The Gray clan has made it as far as Austin, TX. We're spending a couple of days here to visit some great friends and recharge our batteries before making the final push back to MS.
On Wednesday, we hit the high spots of Roswell, NM (of which there aren't too many...) including the International Alien Museum and a couple of alien inspired gift shops. At the Alien Museum, they had a huge map of the US and the rest of the world so you could put a push pin in your hometown. The maps were covered with pins, but there wasn't a pin on Madison, MS, so we proudly pushed one in. We did notice that someone from my hometown of Macon, MS had apparently visited, since there was a pin stuck in Macon. It's a really small world...
After a couple of hours in Roswell, we headed on south to Carlsbad Caverns. Carlsbad is really in the middle of nowhere, but worth the trip. We spent several hours there, walking in through the natural entrance, then touring all of the major features. I've been to Mammoth Cave before, but it just doesn't compare. Carlsbad is amazing.
After Carlsbad, we headed on south towards Fort Stockton, TX for the night. Along the way, we kept noticing things scurrying across the road. We finally realized that they were tarantulas - scary! We slowed down and let the kids check out one up close. I had no idea tarantulas were so plentiful in the wild... We finally found our way to Fort Stockton (and back to the Central Time Zone) around 8pm and checked into the Best Western there. The hotel was a bit creepy and old, but the only thing we could get at the last minute. Fort Stockton's also the only decent size town for miles in either direction. We hunkered down and managed to make it through the night, but were up early, showered and on the road by 8am on Thursday.
After a quick breakfast at Sonic, we headed on towards Austin. We made a stop in Fredricksburg, TX for lunch - a really neat town with lots of shops and restaurants on main street. We pressed on to Austin, and arrived at our destination late afternoon. The kids got a chance to swim, then we all headed over to the Hula Hut for an awesome casual dinner overlooking Town Lake in Austin.
Everyone slept like a champ last night, and everyone is enjoying a little personal space today.
We should be on the road early tomorrow, with a goal of rolling into Madison late tomorrow night.
Then Grays
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Working Our Way East
Ok, so the chief blogger of the Gray family has been slacking off over the last couple of days. Here’s a quick update since our last post for Saturday.
On Sunday, we had another wonderfully lazy day in Vegas. Everyone slept late, munched on Krispy Kremes for breakfast, then headed down to the pool late morning. We had a great day at the pool enjoying the lazy river, wave pool, and some of the other pools before heading back to the room late afternoon. Everyone was a little red, but luckily none of our clan got completely roasted. After showers and some relaxation in the room, we headed out to the Strip and made our way down to the Venetian where we grabbed dinner at one of the restaurants in the mall there. The Venetian has an indoor canal with gondola rides – we had a great view of the canal from our table at dinner. After dinner, we caught the double decker bus back down the strip to our hotel. The lights in Vegas are really amazing at night. The bus was a great opportunity to take them in (in the comfort of air conditioning).
On Monday, we tried to drag ourselves out of bed early, gather our stuff, and say goodbye to the comfort of the Mandalay Bay. It wasn’t easy, but we got everything back in the van and were on the road by 9am or so. From Vegas, we made the short drive to Hoover Dam. We didn’t spend much time there, but made lots of “Dam” jokes – i.e. the Dam tourists, the Dam visitor center, the Dam parking lot. Humor that an 8 and 10 year old seem to love. After our quick trip over the Hoover Dam, we worked our way on to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
As you drive north from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, you’re driving through a fairly flat landscape with a number of smaller trees. I couldn’t imagine being the first explorer to be working their way across the area, then stumble upon the Grand Canyon. It really seems to appear out of no where. We made it to the Grand Canyon around mid-afternoon. The weather was great, but the crowds of people were crazy. The Grand Canyon is nice, and yes, it is very big, but after you’ve seen the Tetons, it’s kind of ho-hum. I’m glad we made the side trip to check it out, but it isn’t one of my favorite parks.
After spending a couple of hours at the Grand Canyon, we headed back south to Flagstaff and settled into a Hampton Inn for the night.
On Tuesday, we hit the road and a decent hour and worked our way towards Albuquerque. Mid-morning we made a stop at the Petrified Forest National Park and checked out the petrified forest, painted desert, and the petroglyphs preserved at the park. After an hour or so in the park (and another junior ranger badge) we headed on east. We made a stop along the way and grabbed some lunch at a Sonic that sits on the original Route 66. We hit Albuquerque late afternoon, made a stop for gas and drinks, then pushed on to Roswell, NM. We fast discovered that there is a whole lot of nothing for the 2+ hour drive down to Roswell. We rolled into Roswell shortly before 9pm, grabbed some dinner at Pizza Hut, then settled into a great Hampton Inn for the night.
We slept late again this morning, and shortly we’re headed out to check out the alien museum in Roswell, then on to Carlsbad Caverns, and we’ll start working our way into Texas later today.
Everyone is still in great spirits, though we are looking forward to getting home this weekend.
Finally got a few more pics uploaded:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay23
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay25
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay26
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay27
On Sunday, we had another wonderfully lazy day in Vegas. Everyone slept late, munched on Krispy Kremes for breakfast, then headed down to the pool late morning. We had a great day at the pool enjoying the lazy river, wave pool, and some of the other pools before heading back to the room late afternoon. Everyone was a little red, but luckily none of our clan got completely roasted. After showers and some relaxation in the room, we headed out to the Strip and made our way down to the Venetian where we grabbed dinner at one of the restaurants in the mall there. The Venetian has an indoor canal with gondola rides – we had a great view of the canal from our table at dinner. After dinner, we caught the double decker bus back down the strip to our hotel. The lights in Vegas are really amazing at night. The bus was a great opportunity to take them in (in the comfort of air conditioning).
On Monday, we tried to drag ourselves out of bed early, gather our stuff, and say goodbye to the comfort of the Mandalay Bay. It wasn’t easy, but we got everything back in the van and were on the road by 9am or so. From Vegas, we made the short drive to Hoover Dam. We didn’t spend much time there, but made lots of “Dam” jokes – i.e. the Dam tourists, the Dam visitor center, the Dam parking lot. Humor that an 8 and 10 year old seem to love. After our quick trip over the Hoover Dam, we worked our way on to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
As you drive north from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, you’re driving through a fairly flat landscape with a number of smaller trees. I couldn’t imagine being the first explorer to be working their way across the area, then stumble upon the Grand Canyon. It really seems to appear out of no where. We made it to the Grand Canyon around mid-afternoon. The weather was great, but the crowds of people were crazy. The Grand Canyon is nice, and yes, it is very big, but after you’ve seen the Tetons, it’s kind of ho-hum. I’m glad we made the side trip to check it out, but it isn’t one of my favorite parks.
After spending a couple of hours at the Grand Canyon, we headed back south to Flagstaff and settled into a Hampton Inn for the night.
On Tuesday, we hit the road and a decent hour and worked our way towards Albuquerque. Mid-morning we made a stop at the Petrified Forest National Park and checked out the petrified forest, painted desert, and the petroglyphs preserved at the park. After an hour or so in the park (and another junior ranger badge) we headed on east. We made a stop along the way and grabbed some lunch at a Sonic that sits on the original Route 66. We hit Albuquerque late afternoon, made a stop for gas and drinks, then pushed on to Roswell, NM. We fast discovered that there is a whole lot of nothing for the 2+ hour drive down to Roswell. We rolled into Roswell shortly before 9pm, grabbed some dinner at Pizza Hut, then settled into a great Hampton Inn for the night.
We slept late again this morning, and shortly we’re headed out to check out the alien museum in Roswell, then on to Carlsbad Caverns, and we’ll start working our way into Texas later today.
Everyone is still in great spirits, though we are looking forward to getting home this weekend.
Finally got a few more pics uploaded:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay23
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay25
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay26
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay27
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Viva Las Vegas
(Posting for Saturday, June 21st)
Today has been a wonderfully peaceful and relaxing day for the Gray clan. I don’t think we left the comfort of the hotel all day…
Everyone slept late, and we treated ourselves to breakfast from room service – waffles, eggs, bacon, pastries and a pot of strong coffee. This was the kids first experience with room service – I think they are hooked…
After breakfast, we slathered on generous proportions of sunscreen and headed to the pool. We spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon enjoying the lazy river, wave pool, and other pools. When everyone finally tied of the pool (and it got too hot) we grabbed some quick lunch and headed back upstairs to cool off and relax.
After an afternoon of lounging, I headed off to the spa for a massage, while Steph and the kids ventured over to the aquarium and shark exhibit here at the hotel. The kids had a blast at the shark exhibit – saw lots of great stuff, petted a sting ray and horseshoe crabs, even had some funny tourist photos done. We all regrouped early evening, and headed back downstairs to the hotel buffet for dinner. The food was great – and there was tons of it. It seems as if we had a little bit of everything. I lost count of how many plates came and went from our table.
After stuffing ourselves at dinner, we headed back upstairs for the night. We pulled out the binoculars, and had a blast watching the Gnarls Barkley concert, as well as an outdoor wedding reception at the pool at the Four Seasons Hotel (adjacent to our hotel).
The concert is finally winding down, so we’re about to settle in for another peaceful night.
The Grays
Today has been a wonderfully peaceful and relaxing day for the Gray clan. I don’t think we left the comfort of the hotel all day…
Everyone slept late, and we treated ourselves to breakfast from room service – waffles, eggs, bacon, pastries and a pot of strong coffee. This was the kids first experience with room service – I think they are hooked…
After breakfast, we slathered on generous proportions of sunscreen and headed to the pool. We spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon enjoying the lazy river, wave pool, and other pools. When everyone finally tied of the pool (and it got too hot) we grabbed some quick lunch and headed back upstairs to cool off and relax.
After an afternoon of lounging, I headed off to the spa for a massage, while Steph and the kids ventured over to the aquarium and shark exhibit here at the hotel. The kids had a blast at the shark exhibit – saw lots of great stuff, petted a sting ray and horseshoe crabs, even had some funny tourist photos done. We all regrouped early evening, and headed back downstairs to the hotel buffet for dinner. The food was great – and there was tons of it. It seems as if we had a little bit of everything. I lost count of how many plates came and went from our table.
After stuffing ourselves at dinner, we headed back upstairs for the night. We pulled out the binoculars, and had a blast watching the Gnarls Barkley concert, as well as an outdoor wedding reception at the pool at the Four Seasons Hotel (adjacent to our hotel).
The concert is finally winding down, so we’re about to settle in for another peaceful night.
The Grays
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Greetings From Vegas
(Posting for Friday, June 20th)
We had a quiet and restful night at our hotel in Cedar City. It wasn’t as nice as the Hampton we stumbled upon in Layton, UT, but we made the best of it. After a hearty breakfast, everyone showered and we worked through the packing and repacking ritual. We were on the road to Las Vegas shortly before noon.
The drive through southern Utah, a part of Arizona and northern Nevada was beautiful. Hot and dry, but beautiful. We made a stop in St. George, UT, to grab some lunch at Outback. The kids inhaled their steak and baked potatoes. I think they were excited to see something other than sandwiches and fast food.
After 22 days and 4300 miles, the Gray clan rolled into greater Las Vegas late Friday afternoon. We got stuck in traffic for about 30 minutes north of downtown Vegas for a car fire on the interstate. The temp was about 114 degrees – maybe the car spontaneously combusted…
After working our way through traffic, we found our way to Mandalay Bay and got checked in around 5pm. The kids had a blast on the drive into Vegas checking out all of the sights. I think it was a bit of sensory overload. We settled into our room on the 32nd floor overlooking the pool. The kids are loving the room – lots of space, comfy beds, flatscreen TV’s in both the main living area and the bathroom. The hotel is full of activity this weekend. On Saturday night, there’s an outdoor concert around the pool by Gnarls Barkley, and there’s also a Bud Light sponsored Rock Paper Scissors tournament going on as well. I have to admit that one sleepless night I actually saw one of these tournaments on EPSN2 early in the morning. There’s no skill involved – hard to believe they can have a real tournament. It’s been funny seeing all of the college age kids roaming the hotel wearing their VIP passes from the Rock Paper Scissors tournament…
Once our luggage finally made it upstairs, we all threw on bathing suits and some sunscreen and headed down to the pools. Mandalay Bay has an 11 acre pool area including a lazy river, wave pool, sandy beach, several other pools plus a number of VIP areas and cabanas. We hit the lazy river first (the best I’ve ever enjoyed) and floated for what seemed like forever. Then we worked our way to the wave pool, then another pool, before heading back upstairs when the pools closed.
The kids decided to keep their bathing suits on and soak in the tub in our bathroom – while watching Nickelodeon on the flat screen TV in the bathroom. The kids are definitely living like rock stars. After their soak, we headed downstairs and had some great Chinese food for dinner. The kids decided to be brace and try some fried calamari in addition to their usual shrimp, pork, rice and noodle favorites. The loved the calamari! It’s good to see them branching out and trying new things.
After wrapping up dinner (everyone was stuffed), we decided to take a stroll down the strip to let the kids take in the sights. Luckily, the sun was down and is was a bit cooler – maybe 95 degrees. We made our way down to the Bellagio, and let them enjoy the fountains out front. We then worked our way back towards our hotel, with a stop along the way at the M&M store. Again, the kids are really living like rock stars. We were a little iffy about making a stop in Vegas with the kids, but they’ve really done great, taking in the sights, asking lots of questions, maybe learning a thing or two about life.
Everyone is wiped out and the feather bed is calling, so that’s all for now.
The Grays
We had a quiet and restful night at our hotel in Cedar City. It wasn’t as nice as the Hampton we stumbled upon in Layton, UT, but we made the best of it. After a hearty breakfast, everyone showered and we worked through the packing and repacking ritual. We were on the road to Las Vegas shortly before noon.
The drive through southern Utah, a part of Arizona and northern Nevada was beautiful. Hot and dry, but beautiful. We made a stop in St. George, UT, to grab some lunch at Outback. The kids inhaled their steak and baked potatoes. I think they were excited to see something other than sandwiches and fast food.
After 22 days and 4300 miles, the Gray clan rolled into greater Las Vegas late Friday afternoon. We got stuck in traffic for about 30 minutes north of downtown Vegas for a car fire on the interstate. The temp was about 114 degrees – maybe the car spontaneously combusted…
After working our way through traffic, we found our way to Mandalay Bay and got checked in around 5pm. The kids had a blast on the drive into Vegas checking out all of the sights. I think it was a bit of sensory overload. We settled into our room on the 32nd floor overlooking the pool. The kids are loving the room – lots of space, comfy beds, flatscreen TV’s in both the main living area and the bathroom. The hotel is full of activity this weekend. On Saturday night, there’s an outdoor concert around the pool by Gnarls Barkley, and there’s also a Bud Light sponsored Rock Paper Scissors tournament going on as well. I have to admit that one sleepless night I actually saw one of these tournaments on EPSN2 early in the morning. There’s no skill involved – hard to believe they can have a real tournament. It’s been funny seeing all of the college age kids roaming the hotel wearing their VIP passes from the Rock Paper Scissors tournament…
Once our luggage finally made it upstairs, we all threw on bathing suits and some sunscreen and headed down to the pools. Mandalay Bay has an 11 acre pool area including a lazy river, wave pool, sandy beach, several other pools plus a number of VIP areas and cabanas. We hit the lazy river first (the best I’ve ever enjoyed) and floated for what seemed like forever. Then we worked our way to the wave pool, then another pool, before heading back upstairs when the pools closed.
The kids decided to keep their bathing suits on and soak in the tub in our bathroom – while watching Nickelodeon on the flat screen TV in the bathroom. The kids are definitely living like rock stars. After their soak, we headed downstairs and had some great Chinese food for dinner. The kids decided to be brace and try some fried calamari in addition to their usual shrimp, pork, rice and noodle favorites. The loved the calamari! It’s good to see them branching out and trying new things.
After wrapping up dinner (everyone was stuffed), we decided to take a stroll down the strip to let the kids take in the sights. Luckily, the sun was down and is was a bit cooler – maybe 95 degrees. We made our way down to the Bellagio, and let them enjoy the fountains out front. We then worked our way back towards our hotel, with a stop along the way at the M&M store. Again, the kids are really living like rock stars. We were a little iffy about making a stop in Vegas with the kids, but they’ve really done great, taking in the sights, asking lots of questions, maybe learning a thing or two about life.
Everyone is wiped out and the feather bed is calling, so that’s all for now.
The Grays
Friday, June 20, 2008
Steamy Day in Utah
(Posting for Thursday, June 19th)
Everyone slept a little late this morning after our late night last night. Taylor and I were the first ones up and wandered down to the lobby shortly after 9am for breakfast, only to find that breakfast ended at 9am. We gathered up whatever we could from the rapidly disappearing breakfast buffet and headed back upstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, everyone headed to pool for a morning swim. The swim was a great break – the kids seem to gauge the quality of our accommodations based only on the pool, so this hotel was a hit with them.
After our swim, we showered and started our journey to Zion National Park shortly after noon. We drove about 30 minutes, then stopped at Kolob Canyons on the western edge of Zion. We enjoyed the scenic drive through the red sandstone canyons, had a quick picnic lunch, wrapped up yet another junior ranger badge, then headed on south to see the rest of Zion.
We’d read enough about Zion that we thought we new what to expect, but we were completely wrong. Driving into Zion, you cross some pretty rural areas – very dry, lots of sagebrush, not many people. It was a hot day as well – high 90’s. As you get closer to Zion, you drive through the town of Springdale that sits on the Virgin River. The town is really neat – lots of good restaurants, cute motels and inns, lots of art. Not what you would expect for a town next to a national park in the middle of nowhere.
Zion has one road that follows the Virgin River and winds through the canyon it created. Traffic was such an issue that the Park Service doesn’t allow any private vehicles on the road during the summer – only shuttle busses. It’s really a great service – you park your car at the visitor center and leave the driving to someone else. We checked out the visitor center, then grabbed a bus into the canyon. We did a couple of stops a long the way – the history museum, the “narrows” – the end of the canyon where it is still very narrow, the “weeping wall” – where water seeps from a rock cliff and it seems to rain every day. The kids had a blast wading in the Virgin River, playing with the rocks and mud. After several hours of exploring the park, we decided to head back to the ranger station, pick up yet another junior ranger badge, then started making our way back to Cedar City for the night. Zion is another park that we’re planning to revisit so we can have more time to hike the trails and explore the neat town of Springdale.
Once back in Cedar City, we grabbed some authentic Mexican food and headed back to the hotel so the kids could get in a last round of swimming. On Friday, we’re heading south to Las Vegas to crash at Mandalay Bay for a long weekend of R&R. We’re all looking forward to giving the car a rest for the weekend and hanging poolside.
We’ve got a few more pics up from the last couple of days:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay21
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay22
Everyone slept a little late this morning after our late night last night. Taylor and I were the first ones up and wandered down to the lobby shortly after 9am for breakfast, only to find that breakfast ended at 9am. We gathered up whatever we could from the rapidly disappearing breakfast buffet and headed back upstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, everyone headed to pool for a morning swim. The swim was a great break – the kids seem to gauge the quality of our accommodations based only on the pool, so this hotel was a hit with them.
After our swim, we showered and started our journey to Zion National Park shortly after noon. We drove about 30 minutes, then stopped at Kolob Canyons on the western edge of Zion. We enjoyed the scenic drive through the red sandstone canyons, had a quick picnic lunch, wrapped up yet another junior ranger badge, then headed on south to see the rest of Zion.
We’d read enough about Zion that we thought we new what to expect, but we were completely wrong. Driving into Zion, you cross some pretty rural areas – very dry, lots of sagebrush, not many people. It was a hot day as well – high 90’s. As you get closer to Zion, you drive through the town of Springdale that sits on the Virgin River. The town is really neat – lots of good restaurants, cute motels and inns, lots of art. Not what you would expect for a town next to a national park in the middle of nowhere.
Zion has one road that follows the Virgin River and winds through the canyon it created. Traffic was such an issue that the Park Service doesn’t allow any private vehicles on the road during the summer – only shuttle busses. It’s really a great service – you park your car at the visitor center and leave the driving to someone else. We checked out the visitor center, then grabbed a bus into the canyon. We did a couple of stops a long the way – the history museum, the “narrows” – the end of the canyon where it is still very narrow, the “weeping wall” – where water seeps from a rock cliff and it seems to rain every day. The kids had a blast wading in the Virgin River, playing with the rocks and mud. After several hours of exploring the park, we decided to head back to the ranger station, pick up yet another junior ranger badge, then started making our way back to Cedar City for the night. Zion is another park that we’re planning to revisit so we can have more time to hike the trails and explore the neat town of Springdale.
Once back in Cedar City, we grabbed some authentic Mexican food and headed back to the hotel so the kids could get in a last round of swimming. On Friday, we’re heading south to Las Vegas to crash at Mandalay Bay for a long weekend of R&R. We’re all looking forward to giving the car a rest for the weekend and hanging poolside.
We’ve got a few more pics up from the last couple of days:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay21
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay22
Hoodoos, Anyone?
(Posting for Wednesday, June 18th)
Last night was a great night at the Hampton Inn in Layton, UT. Everyone slept like a champ. While enjoying breakfast at the Hampton, we struck up a conversation with the breakfast hostess. The kids told her all about her trip, and she was fascinated. She chatted with us a good 10 minutes during breakfast, then reappeared with lots of goodies for the kids for the rest of the trip – a couple of Hampton Inn bags filled with water bottles, candy, beach balls – lots of good stuff.
Later that morning, we said goodbye to the Hampton Inn and headed south to Bryce Canyon National Park. We found our way to Brice late in the afternoon, and ventured our way into the park to check of the canyon and the hoodoos – rock formations that give the canyon its distinctive look. We took in a ranger program, spent some time at the visitor center, and the kids added another junior ranger badge to their collection. It was a really hot and dusty afternoon, so we only hit the high points of Bryce. Steph and I are already planning a return trip to do some serious hiking in the park.
After Bryce, we headed on south to Cedar City, UT where we are spending the next two nights. We finally rolled into Cedar City around 9pm, checked into the hotel and headed to Chili’s to dinner. We wrapped up dinner, headed back to the hotel, and everyone is winding down for the night.
Tomorrow we’re off to Zion National Park just south of here.
Last night was a great night at the Hampton Inn in Layton, UT. Everyone slept like a champ. While enjoying breakfast at the Hampton, we struck up a conversation with the breakfast hostess. The kids told her all about her trip, and she was fascinated. She chatted with us a good 10 minutes during breakfast, then reappeared with lots of goodies for the kids for the rest of the trip – a couple of Hampton Inn bags filled with water bottles, candy, beach balls – lots of good stuff.
Later that morning, we said goodbye to the Hampton Inn and headed south to Bryce Canyon National Park. We found our way to Brice late in the afternoon, and ventured our way into the park to check of the canyon and the hoodoos – rock formations that give the canyon its distinctive look. We took in a ranger program, spent some time at the visitor center, and the kids added another junior ranger badge to their collection. It was a really hot and dusty afternoon, so we only hit the high points of Bryce. Steph and I are already planning a return trip to do some serious hiking in the park.
After Bryce, we headed on south to Cedar City, UT where we are spending the next two nights. We finally rolled into Cedar City around 9pm, checked into the hotel and headed to Chili’s to dinner. We wrapped up dinner, headed back to the hotel, and everyone is winding down for the night.
Tomorrow we’re off to Zion National Park just south of here.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
So Long, Yellowstone...
(Posting for Tuesday, June 17th)
This morning we said a bittersweet goodbye to Yellowstone. We had a great night at the Old Faithful Inn. Everyone was so tired after dinner, it didn’t take much for everyone to fall asleep. The sun coming through the curtains woke me early, so I slipped out of the room, grabbed a cup of coffee and spent an hour or so on the outside deck of the hotel watching all of the geysers and thermal features steam into the cool morning air. That has to be one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had…
Once everyone was showered and ready to roll, we strolled over to the Obsidian Dining Room at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for a leisurely breakfast. The kids loved the breakfast buffet – I think Trey had 5 different plates when they finally cleared our table. After breakfast, we let the kids finish some postcard, did a little more shopping in the general store, then dropped our postcards at the Old Faithful post office before heading south.
We had a great day for driving – temps in the 60’s and 70’s, wonderfully sunny. We made our way out of Yellowstone and back through the Tetons, taking a quick break at Jackson Lake Lodge before heading on to Moose, WY. At Moose, we checked in for our float trip down the Snake River around 2pm. It was a great day to float the river, and our guide was excellent. Our guide has been leading trips down the Snake River for about 15 years, and his experience shows. At this time of year, the river has more water than any other time of the year, and the current moves swiftly. Our guide was able to take us down lots of side channels that are bone dry most other months of the year. Our trip lasted about 2 hours, and we had a number of wildlife sightings, including a couple of bald eagles and their nests (one was flying back and forth over the river fishing), an osprey nest with a young osprey inside, a moose and her calf drinking from the river, and lots of ducks, geese and birds. It was an absolutely amazing way to end our visit to Yellowstone and the Tetons. The kids really enjoyed the float trip – both were a little disappointed they didn’t get wet, so maybe a whitewater trip is in our family’s future…
After wrapping up the float trip, we stopped at the Moose visitor’s center to hit the bathroom, gather some snacks, and then headed on south to Utah. It took us forever to get through Jackson – rush hour, I suppose. Once through Jackson, we followed highway 89 south through southwestern Wyoming, then crossed through Idaho, and finally passed into Utah.
I was kind of disappointed in our brief trip through Idaho. When I think Idaho, I always think potatoes. I guess I envisioned a welcome center passing out French fries, potato chips and the like at the state line. We didn’t see a single potato during the 50 or so miles we drove through Idaho. We didn’t see many people either. The expression “My Own Private Idaho” has a whole new meaning now…
We had a scenic drive through northern Utah, following the Logan River through a national forest and into the town of Logan, UT. We grabbed some fast food in Logan, then convinced the kids to hang in there a bit longer and pressed on towards Odgen, UT to stop for the night.
We called ahead and found a Hampton Inn in Ogden with some rooms, but when we drove in to the hotel, we discovered that it was downtown (and didn’t have a pool…). We quickly located another Hampton in a northern suburb of Salt Lake City about 10 miles south of Ogden, so we pressed on and rolled in here around 10:30 or so. Everyone was wiped out, but glad to be here. After 2 weeks of staying in cabins and hotels in the parks, the Hampton feels like the Ritz Carlton. There was nothing to watch on TV, but we had to turn it on just to feel the familiar glow of the TV. It was very comforting, I must admit (pretty sad, I know). Our hotel is in the midst of a slew of commerce – Barnes & Noble, SuperTarget, etc., so we’ll take the opportunity to restock some items before heading on south tomorrow.
Next stop is Cedar City, UT, where we will be staying for 2 nights while we check out Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.
Lots of new pics on the web – links follow below. If you’re wondering about the “Le Bus” pictures you see, it’s kind of an inside joke. Shortly after we arrived in Yellowstone, we started seeing Le Bus almost everywhere we went. It became something of a game to catch Le Bus in the parking lot or on the road and snap a quick shot.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay14
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay15
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay16
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay17
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay18
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay19
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay20
Good night from the Grays!
This morning we said a bittersweet goodbye to Yellowstone. We had a great night at the Old Faithful Inn. Everyone was so tired after dinner, it didn’t take much for everyone to fall asleep. The sun coming through the curtains woke me early, so I slipped out of the room, grabbed a cup of coffee and spent an hour or so on the outside deck of the hotel watching all of the geysers and thermal features steam into the cool morning air. That has to be one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had…
Once everyone was showered and ready to roll, we strolled over to the Obsidian Dining Room at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for a leisurely breakfast. The kids loved the breakfast buffet – I think Trey had 5 different plates when they finally cleared our table. After breakfast, we let the kids finish some postcard, did a little more shopping in the general store, then dropped our postcards at the Old Faithful post office before heading south.
We had a great day for driving – temps in the 60’s and 70’s, wonderfully sunny. We made our way out of Yellowstone and back through the Tetons, taking a quick break at Jackson Lake Lodge before heading on to Moose, WY. At Moose, we checked in for our float trip down the Snake River around 2pm. It was a great day to float the river, and our guide was excellent. Our guide has been leading trips down the Snake River for about 15 years, and his experience shows. At this time of year, the river has more water than any other time of the year, and the current moves swiftly. Our guide was able to take us down lots of side channels that are bone dry most other months of the year. Our trip lasted about 2 hours, and we had a number of wildlife sightings, including a couple of bald eagles and their nests (one was flying back and forth over the river fishing), an osprey nest with a young osprey inside, a moose and her calf drinking from the river, and lots of ducks, geese and birds. It was an absolutely amazing way to end our visit to Yellowstone and the Tetons. The kids really enjoyed the float trip – both were a little disappointed they didn’t get wet, so maybe a whitewater trip is in our family’s future…
After wrapping up the float trip, we stopped at the Moose visitor’s center to hit the bathroom, gather some snacks, and then headed on south to Utah. It took us forever to get through Jackson – rush hour, I suppose. Once through Jackson, we followed highway 89 south through southwestern Wyoming, then crossed through Idaho, and finally passed into Utah.
I was kind of disappointed in our brief trip through Idaho. When I think Idaho, I always think potatoes. I guess I envisioned a welcome center passing out French fries, potato chips and the like at the state line. We didn’t see a single potato during the 50 or so miles we drove through Idaho. We didn’t see many people either. The expression “My Own Private Idaho” has a whole new meaning now…
We had a scenic drive through northern Utah, following the Logan River through a national forest and into the town of Logan, UT. We grabbed some fast food in Logan, then convinced the kids to hang in there a bit longer and pressed on towards Odgen, UT to stop for the night.
We called ahead and found a Hampton Inn in Ogden with some rooms, but when we drove in to the hotel, we discovered that it was downtown (and didn’t have a pool…). We quickly located another Hampton in a northern suburb of Salt Lake City about 10 miles south of Ogden, so we pressed on and rolled in here around 10:30 or so. Everyone was wiped out, but glad to be here. After 2 weeks of staying in cabins and hotels in the parks, the Hampton feels like the Ritz Carlton. There was nothing to watch on TV, but we had to turn it on just to feel the familiar glow of the TV. It was very comforting, I must admit (pretty sad, I know). Our hotel is in the midst of a slew of commerce – Barnes & Noble, SuperTarget, etc., so we’ll take the opportunity to restock some items before heading on south tomorrow.
Next stop is Cedar City, UT, where we will be staying for 2 nights while we check out Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.
Lots of new pics on the web – links follow below. If you’re wondering about the “Le Bus” pictures you see, it’s kind of an inside joke. Shortly after we arrived in Yellowstone, we started seeing Le Bus almost everywhere we went. It became something of a game to catch Le Bus in the parking lot or on the road and snap a quick shot.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay14
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay15
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay16
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay17
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay18
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay19
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay20
Good night from the Grays!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hello From Old Faithful
(Posting for Monday, June 16th)
Well, the Gray family didn’t cover a lot of miles today, but we are one tired bunch.
We left our groovy 1970’s cabin at the Lake Lodge this morning. We made a quick stop at the gift shop at Lake Hotel to pick up another Christmas ornament, then on to the General Store at Fishing Bridge to grab some breakfast for the kids – cinnamon rolls and Diet Dr. Pepper (yum!). We then made our way on to West Thumb and up to Old Faithful, saying a bittersweet goodbye to the Lake area one last time.
Before descending on Old Faithful, we made a stop at Biscuit Basin, one of the geyser basins in the Old Faithful area. While there, we kept running into a family on the boardwalk through the thermal areas that insisted on getting off of the boardwalk and walking up to each thermal feature for a closer inspection and picture (a big no-no in Yellowstone). Part of me wanted to say something to them about staying on the boardwalk, while another more sinister part of me just hoped I had the camera ready when one of them fell screaming into a thermal feature… As we passed them, we noticed they had a really thick Southern accent. This prompted a discussion among our clan about being a good representative of your family, state and region – and not reinforcing negative stereotypes about Southerners by acting like stupid hicks in public.
We decided to head on to Old Faithful around noon or so. We had already hit Old Faithful once last week when it was so cold and snowing. On our last visit, we had the place to ourselves. On this trip, it took 15 minutes to find a parking spot – ugh! Nothing like warm weather to bring out the crazies… Once we finally found a parking spot and hit the bathroom, we decided to do lunch at the cafeteria at Old Faithful Lodge. The food was pretty good, but the place was overrun by fairly rude international tourists. I’m starting to think it would be a good idea to have at least one month in the summer when only native English speakers are allowed in Yellowstone. Not to discriminate, the English only rule would apply to both visitors and employees…
Anyway, the temps were up in the high 70’s, and there were way too many people here. After lunch, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn to kill some time. We got lucky, and our room at Old Faithful Inn was ready around 1:30pm or so. We went ahead and checked in, and crashed in our room for a while to seek refuge from the heat and obnoxious tourists. After a little R&R, we headed out and walked most of the trails around Old Faithful. After a couple of hours of touring thermal features, the kids hit the wall and everything started to look the same, so we headed back to Old Faithful Inn to grab some ice cream. We picked up our ice cream and headed upstairs to the deck outside the hotel and watched another eruption of Old Faithful – pretty cool indeed.
We had a couple of hours before dinner, so we decided to slip off for a last little bit of fishing. We spent about 30 minutes fishing with flies and bubbles in the Nez Perce creek. I didn’t have much luck – couple of strikes at my bubble. Taylor threw her final cast, and as we watched the bubble float in the current, something large struck her fly, and the bubble quickly disappeared and bent her rod tip. Taylor tugged and reeled with all her might, but the monster snapped her line just as she began to fight him to the shore. We never caught sight of the monster, but I’m sure he was a beast. Taylor was so proud to have hooked and fought with such a beast!
After our fishing episode, we headed back to the Old Faithful Inn to clean up for dinner. Dinner in the main dining room was neat – a great experience (though a little hot and stuffy). Trey was so tired at dinner that I thought he might fall asleep at the table. We made it through dinner and a hot shower before heading off to bed.
In the morning, we’re leaving Yellowstone and heading south to float the Snake River in Grand Teton. We’d originally planned to stay in Yellowstone a couple of more days, but the Gray clan hears to the open road calling, so we’re doing to start working our way south to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and many other points in between. If we spent an entire summer in Yellowstone, we wouldn’t have time to do everything we would want to do. Yes, there are trails we didn’t get to hike, geysers we didn’t see, and fish that weren’t caught. I guess that is what keeps you longing to come back next time.
We’ve got a great room here at Old Faithful Inn, and I hear the comfy bed calling my name. If you ever get the chance, stay here. The hotel really is amazing – unlike any other place in the world.
We have a ton of pics to upload when we get back to civilization. Hopefully we can upload them from our next hotel in Utah (if you can call that civilization).
The Grays
Well, the Gray family didn’t cover a lot of miles today, but we are one tired bunch.
We left our groovy 1970’s cabin at the Lake Lodge this morning. We made a quick stop at the gift shop at Lake Hotel to pick up another Christmas ornament, then on to the General Store at Fishing Bridge to grab some breakfast for the kids – cinnamon rolls and Diet Dr. Pepper (yum!). We then made our way on to West Thumb and up to Old Faithful, saying a bittersweet goodbye to the Lake area one last time.
Before descending on Old Faithful, we made a stop at Biscuit Basin, one of the geyser basins in the Old Faithful area. While there, we kept running into a family on the boardwalk through the thermal areas that insisted on getting off of the boardwalk and walking up to each thermal feature for a closer inspection and picture (a big no-no in Yellowstone). Part of me wanted to say something to them about staying on the boardwalk, while another more sinister part of me just hoped I had the camera ready when one of them fell screaming into a thermal feature… As we passed them, we noticed they had a really thick Southern accent. This prompted a discussion among our clan about being a good representative of your family, state and region – and not reinforcing negative stereotypes about Southerners by acting like stupid hicks in public.
We decided to head on to Old Faithful around noon or so. We had already hit Old Faithful once last week when it was so cold and snowing. On our last visit, we had the place to ourselves. On this trip, it took 15 minutes to find a parking spot – ugh! Nothing like warm weather to bring out the crazies… Once we finally found a parking spot and hit the bathroom, we decided to do lunch at the cafeteria at Old Faithful Lodge. The food was pretty good, but the place was overrun by fairly rude international tourists. I’m starting to think it would be a good idea to have at least one month in the summer when only native English speakers are allowed in Yellowstone. Not to discriminate, the English only rule would apply to both visitors and employees…
Anyway, the temps were up in the high 70’s, and there were way too many people here. After lunch, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn to kill some time. We got lucky, and our room at Old Faithful Inn was ready around 1:30pm or so. We went ahead and checked in, and crashed in our room for a while to seek refuge from the heat and obnoxious tourists. After a little R&R, we headed out and walked most of the trails around Old Faithful. After a couple of hours of touring thermal features, the kids hit the wall and everything started to look the same, so we headed back to Old Faithful Inn to grab some ice cream. We picked up our ice cream and headed upstairs to the deck outside the hotel and watched another eruption of Old Faithful – pretty cool indeed.
We had a couple of hours before dinner, so we decided to slip off for a last little bit of fishing. We spent about 30 minutes fishing with flies and bubbles in the Nez Perce creek. I didn’t have much luck – couple of strikes at my bubble. Taylor threw her final cast, and as we watched the bubble float in the current, something large struck her fly, and the bubble quickly disappeared and bent her rod tip. Taylor tugged and reeled with all her might, but the monster snapped her line just as she began to fight him to the shore. We never caught sight of the monster, but I’m sure he was a beast. Taylor was so proud to have hooked and fought with such a beast!
After our fishing episode, we headed back to the Old Faithful Inn to clean up for dinner. Dinner in the main dining room was neat – a great experience (though a little hot and stuffy). Trey was so tired at dinner that I thought he might fall asleep at the table. We made it through dinner and a hot shower before heading off to bed.
In the morning, we’re leaving Yellowstone and heading south to float the Snake River in Grand Teton. We’d originally planned to stay in Yellowstone a couple of more days, but the Gray clan hears to the open road calling, so we’re doing to start working our way south to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and many other points in between. If we spent an entire summer in Yellowstone, we wouldn’t have time to do everything we would want to do. Yes, there are trails we didn’t get to hike, geysers we didn’t see, and fish that weren’t caught. I guess that is what keeps you longing to come back next time.
We’ve got a great room here at Old Faithful Inn, and I hear the comfy bed calling my name. If you ever get the chance, stay here. The hotel really is amazing – unlike any other place in the world.
We have a ton of pics to upload when we get back to civilization. Hopefully we can upload them from our next hotel in Utah (if you can call that civilization).
The Grays
Happy Fathers Day
(Posting for Sunday, June 15th)
I can’t imagine a better way to spend Fathers Day…
After a light breakfast at our cabin, we headed over to Gull Point Drive on Lake Yellowstone for a little fishing. The weather was great – temps in the high 50’s, lots of sun, hardly a cloud in the sky. We all gave it our best effort, but after an hour or so, all we had managed to catch was a few sticks. Taylor was really into it and probably would have lasted a couple of more hours – she’s turning out to be the real fisherman of the group. Trey was more interested in the black volcanic sand that creates the beach around Lake Yellowstone. Trey’s been fascinated with a sand box since he could crawl.
After stowing our fishing gear, we headed over to the picnic area for a quick lunch. We were stalked by several birds and chipmunks looking to steal something from our table, but we finished lunch without incident. After lunch we headed on through Hayden Valley to Canyon. At Canyon, we checked out Artist Point and the great view of the Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River. We also hiked a bit along the south rim trail and caught a brief ranger program on the geology of the canyon. We headed over to the north rim an hiked down to the brink of the upper falls – you feel like you’re right on top of the waterfall – such a massive force of nature. The roaring is so intense it’s hard to describe.
After getting our fill of the canyon and waterfalls, we made a stop at the Canyon ranger station. The kids finished their requirements to become junior rangers, so they had a brief “swearing in” ceremony and were awarded their junior ranger patches by one of the rangers on duty. We all walked over to the general store and had ice cream to celebrate.
Since we had a lot of daylight left, we made the quick trek over to Norris geyser basin and walked the 2 mile loop around all of the various thermal features. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone, you probably don’t have an appreciation for how smelly some of these thermal areas can be – the sulfur tends to produce a rotten egg smell that is omnipresent. As you can probably imagine, with an 8 and 10 year old on board, the “fart” jokes have been about as omnipresent as the sulfur smell…
After wrapping up in Norris, we decided to head into West Yellowstone, MT to grab some dinner. We made it to West Yellowstone sometime after 7pm and grabbed dinner at the Outpost Restaurant on main street. We enjoyed more good stick to your ribs food – burgers, country fried steak, pasta and salads. Everyone was stuffed when we left.
As we came back into the park, we saw a huge bald eagle near its nest along the road. We snapped some great shots. If you’re a fan of the Muppets, you’ll be happy to know that the eagle we spotted looked just like Sam the Eagle from all of the Muppet movies… After passing the eagle, we came upon a herd of buffalo crossing the road. The herd was pretty large – 50 or so, with lots of calves. Instead of just crossing the road, this head decided to walk down the middle of the road for a mile or so holding up traffic. We were right behind the herd, so we followed patiently along until the last buffalo was safely across the road. As we worked our way back through the park at dusk and into the evening, we saw hundreds of buffalo milling about – lots of calves, some makes fighting with each other, others rubbing against trees to get their winter fur off. It was a very bright full moon, which made the night even more magnificent – especially as we drove past the various geyser basins near Old Faithful.
We finally arrived back at our cabin around 11pm and got everyone off to bed. It’s been an incredibly full day and everyone is beat, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a Fathers Day I won’t soon forget…
I can’t imagine a better way to spend Fathers Day…
After a light breakfast at our cabin, we headed over to Gull Point Drive on Lake Yellowstone for a little fishing. The weather was great – temps in the high 50’s, lots of sun, hardly a cloud in the sky. We all gave it our best effort, but after an hour or so, all we had managed to catch was a few sticks. Taylor was really into it and probably would have lasted a couple of more hours – she’s turning out to be the real fisherman of the group. Trey was more interested in the black volcanic sand that creates the beach around Lake Yellowstone. Trey’s been fascinated with a sand box since he could crawl.
After stowing our fishing gear, we headed over to the picnic area for a quick lunch. We were stalked by several birds and chipmunks looking to steal something from our table, but we finished lunch without incident. After lunch we headed on through Hayden Valley to Canyon. At Canyon, we checked out Artist Point and the great view of the Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River. We also hiked a bit along the south rim trail and caught a brief ranger program on the geology of the canyon. We headed over to the north rim an hiked down to the brink of the upper falls – you feel like you’re right on top of the waterfall – such a massive force of nature. The roaring is so intense it’s hard to describe.
After getting our fill of the canyon and waterfalls, we made a stop at the Canyon ranger station. The kids finished their requirements to become junior rangers, so they had a brief “swearing in” ceremony and were awarded their junior ranger patches by one of the rangers on duty. We all walked over to the general store and had ice cream to celebrate.
Since we had a lot of daylight left, we made the quick trek over to Norris geyser basin and walked the 2 mile loop around all of the various thermal features. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone, you probably don’t have an appreciation for how smelly some of these thermal areas can be – the sulfur tends to produce a rotten egg smell that is omnipresent. As you can probably imagine, with an 8 and 10 year old on board, the “fart” jokes have been about as omnipresent as the sulfur smell…
After wrapping up in Norris, we decided to head into West Yellowstone, MT to grab some dinner. We made it to West Yellowstone sometime after 7pm and grabbed dinner at the Outpost Restaurant on main street. We enjoyed more good stick to your ribs food – burgers, country fried steak, pasta and salads. Everyone was stuffed when we left.
As we came back into the park, we saw a huge bald eagle near its nest along the road. We snapped some great shots. If you’re a fan of the Muppets, you’ll be happy to know that the eagle we spotted looked just like Sam the Eagle from all of the Muppet movies… After passing the eagle, we came upon a herd of buffalo crossing the road. The herd was pretty large – 50 or so, with lots of calves. Instead of just crossing the road, this head decided to walk down the middle of the road for a mile or so holding up traffic. We were right behind the herd, so we followed patiently along until the last buffalo was safely across the road. As we worked our way back through the park at dusk and into the evening, we saw hundreds of buffalo milling about – lots of calves, some makes fighting with each other, others rubbing against trees to get their winter fur off. It was a very bright full moon, which made the night even more magnificent – especially as we drove past the various geyser basins near Old Faithful.
We finally arrived back at our cabin around 11pm and got everyone off to bed. It’s been an incredibly full day and everyone is beat, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a Fathers Day I won’t soon forget…
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Bears, Bears Everywhere!
(Posting for Saturday, June 14th)
What an amazing day in our country’s first national park.
The weather forecast looked good today, so we hoped to get an early start to take advantage of the good weather. The weather this morning was beautiful – little wind, high 50’s, very few clouds. We managed to get everyone ready, everything loaded and hit the road shortly before 10am. (Yes, 10am qualifies as an early start for us these days. This is a vacation…)
From Lake, we headed north to Canyon, then west to Madison and on north to Mammoth. Between Madison and Mammoth, we had our first bear sighting of the day – a grizzly hiding in the sagebrush on a ridge off the road (just out of photo range). We also caught a glimpse of a black wolf in the meadow along the road. At Mammoth, we took time to tour the terraces, hot springs and spent some time at the visitors center checking out their movie on the birth of the national park system. We had a great picnic lunch at Mammoth. Shortly after we set up our lunch spread, a young elk started making her was across the meadow to the picnic area. The elk never got really close to us, be we were able to enjoy her strolling across the meadow as we enjoyed the sunshine and our lunch.
From Mammoth, we headed north to the north entrance of the park near Gardner, MT. We drove through the big stone arch that marks the original entrance to Yellowstone and had a family photo op. Afterwards, we headed back into the park and stopped at a small picnic area along the Gardner River so the kids could splash in the cool water on a hot day – the temps had now climbed into the high 70’s. We also let the kids take their first shot at fishing in the park. The river was running a bit too fast for fishing, but we gave it a shot anyway. We didn’t catch anything, but everyone had a great time.
After drying off, we headed back into Mammoth and turned east to make our way to Tower. Along the way, we stopped at Lava Creek to try our hand at fishing again. We found a quiet spot, and the first fly we put in the creek landed us a small brook trout. We didn’t have any more luck fishing, but we had a great time hiking along the creek and splashing in the refreshing water. The kids declared this their best hike thus far.
After our second fishing adventure, we headed on east to Tower Fall. Along the way, we came upon a den of coyotes and enjoyed mom and 4 pups playing in the meadow. We also say mom eat a small varmit for lunch. From Tower Junction, we decided to head northeast toward Cooke City, MT and the park’s northeast entrance. This is a little traveled section of the park that takes you through Lamar Valley, an amazing place to spot wildlife. Today was no exception. We saw hundreds of bison, lots of elk and antelope, a couple of coyote, and two grizzly bears near Soda Butte. We made it as far as Plum Creek before deciding to head back towards Lake.
As we drove through a number of areas of the park that we had seen last week during our first swing through the park, it was amazing how different everything looks without a fresh coat of snow. In most places, the snow has completely retreated into a few deep embankments along the side of the road, or a couple of drifts deep in the woods. The weather today was really amazing – very summer like. It’s hard to believe how this place can swing from winter to summer in just a couple of days. I guess that speaks to what an amazing place this is.
Along the way, we stopped at Tower Falls for a bathroom break. We were treated to a sighting of a black bear and one of her cubs. The bear is Rosie – she’s a well known bear throughout the park and can often be seen tending to her cubs near Tower Falls. From Tower Falls, we headed south to Canyon through Dunraven Pass. We stopped mid way through the drive to snap some pics of the massive snow plow they use to keep the pass clear – it’s one nasty looking machine…
Between Canyon and Lake, we had several other wildlife sightings – another black bear, lots of bison and elk, and our first big horn sheep! Final bear count for today – six! That doubles the total we’ve seen since arriving here over a week ago to 12.
The weary Gray clan finally rolled into Lake Lodge around 8pm or so and headed to the cafeteria at Lake Lodge is search of some grub. We dined on pot roast, fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes and gravy. Good stick to your ribs food that was much better than expected. I think Trey wanted to lick his plate…
We headed back to our cabin, and the power went out as we arrived. It’s still out as I write this… Luckily, we have lots of flashlights, extra batteries, cold beer and pop tarts, so we should be fine.
The battery on my laptop is fading, so time to sign off. Goodnight!
What an amazing day in our country’s first national park.
The weather forecast looked good today, so we hoped to get an early start to take advantage of the good weather. The weather this morning was beautiful – little wind, high 50’s, very few clouds. We managed to get everyone ready, everything loaded and hit the road shortly before 10am. (Yes, 10am qualifies as an early start for us these days. This is a vacation…)
From Lake, we headed north to Canyon, then west to Madison and on north to Mammoth. Between Madison and Mammoth, we had our first bear sighting of the day – a grizzly hiding in the sagebrush on a ridge off the road (just out of photo range). We also caught a glimpse of a black wolf in the meadow along the road. At Mammoth, we took time to tour the terraces, hot springs and spent some time at the visitors center checking out their movie on the birth of the national park system. We had a great picnic lunch at Mammoth. Shortly after we set up our lunch spread, a young elk started making her was across the meadow to the picnic area. The elk never got really close to us, be we were able to enjoy her strolling across the meadow as we enjoyed the sunshine and our lunch.
From Mammoth, we headed north to the north entrance of the park near Gardner, MT. We drove through the big stone arch that marks the original entrance to Yellowstone and had a family photo op. Afterwards, we headed back into the park and stopped at a small picnic area along the Gardner River so the kids could splash in the cool water on a hot day – the temps had now climbed into the high 70’s. We also let the kids take their first shot at fishing in the park. The river was running a bit too fast for fishing, but we gave it a shot anyway. We didn’t catch anything, but everyone had a great time.
After drying off, we headed back into Mammoth and turned east to make our way to Tower. Along the way, we stopped at Lava Creek to try our hand at fishing again. We found a quiet spot, and the first fly we put in the creek landed us a small brook trout. We didn’t have any more luck fishing, but we had a great time hiking along the creek and splashing in the refreshing water. The kids declared this their best hike thus far.
After our second fishing adventure, we headed on east to Tower Fall. Along the way, we came upon a den of coyotes and enjoyed mom and 4 pups playing in the meadow. We also say mom eat a small varmit for lunch. From Tower Junction, we decided to head northeast toward Cooke City, MT and the park’s northeast entrance. This is a little traveled section of the park that takes you through Lamar Valley, an amazing place to spot wildlife. Today was no exception. We saw hundreds of bison, lots of elk and antelope, a couple of coyote, and two grizzly bears near Soda Butte. We made it as far as Plum Creek before deciding to head back towards Lake.
As we drove through a number of areas of the park that we had seen last week during our first swing through the park, it was amazing how different everything looks without a fresh coat of snow. In most places, the snow has completely retreated into a few deep embankments along the side of the road, or a couple of drifts deep in the woods. The weather today was really amazing – very summer like. It’s hard to believe how this place can swing from winter to summer in just a couple of days. I guess that speaks to what an amazing place this is.
Along the way, we stopped at Tower Falls for a bathroom break. We were treated to a sighting of a black bear and one of her cubs. The bear is Rosie – she’s a well known bear throughout the park and can often be seen tending to her cubs near Tower Falls. From Tower Falls, we headed south to Canyon through Dunraven Pass. We stopped mid way through the drive to snap some pics of the massive snow plow they use to keep the pass clear – it’s one nasty looking machine…
Between Canyon and Lake, we had several other wildlife sightings – another black bear, lots of bison and elk, and our first big horn sheep! Final bear count for today – six! That doubles the total we’ve seen since arriving here over a week ago to 12.
The weary Gray clan finally rolled into Lake Lodge around 8pm or so and headed to the cafeteria at Lake Lodge is search of some grub. We dined on pot roast, fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes and gravy. Good stick to your ribs food that was much better than expected. I think Trey wanted to lick his plate…
We headed back to our cabin, and the power went out as we arrived. It’s still out as I write this… Luckily, we have lots of flashlights, extra batteries, cold beer and pop tarts, so we should be fine.
The battery on my laptop is fading, so time to sign off. Goodnight!
Goodbye Grand Teton
(Posting for Friday, June 13th)
Friday the 13th was a pretty amazing day. At long last, the weather made a strong turn for the better. We awoke to no snow, but lots of sun and temps in the upper 40’s. There weren’t many clouds for the first time in several days, and the Tetons were absolutely brilliant against the crisp blue sky.
After breakfast and showers, we gathered and packed the rest of our goods in the van to begin another leg of our journey. Since the weather was cooperating, we decided to spend most of the day in the Tetons soaking in some last bits of their beauty before heading north back to Yellowstone.
After checking out of our cabin and making reservations for an afternoon cruise on Jackson Lake, we set out on a 2 mile hike from Coulter Bay to Swan Lake. Part of the trail followed the shore of Jackson Lake before turning into the woods and on to Swan Lake. Along the way we encountered a large family of ground squirrels – similar to prairie dogs, but a bit smaller. We enjoyed watching them scurry about and dart in and out of their burrows. We hoped to spot a moose at Swan Lake, but came up empty handed. On the hike back, we noticed a tree along the trail with a number of bear scratches on in. Luckily, no bears made an appearance on our hike.
After our hike, we headed over to the picnic area on Jackson Lake and had a great picnic along the waters edge. Roast beef sandwiches have never tasted so good. The kids had a blast throwing sticks into the water, then “bombing” them with rocks from the shore. After lunch, we headed over to the marina for a 90 minute cruise around Jackson Lake. The cruise was great – officially it was a ranger program, and the ranger explained how the Tetons were born of geology, glaciers and continue to be shaped by fire. While cruising the lake, we spotted a cow and young elk, and a bald eagle. The weather was absolutely perfect – the lake was like glass – a big change from earlier in the week. On the way back in to the marina, the captain let all of the kids on board take a turn driving the boat. Trey was first up, and he had a blast. The captain showed him how to blow the boat’s horn, so Trey blew the horn at least four times. Taylor went next, then all of the other kids on the boat. Both Taylor and Trey loved the chance to drive the boat. The captain was really great with all of the kids – telling them exactly what to do, making jokes with them – it was really a special moment for all of the kids.
After the boat ride, we took a stop at the general store to stock up on some basics we’ll need in the coming days. We gassed up ($4.56 gal!) and then were on the road back to Yellowstone by late afternoon. At several points along the way, I glanced in the rear view mirror and was almost shocked by the amazing view of the Tetons, even on the way out of the park. The ranger on our boat ride today says that at the end of every season when she leaves the Tetons to return to her teaching job in Florida, she cries because she knows how much she will miss the mountains over the coming months. After a couple of days in the park, it’s easy to understand how she feels…
As we cruised into Yellowstone, we were greeted by temps in the high 50’s and very little snow left along the roadway. We stopped in at the visitors center at Grant Village and watched the film about the 1988 fires and the rebirth that has occurred in many parts of the park since the fires. We also took some time to pick up fishing licenses, so hopefully we can get some hooks in the water this weekend.
We arrived back at the Lake Area around 6pm or so and found our way to Lake Lodge to check in to our cabin for the next 3 nights. The Lake Lodge. Lake Lodge is neat – an old lodgepole pine structure, large stone fireplaces, with a large front porch covered with rocking chairs. Unfortunately, the cabins at Lake Lodge aren’t quite as charming. There are several older cabins that probably match the style and charm of the lodge, but a large number of the cabins are low slug 1960’s era triplexes that are more reminiscent of the Bates Motel than a cabin in the woods. Our “cabin” has all of the charm of a 1971 Fleetwood mobile home – burnt orange countertops, artwork with avocado green frames, acoustic tile ceilings. The Brady Bunch would be quite at home in cabin F-7. Luckily, we don’t spend a ton of time in the room. Everything is clean, the hot water is hot, but I’m a bit worried the burnt orange counter will glow once we turn out the lights and keep us awake…
After settling in to the cabin, we headed over to the Lake general store and grabbed some dinner – burgers, hot dogs and a panini. Pretty decent lunch counter fare. We also grabbed some flies and other lures so we can do some fishing. After dinner, we headed back to the Lodge and spent a while playing games in the lobby – several rounds of Uno and LCR. We headed back to the mighty cabin a short while ago and are settling in for the night as I type. The walls in the cabin are a bit thin, so we can hear the Japanese family next door to us chatting away (in Japanese, of course). Luckily, none of us speak Japanese, so their constant, low mumbling will probably lull us to sleep. Who knows what they think of our crazy clan…
Goodnight from the Grays.
Friday the 13th was a pretty amazing day. At long last, the weather made a strong turn for the better. We awoke to no snow, but lots of sun and temps in the upper 40’s. There weren’t many clouds for the first time in several days, and the Tetons were absolutely brilliant against the crisp blue sky.
After breakfast and showers, we gathered and packed the rest of our goods in the van to begin another leg of our journey. Since the weather was cooperating, we decided to spend most of the day in the Tetons soaking in some last bits of their beauty before heading north back to Yellowstone.
After checking out of our cabin and making reservations for an afternoon cruise on Jackson Lake, we set out on a 2 mile hike from Coulter Bay to Swan Lake. Part of the trail followed the shore of Jackson Lake before turning into the woods and on to Swan Lake. Along the way we encountered a large family of ground squirrels – similar to prairie dogs, but a bit smaller. We enjoyed watching them scurry about and dart in and out of their burrows. We hoped to spot a moose at Swan Lake, but came up empty handed. On the hike back, we noticed a tree along the trail with a number of bear scratches on in. Luckily, no bears made an appearance on our hike.
After our hike, we headed over to the picnic area on Jackson Lake and had a great picnic along the waters edge. Roast beef sandwiches have never tasted so good. The kids had a blast throwing sticks into the water, then “bombing” them with rocks from the shore. After lunch, we headed over to the marina for a 90 minute cruise around Jackson Lake. The cruise was great – officially it was a ranger program, and the ranger explained how the Tetons were born of geology, glaciers and continue to be shaped by fire. While cruising the lake, we spotted a cow and young elk, and a bald eagle. The weather was absolutely perfect – the lake was like glass – a big change from earlier in the week. On the way back in to the marina, the captain let all of the kids on board take a turn driving the boat. Trey was first up, and he had a blast. The captain showed him how to blow the boat’s horn, so Trey blew the horn at least four times. Taylor went next, then all of the other kids on the boat. Both Taylor and Trey loved the chance to drive the boat. The captain was really great with all of the kids – telling them exactly what to do, making jokes with them – it was really a special moment for all of the kids.
After the boat ride, we took a stop at the general store to stock up on some basics we’ll need in the coming days. We gassed up ($4.56 gal!) and then were on the road back to Yellowstone by late afternoon. At several points along the way, I glanced in the rear view mirror and was almost shocked by the amazing view of the Tetons, even on the way out of the park. The ranger on our boat ride today says that at the end of every season when she leaves the Tetons to return to her teaching job in Florida, she cries because she knows how much she will miss the mountains over the coming months. After a couple of days in the park, it’s easy to understand how she feels…
As we cruised into Yellowstone, we were greeted by temps in the high 50’s and very little snow left along the roadway. We stopped in at the visitors center at Grant Village and watched the film about the 1988 fires and the rebirth that has occurred in many parts of the park since the fires. We also took some time to pick up fishing licenses, so hopefully we can get some hooks in the water this weekend.
We arrived back at the Lake Area around 6pm or so and found our way to Lake Lodge to check in to our cabin for the next 3 nights. The Lake Lodge. Lake Lodge is neat – an old lodgepole pine structure, large stone fireplaces, with a large front porch covered with rocking chairs. Unfortunately, the cabins at Lake Lodge aren’t quite as charming. There are several older cabins that probably match the style and charm of the lodge, but a large number of the cabins are low slug 1960’s era triplexes that are more reminiscent of the Bates Motel than a cabin in the woods. Our “cabin” has all of the charm of a 1971 Fleetwood mobile home – burnt orange countertops, artwork with avocado green frames, acoustic tile ceilings. The Brady Bunch would be quite at home in cabin F-7. Luckily, we don’t spend a ton of time in the room. Everything is clean, the hot water is hot, but I’m a bit worried the burnt orange counter will glow once we turn out the lights and keep us awake…
After settling in to the cabin, we headed over to the Lake general store and grabbed some dinner – burgers, hot dogs and a panini. Pretty decent lunch counter fare. We also grabbed some flies and other lures so we can do some fishing. After dinner, we headed back to the Lodge and spent a while playing games in the lobby – several rounds of Uno and LCR. We headed back to the mighty cabin a short while ago and are settling in for the night as I type. The walls in the cabin are a bit thin, so we can hear the Japanese family next door to us chatting away (in Japanese, of course). Luckily, none of us speak Japanese, so their constant, low mumbling will probably lull us to sleep. Who knows what they think of our crazy clan…
Goodnight from the Grays.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Quiet Day In The Tetons
(Posting for Thursday, June 12th)
Today was a relatively quiet day for the Gray clan. Everyone slept well, and we awoke to a fresh coating of snow on everything. Luckily, the sun was shining brightly and most of the snow was gone by mid morning.
After breakfast, coffee and showers, we ventured off for some morning activities. Steph did some laundry while I took the kids to a ranger program so they could finish their requirements for their junior ranger badges for Grand Teton. After the kids had their “swearing in” ceremony with the ranger on duty, we met Steph for lunch at one of the restaurants here at Colter Bay. After lunch, we rounded up our newly clean laundry and made a quick run back to our cabin. We had planned to take an afternoon cruise around Jackson Lake, but it started snowing again shortly after lunch, so the cruise was cancelled.
The snow soon turned to light rain, so we decided to do a little driving within the park to see if we could spot some more wildlife. We made several stops and ventured down a number of dirt roads and made some great discoveries. We spotted our first bald eagle today along the Snake River. He majestically sat along the side of the river for a while, then flew off while we rapidly snapped pics. We also stumbled upon a male elk with a massive rack, still covered in velvet. We happened to be on a dirt road when we spotted the elk, so we had the whole place to ourselves and could hang out a while. We also had several other sightings today during our travels, including antelope, sandhill cranes, a weasel, a fox, and lots of other birds. Not a bad day, even if the weather didn’t cooperate.
We hung out at the cabin for a while after our driving tour, then headed out to an early dinner here at Colter Bay. We’re headed back to Yellowstone in the AM, so we took some time to clean out and repack the van. Stuff seems to be multiplying as we travel… The weather is warming – it’s in the mid 40’s now, with highs expected in the 60’s tomorrow in the Tetons and high 50’s in Yellowstone – quite a heat wave. The weather is supposed to be great over the weekend in Yellowstone – 60’s with a low chance of rain. I think we’re all ready to say goodbye to the snow and rain. Muddy shoes aren’t fun when you have 4 people getting in and out of the car 15+ times a day.
We’ve snapped a few more pics, and will try and get those uploaded soon.
Goodnight from the Grays.
Today was a relatively quiet day for the Gray clan. Everyone slept well, and we awoke to a fresh coating of snow on everything. Luckily, the sun was shining brightly and most of the snow was gone by mid morning.
After breakfast, coffee and showers, we ventured off for some morning activities. Steph did some laundry while I took the kids to a ranger program so they could finish their requirements for their junior ranger badges for Grand Teton. After the kids had their “swearing in” ceremony with the ranger on duty, we met Steph for lunch at one of the restaurants here at Colter Bay. After lunch, we rounded up our newly clean laundry and made a quick run back to our cabin. We had planned to take an afternoon cruise around Jackson Lake, but it started snowing again shortly after lunch, so the cruise was cancelled.
The snow soon turned to light rain, so we decided to do a little driving within the park to see if we could spot some more wildlife. We made several stops and ventured down a number of dirt roads and made some great discoveries. We spotted our first bald eagle today along the Snake River. He majestically sat along the side of the river for a while, then flew off while we rapidly snapped pics. We also stumbled upon a male elk with a massive rack, still covered in velvet. We happened to be on a dirt road when we spotted the elk, so we had the whole place to ourselves and could hang out a while. We also had several other sightings today during our travels, including antelope, sandhill cranes, a weasel, a fox, and lots of other birds. Not a bad day, even if the weather didn’t cooperate.
We hung out at the cabin for a while after our driving tour, then headed out to an early dinner here at Colter Bay. We’re headed back to Yellowstone in the AM, so we took some time to clean out and repack the van. Stuff seems to be multiplying as we travel… The weather is warming – it’s in the mid 40’s now, with highs expected in the 60’s tomorrow in the Tetons and high 50’s in Yellowstone – quite a heat wave. The weather is supposed to be great over the weekend in Yellowstone – 60’s with a low chance of rain. I think we’re all ready to say goodbye to the snow and rain. Muddy shoes aren’t fun when you have 4 people getting in and out of the car 15+ times a day.
We’ve snapped a few more pics, and will try and get those uploaded soon.
Goodnight from the Grays.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again...
(Posting for Wednesday, June 11th)
Today started out like so many of our other days here in Wyoming – a fresh coat of snow on everything. When we drove into the Tetons yesterday, we were struck by the absolute lack of snow on the ground. It was a winter wonderland this morning. We’re starting to wonder if the snow if just following us around – maybe the van is causing some freak weather disturbance wherever we travel. We’ll put that theory to the test when we head to Las Vegas in a week or so…
Since it was cold and snowy, we make an extra pot of coffee and took our time getting ready to venture out for the day. Around 11am or so, we all ventured out and headed south to Jackson Hole for the day. We made a quick stop at Jackson Lake Lodge to borrow some internet and upload pics from the past couple of days. The lodge has massive windows that seem to frame the Tetons. Yesterday, the view was spectacular. Today, nothing but a white fog. There could have been a garbage dump 100 yards from the hotel and none of the guests would have been able to see it in the clouds and blowing snow.
As we were leaving Jackson Lake Lodge, we came upon a moose cow and her calf. This was our first moose sighting of the trip, so everyone was excited. Steph braved the blowing snow to snap some great pics.
After the moose jam, we headed on to Jackson Hole for lunch. We found our way to the Snake River Brewing Company for some amazing food and great beers. We enjoyed nachos, pizzas and pasta that warmed us all on a cold, blustery day. After lunch, we walked around Jackson a bit and did a little shopping. We took the obligatory pics under the arches of elk antlers on the town square, then set off on a quick stagecoach ride around downtown Jackson. One of the “cowboys” running the stagecoach rides told us that Jackson Hole was the coldest place in the USA today. Not sure if he was correct, but it certainly felt like it. Maybe we’ll take a side trip to Death Valley so we can hit the hottest and coldest places all in one trip…
We poked around Jackson a bit more then decided to head back to our cabin at Colter Bay before the snow picked up any more. We took a detour at the ranger station and visitor center in Moose, WY. The kids worked on their junior ranger badges some more before we decided to call it a day and head back to our cabin. Local forecasts are calling for another 1-4 inches of accumulation tonight, and it’s been snowing steadily since we got back to the cabin around 7pm.
We had a light dinner in the cabin (everyone is still reeling from lunch) and started to settle in for another cold night in the Tetons. The weather may be cold and snowy again tomorrow, so we’re probably going to hang close to Colter Bay and work on some indoor activities for all. The weather is supposed to improve dramatically and Friday and over the weekend, both here and in Yellowstone, with temps climbing into the 60’s and a much lower chance of rain. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
The Grays
Today started out like so many of our other days here in Wyoming – a fresh coat of snow on everything. When we drove into the Tetons yesterday, we were struck by the absolute lack of snow on the ground. It was a winter wonderland this morning. We’re starting to wonder if the snow if just following us around – maybe the van is causing some freak weather disturbance wherever we travel. We’ll put that theory to the test when we head to Las Vegas in a week or so…
Since it was cold and snowy, we make an extra pot of coffee and took our time getting ready to venture out for the day. Around 11am or so, we all ventured out and headed south to Jackson Hole for the day. We made a quick stop at Jackson Lake Lodge to borrow some internet and upload pics from the past couple of days. The lodge has massive windows that seem to frame the Tetons. Yesterday, the view was spectacular. Today, nothing but a white fog. There could have been a garbage dump 100 yards from the hotel and none of the guests would have been able to see it in the clouds and blowing snow.
As we were leaving Jackson Lake Lodge, we came upon a moose cow and her calf. This was our first moose sighting of the trip, so everyone was excited. Steph braved the blowing snow to snap some great pics.
After the moose jam, we headed on to Jackson Hole for lunch. We found our way to the Snake River Brewing Company for some amazing food and great beers. We enjoyed nachos, pizzas and pasta that warmed us all on a cold, blustery day. After lunch, we walked around Jackson a bit and did a little shopping. We took the obligatory pics under the arches of elk antlers on the town square, then set off on a quick stagecoach ride around downtown Jackson. One of the “cowboys” running the stagecoach rides told us that Jackson Hole was the coldest place in the USA today. Not sure if he was correct, but it certainly felt like it. Maybe we’ll take a side trip to Death Valley so we can hit the hottest and coldest places all in one trip…
We poked around Jackson a bit more then decided to head back to our cabin at Colter Bay before the snow picked up any more. We took a detour at the ranger station and visitor center in Moose, WY. The kids worked on their junior ranger badges some more before we decided to call it a day and head back to our cabin. Local forecasts are calling for another 1-4 inches of accumulation tonight, and it’s been snowing steadily since we got back to the cabin around 7pm.
We had a light dinner in the cabin (everyone is still reeling from lunch) and started to settle in for another cold night in the Tetons. The weather may be cold and snowy again tomorrow, so we’re probably going to hang close to Colter Bay and work on some indoor activities for all. The weather is supposed to improve dramatically and Friday and over the weekend, both here and in Yellowstone, with temps climbing into the 60’s and a much lower chance of rain. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
The Grays
PICTURES!
Finally found some speedy internet (borrowed a little from Jackson Lake Lodge). Pics for the last couple of days can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay9
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay10
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay11
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay12
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay13
Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay9
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay10
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay11
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay12
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay13
Enjoy!
Welcome To The Tetons!
(Posting for Monday, June 10th)
Today started out like many others during our stay in Yellowstone. We heard what we thought was a light rain around 4am, but were surprised (not really) with a fresh layer of sleet and snow on everything when we awoke around 8am. We had breakfast in the cabin and began packing up to head south to the Tetons.
We got everything packed and were on the road around 10am. With a fresh layer of snow and ice, we weren’t sure what to expect during our drive, but luckily there wasn’t much new snow during most of our drive. We worked our way west, and hit a morning bear jam just east of West Thumb. We got some nice pics of a grizzly that was digging for food about 25 feet off the road. As we worked our way south to the Tetons, the sun came out and the temps began to creep into the upper 40’s.
We rolled into the Tetons around 11:30am or so, and made a stop for lunch at Leek’s Marina on the northern end of Jackson Lake. At the lake, we caught our first unobstructed view of the Tetons – hard to describe them, other than amazing. It’s hard to say what was better – the view of the mountains or the pizza. After 5 days of eating bland food in Yellowstone, we were craving some food with flavor and spice. The gourmet pizzas at Leek’s definitely fit the bill. After lunch, we continued our way south through the Grand Teton National Park.
Around 1pm we made a quick stop at Colter Bay, where we will be staying tonight. Our cabin wasn’t ready, so we decided to continue exploring. We wandered over to the visitor center and ranger station at Colter Bay and enjoyed the Indian culture exhibit. The kids picked up their junior ranger kits, and we headed out to check out Jackson Lake. The lake is cold, clear and simply beautiful. The shores are covered with rocks rather than sand, so we spent some time skipping rocks across the lake before leaving.
We continued south along the main road and soon hit Jackson Lake Lodge. The lodge is a massive 1950’s era lodge sitting on a bluff with an amazing view of the Tetons. The lobby directly faces the Tetons, and the massive ceiling to floor windows provide an incredible backdrop for the lobby.
As you drive through the Tetons, the view of the mountains continues to change. It seems to get better as your drive south, so we snapped a ton of pics at every opportunity. Luckily, we had a great day for snapping pics. The sky was blue with scattered clouds that seemed to accentuate the splendor or the mountains.
From Jackson Lake Lodge, we continued south to Jenny Lake along the scenic Jenny Lake road. We stopped at the overlook for Jenny Lake and hiked part of the trail before heading on to the Jenny Lake visitor center. We enjoyed the quick 10 minute boat ride across Jenny Lake and took the short hike to Hidden Falls. After wrapping up at Jenny Lake, we headed further south to the Chapel of the Transfiguration. The Chapel is an Episcopal church built in the 1920’s. Behind the pulpit is a large picture window that perfectly frames the Tetons. The view is amazing, and makes this a very special place.
We made a quick stop at Dornan’s grocery for some provisions, and headed north back to Colter Bay to check in at our cabin around 8pm. Our cabin is great – a central hall with a modest bathroom, with 2 large bedrooms on either side. Colter Bay has a large collection of cabins, most of which are authentic dwellings gathered from the old homesteads throughout the Tetons. The center portion of our cabin is an original settler cabin, with rough hewn logs walls, and the bedrooms on either end are a newer 1960’s area addition.
After 11 days of sharing space with us, the kids were glad to have a room to call their own and spread out. We let them watch a movie on the laptop while they ate dinner, which gave Steph and I a little quiet time to do some reading about the Tetons and a little more planning for the rest of the trip.
It’s getting late and everyone’s ready for a good nights sleep. The cabin has 4 beds, quite a luxury for this trip, so it should make for a restful night.
The Grays
Today started out like many others during our stay in Yellowstone. We heard what we thought was a light rain around 4am, but were surprised (not really) with a fresh layer of sleet and snow on everything when we awoke around 8am. We had breakfast in the cabin and began packing up to head south to the Tetons.
We got everything packed and were on the road around 10am. With a fresh layer of snow and ice, we weren’t sure what to expect during our drive, but luckily there wasn’t much new snow during most of our drive. We worked our way west, and hit a morning bear jam just east of West Thumb. We got some nice pics of a grizzly that was digging for food about 25 feet off the road. As we worked our way south to the Tetons, the sun came out and the temps began to creep into the upper 40’s.
We rolled into the Tetons around 11:30am or so, and made a stop for lunch at Leek’s Marina on the northern end of Jackson Lake. At the lake, we caught our first unobstructed view of the Tetons – hard to describe them, other than amazing. It’s hard to say what was better – the view of the mountains or the pizza. After 5 days of eating bland food in Yellowstone, we were craving some food with flavor and spice. The gourmet pizzas at Leek’s definitely fit the bill. After lunch, we continued our way south through the Grand Teton National Park.
Around 1pm we made a quick stop at Colter Bay, where we will be staying tonight. Our cabin wasn’t ready, so we decided to continue exploring. We wandered over to the visitor center and ranger station at Colter Bay and enjoyed the Indian culture exhibit. The kids picked up their junior ranger kits, and we headed out to check out Jackson Lake. The lake is cold, clear and simply beautiful. The shores are covered with rocks rather than sand, so we spent some time skipping rocks across the lake before leaving.
We continued south along the main road and soon hit Jackson Lake Lodge. The lodge is a massive 1950’s era lodge sitting on a bluff with an amazing view of the Tetons. The lobby directly faces the Tetons, and the massive ceiling to floor windows provide an incredible backdrop for the lobby.
As you drive through the Tetons, the view of the mountains continues to change. It seems to get better as your drive south, so we snapped a ton of pics at every opportunity. Luckily, we had a great day for snapping pics. The sky was blue with scattered clouds that seemed to accentuate the splendor or the mountains.
From Jackson Lake Lodge, we continued south to Jenny Lake along the scenic Jenny Lake road. We stopped at the overlook for Jenny Lake and hiked part of the trail before heading on to the Jenny Lake visitor center. We enjoyed the quick 10 minute boat ride across Jenny Lake and took the short hike to Hidden Falls. After wrapping up at Jenny Lake, we headed further south to the Chapel of the Transfiguration. The Chapel is an Episcopal church built in the 1920’s. Behind the pulpit is a large picture window that perfectly frames the Tetons. The view is amazing, and makes this a very special place.
We made a quick stop at Dornan’s grocery for some provisions, and headed north back to Colter Bay to check in at our cabin around 8pm. Our cabin is great – a central hall with a modest bathroom, with 2 large bedrooms on either side. Colter Bay has a large collection of cabins, most of which are authentic dwellings gathered from the old homesteads throughout the Tetons. The center portion of our cabin is an original settler cabin, with rough hewn logs walls, and the bedrooms on either end are a newer 1960’s area addition.
After 11 days of sharing space with us, the kids were glad to have a room to call their own and spread out. We let them watch a movie on the laptop while they ate dinner, which gave Steph and I a little quiet time to do some reading about the Tetons and a little more planning for the rest of the trip.
It’s getting late and everyone’s ready for a good nights sleep. The cabin has 4 beds, quite a luxury for this trip, so it should make for a restful night.
The Grays
It's Getting Warmer...
(Posting for Monday, June 9th)
Last night was a great night at the Lake Hotel Cabins. Most everyone stayed up late reading. It’s hard to adjust to the time here – the sun is up by 5:30am and it really doesn’t get dark until well after 9pm. I awoke to the wonderful smell of fresh brewed coffee from our traveling coffee pot – perhaps the most important piece of gear we pack in the van. After a cup of coffee, Taylor and I headed over the General Store at Fishing Bridge to pick up some bacon and eggs for everyone. It took about 45 minutes for the General Store to whip up our order, and after a while we were back at the cabin so everyone could enjoy breakfast. (If you’ve ever considered a career as a waiter/waitress or fry cook, your national parks need you NOW. We’ve discovered that most of the help in the restaurants in Yellowstone don’t speak good English, and don’t know how to cook anything in less than 30 minutes…). I’m all for keeping parks natural, but I would gladly sacrifice a few lodgepole pines for a Starbucks or a Waffle House…
After breakfast, the Gray clan headed West to West Thumb. We caught a quick ranger talk and checked out the various thermal features at West Thumb. We had a great ranger to chat with at West Thumb. She and her husband are both retired, but have been working in Yellowstone for the past couple of summers for a little excitement.
The weather was improving (temp in the mid 50’s and sunny), so we decided to try our luck at a picnic. We stopped at one picnic area directly on Lake Yellowstone, but it was just too windy and cold, so we pressed on. We finally decided on the picnic area at Gull Point Drive. When we pulled in, the temp was bearable, it was sunny, and there was no wind. By the time we had sandwiches made and everyone was around the picnic table, the temp had dropped 10 degrees, and clouds and wind rolled in with a vengeance. Welcome to Yellowstone…
After a hurried lunch, we decided to head on to the Canyon area. During our drive through Hayden Valley, we came upon another bear jam at a grizzly bear sighting. Once at Canyon, we checked out the movie and the exhibits at the Visitor Center. We also noticed that Dunraven Pass (the road from Canyon to Tower) was finally open – this road usually opens the Friday before Memorial Day, but was yet another victim to the unusually heavy winter snow pack. Since Dunraven Pass was open, we decided to venture North to the Tower area. As we crossed Dunraven Pass, we were amazed at how deep the snow was along the road – most road signs were still covered. We had hoped to hike Mt. Washburn during our visit, but since the parking lot for the trail still had 8+ feet of snow covering it, I guess that will have to wait for another trip.
Once in Tower Falls, we checked out the falls and got some ice cream at the General Store. We happened to meet a gentlemen working there who was from Hattiesburg. He said he and his wife had been coming to Yellowstone for the past 3 summers with another couple they knew from Tupelo – all retirees looking to do something interesting for the summer. As we left Tower Falls, we hit another small traffic jam. Two mountain goats were on a hill above the roadway – kicking loose rocks on to the roadway as they moved about above. We got some good pics and then dodged the falling rocks to make our way on to Tower Junction.
We stopped for a quick trail along the way. The trail worked its way along the canyon for a short while. On the trail, we first noticed another mountain goat on the opposite wall of the canyon. Then we noticed a baby mountain goat (a kidd?) heading towards mama goat. Then we noticed 2 more baby goats. We had fun watching all 3 baby goats jumping and playing. Then we caught a glimpse of daddy goat on his way back towards his family. We all made jokes about dad being home from work, the kids greeting him at the door, and mama goat grumbling about what she was going to fix for dinner…
After our quick hike, we headed on the Petrified Tree before turning to head back towards our Cabin at Lake. The weather at Tower was great – high 50’s, lots of sun, little or no snow on the ground. We hit a little snow crossing Dunraven Pass on the way back to Lake, but generally had good weather.
We had a quiet evening at our cabin at Lake. The kids had some dinner, and Steph and I cracked open one of the bottles of red wine we had picked up before we left Cody last week. It wasn’t a great bottle of wine, but it tasted great out of our plastic Target wine glasses after a long day. I had hoped to pick up some decent red wine when we were in Cody, but I guess I shouldn’t have shopped at Whiskey River – the liquor store next to our hotel. Their competitive advantage seemed to be a drive thru window and free ice – not a good selection. At most, they probably stocked 8 different varieties of red wine. The liquor store in Macon has a much better selection, but we made do with what we could get…
The forecast for tomorrow should be interesting. In Canyon, the forecast is for another 3-7 inches of snow. At Lake, there’s a decent chance of rain in the afternoon. Hopefully, we will miss it all as we head south to the Tetons in the morning, where we are expecting good weather. We’ll be back in Yellowstone by the weekend – the highs are expected to climb into the 60’s over the weekend, so we’re hoping for good weather on our return.
That’s all for now. We continue to amass pictures, which we will get into cyberspace when we are able…
Last night was a great night at the Lake Hotel Cabins. Most everyone stayed up late reading. It’s hard to adjust to the time here – the sun is up by 5:30am and it really doesn’t get dark until well after 9pm. I awoke to the wonderful smell of fresh brewed coffee from our traveling coffee pot – perhaps the most important piece of gear we pack in the van. After a cup of coffee, Taylor and I headed over the General Store at Fishing Bridge to pick up some bacon and eggs for everyone. It took about 45 minutes for the General Store to whip up our order, and after a while we were back at the cabin so everyone could enjoy breakfast. (If you’ve ever considered a career as a waiter/waitress or fry cook, your national parks need you NOW. We’ve discovered that most of the help in the restaurants in Yellowstone don’t speak good English, and don’t know how to cook anything in less than 30 minutes…). I’m all for keeping parks natural, but I would gladly sacrifice a few lodgepole pines for a Starbucks or a Waffle House…
After breakfast, the Gray clan headed West to West Thumb. We caught a quick ranger talk and checked out the various thermal features at West Thumb. We had a great ranger to chat with at West Thumb. She and her husband are both retired, but have been working in Yellowstone for the past couple of summers for a little excitement.
The weather was improving (temp in the mid 50’s and sunny), so we decided to try our luck at a picnic. We stopped at one picnic area directly on Lake Yellowstone, but it was just too windy and cold, so we pressed on. We finally decided on the picnic area at Gull Point Drive. When we pulled in, the temp was bearable, it was sunny, and there was no wind. By the time we had sandwiches made and everyone was around the picnic table, the temp had dropped 10 degrees, and clouds and wind rolled in with a vengeance. Welcome to Yellowstone…
After a hurried lunch, we decided to head on to the Canyon area. During our drive through Hayden Valley, we came upon another bear jam at a grizzly bear sighting. Once at Canyon, we checked out the movie and the exhibits at the Visitor Center. We also noticed that Dunraven Pass (the road from Canyon to Tower) was finally open – this road usually opens the Friday before Memorial Day, but was yet another victim to the unusually heavy winter snow pack. Since Dunraven Pass was open, we decided to venture North to the Tower area. As we crossed Dunraven Pass, we were amazed at how deep the snow was along the road – most road signs were still covered. We had hoped to hike Mt. Washburn during our visit, but since the parking lot for the trail still had 8+ feet of snow covering it, I guess that will have to wait for another trip.
Once in Tower Falls, we checked out the falls and got some ice cream at the General Store. We happened to meet a gentlemen working there who was from Hattiesburg. He said he and his wife had been coming to Yellowstone for the past 3 summers with another couple they knew from Tupelo – all retirees looking to do something interesting for the summer. As we left Tower Falls, we hit another small traffic jam. Two mountain goats were on a hill above the roadway – kicking loose rocks on to the roadway as they moved about above. We got some good pics and then dodged the falling rocks to make our way on to Tower Junction.
We stopped for a quick trail along the way. The trail worked its way along the canyon for a short while. On the trail, we first noticed another mountain goat on the opposite wall of the canyon. Then we noticed a baby mountain goat (a kidd?) heading towards mama goat. Then we noticed 2 more baby goats. We had fun watching all 3 baby goats jumping and playing. Then we caught a glimpse of daddy goat on his way back towards his family. We all made jokes about dad being home from work, the kids greeting him at the door, and mama goat grumbling about what she was going to fix for dinner…
After our quick hike, we headed on the Petrified Tree before turning to head back towards our Cabin at Lake. The weather at Tower was great – high 50’s, lots of sun, little or no snow on the ground. We hit a little snow crossing Dunraven Pass on the way back to Lake, but generally had good weather.
We had a quiet evening at our cabin at Lake. The kids had some dinner, and Steph and I cracked open one of the bottles of red wine we had picked up before we left Cody last week. It wasn’t a great bottle of wine, but it tasted great out of our plastic Target wine glasses after a long day. I had hoped to pick up some decent red wine when we were in Cody, but I guess I shouldn’t have shopped at Whiskey River – the liquor store next to our hotel. Their competitive advantage seemed to be a drive thru window and free ice – not a good selection. At most, they probably stocked 8 different varieties of red wine. The liquor store in Macon has a much better selection, but we made do with what we could get…
The forecast for tomorrow should be interesting. In Canyon, the forecast is for another 3-7 inches of snow. At Lake, there’s a decent chance of rain in the afternoon. Hopefully, we will miss it all as we head south to the Tetons in the morning, where we are expecting good weather. We’ll be back in Yellowstone by the weekend – the highs are expected to climb into the 60’s over the weekend, so we’re hoping for good weather on our return.
That’s all for now. We continue to amass pictures, which we will get into cyberspace when we are able…
First Glimpse of Old Faithful
(Posting for Sunday, June 8th)
Well, we all made it through the night at the spooky Lake Hotel. The power went on and off a couple of more times as we sat up reading, so we fell asleep wondering if we would wake up to electricity and heat. Luckily, the heat came back on early in the morning, so we awoke to a cozy room and more importantly, hot water. I foraged in the car for some breakfast – the kids had Pop Tarts and Steph and I had some yogurt and granola bars. After breakfast, the kids announced they are just about sick of Pop Tarts. After 11 days, I can’t say that I blame them. Maybe it’s time to find some good old fashioned bacon and eggs tomorrow.
After breakfast and showers, we packed up and said goodbye to the Lake Hotel. We ventured out to find a couple of fresh inches of snow. Luckily, the temp was in the mid 30’s, the sun was out, so the roads were all in great shape. We ventured West and then North to Old Faithful. Along the way, we crossed the Continental Divide (twice) and came through some fairly heavy snow. At our first crossing of the Continental Divide, we came upon 3 bikers (that’s bicycles, not motorcycles, folks) who were traveling from Denver to Oregon. It was a cold day to be traveling in an auto, much less a bike.
We arrived at Old Faithful around noon. There was little snow left around Old Faithful – they obviously did not get the pounding that the Lake area received over the past couple of days. We wandered into the Grill at the Snow Lodge in search of lunch. There aren’t a ton of food options here in the park, so we were hoping for something hearty and different. Everyone enjoyed burgers, chicken nuggets, fries and chili-cheese fries. We had great cell phone service, so we took a gamble and got the laptop out of the van. Luckily, I had coverage on my wireless data card, so we were able to upload the blogs for both Friday and Saturday.
After lunch we worked our way over to the visitor’s center and watched the movie about Yellowstone they were showing. After the movie, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn for a few pics and some hot chocolate and coffee. We will be staying at Old Faithful later next week, and the quick trip through the lobby got everyone excited. The Inn is probably what most people picture when they think of a rustic lodge in the wilderness – lots of rough hewn hogs, exposed log beams, a soaring stone fireplace with a roaring fire. We’re all ready to check in there, find a comfy chair in the lobby near the fireplace, and settle in with a good book.
We wandered back outside and caught the 2:15 eruption of Old Faithful. As we waited for the eruption, the wind picked up and it began to snow a bit. Everyone enjoyed the eruption and will be ready to hit the rest of the trails there when we return next week.
After our stop at Old Faithful, we worked our way North to Madison Junction and then on to Canyon before returning to Lake. We saw lots of fishermen along the way, and the difference in scenery from the Lake area was striking. There was very little snow of the ground during most of our trip North from Old Faithful, and the temperatures were a downright steamy mid 40’s most of the afternoon. We made a stop and the Fountain Paint Pots and took a quick half mile hike around the boardwalk. When we left the car, it was a bit windy. Halfway through the hike, the wind turned into blinding snow.
After shaking off the snow, we headed on towards Canyon. We had plenty of bison and elk sightings along the way to keep us entertained. We also traveled through areas of the park that were heavily burned during the 1988 fires. It’s amazing to see the rebirth process with thousands of new lodgepole pines working their way into a new forest.
From Canyon we headed back towards Lake. We took a quick detour to Fishing Bridge to hit the general store and get a few snacks and items for dinner. We headed on to Lake to check in at the Lake Hotel Cabins (just behind the Lake Hotel where we spent the last 2 nights). As we made the turn into the Lake area, we caught the beginning of a bear jam. A large black bear was foraging along the side of the road. We stopped, parked, took some great pictures and let the kids get a good glimpse of the bear without getting too close. It’s amazing how stupid people get when they see a bear. People were stopping in the middle of the road and jumping out of the cars, and entire families with young children were wandering right up to the bear for a close up view. Luckily, a ranger arrived as we were leaving to bring a little order to the scene.
We made our way through the bear jam and checked in for our cabin at the Lake Hotel. We enjoyed out room at the Lake Hotel, but the cabins are much better. They don’t look like much – little yellow boxes stuck close together, but the on the inside they are great. The cabin we’re in seems almost new on the inside – comfy furnishings, new carpet, lots of windows. This is really the way to go. Best of all, the car is only steps away. No lugging stuff up and down the elevator. These are the same cabins where my mom worked during the summer of 1968. The kids were wondering today if Granny had ever cleaned cabin 512 during her tour of duty here...
We’ve got a big hunk of bison fur and lots of bison chips near our cabin. Perhaps we’ll have a visitor during our stay here.
We hung around the cabin for a dinner of cheese, crackers, summer sausage and some great cookies we picked up at the general store. We took a quick stroll to the post office to mail a few items, and the kids had a blast climbing to the top of some big piles of snow and sliding down, getting completely cold and wet in the process.
After a couple of rounds of Phase 10 and Uno, everyone (but me) is into a good book. I’m soon to join them. Looks like the weather is clearing, so tomorrow should be another great day.
Lots of pics but still no fast internet, so only words for now.
The Grays
Well, we all made it through the night at the spooky Lake Hotel. The power went on and off a couple of more times as we sat up reading, so we fell asleep wondering if we would wake up to electricity and heat. Luckily, the heat came back on early in the morning, so we awoke to a cozy room and more importantly, hot water. I foraged in the car for some breakfast – the kids had Pop Tarts and Steph and I had some yogurt and granola bars. After breakfast, the kids announced they are just about sick of Pop Tarts. After 11 days, I can’t say that I blame them. Maybe it’s time to find some good old fashioned bacon and eggs tomorrow.
After breakfast and showers, we packed up and said goodbye to the Lake Hotel. We ventured out to find a couple of fresh inches of snow. Luckily, the temp was in the mid 30’s, the sun was out, so the roads were all in great shape. We ventured West and then North to Old Faithful. Along the way, we crossed the Continental Divide (twice) and came through some fairly heavy snow. At our first crossing of the Continental Divide, we came upon 3 bikers (that’s bicycles, not motorcycles, folks) who were traveling from Denver to Oregon. It was a cold day to be traveling in an auto, much less a bike.
We arrived at Old Faithful around noon. There was little snow left around Old Faithful – they obviously did not get the pounding that the Lake area received over the past couple of days. We wandered into the Grill at the Snow Lodge in search of lunch. There aren’t a ton of food options here in the park, so we were hoping for something hearty and different. Everyone enjoyed burgers, chicken nuggets, fries and chili-cheese fries. We had great cell phone service, so we took a gamble and got the laptop out of the van. Luckily, I had coverage on my wireless data card, so we were able to upload the blogs for both Friday and Saturday.
After lunch we worked our way over to the visitor’s center and watched the movie about Yellowstone they were showing. After the movie, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn for a few pics and some hot chocolate and coffee. We will be staying at Old Faithful later next week, and the quick trip through the lobby got everyone excited. The Inn is probably what most people picture when they think of a rustic lodge in the wilderness – lots of rough hewn hogs, exposed log beams, a soaring stone fireplace with a roaring fire. We’re all ready to check in there, find a comfy chair in the lobby near the fireplace, and settle in with a good book.
We wandered back outside and caught the 2:15 eruption of Old Faithful. As we waited for the eruption, the wind picked up and it began to snow a bit. Everyone enjoyed the eruption and will be ready to hit the rest of the trails there when we return next week.
After our stop at Old Faithful, we worked our way North to Madison Junction and then on to Canyon before returning to Lake. We saw lots of fishermen along the way, and the difference in scenery from the Lake area was striking. There was very little snow of the ground during most of our trip North from Old Faithful, and the temperatures were a downright steamy mid 40’s most of the afternoon. We made a stop and the Fountain Paint Pots and took a quick half mile hike around the boardwalk. When we left the car, it was a bit windy. Halfway through the hike, the wind turned into blinding snow.
After shaking off the snow, we headed on towards Canyon. We had plenty of bison and elk sightings along the way to keep us entertained. We also traveled through areas of the park that were heavily burned during the 1988 fires. It’s amazing to see the rebirth process with thousands of new lodgepole pines working their way into a new forest.
From Canyon we headed back towards Lake. We took a quick detour to Fishing Bridge to hit the general store and get a few snacks and items for dinner. We headed on to Lake to check in at the Lake Hotel Cabins (just behind the Lake Hotel where we spent the last 2 nights). As we made the turn into the Lake area, we caught the beginning of a bear jam. A large black bear was foraging along the side of the road. We stopped, parked, took some great pictures and let the kids get a good glimpse of the bear without getting too close. It’s amazing how stupid people get when they see a bear. People were stopping in the middle of the road and jumping out of the cars, and entire families with young children were wandering right up to the bear for a close up view. Luckily, a ranger arrived as we were leaving to bring a little order to the scene.
We made our way through the bear jam and checked in for our cabin at the Lake Hotel. We enjoyed out room at the Lake Hotel, but the cabins are much better. They don’t look like much – little yellow boxes stuck close together, but the on the inside they are great. The cabin we’re in seems almost new on the inside – comfy furnishings, new carpet, lots of windows. This is really the way to go. Best of all, the car is only steps away. No lugging stuff up and down the elevator. These are the same cabins where my mom worked during the summer of 1968. The kids were wondering today if Granny had ever cleaned cabin 512 during her tour of duty here...
We’ve got a big hunk of bison fur and lots of bison chips near our cabin. Perhaps we’ll have a visitor during our stay here.
We hung around the cabin for a dinner of cheese, crackers, summer sausage and some great cookies we picked up at the general store. We took a quick stroll to the post office to mail a few items, and the kids had a blast climbing to the top of some big piles of snow and sliding down, getting completely cold and wet in the process.
After a couple of rounds of Phase 10 and Uno, everyone (but me) is into a good book. I’m soon to join them. Looks like the weather is clearing, so tomorrow should be another great day.
Lots of pics but still no fast internet, so only words for now.
The Grays
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Turn Up The Heat, Please
(Posting for Saturday, June 7th)
It’s shaping up to be dark and cold night here at the Lake Hotel. Shortly after we checked in yesterday, the power flickered on and off a couple of times. When we made it back to the hotel this afternoon, it became apparent that the power outages were back and were a bit more widespread. Luckily, we have power in our room, but most of the common areas in the hotel and the restaurant lack full power. It also appears that the heating system lacks power, since the radiator in our room has been cold as ice since this afternoon. Not a very reassuring thought on a dark and cold night…
Anyway, today was a good day. We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunny day. The storm late yesterday ended up dropping about 8 inches of snow on and around our hotel. Luckily, the roads were cleared and the sun was out when we ventured out late this morning. Everything was covered in a magnificent layer of white snow – a really spectacular sight. Everyone in the hotel has been joking about enjoying their “winter” summer vacation.
We left Lake Hotel and headed over to Fishing Bridge late morning. We checked in at the ranger station, picked up our junior ranger materials, and took a stroll on a snow covered Fishing Bridge. While out of the bridge we saw several pelicans, geese and a solitary wolf sniffing along the banks of the frigid river. The snow started again while we were out of the bridge, so we made our way back to the card and headed on towards West Thumb.
Our original plan was to cruise on up to Old Faithful and grab some lunch. However, a couple of miles past Grant Village, the snow became pretty fierce, so we decided to stick closer to home. We found our way to the restaurant at Grant Village, grabbed a late lunch and took in the snow storm. We all got soaked in heavy, wet snowflakes during the short walk back to our car after lunch.
As we worked our way back to Lake Hotel, the weather improved, so we decided to take a ride towards the Canyon area and through Hayden Valley. Along the way we stopped at the Mud Volcano area, and battled snow and ice along the trail. The kids got a kick out of all of the really smelly pools and thermal features. As we pulled in, the parking lot was overrun with bison, casually working their way across the road. After hitting Mud Volcano, we worked our way through Hayden Valley, and had out first bear sighting – a grizzly with 2 cubs not that far off the road. We continued on towards Canyon and saw lots of bison, but no more bears. We made a quick stop in Canyon to check out the lower falls of the Yellowstone before heading back to our hotel around 4pm or so.
We all lounged around the room for a while, snacked heavily for dinner, and headed down to the lobby to enjoy the piano music and play cards.
The weather wasn’t that bad today when it wasn’t snowing heavily. Temps were around 35 degrees or so with little wind. Tomorrow it’s supposed to warm into the 40’s, with temps climbing into the upper 50’s next week.
Tomorrow we leave Lake Hotel and move (across the parking lot) to the Cabins at Lake Hotel. We’ve enjoyed our time here, but the hotel really is a little spooky. Makes me want to watch the movie The Shining again.
Internet (and cell service) are scarce here, so no pics for now. We’ve snapped tons of good stuff that we’ll get up as soon as possible.
(Finally found some so-so internet at Old Faithful Snow Lodge to get these posts up on Sunday PM).
It’s shaping up to be dark and cold night here at the Lake Hotel. Shortly after we checked in yesterday, the power flickered on and off a couple of times. When we made it back to the hotel this afternoon, it became apparent that the power outages were back and were a bit more widespread. Luckily, we have power in our room, but most of the common areas in the hotel and the restaurant lack full power. It also appears that the heating system lacks power, since the radiator in our room has been cold as ice since this afternoon. Not a very reassuring thought on a dark and cold night…
Anyway, today was a good day. We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunny day. The storm late yesterday ended up dropping about 8 inches of snow on and around our hotel. Luckily, the roads were cleared and the sun was out when we ventured out late this morning. Everything was covered in a magnificent layer of white snow – a really spectacular sight. Everyone in the hotel has been joking about enjoying their “winter” summer vacation.
We left Lake Hotel and headed over to Fishing Bridge late morning. We checked in at the ranger station, picked up our junior ranger materials, and took a stroll on a snow covered Fishing Bridge. While out of the bridge we saw several pelicans, geese and a solitary wolf sniffing along the banks of the frigid river. The snow started again while we were out of the bridge, so we made our way back to the card and headed on towards West Thumb.
Our original plan was to cruise on up to Old Faithful and grab some lunch. However, a couple of miles past Grant Village, the snow became pretty fierce, so we decided to stick closer to home. We found our way to the restaurant at Grant Village, grabbed a late lunch and took in the snow storm. We all got soaked in heavy, wet snowflakes during the short walk back to our car after lunch.
As we worked our way back to Lake Hotel, the weather improved, so we decided to take a ride towards the Canyon area and through Hayden Valley. Along the way we stopped at the Mud Volcano area, and battled snow and ice along the trail. The kids got a kick out of all of the really smelly pools and thermal features. As we pulled in, the parking lot was overrun with bison, casually working their way across the road. After hitting Mud Volcano, we worked our way through Hayden Valley, and had out first bear sighting – a grizzly with 2 cubs not that far off the road. We continued on towards Canyon and saw lots of bison, but no more bears. We made a quick stop in Canyon to check out the lower falls of the Yellowstone before heading back to our hotel around 4pm or so.
We all lounged around the room for a while, snacked heavily for dinner, and headed down to the lobby to enjoy the piano music and play cards.
The weather wasn’t that bad today when it wasn’t snowing heavily. Temps were around 35 degrees or so with little wind. Tomorrow it’s supposed to warm into the 40’s, with temps climbing into the upper 50’s next week.
Tomorrow we leave Lake Hotel and move (across the parking lot) to the Cabins at Lake Hotel. We’ve enjoyed our time here, but the hotel really is a little spooky. Makes me want to watch the movie The Shining again.
Internet (and cell service) are scarce here, so no pics for now. We’ve snapped tons of good stuff that we’ll get up as soon as possible.
(Finally found some so-so internet at Old Faithful Snow Lodge to get these posts up on Sunday PM).
We Made It!
(Posting for Friday, June 6th)
Today started out like any other day. We had a restful night in Cody after the rodeo. Everyone slept until around 8am, and we headed down to breakfast shortly thereafter. After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, I let the kids soak in the pool while Steph sorted and organized our newly clean clothes in anticipation of heading into Yellowstone later today.
We got the car repacked round 11am, and took a few minutes to get pics of the kids with some of the stuffed animals in the lobby of our hotel. After a quick stop at Wal-Mart, we headed to Old West Town just West of downtown Cody. Old West Town is a collection of old settler buildings that were relocated to Cody starting in the 1960’s. When you walk through these buildings – some homes, a school and some stores – you get a feeing of how hard it must have been on those settlers who gave up a life in some major city, packed everything they could in a covered wagon, and headed West in hopes of a better life for their family. I can’t imagine packing the Gray Family in a covered wagon and heading West to start a new life. It gives you a new appreciation for those who explored and settled the West.
After Old West Town, we headed back into Cody for some lunch at Bob’s BBQ. Lunch was great – the kids liked the ribs, but they didn’t think they were as good as Nolan’s… After lunch, we headed towards Yellowstone and made a quick stop at the Buffalo Bill Dam on the Shoshone River. The wind was whipping, and cold, but we found our way inside for a quick stop. We headed on towards Yellowstone early afternoon.
We finally reached Yellowstone shortly after 3pm today. We stopped at the park entrance for the obligatory pictures, and enjoyed some snow flurries as we entered the park. When we left Cody earlier today, it was sunny and about 60 degrees. When we hit Yellowstone, it was a bit overcast and mid 40 degrees.
We worked our way into Yellowstone and were amazed at the lack of cars – we felt like we had the place to ourselves. We saw plenty of snow covered mountain tops – and the occasional pile of snow next to the road. As we worked our way through the mountains and closer to Sylvan Pass, the snow picked up, and we began to see more and more snow on the side of the road. We kept meeting cars that were covered with snow. We were excited, but didn’t think much of it.
When we passed through Sylvan Pass, the snow became omnipresent. It began snowing harder, and the lakes we passed were frozen over. As we worked our way from Sylvan Pass down to Lake Yellowstone and Fishing Bridge, the snow picked up considerably and began to accumulate on the road. Just East of Fishing Bridge, we met a snow plow. When we passed Fishing Bridge, park rangers were starting to shut down the roads in the park. We were allowed to continue on the Lake Hotel, but the road North to Canyon was closed because of the snowfall.
We finally reached Lake Hotel around 5pm. It was a little difficult to navigate, since all of the signs were covered with snow. As we checked in, we learned that most of the roads in the park were closed this evening because of the heavy snowfall. As we worked our way to our room, the power went off in the hotel. It quickly came back, but probably went off another 3 or 4 times in the early evening. The snow has tapered off as I write this around 10pm local time, but we’ve probably gotten 5 or 6 inches of snow here today.
After we checked in, we bundled up the kids and headed out to the front of the hotel facing the lake. The kids had a blast playing in the snow – making snowmen, snowballs and snow angels. We chatted with an older couple from Birmingham who were visiting the park with their grandchildren.
After our romp in the snow, we changed into dry clothes and headed downstairs to the lobby of the hotel. The hotel is 100+ years old, so the lobby is a grand thing, with large windows overlooking the lake. Steph thought it was quite similar to the hotel in the movie the Shining. We hung out in the lobby for several hours. The kids enjoyed hot chocolate, while Steph and I enjoyed some great micobrew beers. We broke the bag of games and played cards while we watched the snow.
Later this evening we had dinner in the main dining room. Dinner was great – the food was good, but the experience was perhaps better. Lake Hotel throws you back to a simpler time – no phones, no TV – just great scenery, conversation, drink and food. We had a great dinner watching the snow and snow covered landscape out huge picture windows.
The roads should be cleared at some point tomorrow, but I couldn’t imagine a better place to be snowed in. This is truly a little piece of heaven.
We've taken tons of pics, but will get them posted when we find some internet...
Today started out like any other day. We had a restful night in Cody after the rodeo. Everyone slept until around 8am, and we headed down to breakfast shortly thereafter. After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, I let the kids soak in the pool while Steph sorted and organized our newly clean clothes in anticipation of heading into Yellowstone later today.
We got the car repacked round 11am, and took a few minutes to get pics of the kids with some of the stuffed animals in the lobby of our hotel. After a quick stop at Wal-Mart, we headed to Old West Town just West of downtown Cody. Old West Town is a collection of old settler buildings that were relocated to Cody starting in the 1960’s. When you walk through these buildings – some homes, a school and some stores – you get a feeing of how hard it must have been on those settlers who gave up a life in some major city, packed everything they could in a covered wagon, and headed West in hopes of a better life for their family. I can’t imagine packing the Gray Family in a covered wagon and heading West to start a new life. It gives you a new appreciation for those who explored and settled the West.
After Old West Town, we headed back into Cody for some lunch at Bob’s BBQ. Lunch was great – the kids liked the ribs, but they didn’t think they were as good as Nolan’s… After lunch, we headed towards Yellowstone and made a quick stop at the Buffalo Bill Dam on the Shoshone River. The wind was whipping, and cold, but we found our way inside for a quick stop. We headed on towards Yellowstone early afternoon.
We finally reached Yellowstone shortly after 3pm today. We stopped at the park entrance for the obligatory pictures, and enjoyed some snow flurries as we entered the park. When we left Cody earlier today, it was sunny and about 60 degrees. When we hit Yellowstone, it was a bit overcast and mid 40 degrees.
We worked our way into Yellowstone and were amazed at the lack of cars – we felt like we had the place to ourselves. We saw plenty of snow covered mountain tops – and the occasional pile of snow next to the road. As we worked our way through the mountains and closer to Sylvan Pass, the snow picked up, and we began to see more and more snow on the side of the road. We kept meeting cars that were covered with snow. We were excited, but didn’t think much of it.
When we passed through Sylvan Pass, the snow became omnipresent. It began snowing harder, and the lakes we passed were frozen over. As we worked our way from Sylvan Pass down to Lake Yellowstone and Fishing Bridge, the snow picked up considerably and began to accumulate on the road. Just East of Fishing Bridge, we met a snow plow. When we passed Fishing Bridge, park rangers were starting to shut down the roads in the park. We were allowed to continue on the Lake Hotel, but the road North to Canyon was closed because of the snowfall.
We finally reached Lake Hotel around 5pm. It was a little difficult to navigate, since all of the signs were covered with snow. As we checked in, we learned that most of the roads in the park were closed this evening because of the heavy snowfall. As we worked our way to our room, the power went off in the hotel. It quickly came back, but probably went off another 3 or 4 times in the early evening. The snow has tapered off as I write this around 10pm local time, but we’ve probably gotten 5 or 6 inches of snow here today.
After we checked in, we bundled up the kids and headed out to the front of the hotel facing the lake. The kids had a blast playing in the snow – making snowmen, snowballs and snow angels. We chatted with an older couple from Birmingham who were visiting the park with their grandchildren.
After our romp in the snow, we changed into dry clothes and headed downstairs to the lobby of the hotel. The hotel is 100+ years old, so the lobby is a grand thing, with large windows overlooking the lake. Steph thought it was quite similar to the hotel in the movie the Shining. We hung out in the lobby for several hours. The kids enjoyed hot chocolate, while Steph and I enjoyed some great micobrew beers. We broke the bag of games and played cards while we watched the snow.
Later this evening we had dinner in the main dining room. Dinner was great – the food was good, but the experience was perhaps better. Lake Hotel throws you back to a simpler time – no phones, no TV – just great scenery, conversation, drink and food. We had a great dinner watching the snow and snow covered landscape out huge picture windows.
The roads should be cleared at some point tomorrow, but I couldn’t imagine a better place to be snowed in. This is truly a little piece of heaven.
We've taken tons of pics, but will get them posted when we find some internet...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Rodeo Rocks!
Today was a very light travel day (yippee!). I think everyone was pretty wiped out after the drive across Wyoming yesterday.
We grabbed some breakfast at the hotel in Cody and made our way to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center late morning. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center essentially has 5 museums under one roof – one dedicated to Buffalo Bill, one to Indians, a western art gallery, a massive firearms collection, and a natural history museum. You could literally spend days there and not see everything. We took a swing through all of the museums and saved the natural history museum for last. The kids (and adults) really loved the natural history museum. It had lots of great exhibits about the different ecosystems, animals and plants found in the Yellowstone area. We made a quick stop in the gift shop and headed to lunch in downtown Cody early afternoon.
After lunch at Maxwell’s on main street in Cody, we headed back to the hotel so the kids could enjoy some pool time at the indoor pool. I hung with the kids at the pool while Steph tackled a week’s worth of dirty laundry. Laundry for this crew is no easy task, especially when you’re feeding quarters in a way too small machine that can’t seem to get anything dry in a decent amount of time. After the pool, I made a quick run to Wal-Mart to restock drinks and other items.
Around 7:30, we headed out to the Cody Nite Rodeo. The rodeo was a blast. Lots of barrel racing, bull riding, and calf roping. We saw some young girls doing barrel racing – I bet the youngest wasn’t much older than 5. It was really amazing to watch. Bull riding was the last event (they saved the best for last…). Only 2 of the 10 or so riders managed to stay on a bull the required 8 seconds. Several of the bulls were really ornery – a couple of the riders and clowns came close to getting smashed into the fence. Luckily, everyone was fine – but it was great to watch.
We’re back at the hotel now, winding down and getting ready to head into Yellowstone tomorrow. We’re working through our nightly rituals, one of which is making sure all of our portable electronics are charged and ready for another day of action. We’ve got more cords, adapters and charges than I’ve been able to count. We’re probably carrying around more electronics than it took to get the astronauts to the moon. We’ve got 2 laptops, 2 Nintendo DS’s, 3 digital cameras, a camcorder, 4 ipods, and a GPS. I’m sure there’s something else I’ve forgotten. I guess I’ll remember the next time the battery goes dead…
Today’s pics can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay8
Tomorrow night we’ll be staying at Lake Hotel in Yellowstone. We’ll keep the posts coming so long as we can get a little internet.
We grabbed some breakfast at the hotel in Cody and made our way to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center late morning. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center essentially has 5 museums under one roof – one dedicated to Buffalo Bill, one to Indians, a western art gallery, a massive firearms collection, and a natural history museum. You could literally spend days there and not see everything. We took a swing through all of the museums and saved the natural history museum for last. The kids (and adults) really loved the natural history museum. It had lots of great exhibits about the different ecosystems, animals and plants found in the Yellowstone area. We made a quick stop in the gift shop and headed to lunch in downtown Cody early afternoon.
After lunch at Maxwell’s on main street in Cody, we headed back to the hotel so the kids could enjoy some pool time at the indoor pool. I hung with the kids at the pool while Steph tackled a week’s worth of dirty laundry. Laundry for this crew is no easy task, especially when you’re feeding quarters in a way too small machine that can’t seem to get anything dry in a decent amount of time. After the pool, I made a quick run to Wal-Mart to restock drinks and other items.
Around 7:30, we headed out to the Cody Nite Rodeo. The rodeo was a blast. Lots of barrel racing, bull riding, and calf roping. We saw some young girls doing barrel racing – I bet the youngest wasn’t much older than 5. It was really amazing to watch. Bull riding was the last event (they saved the best for last…). Only 2 of the 10 or so riders managed to stay on a bull the required 8 seconds. Several of the bulls were really ornery – a couple of the riders and clowns came close to getting smashed into the fence. Luckily, everyone was fine – but it was great to watch.
We’re back at the hotel now, winding down and getting ready to head into Yellowstone tomorrow. We’re working through our nightly rituals, one of which is making sure all of our portable electronics are charged and ready for another day of action. We’ve got more cords, adapters and charges than I’ve been able to count. We’re probably carrying around more electronics than it took to get the astronauts to the moon. We’ve got 2 laptops, 2 Nintendo DS’s, 3 digital cameras, a camcorder, 4 ipods, and a GPS. I’m sure there’s something else I’ve forgotten. I guess I’ll remember the next time the battery goes dead…
Today’s pics can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay8
Tomorrow night we’ll be staying at Lake Hotel in Yellowstone. We’ll keep the posts coming so long as we can get a little internet.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
SNOW!
This has been an incredibly long and exciting day. If I had any sense, I would probably head on to bed and get some rest, but I can’t let the day come to a close without sharing some of our wild adventures.
We had a great night at Sylvan Lake outside of Hill City, SD. We had everyone and everything loaded around 8:30am and started our trek to Cody, WY. As we left Sylvan Lake, it started to sprinkle, and we had light rain with us most of the way today. From Sylvan lake, we drove about an hour to Deadwood, SD. Deadwood is a lot like Gatlinburg – with a casino on every corner… In Deadwood, we made a stop at the Mt. Moriah Cemetery to see the graves of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. If you watched the Deadwood series on HBO (Steph and I were big fans), you’ll remember that the cemetery was up on a hillside overlooking Deadwood. You literally have to drive several blocks up the side of a small mountain to get to the cemetery – you feel almost like you’re driving straight up a wall. The cemetery was nice and provided a great view of downtown Deadwood.
From Deadwood, we decided to skip our side trip to Sturgis. The weather wasn’t cooperating and the kids were a bit crabby, so we headed on the Spearfish instead. We took a detour down main street in Spearfish, originally thinking we would stop for an early lunch. We drove by the local chamber of commerce, so Steph ran in to get a recommendation for lunch. In addition to recommendations for lunch, the lady working the counter gave Steph a free tote bag with a logo for the SD state program to quit smoking, as well as a free sample of Degree deodorant for men. Stephanie swears she didn’t tell the lady she had a smelly, chain smoking spouse in the car, but we’ll never know the truth… I ended up being the only one who really wanted lunch, so I grabbed a quick sandwich and we were back on the road.
Early afternoon we made it into Wyoming and arrived at Devil’s Tower National Monument. Devil’s Tower is truly in the middle of nowhere. Kind of like Rushmore, it’s truly awe inspiring the first time you turn a corner and catch a glimpse of it. We spent an hour or so at Devil’s Tower. We enjoyed a ranger program and the kids completed their requirements for another Junior Ranger badge. We stopped by the Devil’s Tower Post Office to mail a few post cards. We hung out for a while waiting for the mother ship to come down and beam us up, but it never happened, so on with the journey...
From Devil’s Tower we continued our trek across Wyoming to Cody. We headed through Gillette and Sheridan, before leaving the comfort of the interstate to cross the Big Horn Mountains. In Sheridan we stopped for gas and made a run through McDonalds for some grub. We’re been trying to avoid fast food on the trip, and have done pretty well so far. But oh, those McDonald’s fries are just so good and really hit the spot late in the afternoon. Nothing like a little grease and salt to get you going late in the day…
About 20 miles into our journey through the Big Horn Mountains, we started seeing snow near the road – everyone got excited. We reached the Burgess Junction Visitor Center (about 8,000 ft) late afternoon, and there was snow EVERYWHERE. We stopped to poke around in the snow and have a little fun, then were on our way. Little did we know how much snow we would see along the way. As we continued up and through the mountains, we passed a frozen lake, then a snowplow, and soon had snow piled on either side of the road in drifts higher than the van. Then the temp began to drop, and the rain that had followed us all day turned to blinding snow. We had about 15 minutes of driving in as near to a total whiteout as I have ever experienced. In the back of my mind, I began to wonder just how long we would sit buried in a snow bank before someone found us the in the following days or weeks if we were to run off the road. Truly hard to believe for the 4th of June… Once we reached the peak, the snow began to subside and the temp gradually rose from 32 degrees up to 60 degrees as we worked out way down the mountain.
We continued to work our way towards Cody, and finally pulled into our hotel around 9pm local time. Everyone is enjoying a little personal space (as much as you can get in a hotel room) before showers and bed.
Tomorrow we’re off to explore Cody.
Today’s pictures are on the web - http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay7
I’ve also added some more pics to the album for Day 6.
That’s all for now. Thanks for following a long on our little adventure.
The Grays.
We had a great night at Sylvan Lake outside of Hill City, SD. We had everyone and everything loaded around 8:30am and started our trek to Cody, WY. As we left Sylvan Lake, it started to sprinkle, and we had light rain with us most of the way today. From Sylvan lake, we drove about an hour to Deadwood, SD. Deadwood is a lot like Gatlinburg – with a casino on every corner… In Deadwood, we made a stop at the Mt. Moriah Cemetery to see the graves of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. If you watched the Deadwood series on HBO (Steph and I were big fans), you’ll remember that the cemetery was up on a hillside overlooking Deadwood. You literally have to drive several blocks up the side of a small mountain to get to the cemetery – you feel almost like you’re driving straight up a wall. The cemetery was nice and provided a great view of downtown Deadwood.
From Deadwood, we decided to skip our side trip to Sturgis. The weather wasn’t cooperating and the kids were a bit crabby, so we headed on the Spearfish instead. We took a detour down main street in Spearfish, originally thinking we would stop for an early lunch. We drove by the local chamber of commerce, so Steph ran in to get a recommendation for lunch. In addition to recommendations for lunch, the lady working the counter gave Steph a free tote bag with a logo for the SD state program to quit smoking, as well as a free sample of Degree deodorant for men. Stephanie swears she didn’t tell the lady she had a smelly, chain smoking spouse in the car, but we’ll never know the truth… I ended up being the only one who really wanted lunch, so I grabbed a quick sandwich and we were back on the road.
Early afternoon we made it into Wyoming and arrived at Devil’s Tower National Monument. Devil’s Tower is truly in the middle of nowhere. Kind of like Rushmore, it’s truly awe inspiring the first time you turn a corner and catch a glimpse of it. We spent an hour or so at Devil’s Tower. We enjoyed a ranger program and the kids completed their requirements for another Junior Ranger badge. We stopped by the Devil’s Tower Post Office to mail a few post cards. We hung out for a while waiting for the mother ship to come down and beam us up, but it never happened, so on with the journey...
From Devil’s Tower we continued our trek across Wyoming to Cody. We headed through Gillette and Sheridan, before leaving the comfort of the interstate to cross the Big Horn Mountains. In Sheridan we stopped for gas and made a run through McDonalds for some grub. We’re been trying to avoid fast food on the trip, and have done pretty well so far. But oh, those McDonald’s fries are just so good and really hit the spot late in the afternoon. Nothing like a little grease and salt to get you going late in the day…
About 20 miles into our journey through the Big Horn Mountains, we started seeing snow near the road – everyone got excited. We reached the Burgess Junction Visitor Center (about 8,000 ft) late afternoon, and there was snow EVERYWHERE. We stopped to poke around in the snow and have a little fun, then were on our way. Little did we know how much snow we would see along the way. As we continued up and through the mountains, we passed a frozen lake, then a snowplow, and soon had snow piled on either side of the road in drifts higher than the van. Then the temp began to drop, and the rain that had followed us all day turned to blinding snow. We had about 15 minutes of driving in as near to a total whiteout as I have ever experienced. In the back of my mind, I began to wonder just how long we would sit buried in a snow bank before someone found us the in the following days or weeks if we were to run off the road. Truly hard to believe for the 4th of June… Once we reached the peak, the snow began to subside and the temp gradually rose from 32 degrees up to 60 degrees as we worked out way down the mountain.
We continued to work our way towards Cody, and finally pulled into our hotel around 9pm local time. Everyone is enjoying a little personal space (as much as you can get in a hotel room) before showers and bed.
Tomorrow we’re off to explore Cody.
Today’s pictures are on the web - http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay7
I’ve also added some more pics to the album for Day 6.
That’s all for now. Thanks for following a long on our little adventure.
The Grays.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Happy Birthday Taylor!!!
Greetings to all from the Grays.
Last night another round of thunderstorms moved through as we rested in our cozy cabin at Sylvan Lake. We awoke around 2am or so to move thunder, lightning, rain and hail. The rain moved on through at we awoke around 6am to yet another beautiful day in the Black Hills.
We made our way to the dining room at Sylvan Lake Lodge shortly after 8am and enjoyed a great breakfast to start the day – Taylor’s 10th birthday! Hard to believe the baby girl is already 10. I still vividly remember the day she was born. Steph started having contractions in the middle of the night, so we walked the streets of Belhaven around 2am. We finally called the doctor around 6am and headed to the hospital shortly thereafter. Taylor was born around 5:45pm that day. It seems like only yesterday…
After breakfast, we headed down the mountain to Hill City to catch the 1880’s train – a steam locomotive that runs from Hill City to Keystone. We got caught by a road crew doing some paving on the mountain, and made it on the train with only minutes to spare. The train ride was neat – lots of good scenery, more wildlife – a good way to spend the morning. We got some light rain while on the train, but the skies were clear by the time we returned to Hill City around noon.
In Hill City we walked over to the Alpine Lodge for lunch. The Alpine Lodge is a restaurant and B&B that serves lots of great German specialties. We enjoyed lunch, plus some great desserts and loaded up to check out Mt. Rushmore.
As we drove to Mt. Rushmore, the skies were dark and ominous – lots of black clouds that threatened rain at any minute. Once we arrived at Mt. Rushmore, the skies cleared and we had a beautiful afternoon to enjoy the monument. Mt. Rushmore is another one of those places that pictures simply don’t do justice. When you walk down the plaza and catch your first glimpse of the monument, it’s almost a religious experience. It’s amazing to see what a magnificent piece of work was carved from a bare, rocky mountain top. I couldn’t imagine how the sculptor brought his vision to reality. If you ever get the chance, don’t pass it up.
While at Mt. Rushmore, we caught sight of a couple of mountain goats. One even had a newborn trailing behind her. It was a quite a sight… Taylor and Trey completed a workbook and met all of the requirements to earn their junior ranger badges while at Mt. Rushmore. Both received badges and were sworn in as junior ranges by a park ranger on duty.
After Mt. Rushmore, we made a quick pit stop in Hill City for groceries, gas and internet. We parked at the new Holiday Inn Express and “borrowed” some of their wireless internet. We were able to get pictures for the last 3 days (including most of today) uploaded. There are a few duds among the pics I uploaded, so ignore those. We felt so fortunate to have decent internet access that we didn’t take the time to cull out the really bad pics.
We wound our way back to our cabin at Sylvan Lake around 6pm and took some time to clean out and repack the van. Since it was out last night here (and Taylor’s birthday!), we built a campfire and enjoyed birthday smores. The campfire was a hit – looks like we’ve got yet another generation of Gray pyromaniacs on our hands…
Sara and Larry Cornwell, the artists in residence this month at Sylvan Lake joined us for smores as well. Check out their work at www.rockcreekcarvings.com. It’s so nice to make new friends along the way when you travel.
Pics for the last 3 days can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay4
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay5
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay6
We’re making our way to Cody in the AM. It’s going to be a long day of driving with lots of stops, so we’re off to bed.
Last night another round of thunderstorms moved through as we rested in our cozy cabin at Sylvan Lake. We awoke around 2am or so to move thunder, lightning, rain and hail. The rain moved on through at we awoke around 6am to yet another beautiful day in the Black Hills.
We made our way to the dining room at Sylvan Lake Lodge shortly after 8am and enjoyed a great breakfast to start the day – Taylor’s 10th birthday! Hard to believe the baby girl is already 10. I still vividly remember the day she was born. Steph started having contractions in the middle of the night, so we walked the streets of Belhaven around 2am. We finally called the doctor around 6am and headed to the hospital shortly thereafter. Taylor was born around 5:45pm that day. It seems like only yesterday…
After breakfast, we headed down the mountain to Hill City to catch the 1880’s train – a steam locomotive that runs from Hill City to Keystone. We got caught by a road crew doing some paving on the mountain, and made it on the train with only minutes to spare. The train ride was neat – lots of good scenery, more wildlife – a good way to spend the morning. We got some light rain while on the train, but the skies were clear by the time we returned to Hill City around noon.
In Hill City we walked over to the Alpine Lodge for lunch. The Alpine Lodge is a restaurant and B&B that serves lots of great German specialties. We enjoyed lunch, plus some great desserts and loaded up to check out Mt. Rushmore.
As we drove to Mt. Rushmore, the skies were dark and ominous – lots of black clouds that threatened rain at any minute. Once we arrived at Mt. Rushmore, the skies cleared and we had a beautiful afternoon to enjoy the monument. Mt. Rushmore is another one of those places that pictures simply don’t do justice. When you walk down the plaza and catch your first glimpse of the monument, it’s almost a religious experience. It’s amazing to see what a magnificent piece of work was carved from a bare, rocky mountain top. I couldn’t imagine how the sculptor brought his vision to reality. If you ever get the chance, don’t pass it up.
While at Mt. Rushmore, we caught sight of a couple of mountain goats. One even had a newborn trailing behind her. It was a quite a sight… Taylor and Trey completed a workbook and met all of the requirements to earn their junior ranger badges while at Mt. Rushmore. Both received badges and were sworn in as junior ranges by a park ranger on duty.
After Mt. Rushmore, we made a quick pit stop in Hill City for groceries, gas and internet. We parked at the new Holiday Inn Express and “borrowed” some of their wireless internet. We were able to get pictures for the last 3 days (including most of today) uploaded. There are a few duds among the pics I uploaded, so ignore those. We felt so fortunate to have decent internet access that we didn’t take the time to cull out the really bad pics.
We wound our way back to our cabin at Sylvan Lake around 6pm and took some time to clean out and repack the van. Since it was out last night here (and Taylor’s birthday!), we built a campfire and enjoyed birthday smores. The campfire was a hit – looks like we’ve got yet another generation of Gray pyromaniacs on our hands…
Sara and Larry Cornwell, the artists in residence this month at Sylvan Lake joined us for smores as well. Check out their work at www.rockcreekcarvings.com. It’s so nice to make new friends along the way when you travel.
Pics for the last 3 days can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay4
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay5
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay6
We’re making our way to Cody in the AM. It’s going to be a long day of driving with lots of stops, so we’re off to bed.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Bison, bison everywhere...
Last night we spent our first night in our cozy cabin at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. As we got ready for bed, there was lots of thunder and lightning as a storms began to move into the area. We awoke around 4am with lots of rain and what we suspected was hail. Fortunately, we were all snug and cozy in the cabin. Steph was up early and made some wonderfully strong coffee that we enjoyed on the front porch this morning. After coffee and breakfast for all, we headed over to Sylvan Lake to hike the trail around the lake.
The weather was brisk, and Sylvan Lake was great. The water was cold, crystal clear, and perfectly framed by the large granite outcroppings at one end of the lake. Several people were already out fishing. We worked our war around the lake and enjoyed exploring the trails and rock formations along the way. We found a couple of pockets of ice, confirming our suspicions of hail last night. After the hike, we headed back to the cabin for an early lunch.
After lunch, we headed south to Wind Cave National Park. We worked our way South through Custer State Park and arrived in Wind Cave early afternoon. We had our first bison sighting along the way – 2 bulls enjoying the lush grass along the side of the road. Little did we know that these 2 bison would be the first of probably 250+ bison that we would see today. Along the way to Wind Cave we also came across more prairie dogs than we could count. The kids are ready to adopt a family and move them into our backyard in Madison.
At Wind Cave National Park, we took a 1 hour tour of a portion of the cave. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tour. At one point in the tour, the ranger turned out all of the lights so everyone could experience total darkness – quite a treat.
After finishing at Wind Cave, we worked our way south to the town of Hot Springs, SD and the Mammoth Dig. The Mammoth Dig is an old sinkhole that was discovered in 1974. To date, remains of 56 mammoths have been recovered. We had a great tour of the site, which remains an active fossil dig.
We worked our way North back to Custer State Park and took the wildlife loop through the park on the way back to our cabin. We saw literally more bison than we could count, hundreds of prairie dogs, deer, antelope and lots of turkeys. It’s fast becoming a tradition that when someone in our car sees wildlife, they shout BISON or TURKEY at the top of their lungs. Part of the fun seems to be seeing if your can shout loud enough to scare the driver off the road… We also drove through the herd of wild burrows that call Custer State Park home. Some of these guys were a little too friendly – sniffing the windows of the van and looking for a treat.
We had a long but productive day, so we treated ourselves to dinner at Sylvan Lake Lodge. We dined upon elk, bison, and grilled cheese. (And some red wine…). Everyone enjoyed dinner and the view from the dining room - a great view of the granite formations in the park. Our waiter overhead that tomorrow if Taylor’s birthday, so he made her a rose out of a paper dinner napkin.
After dinner, Steph and Taylor chatted with the artist in residence at Sylvan Lake this month. We had spoken with her earlier this morning. She and her husband make art out of gourds. They live in Illinois, but get all of their gourds from West Point, MS of all places. She told us once a year they make a trek to West Point to pick up a load of gourds. Tonight, Steph and Taylor struck up a conversation with another girl who was checking our the gourd crafts. The girl (Gabby) is from Atlanta, visiting SD with her family, is the same age as Taylor, and will be attending the same summer camp that Taylor is attending – at the same time. Talk about a small world…
Tomorrow we’re off to Hill City, Mt. Rushmore, and hope to try a little trout fishing before the day is out.
Internet is still slow, so no pictures today. Maybe tomorrow if I can poach a fast connection somewhere in Hill City…
The weather was brisk, and Sylvan Lake was great. The water was cold, crystal clear, and perfectly framed by the large granite outcroppings at one end of the lake. Several people were already out fishing. We worked our war around the lake and enjoyed exploring the trails and rock formations along the way. We found a couple of pockets of ice, confirming our suspicions of hail last night. After the hike, we headed back to the cabin for an early lunch.
After lunch, we headed south to Wind Cave National Park. We worked our way South through Custer State Park and arrived in Wind Cave early afternoon. We had our first bison sighting along the way – 2 bulls enjoying the lush grass along the side of the road. Little did we know that these 2 bison would be the first of probably 250+ bison that we would see today. Along the way to Wind Cave we also came across more prairie dogs than we could count. The kids are ready to adopt a family and move them into our backyard in Madison.
At Wind Cave National Park, we took a 1 hour tour of a portion of the cave. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tour. At one point in the tour, the ranger turned out all of the lights so everyone could experience total darkness – quite a treat.
After finishing at Wind Cave, we worked our way south to the town of Hot Springs, SD and the Mammoth Dig. The Mammoth Dig is an old sinkhole that was discovered in 1974. To date, remains of 56 mammoths have been recovered. We had a great tour of the site, which remains an active fossil dig.
We worked our way North back to Custer State Park and took the wildlife loop through the park on the way back to our cabin. We saw literally more bison than we could count, hundreds of prairie dogs, deer, antelope and lots of turkeys. It’s fast becoming a tradition that when someone in our car sees wildlife, they shout BISON or TURKEY at the top of their lungs. Part of the fun seems to be seeing if your can shout loud enough to scare the driver off the road… We also drove through the herd of wild burrows that call Custer State Park home. Some of these guys were a little too friendly – sniffing the windows of the van and looking for a treat.
We had a long but productive day, so we treated ourselves to dinner at Sylvan Lake Lodge. We dined upon elk, bison, and grilled cheese. (And some red wine…). Everyone enjoyed dinner and the view from the dining room - a great view of the granite formations in the park. Our waiter overhead that tomorrow if Taylor’s birthday, so he made her a rose out of a paper dinner napkin.
After dinner, Steph and Taylor chatted with the artist in residence at Sylvan Lake this month. We had spoken with her earlier this morning. She and her husband make art out of gourds. They live in Illinois, but get all of their gourds from West Point, MS of all places. She told us once a year they make a trek to West Point to pick up a load of gourds. Tonight, Steph and Taylor struck up a conversation with another girl who was checking our the gourd crafts. The girl (Gabby) is from Atlanta, visiting SD with her family, is the same age as Taylor, and will be attending the same summer camp that Taylor is attending – at the same time. Talk about a small world…
Tomorrow we’re off to Hill City, Mt. Rushmore, and hope to try a little trout fishing before the day is out.
Internet is still slow, so no pictures today. Maybe tomorrow if I can poach a fast connection somewhere in Hill City…
Sunday, June 1, 2008
We're Rollin' Now Baby...
If I had the time (and a decent internet connection), I could probably write a 100 pages about our travels today. Today was simply amazing, start to finish. We got lost once, but even that turned out to be a wonderful side trip.
Everyone slept well last night at the Hampton. After our "hot" night at the Holiday Inn in St. Louis, we went to bed with the air set a little too low, perhaps. I rolled over at one point and thought I saw it snowing in our room, but perhaps it was a dream... We've been rotating who sleeps with whom every night. One night I get Trey, one night Taylor, and last night I actually got to sleep with Steph. Steph and I assumed we would sleep well without the kids rolling over and punching us in the night. Didn't really work out that way - the kids ended up bumping into each other all night, and Steph was up several times to referee them. We slept a little later than planned, but managed to get it all packed up and back on the road by 8:30am or so.
We headed West on I-90 from Sioux Falls, and shortly outside of town we passed some fellow Mississippians from Madison County driving a large RV and towing a Jeep. We waved as we passed to spread some hometown hospitality. As we drove by, I swear I saw someone feeding $20 bills into the dash to keep that monster moving... Perhaps we'll run into them somewhere in our travels.
Mid-morning we hit Mitchell, SD home of the world famous Corn Palace. The Corn Palace is well, the Corn Palace. It's a neat stop, but I wouldn't plan a trip to SD just to visit the Corn Palace. There was a bit more excitement than usual - Omaba was to speak at a rally there around 3pm today, since the SD primary is on Tuesday. Steph and I hope we can find time to register to vote in SD so we can get our votes cast for Hillary on Tuesday...
After the Corn Palace, we kept pressing through SD at a rapid pace thanks to the 75 MPH speed limit. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the banks of the Missouri River, and then crossed the Missouri again (seems like the 20th time) as we made our way to the Badlands. We stopped about 20 miles east of the Badlands and gassed up ($4.07 gal - UGH). We crossed into the Mountain time zone and cruised on into the Badlands early afternoon.
We took a ton of pictures in the Badlands, but none of them do the place justice. I hope the videos we shot will, but I doubt it. We did some short hikes, and continued our way to the visitor center. After leaving the visitor center, there was a thunderstorm moving through the park. Mostly at a distance, but we did get a little wet. The Badlands are a pretty ominous place, but when you add lots of wind, dark storm clouds and lightning, you get the whole effect. It was a truly amazing experience.
We had some of our first wildlife sightings in the Badlands - several mountain goats (I think) and more prairie dogs than we could count.
We left the Badlands and made the obligatory stop in Wall at Wall Drug around 5:30pm or so. Everyone enjoyed ice cream and ice water and a stretch of the legs.
We moved on across Western South Dakota on our way to Custer State Park. The GPS went nuts, and out map skills weren't quite what they though we were, so we ended up taking the long way to Custer State Park (the REALLY long way). We would our way to and through Keystone, near Mount Rushmore, and caught our first glimpse of the Mt. Rushmore Monument. It was truly striking. After creeping through lots of twisty roads, switchbacks and narrow one lane tunnels, we finally found our way into Custer State Park. The deer were out in full force - we had seen about 20 when I stopped counted. We also came upon a large turkey taking his time to cross the road. We snapped pics of him as he took his time meandering up the hill next to the road. He could have cared less that we were there...
The landscape around Custer State Park is beautiful. Lots of granite outcroppings that we can't wait to go back and explore. The elevation is about 5,000 feet here, so most of the deciduous trees (hope that's the right word...) have just started to flower and send out new leaves. We arrived at Sylvan Lake Lodge at Custer State Park around 8pm MST tonight. We found our way to our cabin, which is truly picture perfect - log walls on the exterior, lots of granite stonework, a large stone porch, and a real stone fireplace to boot. I'm sitting on the front porch now enjoying a cold beer as I type. It's amazing how cheap beer always tastes so much better with great scenery. This is what it's all about. It's also much colder here - about 50 degrees now - crisp but really pleasant with a jacket.
My internet connection is slow at best, so I doubt the 100+ pics we took today will make it into cyberspace tonight. I'll get those up when we wander back into civilization.
Goodnight from the Grays.
Everyone slept well last night at the Hampton. After our "hot" night at the Holiday Inn in St. Louis, we went to bed with the air set a little too low, perhaps. I rolled over at one point and thought I saw it snowing in our room, but perhaps it was a dream... We've been rotating who sleeps with whom every night. One night I get Trey, one night Taylor, and last night I actually got to sleep with Steph. Steph and I assumed we would sleep well without the kids rolling over and punching us in the night. Didn't really work out that way - the kids ended up bumping into each other all night, and Steph was up several times to referee them. We slept a little later than planned, but managed to get it all packed up and back on the road by 8:30am or so.
We headed West on I-90 from Sioux Falls, and shortly outside of town we passed some fellow Mississippians from Madison County driving a large RV and towing a Jeep. We waved as we passed to spread some hometown hospitality. As we drove by, I swear I saw someone feeding $20 bills into the dash to keep that monster moving... Perhaps we'll run into them somewhere in our travels.
Mid-morning we hit Mitchell, SD home of the world famous Corn Palace. The Corn Palace is well, the Corn Palace. It's a neat stop, but I wouldn't plan a trip to SD just to visit the Corn Palace. There was a bit more excitement than usual - Omaba was to speak at a rally there around 3pm today, since the SD primary is on Tuesday. Steph and I hope we can find time to register to vote in SD so we can get our votes cast for Hillary on Tuesday...
After the Corn Palace, we kept pressing through SD at a rapid pace thanks to the 75 MPH speed limit. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the banks of the Missouri River, and then crossed the Missouri again (seems like the 20th time) as we made our way to the Badlands. We stopped about 20 miles east of the Badlands and gassed up ($4.07 gal - UGH). We crossed into the Mountain time zone and cruised on into the Badlands early afternoon.
We took a ton of pictures in the Badlands, but none of them do the place justice. I hope the videos we shot will, but I doubt it. We did some short hikes, and continued our way to the visitor center. After leaving the visitor center, there was a thunderstorm moving through the park. Mostly at a distance, but we did get a little wet. The Badlands are a pretty ominous place, but when you add lots of wind, dark storm clouds and lightning, you get the whole effect. It was a truly amazing experience.
We had some of our first wildlife sightings in the Badlands - several mountain goats (I think) and more prairie dogs than we could count.
We left the Badlands and made the obligatory stop in Wall at Wall Drug around 5:30pm or so. Everyone enjoyed ice cream and ice water and a stretch of the legs.
We moved on across Western South Dakota on our way to Custer State Park. The GPS went nuts, and out map skills weren't quite what they though we were, so we ended up taking the long way to Custer State Park (the REALLY long way). We would our way to and through Keystone, near Mount Rushmore, and caught our first glimpse of the Mt. Rushmore Monument. It was truly striking. After creeping through lots of twisty roads, switchbacks and narrow one lane tunnels, we finally found our way into Custer State Park. The deer were out in full force - we had seen about 20 when I stopped counted. We also came upon a large turkey taking his time to cross the road. We snapped pics of him as he took his time meandering up the hill next to the road. He could have cared less that we were there...
The landscape around Custer State Park is beautiful. Lots of granite outcroppings that we can't wait to go back and explore. The elevation is about 5,000 feet here, so most of the deciduous trees (hope that's the right word...) have just started to flower and send out new leaves. We arrived at Sylvan Lake Lodge at Custer State Park around 8pm MST tonight. We found our way to our cabin, which is truly picture perfect - log walls on the exterior, lots of granite stonework, a large stone porch, and a real stone fireplace to boot. I'm sitting on the front porch now enjoying a cold beer as I type. It's amazing how cheap beer always tastes so much better with great scenery. This is what it's all about. It's also much colder here - about 50 degrees now - crisp but really pleasant with a jacket.
My internet connection is slow at best, so I doubt the 100+ pics we took today will make it into cyberspace tonight. I'll get those up when we wander back into civilization.
Goodnight from the Grays.
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