We have some great pics to share, but that will have to wait until we get home.
Enjoy the following daily accounts of our trip:
Sunday, July 7, 2013 - Day 3: Oh Boy, More Excitement!
It's proving to be rather difficult to rouse the kids from their slumber. We like to hit the road before 0800 hours and they apparently like to sleep until noon. Our compromise? On long distance days, we try to get underway between 0800 and 0900. On shorter traveling days, they can sleep until 0900 and even later if we don't have early activities planned.
It was a hoot driving through Chicago. We talked a bout the city's history, the Loop, museums and sports teams. They took plenty of pictures!
We had to make a pit stop for one child. What better place than Cabela's in Wisconsin? After a quick bite at Mo's Southwestern Grill, we were back on the Interstate (I90). In a few short miles. A passing motorist waved at us and pointed to the trailer. We had a blowout! It didn't take too long to change the tire and get underway, but we wasted a couple of hours finding a store that had our size in stock. We wanted to have a spare ASAP. We made the purchase and got underway as soon as we could.
We made it to our destination, Mill Bluff State Park just in time for the evening mosquito attack. There were millions and they knew how to do their jobs! The Park Ranger congratulated us for taking the kids camping. He can only wish he had the opportunity to camp with his grandparents.
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| You can't see the mosquitos, but they're there... in droves! |
Monday, July 8, 2013 - Day 4: The Corn Palace!
We spent another long day on the road. The kids are real troopers. They as very well behaved. That was reported to me by a gentleman in the Country Cafe in Eyota, MN. He told me how well behaved they were. I whole-heartily agreed.
Today's destination was Mitchell, SD. We covered the 400+ miles and arrived in time to set up camp in Lake Mitchell Campground. After which, we went to the Corn Palace. The kids were blown away! They couldn't get enough of it. Everybody had to purchase a souvenir, and when the shopping was done, we had an ear of corn. We stopped at Cabela's and the a bite at Culver's before heading back to camp. Two thunderstorms blew through after 0300. The last was accompanied by high winds.in anticipation of weather, we staked the tents and guy lines for the flys. Both tents held up well. Our got a bit of water, but nothing bad.
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| The kids were fascinated by the Corn Palace. |
It's a short day, with only 325 miles to cover. The kids slept a bit latter than usual. We were underway at 0945.
We stopped at Al's Oasis for lunch and took some time to climb on some fiberglas Bison sculptures.
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| Bison Burgers at Al's Oasis! |
The kids were once again "blown Away!" this time by the Badlands. Geoffrey even went so far to say we could cross the Grand Canyon off our list because the abadlands looked similar. "Just wait," we replied!
Rose was proud of her hiking accomplishment! It was her "longest hike ever." she estimated the hire to have been over a mile long. We concur. In fact, the hike through the "Door," into the Badlands might have been closer to a couple of miles.
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| We made it to the end of the trail in the Badlands. |
Wall Drugs didn't impress them much. Perhaps because of its sheer size. They did like the home made ice cream!
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| Yum! Homemade ice cream! |
We caught the finale of the Mt. Rushmore night ceremony and got some nice pics of the Presidents bathed in light.
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| In Profile |
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| Mt. Rushmore after the evening lighting ceremony |
Wednesday, July 10, 2013 - Day 6: Horse Thief Lake
The early bird gets the campsite at Horsetheif Lake, a campground in the Black Hills National Forest. Rated as one of the most picturesque in the National Forest system, it's great for Anna Marie and me, but other than fishing, not much for the kids. The vault toilets are smelly and really gross out the kids. We don't like these bathroom facilities, but the campground is very nice. It's apparent we have different tastes in CGs.
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| Our campsite in Horse Thief Lake |
After grocery shopping, we returned to Mt. Rushmore where we hiked the Presidential Trail and stayed for the very patriotic 45 minute lighting of the mountain ceremony.
Thursday, July 11, 2013 - Day 7: KOA!
Rather than drive 50+ miles one way to check out Deadwood, we decided to get a cabin at a local KOA resort. With two pools, a water slide, water park, hot tub and bounce area, there are a lot of options for the kids. After driving over 2,000 miles, they deserved a break.
They spent the day engaged in waterborne activities.
In the evening we took a Chuck Wagon to dinner and a show. Very entertaining!
Tomorrow we'll have an 0800 departure and make stops in Deadwood and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument before selecting a campground.
Friday, July 12, 2013 - Day 8: Deadwood!
After a couple of days exploring the Black Hills, we headed toward The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. We made camp about five miles short of our objective at 7 Ranch Campground in Garyowen, MT.
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| The kids sipped sarsaparilla at the Old 10 Saloon where Wild Bill met his fate! |
Along the way, we stopped in Deadwood, an old west town that has been restored thanks to the gaming industry that has a big presence in the town. We walked the historic district and bellied up to the bar in the Number 10 Saloon. The bar is rich with history of the old west. Wild Bill Hicock was shot in the back while playing a poker hand. The actual Hicock chair is prominently. There are various shows about the wild west characters who frequented Deadwood, including the trial of Jack McCall, Wild Bill's assassin. After a two hour walk through the town, we were back in the car for the rest of the ride to Garyowen.
Saturday, July 13, 2013 - Day 9: "We're Gonna Die!"
The kids didn't seem too interested in our visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, although it was clear they knew more about what took place here after our visit than before.
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| Little Big Horn Battlefield National Memorial |
Following our departure from the battlefield, we made a beeline toward the NE entrance to Yellowstone. In Red Lodge, we stopped in the Custer National Forest ranger station to get information on the campground along the Beartooth Highway. It being Saturday, the ranger opined that we might have difficulty finding a campsite.
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| The Bear Tooth |
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| "We're gonna die!" |
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| It's cold at Bear Tooth Pass! |
As luck would have it, we found a spot in the Beartooth Lake Campground. It was a welcome find as the kids needed a break. We just finished a major portion of the scenic highway and the Beartoorh Pass. It was hair-raising for the kids. The narrow two lane road twists and turns through the Absaroka Mountains with several tedious switchbacks, many sans guardrails.
The kids frequently uttered the words, "We're gonna die." Rose took a shine to the sentence and repeated it often! Whenever I turned my head to look at or comment on the magnificent scenery, Geoffrey would reach up from the seat behind me to hold my head so my eyes were forward at all times.
Josh expressed that he would never drive that road again! We stopped near the Beartooth Pass to play in the snow. The kids were thrilled to "touch snow in the summer time." We wanted to have a snowball fight but it was too cold. The snow was frigid of course, but the temp had dropped from 84 degrees at the bottom to a blustery 56 at the top.
Sunday, July 14, 2013 - Day 10: White Water Rafting!
When we arrived at the entrance to Yellowstone, we found out that Norris Campground had some openings. We decided to bypass the Slough Creek CG in the hopes of getting a site in Norris. When we arrived, the final site had just been taken.
We went up the road a few miles and got a site at Indian Creek CG. This will be our base camp for a few days.
Our white water rafting time was quickly approaching so we dropped the trailer and headed to Gardiner where we would get our raft.
Everyone but Josh loved the trip. He thought it was too tame! We learned several mountain names (Electric Mountain) and features, the most striking being the Devil's Slide. It famously looks like a giant strip of bacon laying on the mountain.
It was a full day that included the much loved souvenir shopping!
Monday, July 15, 2013 - Day 11: Mammoth Hot Springs and a Dusk Wildlife Ramble!
Mammoth Hot Springs is one of the most unique and popular areas of Yellowstone. It was crowded today but the crowds didn't deter us. We walked the Hot Springs from top to bottom and back again.
At dusk, we were in the Lamar Valley searching for wildlife. We scored two black bears. One was munching on berries with a mule deer engage in similar activity a hundred feet or so away. We're not sure why, but the bear charged and the deer which took off running. The charge lasted no more than two seconds, but certainly gave us a quite a show.
We didn't see the large Bison Herd that was in Lamar Valley when we drove through on Sunday. However, we did see several bison and were within 5 feet of a huge male. We slowly kept the car moving as we snapped a few pictures.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - Day 12: Howling at the Moon!
During our wildlife hunt yesterday, we had hoped to see a wolf. No luck! The elusive animals were not to be seen. After sunset, we pulled over in a remote parking area to listen for wolves. As Josh said, "I'd be just as happy to hear a wolf." we listened for maybe 10 minutes and heard no wolves.
For some reason I woke up at 0400. At 0404, I heard a howl followed by another and then another. Soon, there was a whole chorus of howls suggesting a good sized wolf pack! The howling lasted for about 4 or 5 minutes. Quite an experience to be sure.
In the morning we confirmed with the ranger that both coyotes and wolves were in the area. He suggested that they were probably howling at each other. Claire was the only child to hear the animals. Everybody else slept through it.
Today's activities included a trip to Old Faithful and the the Mid Geyser Basin. During our 4 mile walk in the Old Faithful area, Josh, Claire and I saw 12 geyser eruptions, including two of Old Faithful.
The others walked 2.8 miles to Morning Glory pool and back. It was quite a hike for Rose and Madi.
We dined in the Old Faithful Inn. Geoffrey and I enjoyed the wild game chili.
On the way back to the CG, we stopped to walk the trail in the Midway Geyser Basin. Everyone was impressed with the Grand Prismatic Spring, but the blasts of hot steam and alternating cool breezes added another sensory experience to our appreciation of the area.
About one mile south of Grizzly Lake, we found a traffic jam. Getting out of the car to see what was causing the tie up brought us within the line of sight of a big Grizzly Bear. The bear, about 150 feet from our position, was happily munching on some vegetation and not paying any attention to the onlookers. The kids were thrilled to see the bear. So far, it's three bears in two days!
Back at the CG, we had dinner, Rose was the Fire Queen for the evening and did a great job! She delegated duties that were below her pay grade to the others. We sat around the campfire telling stories until the rain drove us inside.
All of the kids took turns telling stories they made up on the spot. The stories were creative and well told, and some had unexpected endings.
We had another fun day!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 - Day 13: Triskaidekaphobia!
The plan: horse back riding, picnic lunch, hiking in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, laundry and showers at the Canyon facilities and dinner at the CG.
Sounds good, but it's Day 13! What could go wrong?
Josh is more cantankerous than usual. It started with AM KP duty that seems to interfere with everything he wants to do. He is very skillful at skipping most duties assigned to him.
Geoffrey and Madi decide they do not want to ride the horses. Josh wasn't too keen on the idea. We figured they were just nervous. After some thought, they all decided to give it a try.
They had a great one hour ride out of Roosevelt Lodge into the Lamar Valley. Rose and I took the stage coach and had a similar experience. We saw lots of Marmots along the way.
Our next scheduled activity was a hike up Mt. Washburn, the tallest peak in Yellowstone. It was a chilly 54 degrees near the summit. It would take 3 to 4 hours to complete the hike and considering it was near 1500 hours and we still hadn't had lunch, we passed on the hike.
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| Upper Falls - The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (from the North Rim Trail) |
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| View from Mt. Washburn |
On the way to the picnic area, Rose accidentally rubbed sun block into her eye. She started crying but forgot to say what was wrong. At our lunch stop, we washed out her eye and she was feeling better. Unfortunately, she was more interested in playing than lunch. She had one cheese cracker. As we were pulling into the Canyon area, she said her belly hurts. That's funny, she says her belly hurts on the average of three times a day!
There was a power outage at the Canyon Visitor Center and shopping area. I managed to buy a fly rod, some tippet and a few flys. We're going to try fly fishing in a day or two.
Now it's time to hike the North Rim Trail. Almost immediately Josh started pestering to get off the trail. He wanted to bushwack in an area with cliffs and up to a1400 drop. He got really upset when I said no for the third time. This time he was standing directly in front of a NPS sign that said "Closed due to unsafe conditions." "it doesn't look unsafe," said Josh! When I wouldn't budge, he sat down, mumbling he would just sit there. He wanted to walk a real trail, not a paved path. After a romp down the steep Red Cliffs trail, that he did with Geoffrey and Claire, he apologized to me for his behavior saying that he just wanted to walk a real trail.
The North Rim Trail eventually turns into a "real trail" after the Grannd View area. The weather was threatening, Rose's belly hurt again, so she and Granny went back about one mile to fetch the car while The rest of the gang and I kept walking. After about 3/4 mile, we turned around before reaching our objective (Inspiration Point). As we got back to the Grand View area, it started to rain. We sought refuge under a cluster of Ponderosa Pines. After only a five minute wait, we were in the car and headed out.
It was now well after 1800 hours and everyone was hungry, if not cranky. We returned to the Canyon area, but because they were experiencing a power outage, we decided to drive to the Fishing Bay area for dinner. Along the way we stopped in the Hayden Valley area to watch Bison swim across the Yellowstone River. We watched them run down the mountainside into the river and swim across.
We made another stop to look for wolves. There were 50 or so other people doing the same thing. Traffic was backed up and a Ranger was trying to keep traffic moving while keeping the people safe.
We gave it a good try, but there were no wolves to be seen on this evening.
We pulled into the Fishing Bay facility for a quick meal. As we parked the car, their lights went out! Another power outage. We drove one mile further south to The Lake Lodge were finally got a bit to eat. As we left the building, their lights went out Another power failure!
As we headed back to the CG, we stopped to listen for wolves, but had no luck. We did manage to get a good look at a Porcupine. That was pretty exciting!
Thursday, July 18, 2013 - Day 14: Junior Rangers; Junior Scientist
The girls completed all the requirements of the Junior Ranger Program when they attended a Ranger Talk on Steamboat Geyser, the largest geyser in the world. A major eruption can shoot water and steam to a height of 300 feet. The last major eruption was in 2005.
Josh completed the requirements for the Yellowstone Junior Scientist Program after checking out the tool kit and taking some measurements of water temperatures associated with the different colored bacteria that live in the pools.
We returned to the Upper Geyser Basin where Old Faithful resides, to report to the ranger. Each child was tested on their knowledge by a ranger and when he was satisfied that they knew about Yellowstone and recited the Pledge awarded the Junior Ranger/Junior Scientist to each.
Geoffrey didn't participate because the program only goes to age 12.
In the evening, we attended an excellent Ranger Program on Wolves, Ravens and Humans: A Love Triangle. The special relationship among the three traces back to Greek Mythology. On the way back to the campground, we watched a coyote saunter across the road with dinner in its mouth!
Josh was the Fire King and made a spectacular fire that warmed us on the chilly night. The kids sipped hot chocolate and told stories around the campfire until it was time to turn in. The is our last full day in Yellowstone.
Friday, July 19, 2013 - Day 15: Goodbye Yellowstone!
We had a great time in Yellowstone and would like to stay for a few more days. Alas, we have more things to see. As we drove through Hayden Valley, folks with big spotting scopes were tracking wolves. We couldn't see them, even with our field glasses.
All was not disappointment as we were treated to close up views of a herd of Bison that had many young in their midst. We got great pictures of the young Bison as we headed south on the Grand Loop Road.
The kids were in awe of the Grand Tetons. Sadly, we couldn't spend the night in the park because we're meeting Matt and Sandi in Mesa Verde on Sunday.
We did manage to walk around Jackson, but Geoffrey couldn't find the wolf souvenir he was looking for.
Putting a couple hundred miles behind us, we landed in Rocky Springs, WY for the evening.
Saturday, July 20, 2013 - Day 16: Dinosaur National Monument!
Incredible! DNM is unbelievable! Such a collection of dinosaur bones in one place. Even more incredible considering that tons have been removed! The temp reached 99 degrees today. It might be a good thing that we had to move on so we could make our rendezvous tomorrow. On the other hand, we are heading south! Maybe it will get hotter?
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| The Quarry |
Since the North Rim hike in Yellowstone, Josh has made a 180 degree turn around. He has been helpful, pleasant and even does things when asked, even if he doesn't want to.
Claire, Madi and Rose talk incessantly! They giggle and laugh and play games in the back seat (unless they're watching a movie). Unfortunately, they can't contain their exuberance. They can get really loud!
Geoffrey and Josh play their electronic devices frequently. When they have their earbuds in, it's next to impossible to get their attention.
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