Summer Adventure, The final streach...almost

The next part of the trip included meeting friends at Dinosaur National Monument to camp. The really neat visitor center was closed so the park wasn't as big of a hit with anyone in the crowd, but seeing our friends was.







Then we stopped at their house on the way back to Grandmas' and Papa's. And who can drive through Denver without stopping at Casa Bonita...





After dropping Daddy off at the airport, Mommy and the kiddos spent a couple leisurely weeks with Grandparents before heading out on the 3 day drive home (with Grandma who thankfully came along to help on the ride).

Summer Adventures Continued...again

Yes there is more to this month long adventure, and yes it has taken me more than a month to get it all posted...I had a few other things going. Sorry. :)

After morning after the wedding, we had a wonderful breakfast with the new In-laws and then we decided it was time to head on (so certain littles could get a bit of a car nap). We made it to the Tetons Art museum at Colter Bay.

Here we found some Grandparents that seemed to be following us...or something. Lucky for us, those grandparents were happy to help the girls get started on their Jr Ranger badges.




After a walk through the museum and a short film we grabbed a lunch to eat in the car and Headed the rest of the way north to Yellowstone.










We had intended to camp for the night but Daddy's back had been strained. We looked into lodging and decided an air mattress would be sufficient. We found one in West Yellowstone, then went back to set up camp before dark. The rain let up just enough we decided to go for a geyser walk before bed.



Just before heading back to camp, Mommy found her new dream family car...don't you think it would work for us?



The next 3 days we spent covering as much of the National Park as we could. We saw snow, bison, elk, moose, black bear, grizzly bear, waterfalls, rivers, the lake, hot springs, geysers, the general store Grandma worked in when she was younger, and lots of places Mommy remembers visiting years ago. It rained the first two days, then cleared up just in time for us to head south again. Daddy took lots of pictures, but we'll just share a few.

The wedding

We happily welcomed Aunt Andrea and cousin Aubrey into the family. It was a beutiful wedding.

Family Summer Adventures Part III

Our trip continued with a quick stop to see Smokey and then on to the Badlands.




The girls were excited to see a few rabbits on one of the walks while Mommy and Daddy admired the natural geological formations. On the way out we even saw a couple mountain sheep on a far ridge.












We stoped for the night in Wall at a campground just down the street from Wall Drug. Mommy noticed a turtle trying to cross the road, so naturally everyone had to check it out.




The next day we visit Devil's Tower National Monument for a hike and to get Jr Ranger badges, before heading over to Dubois for the wedding.

Family Summer Adventure Part II

After leaving Grandpa's house we headed north. Two days of driving brought us to the Black Hills in South Dakota. Our First stop was Wind Cave for a cave tour ...and Mommy started wishing we had brought the backpack carrier for Cai.

Then we moved on to Crazy Horse. We watched a video about the history of the monument and stood in awe of the work they were doing.


As we moved on to Rushmore, we felt perhapse we should have seen the two in reverse, as Rushmore seemed less significant in comparison. That night we got a suite with 3 queen beds and a jacuzzi in the room. Can you believe that non of the girls wanted to sleep in a bed!?! They did however enjoy a swim, I mean bath in the jacuzzi first thing in the morning.

Family Summer Adventures 2010

Now we are home from our travelings, I will attempt to recount some of our adventures.

The Trip began with my Mom blessing us by flying down so she could ride back with the kids and me in the van. It was nice to have some adult conversation, and someone else who could take a turn running kids in for bathroom breaks. Also, having too many to fit in one hotel room, we had to get adjoining rooms and could split up the charges.
After 3 days of driving we arrived at the Grandparents' and had a couple days rests before getting Daddy at the airport. The next morning we headed out for Oklahoma to see Grandpa on his farm.

We stopped to stretch our legs at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife preserve to see bison and prairie dogs, and drive to the top of Mount Scott.


Here the Girls check out the view, and see how far they can see with binoculars.



Daddy took the girls for a walk over the boulders for another view (and to get some climbing out of the monkeys' systems).


Cai and Mommy stayed near the parking lot and watched the motorcycles come and go. He was mesmerized by the sound of the engines.


At Grandpa's we got to feed the cows and go for a walk along the bluffs. We had a wonderful dinner with Uncle Bill and Aunt Joanne. They even let the girls feed the cows and donkeys.

Now it is late and I'm bleary eyed so more will come later...