Yellowstone

I had to work on Thursday so Sarah picked Dad up from the airport. I got home around midnight and talked with Dad for a bit while Sarah went to bed. Up bright and early the next morning and we got on the road around 1030. Then we proceeded to drive...and drive.

We took the Interstate route because it would be faster we assumed. It was also well known to us and we just didn't feel like risking wasting time getting there. We had Myself, Sarah, Dad, Michael, Max and Satchel in the truck pulling the house along behind us. We ran the numbers and it was about a wash money wise so we decided to take the house and have all our stuff with us.

There were repeated bathroom breaks and food stops and fuel stops. IT took a bit longer than we anticipated to get there and about 20 miles or so from our destination it grew even darker and started raining. Boo. We got there and it was around 40 degrees and raining. Not the most fun setup. Luckily we pulled in and were there. No back and forth jockeying for position. We got set up, got in and dried off.

Of course we sat up too late talking and tossing back some wine, but it was worth it.

The next morning dawned and we got to have a good look at our campground.




Then we drove the 20 miles to Yellowstone. Dad decided he would pay for the entrance fee. It is either $25 per vehicle and $16 per person or you can buy an annual pass that gets you and anyone in your vehicle in for $50 for one year. So Dad gets his card and his ID out and the ranger asks if Dad wants to buy a Senior pass which gets everyone in the vehicle in and it is a lifetime pass...the price, $10. Yes and thank you.

There is too much pretty in Yellowstone. Spending 9-10 hours a day for two days there covered about 70% of the 15% of the park that is covered by the main roads. Barely a scratch. It was amazing. If you want to see more pictures, friend me on Facebook here unless you already are a friend, then just go look. I will put up one or two of my favorites here though.








During some of the drive my Dad would tell Michael a story. You could tell by listening that he was making it up on the spot. The stories were fantastic and silly and Michael ate them up. He would video tape them with the flip camera and then watch them again as soon as the story was over and the many minutes were filled with the sound of, "Do you have a story yet?", "Nope, it's still percolating." They were awesome.

Poor Satchel spent most of the trip sitting in the truck underneath the feet of Michael and Max. We got him out whenever we could but they don't let dogs on many of the trails. It was awesome and amazing and we can't wait to do it again. Hopefully we can stay longer next time.

We ate too much fast food in the truck, drank too much wine at home after long days driving and told too many stories. It was wonderful.

Then we drove home. This time we stayed off the Interstate. This let us drive past some more scenic territory and visit Craters of the Moon again. This time we got to drive the loop and see a bit more of the place. Still couldn't stay long. I did get a good picture of Flo and Irv hitched up in front of the Grand Tetons.

Getting ready.

In between work shifts we are getting ready for my Dad to arrive. Then on to Yellowstone. I'm really looking forward to the trip and I think Dad is too. The air conditioner hasn't worked for the past three days and I finally tracked down the problem today and fixed it.

I'm taking tomorrow off to watch football.

My next day off is Wednesday and I will be taking the time to do final pre travel checks on IRV. Tire pressure and whatnot.

Working on some interesting ideas. We will see.

Quiet day today

Got some shopping done. It is the last day Grandma and Papa are in town. Just took it pretty easy. Two fun little quote from the day. One will remain anonymous.

Driving through Boise today I was reminded of how different is it from your typical big city when I heard, "You know, the people walking down here don't look homeless."

Then there was Max who walked up, kissed Sarah on the chest and then kissed me on the chest. Looks up and smiles before saying, "I kissed you on your heart."

Steam train

Today we loaded up Sarah's parents and took them adventuring. All the way up to Sumpter OR. WE had planned this particular excursion prior to finding out they were coming so they got to come along. IT is an old steam train that runs between Mckewn and Sumpter. About a 40 minute trip with an hour layover or so. That gave us time to go see the Sumpter Dredge. This huge barge with a linked bucket dredge carved this valley up in search of gold. It left huge piles of gravel and rocks and a weird canal system you can see from google earth. It's crazy. If you want, go to Google maps and then go to Baker City OR and then scroll WSW to Sumpter and if you are zoomed in close enough you will see the trail this thing left all over the valley.

It was hot, not as hot as most of the country, but still hot. A good adventure day.

Big days

Today was a banner day. Big times for any young boy.



Yup, Michael rode his bike today without training wheels and didn't crash once. We are very proud of him. He has only tried a few times without the training wheels. Max zoomed along all around us on his new training wheel bike. Then everything stopped when we saw this...



Yep all action for two little boys stops when a garter snake crosses the path.

Michael called it the best day ever. Max did too. Of course 20 minutes later Max said it was the worst day ever because he didn't want to eat his sandwich. Ahhh, the fickle finger of Max.

Daily life

I can't recall if I mentioned it in any past posts and quite frankly, I'm too lazy to look. Sarah and I bought bicycles off of Craigslist and have been riding most days. With her parents here we have even been able to ride together, which has been nice. Now, two out of the four rides we have taken together have ended in flat tires. Plus another from a solo ride thrown in for good measure. They have each been caused by thorns. The thorns here mean business! Sarah stepped on one the other day and lost some blood over it.

We had a good time at the fair yesterday. There we turned one kid into a motorcycle racer.



And the other into a hamster.

Visitors

Sarah's parents are in town. We are keeping it pretty low key. Hanging out at the house, letting them soak up some grandkid time. We did make it out to the Peregrine Fund Birds of Prey center Just South of Boise. Birds of prey know they're cool.

The noisy fair is going on next door. Because of the fair, the RV park is full. We can hear the rides and the concerts from our bedroom. The tornado fans we bought in Poplar Bluff to white out the road noise continue to earn their keep. Might have to turn them off when Kool and the Gang or Cheap Trick plays though. Woohooo!