However, a ranger had assured us that these guys aren't all that "wild" any more and that feeding them wasn't too terrible.</div>
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We were hungry and tired. Since the sun was setting on day 15, we decided to head back to the campground. After a nice dinner off the grill, we all hit the pillows hard.... zzzzzzzzzz!<br />
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Because we were fairly tired from the long previous day and staying up late, we weren't in any kind of rush this morning. We took our time and made a large breakfast. After a quick trip to the state park visitor center, our one and only goal was to check out Mount Rushmore during the day and at night.<br />
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Headed towards Mount Rushmore along Iron Mountain Road and we ran into some animals we were quite familiar with. We didn't have anywhere near the size of traffic backups thankfully.<br />
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The kids filling out their Jr Ranger books for the national monument. Like I said previously, these books are awesome. The amount of learning the kids picked up solely because they were completing the work was amazing. All of a sudden, they wanted to read every sign and get a million questions answered.<br />
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This ranger was very nice. One of the quests in the book was to "ask a ranger what they do." Although she answered the same question about 10x just while I was standing there, she answered each and every child with the same kind heart and smile(:<br />
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These two were hanging out along the Presidential Trail. We kept our distance but they had no problem walking very close to guests. LOVED being able to check mountain goats off our list!<br />
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He's smiling and giving us thumbs up here, but literally 30 seconds later he'd be in tears... the real ones that break your heart. His new hiking stick that he'd been working so hard on had fallen over the railing. The picture below is where I decided to hop the fence and grab it. Dominick was very happy to get it back and several guests gave applause when he was reunited with it.<br />
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The road(s) traveled between Custer State Park & Mount Rushmore are very scenic. There are 3 tunnels and countless twists and turns along the way.<br />
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After a long day at Mount Rushmore, we headed back to the campground for dinner. After dinner we headed back to the monument for the 8pm evening lighting. We were worried about getting a good seat because we weren't going to arrive until 7:50ish because we had several nervous drivers in front of us going sooooo slow. No worries though, the front 15 rows were empty as people had must have thought sitting higher up gave a better view... we had a perfect view though and enjoyed the ceremony.<br />
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August 14th, 2013 was a success and one to remember. Tina and I had both been to the monument when we were kids and were really happy to have this experience with Brianna and Dominick. We have created soooo many great memories so far on this trip that we couldn't believe some of the best were still to come!<br />
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Today was a bit sad because we were leaving Yellowstone National Park. Many times before our trip, when people asked where we were headed, we replied "Yellowstone." Although it was indeed wonderful, it's really not fair to the other places we had previously gone or were heading to on this day. I would have a very difficult time picking my favorite moment of this trip.. which is a good thing and it's what had us excited about moving on!<br />
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We left, heading east, towards the East Entrance. We had driven this stretch of road at night on the return from the Cody Rodeo, so it was the first time actually seeing the landscape... it was gorgeous! On our way out, this was our last animal encounter of Yellowstone. At first he was on the other side of the lake. We were lucky enough to watch his swimming skills and then he came out and within a few feet of the truck!<br />
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Some of the scenery along the way. One thing we noted long ago, when towing the trailer, Google isn't able to predict our driving time very accuarately. Instead we take their miles (to end point) and figure an average of 51.5 mph. This has worked almost perfectly driving all over the country... until today. There were so many twists and turns that our formula didn't work. Once again, slowing down only allowed us more time to check out the beautiful scenery around us(:<br />
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We stopped at this turn off to check out the Shell Falls. The kids were still in their PJ's because we left so early and wanted them to be comfortable, but we weren't planning on becoming lifelong friends with anyone we ran into(;<br />
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Besides food and gas, this was our only other stop of the day until we would reach the campground. Devil's Tower was amazing even though we had a few scattered sprinkles to deal with.<br />
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Being a national monument (actually the country's first ever), the kids were interested in earning a Jr Ranger badge from here. We didn't really have the time for it, but they were very excited and I for one will never turn down a chance for extra knowledge to be poured into their heads.<br />
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I thought this was kind of lame, but the kids had never seen a teepee or replica in person before so they got a kick out of the one the visitor center had.<br />
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Devil's Tower.. and the kids and I far below it's peak. From what I read here, there are a ton of climbers that make their way to the top every year. While Tina was content on the paved path, the kids and I were pretending to be mountain goats on the huge fallen boulders.<br />
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As usual, the ranger grilled the kids to check knowledge gained. They were very proud of their accomplishment as well as they should be. This one took a bit and we had rushed them along so we wouldn't arrive at the campground too late. If I remember correctly, the drive itself was going to be about 12 hours.. this ended up being a 2-3 hour stop. With smiles like those, I couldn't help but smile too.<br />
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Along the drive up to the visitor center, past the entrance booth, there is a prairie dog community. We stopped and checked it out for 5-10 minutes just watching them go about their business. We'd meet some of their relatives later in the trip, but this was our first encounter with them besides the zoo.<br />
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Moving on... we drove quite a bit more, got gas, drove some more, got more gas, wash, rinse, and repeat. Sometime later (it was dark), we pulled over in a scenic turn out (couldn't see anything) and made dinner in the camper. Although we really didn't have time for it, there was literally nothing for miles around in terms of fast food or restaurants. Civilization was so far away that anytime we saw a gas station we stopped.<br />
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We finally made it to the campground around 10:30pm. We hate setting up our site in the dark, but I bet the tent campers on either side of our site liked it less. You can only back up a 34' trailer so quietly and the road was tight making it extra difficult. We were at Custer State Park in South Dakota and although it was too dark to see anything around us at the time, we went to bed excited to see what this place had in store for us on day 14!busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-8835757327266199862013-08-12T16:36:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:10:40.944-04:00Day 12<br />
We slept in a little (ahhh) and enjoyed a big breakfast. Tina and Brianna went off to do laundry which they finished pretty quickly... usually you have to wait in line for a machine to open up. While they were gone, Dominick found my old Boy Scout knife and talked me into giving him a bit of a lesson. I showed him how to properly hold it and allowed him to shave the bark off a stick he had adopted as his new hiking stick. He wasn't half bad and when the girls returned, he still had all 10 fingers remaining(:<br />
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With the laundry done and folded, we headed back to the road. Earlier in the trip we had missed a couple of things on our list and so we set out to see what we could on our last day in Yellowstone.<br />
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First stop: Yellowstone River. We had seen this many times as we drove by, but we stopped for a couple of pics and a closer view.<br />
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We couldn't possibly move on without a few bison pictures, right? I believe these were taken in the Lamar Valley.<br />
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Nice rack! We'd seen a few elk, but this one was close to the road and offered a great view on our way out of the valley.<br />
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A Uinta Ground Squirrel .. we called him a prairie dog at first which would explain why he didn't answer our calls.</div>
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We are a waterfall kinda family. We can never get enough of them! Lucky for us, Yellowstone has tons to offer and we were never let down. On this trip we came close though. Unfortunately, the trail down to Tower Fall has become too dangerous for the general public. A portion down by the river was washed away in a landslide. For now, the general public will have to check out the falls from a distant over-look.<br />
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We continued on down the trail anyhow. Even with the trail to the waterfall closed, you could make your way down to the river which was very pretty. The kids enjoyed throwing rocks in the water and exploring the area.<br />
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Yo dawg.. don't mess with us!<br />
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Dominick showing off his newest "cool rock." Ever since this kid could walk, he's been bringing rocks home in his pockets. Luckily for us, a ranger early on talked about how Jr Rangers leave things the way nature has left them otherwise we would have gotten some seriously poor gas mileage on this trip.<br />
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So, they weren't lying. The trail was closed to the general public. After standing here for a few minutes sulking, we decided to climb onto the cool sticks that were propped up... some people might have called this a fence designed to keep people out. After climbing over, we started practicing our "no speak English" phrase just in case a ranger showed up and we had to explain ourselves.<br />
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And this is Tower Fall up close and personal! Totally worth the chance of being bear sprayed by a ranger. The trail itself was literally gone in a few places but several others had had the same idea as us and a new path was worn and easy to follow. It wasn't easy by any means as we had to climb under and over a few obstacles.<br />
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Again with the wild raspberries. These kids always seemed to find them!<br />
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Say it with me... awwwwww!<br />
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Some people try very hard to alter their pictures with filters on Instagram and the like... not us... we just hand the camera to our unstable 6yo.<br />
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Success! We made it out alive and no one was arrested!<br />
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On to the next set of falls - this one was easily (and legally) accessible.<br />
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Just outside of Mammoth, heading down the road towards the North Entrance, we spotted our first Big Horn Sheep! There were no older adult males, but several of the rest. It was absolutely amazing to watch them climb the extremely steep hillside. The balance and footwork required is very difficult to say the least!<br />
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Kind of, sort of, an idea of what they had to climb and traverse to get around. I wish we had taken a better wide angle shot.. I'm still in awe of how well they moved around - even the little ones.<br />
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Time for lunch! Right next to the arch is a nice little picnic table area. PB&J was on the menu and an elk came by to check it out. She looked injured as she hobbled through the pavilion and park, possible hit by a car or suffered a fall. We didn't get a picture - we were too busy keeping our eye on her to make sure we were a safe distance away.<br />
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Pretty sweet.. a gateway to the park. Just outside the first/original North Entrance of Yellowstone. Years ago, trains would bring people close and horse drawn carriages would take them the rest of the way from here.<br />
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Getting those hooligans down.</div>
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Cactus.. not something we have in Michigan so we thought it was pretty neat.<br />
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After leaving here, we headed into the little town to visit the Yellowstone Association store. It was pretty small but one thing that was cool was their logbook they had on hand. Visitors had logged animal sightings they had had. Several other visitors had spotted the same animals near the locations that we had.<br />
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Speaking of seeing animals, earlier in the trip we had great luck on the Blacktail Plateau Drive. We tried again today and saw absolutely nothing. Our luck would change though...<br />
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Not sure where exactly this was, but it was somewhere between the North Entrance and the Jr Ranger Station. The first to spot the eagle was Brianna - good eyes kid! We tried walking closer to get a good picture but it flew away.<br />
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The kids were excited to finally turn in their Jr Ranger work. We had them complete every single page rather than the minimum. We found that they would retain much more when they had the work to do also. It's one thing to just see an eagle, it's quite another to describe one in detail and to discuss it's habitat, diet, size, etc. For those of you who are groaning because it's summer time and that I'm a typical teacher, no worries, the kids actually really enjoyed it. The Jr. Ranger material kept their interests peaked and we very rarely had to remind them to pull out the book to complete a task.<br />
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This ranger seriously grilled the kids. He asked them each all sorts of questions just to make sure they knew their stuff. I swear he was trying his hardest to stump them.. he almost had Brianna.. almost(;<br />
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Instead of the normal pin on badge, Yellowstone awards Jr. Rangers with sew on patches.<br />
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Many people had recommended watching Old Faithful from the Old Faithful Inn outdoor deck and we were glad to be able to come back to do so. Perched up on the second floor, the kids enjoyed ice cream from inside. We arrived to get front row seats about an hour or more before blast off, so while they waited, I ran across the parking lot to the quick service cafe where I bought Tina and I chili cheese fries - she had been craving them since I had bought some earlier in the trip. Combined with a couple cold beers from the bar just inside the Inn - YUM!<br />
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Problem: We had over an hour to wait and it doesn't take many kids an hour to eat an ice cream cone. Solution: The kids headed inside to listen to this violinist jam. No, really, this guy could play and he could play quickly. They really enjoyed his style of music and it was the perfect solution.<br />
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Just as predicted, Old Faithful was errupting. There is a free app you can download for your smartphone. I've deleted since returning home but I believe it was called Geyser Notebook. It was very accurate and up to date. We put it to the test at least 5 or 6 times this trip.</div>
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Freaky Harry Potter style.<br />
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Above: The kids with their adopted friends (they went everywhere with them). Below: The kids getting their stamps for their passport books at the store inside the visitor center.<br />
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All in all a very good way to spend our last day in Yellowstone. We headed back to the campground feeling that our trip had been a huge success. We ate dinner, packed up a little bit, then hit the sack ready for a long day in the truck on day 13!</div>
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busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-90759713425411274692013-08-11T00:27:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:10:51.371-04:00Day 11<br />
Bam! Day 11 and about halfway through our trip. We've had some serious good times so far but when we looked ahead at our agenda, there was sooooo much more coming up that we couldn't wait for!<br />
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Today we got a very early start because we were heading for the Beartooth Scenic Byway which isn't all that close to Fishing Bridge. The byway begins up near the Northeast entrance and we wanted to make sure we had enough time to enjoy the scenery and not feel rushed. Being day 11, we needed a grocery stop and still make it on time for the 8pm start of the Cody Rodeo, too. These two didn't quite care how much we wanted to get on down the road... literally, move your butt, dude!<br />
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I lost track of how many times we were warned about the dangers of wildlife and the environment we were in. However, some people aren't all that receptive. A ranger told us about the previous day where he witnessed a guy literally walk up to one of these to touch it... shockingly (no not really), the bison gave him an earful and the guy ran luckily away with his life.<br />
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More bison insisting the Beartooth Byway would still be there no matter how slow they moved.<br />
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We had previously had too much on our plate to visit the brink of the upper falls, but we made sure we stopped on this morning... and we were very glad we did!<br />
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The falls are so ridiculously powerful and mesmerizing that we could have stayed here and admired it for hours. Because it was so early in the day, we had the place to ourselves.<br />
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I believe this was our first sighting of a pronghorn. We were very excited to check another animal off our list after watching this one graze in the Lamar Valley for a bit. The kids had been given a paper checklist by a ranger at some point, and each animal was worth a certain number of points. We were really racking them up this trip!<br />
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Beartooth Byway had a ton of great spots to stop along the way. To make sure we didn't miss anything, in Cooke City we stopped at the information center and picked up a few pamphlets - one of which pointed out areas of interest.<br />
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We were hungry because we hadn't had time for a real breakfast so we decided to stop and picnic lunch along Flume Trail just past Cooke City. This is my fake smile .. Tina was interrupting my awesome hotdog feast. It was a gorgeous location with a few falls just up the trail a bit.<br />
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I didn't write down the name of these falls or this point): It's marked on the map though, across the road from a pullout, and can be accesssed from either side of the river. When we stopped here, there was a motorcycle group checking them out also. I've never seen so many grown men, literal "tough guys", melt at the same time. This area will do that to ya(;<br />
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Next stop: Clay Butte Fire Lookout. Years ago, towers like this one helped rangers and firefighters locate lightening strikes and fires. There were a couple of volunteers manning the station while we were there to help guide us and show us all the neat tools of the trade. One of the coolest things I remember were the stools with glass feet to sit on. If lightening struck the tower you'd be "safe" in one. I believe they said they get to live in the apartment below free of charge as a tradeoff. Without running water or electricity, it sounded like a neat thing to do.. "for like a night" Tina said(; Waking up to views like this would make it all worth it to me.<br />
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Brianna reading the board while Dominick was, well, being Dominick and climbing anything in sight.<br />
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This time actually reading the board.<br />
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A bird. I think it's officially called a "cool looking bird." He was a big bird but not actually "Big Bird." Duh, he's yellow.<br />
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The roads were starting to get twisty and turny. Tina repeatedly tried using the imaginary brake pedal on her side of the truck without success.<br />
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Looking at the pictures, you've probably realized by now that the weather wasn't exactly picture perfect. Truthfully we thought it kind of added to the whole feeling of being high up in the clouds. In the above picture, Brianna quickly caught a view and was running back to the heated vehicle. The clock is still showing Michigan time but the temp was accurate no matter how many times the three of them tried arguing that it was below freezing out.<br />
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There are several switchbacks along the byway. I'm not sure if everyone thinks they're as cool as we did but we took several shots along the way of all the twists and curves.<br />
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I really, really, really wanted to go and touch one of these ice patches but I wasn't allowed. If she could hold me down long enough, I swear Tina would put one of those kid leashes on me. It was probably for my own good though. This was on the edge of a cliff. The first 5 feet of sliding down would probably be a rush... and then you'd realize you were going to die a painful death as you fell hundreds or thousands of feet.<br />
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The pointy peak up and to the right of the sign is "Bear's Tooth".<br />
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Me trying to be funny... hahaha went no one.<br />
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A pile of dirt. Forget about the dirt for a second though. Up and to the left there are two cool looking switchbacks while the road to the right of the pile looked pretty to me.<br />
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Just... plain... pretty.<br />
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Tina beat the kids until they got out of the truck for this picture and then we locked the doors and laughed at them. Kidding. We only beat them on special occasions.<br />
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As a longer drive, it was necessary to let the kids out once in awhile to run and explore. The caretaker of this restroom/turnout was feeding the chipmunks bird food. She was nice enough, but I think she spent a little too much time alone up there... she knew them and had them named.<br />
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Yes, that's Leonardo DiCaprio on the front of the Titanic. Looking a bit closer now I can see that's actually me... on the edge of the lookout... being an idiot.<br />
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I promise you there were all sorts of other great sights along the way to Cody, Wyoming, but we're moving on. We stopped in town and grocery shopped at Walmart and then quickly grabbed some McDonalds before heading to the rodeo.<br />
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The pictures are pretty self explanatory... it was definitely a high point of the trip for all of us.<br />
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At one point in the night, all the kids were invited down to the ground level. They let a couple small calves loose with ribbons on their tails. The first kids to grab the ribbon won. Both of our kids came within inches of actually getting one! At first I though the above picture should be dumped but on second look the blur was kind of cool. Dominick is wearing the black t-shirt while Brianna is in the blue sweatshirt next to the girl in pink.<br />
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We made darn sure they washed their hands after coming back up and before eating cotton candy. In my opinion, cotton candy is one of those treats that EVERY kid should have at least once in their life.<br />
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So long, farewell, to you and you and yououou! The rodeo ends right around 10pm each night as a steady trickle of smiling folks head to their cars. Towards the end of this night, a serious stream of emergency vehicles were heading out of town in the direction we were heading. Sure enough, about 15 minutes down the road, in the otherwise pitch black, the sky was lit up with all sorts of red, white, and blue.. and not in a good, Independence Day kind of way. Someone pulling a trailer and another car had gone off the road. The personnel on scene wasn't letting anyone through and we had to patiently wait about 30 minutes. Eventually we were able to continue, but afterwards we weren't in any kind of hurry. We returned to the campground around midnight, very tired. Day 11 was a huge success and although we had a hard time forgetting about the accident, we were thinking of nothing much as we hit the pillows and fell right to sleep.busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-55577017631465821052013-08-10T20:06:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:11:03.692-04:00Day 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning we headed out early because we were heading to the Mammoth Springs area which is a bit of a distance from Fishing Bridge. On our way we just HAD to check out the bison herd again. There were so many in the road that the rangers were out trying to keep order.<br />
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As usual, traffic was stop and go. We were relaxing and on vacation so no biggie(:<br />
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A quick stop to check out the falls - so cool that you can't see them enough!<br />
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Next was a stop to the Museum of the National Park Ranger. While we were there, a couple of park volunteers were there to help guide us. They had all sorts of facts to share and the kids enjoyed taking it all in.<br />
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At the beginning of spring this year, we purchased passport books for the kids because we knew we were going to so many places this year. At every national park/monument, there is a stamp available for the book. Smokey Mountain NP, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Perdido Key National Seashore made our year extraordinary up to this point. We were able to accumulate quite a few on this trip - so many in fact they filled the section!<br />
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Next we hit the Norris Geyser Basin area. Steamboat Geyser is here and had just gone off recently. Unfortunately, this one is very rare and we weren't lucky enough to catch it which is not such a big deal because it's such a short hike and pretty cool anyhow... maybe in 8 years or so(;<br />
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The little visitor/information center they have here is top notch. We had springs, mud volcano's, and geysers explained several times but we gained a real understanding from the material presented here best. After the kids got their passport stamps at the little bookstore, we were off to see more.<br />
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We found a cute little spot for lunch. I'm not sure which pull-off it was, but it was somewhere between Steamboat and Sheepeater Cliff (see pic below). I believe it was near Roaring Mountain which I can't find a picture of. The kids were being not so cute showing me their chewed up lunch. They got a laugh from me, but Tina was less than enthused.<br />
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This was just a quick stop. The kids were more interested in climbing the rocks than learning about it.<br />
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This was the Golden Gate area. The road itself is pretty here but years ago it was just wooden. According to what I remember, by building this bridge/road, early settlers were able to cut at least a day of travel.<br />
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Tina told us to "keep both feet on the road" and to "not even think about putting one foot on the edge." This is us making her nervous and testing her patience(;<br />
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These are a few pictures of the Upper Terrace Drive. It's pretty short but very cool and worth the stop. Again, the kids wanted to climb the rocks. It was pretty scary once up there - pictures don't do it justice.<br />
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We were ready for Mammoth Hot Springs! This was basically the half-way point of our day 10 drive. I've posted quite a few pictures of springs and mud volcano's already, but this one gave us the feeling we were on a different planet.<br />
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In town the Elk are known just to hang out and enjoy the groomed lawns. We were able to get quite a good look at males, females, and even a few "babies." It's amazing how close people were getting even with the signs warning them. Finally a ranger had to come and place barricades and police the area.<br />
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The Horace visitor center was great! It had a neat area with a sign that said "please touch" that the kids were very happy with. All sorts of pelts, antlers, and other naturey things that we'd seen from distances were out and available to check out. Unlike some of the others, the staff here had real, first-hand knowledge of places we could visit for a chance to see animals we hadn't seen yet. If you head here, don't miss out on their upstairs portion where they have several stuffed animals on display.<br />
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We stopped at one of the tourist-trap stores and the kids adopted new friends (see pic below). Across the street they grabbed ice cream and I chose chili cheese fries - yum! This was a nice break and an energy boost for the rest of our day.<br />
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Not far from town, we stopped off at Undine Falls. It was gorgeous, of course.<br />
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Across from the turnout, we spotted the skeleton remains of what we thought was a bison or elk. We hiked quite a bit on this trip, but these were the only remains we saw. For some reason we thought we'd see more.<br />
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Getting a little later in the day which made for perfect timing for our drive along Blacktail Plateau Drive. This is a fairly long stretch but well worth it. Unfortunately, the animals weren't in posing moods so our pictures are sketchy at best. After reading several reviews of the drive, we thought maybe it'd be a waste of time but we spotted a young bear, a few bison, and a badger!<br />
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After the drive, we turned right and another right onto the drive for the petrified tree. We didn't get far down that road though because we spotted a couple moose grazing right near the entrance. Unfortunately it was too dark to get any decent pictures.<br />
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It was late and dark so we headed back to the campground. Driving in the dark was nerve wracking especially because we had to head through a construction zone. However, we took it slow and made it back in one piece. We'd eventually return to this general area another day because there was so much to offer - it's amazing what you could see after you'd thought you'd seen it all!<br />
<br />busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-25857657720088174222013-08-09T17:59:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:11:13.127-04:00Day 9<br />
Happy Birthday to me! I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate turning 36 than to be at Yellowstone National Park with my family(:<br />
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We got up and out early on this morning so that we could make it for our 8:30am ranger led hike around Old Faithful and the Geyser Hill area. We passed all sorts of animal life along the way and the views with the sun coming up were breath-taking.<br />
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Obviously, Old Faithful is the main attraction. Most visitors wait for it to go off and then leave. On this day we saw it go off at least 4 or 5 times, each from a different angle and were amazed each and every time.<br />
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The tour was well worth the effort and time. I can't remember the ranger's name that gave the tour but she was great by offering all sorts of neat facts and perspective along the way. We walked the boardwalks and pretty much every sight in the area.<br />
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At 10:30, we attended a ranger led program specifically designed for kids. Ranger Duston was our leader .. he's the same one with the kids further down this page. Absolutely wonderful guy and it was obvious why he was chosen to lead the group. The program was about 20 minutes long and was based around the game 20 questions.<br />
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Next we moved onto the Young Scientist Program the Old Faithful Visitor Center offers. I think it cost $5 per kid and you were supplied with a self guiding book to complete (different books for different ages) and a backpack full of tools to complete the tasks. By far the coolest thing in there was a laser thermometer which the kids LOVED.<br />
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We noticed several parents writing in their kid's books for them but
we're big meanies and made them complete everything on their own with a
little guidance spread throughout.<br />
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I think the kids finished their work in about 2-3 hours. Dominick was 6 and Brianna 9 so he had less pages to do but everything was age appropriate and wasn't too difficult.<br />
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Once finished, the ranger quizzed the kids and made sure they really did learn something. We were very proud of their new knowledge gained. For their efforts, they were able to choose between a sew on patch or a key chain. Dominick insisted that he was going to get the exact same North Face backpack as his schoolbag this year ($90 ummm not happening) so he choose a patch while Brianna really wanted the keychain for her backpack.<br />
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Afterwards we walked around the boardwalks again to see if we'd missed anything. I think the above one was called Behive and the one below Heart Spring. Once again, we watched Old Faithful from a different angle and once again we were thrilled.<br />
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We'd build up quite the appetite after our morning and early afternoon
adventures so we decided to spoil ourselves with lunch out. We checked
out the menus and both the cafeteria and Old Faithful Inn and decided to
have burgers at the OFI. We were not disappointed one bit and would
recommend the place. I could have killed Tina and the kids though.
They let our server know it was my birthday and the whole staff came out
to do their birthday song rendition. Definitely a memory that will
last a lifetime(:<br />
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A couple of notes for people reading this and planning on going. Cell phone coverage is sparce around the park. One of the places with a strong signal was here. We got our dose of Facebook and Internet while the kids worked on their program. Second thing is to make sure you check the Geyser Predictions when arriving. There's a large screen with all the times behind the ranger desk... you wouldn't believe how many people we overheard still asking.<br />
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We were all ready to move on... as you can see(;<br />
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Next we hit the Fairy Falls hiking area. I head read about this little known angle of the Grand Prismatic Spring online and it definitely was a good find! As you can see, the majority of people view the spring from the boardwalks. That's pretty cool but I think our angle was better. To access it, you have to scurry up the hill across the way which is pretty steep and difficult. The terrain is covered with downed trees and loose rocks. Going up wasn't bad but going down was slippery and so we took our time.<br />
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Again with the signs. Stupid people are everywhere and I'm not sure why we're protecting them.<br />
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After being amazed by Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic, it was going to take a lot to impress us. We drove through Firehole Lake Drive but no one really wanted to stop and get out. I think I'd suggest doing this area before the big dogs. After the short drive we shot across street to Fountain Paint Pots and walked the boardwalk.<br />
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These shots were from Firehole Canyon Drive. Cool scenery and something that shouldn't be skipped. The picture below needs some explaining. Dominick may or may not have just pee'd behind the tree, Brianna had a rash on her thighs from hiking and her new shorts, and I'm just being weird.<br />
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Firehole Falls were very pretty. It's changing Harry Potter style because Google's Picasso put a bunch together. A little further up the drive, almost at the end, quite a few people were swimming in the river. It's one of the few places in the park that's safe to do so. We had planned on going there too but as you can see, it was a sweatshirt kind of day.<br />
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Next was a quick stop at Gibbon Falls. It's right next to the road which made for easy access. We thought it was very pretty and since we had the place to ourselves (later in the day) we didn't have to jockey for position while checking it out.<br />
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From the falls, we started heading back to the campground for dinner. Always looking for animal life while on the move and rarely disappointed. Without traffic in front of you, it's easy to get going 50+ mph. A little warning, the animals are everywhere, lots of times in the middle of the road just around a curve. We had several close calls.<br />
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It's difficult to see because it was getting late and they were fairly distant, but these were the only wolves we saw during our stay. If I remember correctly, there were 4-5 traveling together across Hayden Valley. We had wanted to see Coyotes too but that made the short list of animals we never saw.<br />
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Back to the campground after the sun set. We had tons of fun and saw all sorts of great things. However, day 10's agenda looked very promising and we could hardly wait!busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-76343749238511159642013-08-08T19:36:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:11:27.714-04:00Day 8<br />
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This morning we had time for breakfast because our hike didn't start until 10am. Once we were all ready, we headed to the meeting point which was only like 10 minutes from the campground towards the East Entrance.<br />
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The Storm Point Saunter ranger led hike was great! Ranger Wes had all sorts of great information to share with the group and he had "it" when working with the kids. There were several littles in our group and they ALL wanted to walk up front with him(:<br />
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While hiking, we saw a bunch of Yellow Bellied Marmots! We didn't get a good picture, but they even had some young ones with them.<br />
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We're not bird followers so I have no idea what this little guy is but he/she sure was cute perched up on the rocks!<br />
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The kids had all sorts of questions and answers for Ranger Wes. They loved interacting with him along the hike. It's too bad that so many national parks had to cut programs this year, but because of it's popularity, a lot of Yellowstone funding comes from private donations meaning they weren't nearly as hurt.<br />
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This rock point was Storm Point and it was beautiful out there!<br />
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Checking out some pictures that Dominick had taken.. not too bad for a 6yo and sometimes really neat to see what he thought was picture worthy.<br />
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Grilling some hot dogs for lunch. Having the Weber 120 portable grill was great! I could easily pack it in/out of the truck and we could take it almost anywhere. This was along Otter Creek. Although we were a little concerned that an animal friend might come by to join us a time or two, it was quite convenient.<br />
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While waiting to eat, the kids enjoyed exploring the creek area. What kid doesn't like throwing rocks into the water and building dams?<br />
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We had been VERY excited to see our first bison when we arrived at Yellowstone. However, we were there during mating season and one of the herds, approximately 1500 or so, came down to Hayden Valley to hang out. It was quite the popular meeting place and therefore caused traffic backups that would last up to an hour until the rangers/police came to get traffic moving. Not a very big deal, but if you are trying to make it through Yellowstone quickly, think again and leave some bumper time.<br />
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By rolling around, the bison would create a wallow which was basically an depressed area with very little plant life and mostly dirt. Interesting fact that some plants have adapted to actually grow here and
the seeds would stick to the bison and travel to a new location. Kind of gross, but many times, to attract females, the adult males would urinate in it before rolling around.. mmmm bison cologne! <br />
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After our lunch and a couple short stops along the way, we headed to Uncle Tom's Trail and the Artist Point area.<br />
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We arrived planning on taking the ranger led hike but unfortunately we had been spoiled but such a great ranger earlier in the day. We lost interest about halfway and continued on the trail on our own.<br />
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As the sign said, the trail/stairs leading down to a view of the falls is NOT for the weak. Going down was lovely however going up was very tough. At one point there was a fit looking Japanese teenager laying on a bench nearly passed out. It was funny but not funny watching a British and French tourist, who I believe was medically trained, try and help her. Communication came down to hand signals and grunts. She was gone when we headed back up so all ended well(:<br />
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Some of our best views came from vantage points on the stairs rather than at the bottom. Take your time and enjoy the scenery!<br />
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This shot was taken at the bottom I believe. The platform is very small for the amount of people down there so we felt rushed): It's a tradeoff though as the area is pristine and virtually untouched by man.<br />
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The trail eventually comes to a fork. We could have hiked up to Artist Point but then we'd have to double back to our parking lot or walk along the busy road. So, instead, we decided to hike back up to the lot and drive the 2 minutes. The park offers sooooo much that it was important to pace ourselves so that we still had energy for the following day.<br />
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Back at the top, we got a good look at the Upper Falls from the South Rim trail. Just up and to the right of the top of the falls there is a platform on the north side. We would eventually make it over there another day.<br />
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Artist Falls and me sending Tina a hint that we've had taken a good number of pictures already(; Bear spray wasn't necessary on this portion but I threatened the kids that I'd spray them if I caught them bickering so I made sure it was visible.<br />
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An actual artist at Artist Point. He's already colored over all the numbers(; <br />
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Not the best shot, but the kind lady who offered to take the picture wasn't charging us and there were several people waiting for the location.<br />
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My personal opinion is that we take down the signs to thin the population... do we really need the idiots around that don't use common sense?<br />
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At this point we drove over to the Mud Volcano area to explore. In the middle of the day we'd pass by here and it was always jam packed with people waiting for parking spaces.. I definitely recommend hitting it in the morning or after like 5. This was later in the day and we had our choice of spots and no filled tour buses to compete with.<br />
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There are boardwalks around the area and it was easy to follow. Each
area was well marked and the signs had tons of information that the kids
insisted on reading. It was kind of funny to hear them read out loud
while plugging their noses.<br />
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Each stop along the way was cool and something out of this world but pictures can seem redundant. This one was called "Dragon Mouth Spring" and was one of our favorites.<br />
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After the Mud Volcano's we had worked up quite the appetite so we headed
back to the campground for dinner. While there, the kids found friends
from Colorado and Utah to play with. Across the road, in the woods,
the kids were building tepees and log cabins out of all the downed
logs. They could actually stand up in them the "forts" were so big!
They also convinced adults to make them bow and arrows using fishing
line.. being a kid is so darn cool! I'm very happy they enjoy being
outdoors!<br />
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After dinner we drove back to Hayden Valley for wildlife spotting. We didn't see much besides bison and I've already shared quite a pictures of them so I won't bore you. After the sun had set, we headed back to the campground for bed. On a side note, many of our camping trips end with the kids watching a movie before bed. This is a treat because at home they usually read instead. On this trip, they were so tired that they turned a movie down almost every night... this one included... day 8 was a success!busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-77111755254406099002013-08-07T20:35:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:11:41.575-04:00Day 7<br />
On this morning we got up around 6, ate a quick breakfast, packed up, and headed to Yellowstone. Everyone seemed excited!<br />
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The sign might get more pictures in front of it than any other. We
actually had to wait in a line for a few minutes to get our shot. We
weren't in a rush though - we were going to be here for 7 nights!<br />
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Not too far from the South Entrance gate, we stopped at Moose Falls. We actually missed it and had to turn back around. We couldn't figure out why but shortly realised it was because the turn off was empty and we were the only ones there. On our way out, people started showing up - perfect timing!<br />
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Goofing off at one of the turn offs along the road. I guess we didn't get a shot of it because we were having too much fun, but across the valley there was a small forest fire that day.<br />
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Like the sign says, this is Lewis Falls. We didn't want to spend too much time here so we didn't hike any closer. The kids didn't seem to mind and enjoyed climbing across all the dead trees in the river while making mom nervous(;<br />
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After a few more quick stops along the way to check out the gorgeous views, we arrived in one piece at Fishing Bridge RV Resort. This place was definitely not something to write home about, but we were really hardly going to be at the campground and the full hookups was nice and convienent.<br />
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This is actually our second site.. the first one was even smaller if you can imagine that! I had to actually back up after the slide was out to get the tongue out of the road. I gave them a small piece of my mind at the desk but whatever, we were on vacation and I had better things to do so we made it work.<br />
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The kids were ready for some action and played nicely while we got everything situated. There isn't much traffic in the campground because most people are out enjoying the sights instead of hanging around.<br />
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After setting up and eating dinner, we moved on out to explore. The Fishing Bridge visitor center is less than a mile away from the campground and had all sorts of neat stuffed birds to check out and information on the area. The rangers were very helpful and we picked up the kids' Jr Ranger books. Ready to see some animals that were still alive, we headed toward the nearby Hayden Valley. We had been told the area was full of animal life and we weren't at all let down!<br />
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It's true what they say about the enthusiasts with powerful binoculars
and scopes.. they were all very nice! The kids had several people offer
a closer up look at all the animals in the distance. Most of the time though they were content to look through their own. <br />
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Once the sun set, we headed back to catch some sleep. We had a full schedule ahead of us and couldn't wait!busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-34065056871734859662013-08-06T19:25:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:11:54.166-04:00Day 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
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Today we took the ranger led hike out of the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. Only the first 25 are able to go and it was sold out in the first few minutes after the visitor center opened at 8. It was a good thing we arrived around 7:30 so we could be near the front of the line! Several people arrived disappointed that the hike was filled.</div>
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A view of the boats that can take you across the lake. The one above is as we were arriving while waiting for the boat ahead of us to unload. The one below is a picture from above watching as one arrives. We decided to make it a round trip so that we could have energy left to hike further. The trail around the lake is about 2-3 miles (and poorly marked according to rangers).<br />
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We did the Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and Canyon portions of the trails. Absolutely gorgeous scenery the entire time!<br />
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This is ranger Steven giving one of his many great talks. Although the
material was presented more for the adults, the kids still picked up on
some great information and he answered all their questions.<br />
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Hidden Falls. I would recommend getting here early to avoid the
crowds. We later stopped here for a lunch picnic and there were people
shoulder to shoulder.<br />
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The kids got childrens' binoculars for Christmas this year and they came in handy! They also really enjoyed taking pictures of their own.<br />
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Holy cow this was nerve wracking! We made sure the kids were on the
inside while hiking up this area(; Although it looks tough, a couple
went up this on their horses a few minutes before we did and had us all
on edge watching.<br />
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Part of the Jr Ranger program in the Tetons was that the kids had to
attend a ranger led program. Steven was glad to see that this wasn't
their first and gave them props for going above and beyond.<br />
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We took so many serious family photos that every once in awhile we had to let loose.<br />
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Those are people down there.. not ants.<br />
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Inspiration Point is down there where someone is wearing red. It was
sad to see so many people stand there for a quick second and turn back
around. We could have stayed here for hours checking out the view.
Ranger Steven finished the tour portion and we continued on our own.<br />
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About a mile or two past Inspiration Point is Cascade Canyon. We had
fun exploring, climbing the rocks, and enjoying the sound of the
creek/river nearby. <br />
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The kids found some wild raspberries and had themselves a snack! After going into the canyon a bit, we decided to head back for lunch as the snack wasn't cutting it. With so many gorgeous spots along the trail it was a difficult
choice, but in the end we decided to head back to the falls.<br />
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Arrived back to the visitor center around 2:30pm very tired. After
all the activities from the past few days we were ready to head back
to the campground to relax. We stopped by the gas station (about $0.30
more per gallon than outside the park) and the little grocery store for
a few things like ice and bread. At the back of the store they had ice
cream and it was the perfect treat at the time! After our short break,
we went to the visitors center to turn in the JR Ranger books and
collect their pins. The rangers all do a great job with the kids - as
an elementary teacher, I was impressed(:<br />
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Once returning Tina took a nap while Bri read her book. Dominick and I went to use the free WIFI at the restaurant that the park has. We grilled up dinner, packed a few things away, then bed.<br />
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Today was our fourth and final days in Grand Teton National Park. It was absolutely breathtaking - so much so that I told Tina that I want my ashes spread there when I die. The whole family enjoyed themselves and we always had great conversations about our day before bed. However, we were heading for Yellowstone National Park in the morning and couldn't wait for the next leg of the trip!
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Today we got an early start and took the ranger led hike to Taggart Lake that left at 9am. Ranger Brian had lots of great information to share with the group as we hiked 1.5 miles along the river. Once reaching the lake, the tour was complete and we continued on our own on the 2.5 mile return portion of the loop. Glad we didn't return the way we came because the views were great.<br />
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This is where the park keeps their mules. They use mules to carry their goods on trails and long excursions to reduce their footprint on nature.<br />
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We did several ranger led hikes over our 3 week trip. Brian, a 5th grade science teacher from NC, was by far the best. He was easy to understand and had many exciting facts for our family. We were lucky to catch him since he was returning home the next day.<br />
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These trees appeared to be dead or dying but actually they are very much alive. They concentrate on their upper branches where the sun hits so they can collect energy. <br />
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The kids getting their Jr Ranger programs signed. They had to participate in a ranger led program on their way to earning a Jr Ranger badge. The GTNP badge is one of the coolest since it's made out of wood.<br />
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Drove to the dam and ate lunch along the shore with a fantastic view of the Teton range. (btw - had no idea until this trip that they're not part of the Rocky Mountains) There is a bench at the end of the paved path that faces the range and was the perfect view but someone had just sat there with the same idea.<br />
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Dominick insisted we throw rocks in the water - he choose a really big one for me.<br />
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Afterwards, we returned to the CG to finish junior ranger books and have dinner. The whole family played catch with a football and baseball then took a bike ride around the CG. busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-33308977139174192022013-08-04T16:11:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:12:23.425-04:00Day 4<br />
After such a long journey across the country, we decided to sleep in until 9ish. Once we pulled ourselves together, we headed out ready to see this great park. Before doing so, we headed down to the water once again to take in the breath-taking view.<br />
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Driving from one location to the next was always difficult because I wanted to look out the windows and just stare... everywhere we looked it was absolutely gorgeous.<br />
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We started by heading down Wilson road which was difficult to spot. We actually passed it once or twice without realizing it. This road is fairly narrow and parts are dirt. This was definitely not a good spot to bring a trailer or bus through. Most of the drive was spent so close to the shoulder that our mirrors were hitting brush.<br />
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After a few pit stops along the way, we made it to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve.<br />
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The parking lot for Phelps Lake is normally very busy between 10am and 3pm during the summer months. To help keep people in correct parking spots and not all over, there were two rangers moderating the lot. I had to wait about 30 minutes for a spot.. not too bad because I had full signal (Verizon) and was able to check out my Facebook and the web. While doing that, Tina and kids checked out nature center which was pretty neat.<br />
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Once I got parked we were on our way for our first hike of the trip which was GREAT! Although we didn't personally see any bears on this hike, we ran into a family that had seen one right up the trail from where we were eating lunch. Having bear spray made us feel much safer.<b><br /></b><br />
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We didn't want to spend the whole day here so we decided to picnic on
the shore about halfway between the lake trailhead and Huckleberry
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After lunch we were having a good time finding little frogs along the shore.<br />
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This served as our lunch seat. Actually my over-weight butt had to move down so we didn't tip(;<br />
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The kids having fun playing around. The water was REALLY cold so they didn't want to fall in. After lunch, we turned around and headed back instead of hiking all the way around the lake.<br />
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From this point we decided to head towards Jackson Hole. There are a ton of shops and touristy things in this little town which during the winter serves as a ski resort. We avoided everything but the Tram ride which was sooooo cool! For $80 our family of four was whisked up to 10,450 ft.<br />
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Although normally a very passive family, we made sure we were the
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mountain. <br />
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At the top we were able to take our sweet time. Trams came every 15 minutes or so and we had hours until they closed for the night. We spent a lot of time just marveling at what things looked like from almost 11k feet up.<br />
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From here we went to the Craig Thomas visitor center. This place seemed to be brand new. It was very impressive with the amount of education available inside. The kids especially liked looking at the animal pelts and the example climbing wall they had. Btw, the store here had more product than the others. <br />
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Finally we headed back to the campground. Our last and final stop was a short drive up Signal Mountain for amazing views.<br />
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We had taken sooooo many pictures it was nice to let loose a little... no worries, the timer was set for 10 and the previous 9 were perfect(;<br />
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On our way down the mountain, we saw a mother grizzly and her 3 cubs! Unfortunately for us, the rangers in the area were afraid we'd spook her and we had to continue moving. In like 10 seconds or less, shooting across me from the passenger seat, this was the best shot Tina could get. In talking to a ranger the next day, this bear is actually quite popular and has her own Facebook page lol.<br />
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busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-46601647019079791982013-08-03T09:25:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:12:37.063-04:00Day 3Brianna, Dominick, and I woke up as we arrived at Chimney Rock in Nebraska at 5am local time (7am Michigan time). Tina told us how nervous she had been driving while we slept. Because it had been the middle of the night, and because we were off the main road in the middle of nowhere, she was freaked out by how dark it was. If you've never been in Iowa or Nebraska, you're not missing much. It's literally corn fields for as far as the eyes can see. We continued to joke with her about this but she didn't find it funny... I drove the rest of the trip.<br />
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The visitor center for the historic site wasn't open until 9am but we had a great view with the sun coming up behind us all to ourselves. They have Chimney Rock fenced off so we weren't able to get out there to get a real close look, but the rattlesnake warning signs would have kept us out anyhow(; During the middle 19th century it served as a landmark along the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail, which ran along the north side of the rock. After taking in the great view and taking a bunch of pictures, we continued on down the road.<br />
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Notice that the kids were in their PJs. We wanted to keep them comfortable on this very long portion of the trip.<br />
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The next part of the drive definitely made up for the boring parts previously.</div>
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We finally entered Grand Teton National Park and
saw our first animals of the trip! This mother moose and her baby were having a bite to eat. On this trip we learned that moose eat all sorts of aquatic plants and are pretty good swimmers.<br />
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Arrived at Coulter Bay RV Resort around 4pm local time (6pm MI). Check-in went smoothly and the staff was very nice. Our pull through full hookup site was #103 which was only one site away from the path to the water. Between the trees we could actually see a bit of the lake but not much. The sites and the campground was very pretty for being a full hookup location. Most places with amenities are open fields whereas this place had tons of trees and felt rustic. There wasn't a big difference between sites so requesting a specific one would be a waste of time.</div>
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While I set up camp, Tina took the kids down to the water to get a better view ... and what a great view it was!<br />
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Once we were all situated, we went over to the ranger station/ visitor center. We found that it's always best to start here. The rangers are able to provide details about programs and hikes, animal sitings in the area, and answer any questions we have. While standing there for a few minutes we heard all sorts of idiots asking questions ranging from, "Are the bears dangerous in the park?" to "What is there to do here?".<br />
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Earlier in the year we picked up National Park Passport books for each of the kids. At each national park/location, the kids are able to stamp their book.<br />
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Our second animal siting! This guy was just walking around the campground looking for some good grub.<br />
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The kids were really pumped about seeing different animals frequently. After many hours of DS games and movies, it was nice to see them looking out the windows(:<br />
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busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-90219264409737562392013-08-02T09:20:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:12:51.193-04:00Day 2<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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We left at 9am after picking up truck
from the dealer. While driving through Michigan, Indiana,
Iowa, and Nebraska, the truck stalled several times. The kids watched quite a few movies and got along perfectly. I drove the first 16 hours and Tina drove the next 6 while I slept.</div>
busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9195218390691133547.post-37759239618224483402013-08-01T09:11:00.000-04:002020-05-23T21:13:06.419-04:00Day 1We were supposed to leave today but the truck was still in the shop. They promised it would be ready in the morning as soon as they opened. Unfortunately, this means we'll have less time to dilly-dally on the way to Wyoming.busydaddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00880928058888593602noreply@blogger.com0