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!
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