August 15th - 18th
Wednesday, August 15th - A quieter night, less restless. It’s 6:54, Steve is reading next to me and I’m seeing/hearing the first signs of Peyton starting to wake up. No noise or movement from Allison in the bottom bunk yet. At 7:09, I invited Peyton to come cuddle with us. 7:20, I ventured out to the camp bathroom and back. Still no movement from Allison! At 7:40 I heard a small, “Momma,” from Allison. She joined us in the big bed (sort of) in her usual energetic cuddly kind of way. Our breakfast, get ready for the day, pack up camp routine was standard. I played stick baseball with the kids as the sun started to warm us up a bit. We had to empty the water tanks and fill with fresh water. This always takes some time. Next, (10:00am) we were at a service station to gas up and get a fuse replacement for the fridge (someone looked at the fuse and they told us what to replace, but couldn’t help us). A stop at the Visitor Center to get Junior Ranger Info was warranted. We listened to a Ranger Program that had just begun and got our work books to complete, so the kids can earn still earn their badges, even though we're leaving the park today. 11:08 Yellowstone was good to us, great, really, but it feels like it's time to head south where the Grand Tetons await us. The kids eagerly worked on their ranger books. It was a quick drive and we stopped at Colter Bay Visitor Center just after 12:30. It’s a good thing we did because we crossed paths with my dear friend from high school, Amy Myhre! She saw me in the gift store with the kids and ran in to say, "hello." It’s been almost 2 years since we’ve seen each other and it turns out that they were traveling on a similar itinerary. They had spent 5 days in Yellowstone and were also just arriving in the Tetons AND were also staying in Colter Bay. Fortunately, they had already checked into their campsite and had a site number. With no cell reception, coordinating would have been difficult. So, we resorted to old fashioned way of communicating. We made a plan right then and had to stick to it. We planned to join them for dinner and s’mores at their camp site, at 6:00pm. We were so giddy we had a hard time making a plan for our family for the afternoon. We finally chose to drive to the southern part of the park and hike to Taggart Lake. The mountain and air were hazy from smoke and made the mountains look and feel less dramatic. However, further south, it was clear. Our hike was hot, and partly shaded, thankfully. We hiked 1.6 miles one-way with breathtaking views of the Tetons and a pristine lake to dip in to serve as our motivation.
We enjoyed the rest of our afternoon, but we were all so excited to be with friends. It was already after 4:00. We raced back north to check into our cabin after 5:00 and we didn’t have enough time to stop at any of the sights either direction, so we’ll have to do the drive again to see them. The cabin was spacious, had 2 queen beds and a twin and it's own bathroom! No kitchen. At almost exactly 6:00, we pulled into their camp site. There was enough room at the neighboring site to park. We got on well from the start. After talking and snacking we walked the trail from their camp site to the lake. It was a gorgeous night and sunset, in part because of the smoky air, in part because of the company. The kids were care-free and so comfortable playing together. They were needing friends and free-time. We watched the sun go behind the mountain then headed back up the trail to make a fire and eat. We roasted sausages and s’mores. It was dark and late too soon. We left well after 9:00. Lights out around 9:30.
We enjoyed the rest of our afternoon, but we were all so excited to be with friends. It was already after 4:00. We raced back north to check into our cabin after 5:00 and we didn’t have enough time to stop at any of the sights either direction, so we’ll have to do the drive again to see them. The cabin was spacious, had 2 queen beds and a twin and it's own bathroom! No kitchen. At almost exactly 6:00, we pulled into their camp site. There was enough room at the neighboring site to park. We got on well from the start. After talking and snacking we walked the trail from their camp site to the lake. It was a gorgeous night and sunset, in part because of the smoky air, in part because of the company. The kids were care-free and so comfortable playing together. They were needing friends and free-time. We watched the sun go behind the mountain then headed back up the trail to make a fire and eat. We roasted sausages and s’mores. It was dark and late too soon. We left well after 9:00. Lights out around 9:30.
Thursday, August 16th - we woke around 6:30, but it was a slow morning. It was nice to have the space of the cabin and a bathroom. It was inconvenient having everything in the camper. Steve popped the top, made several trips to and from bringing us stuff and made us breakfast in the camper, which we ate in our cabin. We were on the road around 9:30/10. We drove south with a vague plan to stop at the sights, head to Jackson to fix the camper fuse and ride the tram at Jackson Hole. We started out on the Jenny Lake scenic drive and tried to go to Jenny Lake, but it was already too busy.
We drove on to the Menor’s historic district and Chapel of Transfiguration. The kids were focused on the completion of their Junior Ranger books and carried them with them studying rock samples and drawing the Menor’s General Store. They enjoyed buying a saltwater taffy with their own money, and Steve bought us Huckleberry Soda to share later.
Unfortunately, there were 2 busses stopped at the Chapel of Transfiguration. Too many people for a teeny, tiny chapel. First, we picnicked in the parking lot and then ventured into the chapel when the crowd left. I've been her before. It is still stunning to see the Tetons through the church. The picture really doesn't do it justice.
Finally, we began the long drive back to our cabin at Colter Bay. Our drive was pleasant as we watched the sun setting over the Teton mountain range. We stopped briefly to check out Uncle Tom's Cabin
and again to see a large herd of bison grazing close to the road. Finally, we made it back to our cabin for bed, but not before a quick snack and our well deserved Huckleberry Soda treat! 9pm bedtime.
Friday, August 17th - 7:30 wake-up. Cereal and shower. 8:30/9:00 Colter Village: Coffee, bought eggs for the camper, souvenir pennies, Visitor Center to complete a scavenger hunt and the Grand Teton Junior Ranger program.
Both kids said they were home sick and didn’t want to do anything. I think our lack of plan/structure for the return trip was adding to the stress for them. But, all signs pointed towards heading home. The kids had their Junior Ranger Badges by 10:30. We put gas in the truck and air in the tires and perfectly timed, Amy and Eric passed by. So, we said our good-byes once again to them. Everyone had low blood-sugar, we were tired, exhausted, really, and grumpy! I fed the troops while Steve drove and the kids worked intently on completing their Yellowstone Junior Ranger books on our drive north back to Yellowstone National Park. We stopped at Grant Village (just after 12:00) to mail our post cards, get traffic info (and to finish the last page or two of Allison's book) so we could return our completed books - and when I say completed, I mean completed entirely, not just the recommended pages per age - to the Park Ranger. Because they worked above and beyond their age recommendation, they got to choose which of the 3 badges they wanted. It was a proud moment.
By 1:00, we were on the road heading out the west entrance of Yellowstone. Immediately, the kids asked for screen time. Immediately, I said, yes. We all needed a break to tick off some miles on the road. An hour into the drive, we passed through forest fires on Hwy 191. Highway patrols were located in several locations, monitoring. There were several spots of smoldering forest just to our west, close to the road. Screen time was paused at 2:30. Instead, we listened to music, Boys in the Boat, and did Mad Libs. Everyone was grouchy around 4:00. We drove along trying to find food and at 5:00 stopped in Butte for dinner. With reception at the restaurant, we found an RV Park about 20 minutes west on I-90. A thunderstorm rolled in while we were eating and though we drove out of it on the way to the Fairmont RV Park, another rolled in in the middle of the night. At camp, we set up beds and even though we had spent most of our day in the car, no one wanted to move. Instead, we enjoyed an hour, or two, of relaxing time and stories in the camper. I read another chapter of The Penderwick's. Lights out just before 9:00.
By 1:00, we were on the road heading out the west entrance of Yellowstone. Immediately, the kids asked for screen time. Immediately, I said, yes. We all needed a break to tick off some miles on the road. An hour into the drive, we passed through forest fires on Hwy 191. Highway patrols were located in several locations, monitoring. There were several spots of smoldering forest just to our west, close to the road. Screen time was paused at 2:30. Instead, we listened to music, Boys in the Boat, and did Mad Libs. Everyone was grouchy around 4:00. We drove along trying to find food and at 5:00 stopped in Butte for dinner. With reception at the restaurant, we found an RV Park about 20 minutes west on I-90. A thunderstorm rolled in while we were eating and though we drove out of it on the way to the Fairmont RV Park, another rolled in in the middle of the night. At camp, we set up beds and even though we had spent most of our day in the car, no one wanted to move. Instead, we enjoyed an hour, or two, of relaxing time and stories in the camper. I read another chapter of The Penderwick's. Lights out just before 9:00.
Sunday, August 19th - Let the clean-up begin. I'm thankful for helping hands this year!
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