June 15, 2012. The day we have been waiting for. Bags have been packed, maps have been checked, the car is FULLY loaded and The Griswolds...er, I mean The Koops where ready to cross the United States! Destination? Yellowstone and Glacier with a few stops inbetween.Please note, this is a long post...meant to document the trip for the boys, who may not remember it in the years to come. Wait, maybe for me and Tom too! Anyway, parts are highlighted, feel free to skip around!
After two days in the car, Tom and I were definitely rethinking our choice not to fly. You see, I made sure that each boy had a bag chucked full of things to do. However, it seemed that those bags had too much to do! And what did they all fight over? THE LEAPSTER! This is what we were dealing with (inside a very small space): fighting over electronics, stuff ALL over and too much silliness. Tom and I had a heart to heart between us on Monday night. No more electronics for the boys and no more yelling for us. Tuesday was our best day.
But, let me back up a bit, cause inbetween, we did some great things:The Badlands. This came as a very cool surprise. They were beautiful. Like a small grand canyon in South Dakota. The boys were more than excited to get out and explore. I was a little more cautious since drops happen fast and the canyon is deep. No guard rails here. Tom saw a perfect picture and took Jeb out on the rocks, balancing on a 4inch piece of rock 200 feet up to get there. I was a wreck and on the way back, so was he. Lesson learned. No picture is worth the risk. So we moved on to rocks going straight UP out of the earth, where the boys could climb safely. They were in heaven and it took a lot of enticing to get them to leave.
Lunch was spent at The Ranch, just a little souvenir shop on the side of the road. Sounds not so fun, but when you combine it with prairie dogs, it becomes the greatest place on earth! We fed them almonds as they popped up out of their holes a and laughed as they sunbathed on the grass. It was a fun lunch.
Cody WY. Happy Fathers Day Tom! We took him out to eat at the historic Irma hotel, made famous by Buffalo Bill in 1895. We had made it to the old west! Toms present was a trip to the rodeo. It was like nothing we had seen before and I don't know if I will ever forget Jeb's face. He was so excited he was shaking. I'll admit, at times I was too! What a great night.
Monday. We head to Grand Tetons through Yellowstone. Pronghorn are along the way. Mountains and rapid rivers...this is what we came for. Our plan was to have lunch along Yellowstone lake, but the wind was close to 70 mph and it was a bit miserable. So we threw salami back to the kids as we drove and kept digging for more food as we went. Best lunch yet, although we did have quite a smelly car during and after 'lunch!' We did manage a short hike and came within a couple hundred feet of a bison. They are huge! A bit scary too!
We then wandered around the southern hot springs, but our spirits were down...the wind would keep the animals away. So we went to our cabin in the Tetons, we're it began to rain. But, we got on with it, putting on our raincoats and hiking Jackson lake, with magnificent views of the Tetons. I got out at sunset to see the mountains turn purple as the sun set behind them. This was beautiful, and as I headed back, my spirits lifted and a deer stood 20 feet from me. A new attitude abounded. I was ready to take on the Tetons and the three crazy boys back at the cabin!
Tuesday. We had a plan...hike up to Inspiration Point on the Grand Teton. On the way, we saw a mama grizzly and her 3 cubs. Far away, thank goodness, well in a weird way we really wanted to be closer! The willow flats are near Jackson Lake Lodge, so we went there to start. Wow, the views from this place were unbelievable! I wondered why we didn't stay here until I saw that room prices were closer to $400 a night! Anyway, we hiked a bit before a ranger stopped us and told us to beware of the same mama grizzly and her cubs. She is a first time mom and will charge. We turned around. That is nothing I want to mess with! Side note, did you know that the Tetons were named by Frenchmen? In French it means, three big breasts. Those French men must have been a bit lonely!
So, off we went to Jenny Lake, where we took a boat ride to the trailhead to start off on our two mile hike up the side of the Grand Teton. The first stop was Hidden Falls and it was impressive! Massive amounts of snow melt from the top of the mountain crashing down. The kids were doing amazingly well, especially Jeb as he maneuvered over the rocky terrain. And we went farther up to Inspiration Point, 7000 feet above sea level. The view was inspiring! Little did we know that only 200 feet up was a grizzly! It started to make its way down and as we heard people screaming, we knew that we had once again missed a close-up bear sighting! It was still a great day of hiking and little Jeb made it up and down without being picked up once! 
The Cowboy Dinner. We have been talking about this for ages! After spending some time in Jackson Hole, we drove to a cattle ranch for a real cowboy experience. Turns out cowboy dinners don't agree with Koops boys! They hated the beef and especially the beans! After a few pepto tablets and 30 mins in the bathroom, Aiden was back on track! Bring on the entertainment! It was worth all the belly aches. And when we left, we went right by two huge moose, who decided to cross the road right in front of us! It was unbelievable! Made the night even better!
No comments:
Post a Comment