A few weeks
ago, we were able to take a quick trip to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. We were excited to show the boys all that this beautiful area had to offer, and were lucky enough to have a great place to stay (thanks again Aunt Daryl) and family to enjoy it with. After a long day of flying and layovers we landed in Jackson Hole, on the approach the view was spectacular of the Grand Teton National Park. We were picked up by Grandma Kathy and PaPa and were on our way, we had a fun picnic and explored Jenny Lake. The boys were fascinated with all the "BEAR SAFETY" signs and precautions...I was just glad we didn't run into Yogi :)
The next day we started early. Of course, we stopped at the entrance for a picture to prove we were really there and then proceeded to Old Faithful. The boys were super excited to see this famous geyser and as we walked around on the many trails they loved finding more geysers and hot pools. Parker loved the geysers and Jordan's favorite was the pools, Daddy liked the bubbling mud pots, but nobody liked the stinky fumerals :)
After a long (3 hour) walk we found a beautiful spot along the Fire River for a picnic and to soak out feet. It was fun because the water was warm"ish" and the boys enjoyed wading out to a little island. Taleah even liked splashing in the river.
We participated in the Junior Ranger program, and found a fun Jr Ranger station with lots of horns,hooves,tracks and antlers to touch and feel. Parker liked trying all the horns on for size, while Taleah tried to eat the buffalo fur YUCK! Jordan was very attentive at the two presentations and really learned a lot about buffalo (his favorite) and volcano activity.
Ryan, boys and I ran down to the overlook of Gibbon Falls while Taleah watched Grandma and PaPa in the car. Some time was spent shopping (I loved the Park Princess vest we found for Taleah) and exploring the visitor center in Mammoth. We ended the day with one last hike through the upper basin. Thanks Grandma Kathy for all the teaching and playing you did with the boys, I guess the school teacher never retires !
Day two began with a stroll over the famous Fishing Bridge, Jordan was lucky enough to spot a fish. Parker was super busy marking off all the animals and fowl that we saw, he was an awesome book keeper of our trip.
A quick stop at the cute little store, and treats from PaPa. Taleah loved this rocker and would have stayed there all day.
Here are some pictures of our animal spotters. We were lucky to see a good variety of animals. I love the one of Parker out the top of the van and of Jordan with the spotting glass that is bigger than him!
We saw a lot of buffalo, including a small herd of females and babies with a few males on the beach. They had prime real estate!
Parker spotted a Bald Eagle flying and the landing on the tallest tree. From then on a Eagle is his favorite animal.
We saw two caterpillars, several gorgeously colored dragonflies, a fish, a small coyote, a fox, an entire herd of elk.
The best was a pack of wolves hunting. We heard their calls, saw them gather and hunt a buffalo and then us! We started a crazy traffic jam of cars and the people followed us out into the field. The wolves didn't mind, in fact we even got to see them play, run and jump. I just glad we all made it out of the field intact :)
We hiked to more falls and saw the "Yellow - Stone" that the park was named after. The fun yet stinky mud pots (I won't tell you what Ryan said, that the boys are still laughing about...use your imagination) was a quick hike, that ended in the discovery of a real dragon cave...he was even blowing fire (smoke) ask the boys!
Parker and Jordan worked really hard and earned their Junior Ranger badges in both the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks. I am really proud of all their hard work and all the they learned. Thanks Grandma Kathy again for helping us out and guiding us through.
Of course there was always plenty to eat. Grandma Kathy packed wonderful picnic lunches and PaPa treated us to ice cream! We even had these cute little "raisin-grapes" that were super tiny and fun to eat. Taleah LOVED eating these and could suck them right off the vine.
On our last day we explored the historic Harper's Ferry. We shopped in a old country store, explored the original cabin and homestead and even got to cross the river on the ferry! This was really enjoyed by both the boys and Ryan! It was cool to see how the ferry worked, and the view was amazing!
The guide at Harper's Ferry mentioned "Mormon Row" in passing, and Ryan wanted to go find it and explore. This was a old Mormon settlement, which has been abandoned for the most part. It was fun to see the old houses and barns, to walk through the fields and to get a hint at what life would have been like for our pioneers. At the end on the "row" is a homestead still occupied and turned into a cute little bed and breakfast, it looked super fun! I loved all the pictures we took, especially of my boys walking in the field, my country princess and of course the little bear bum in the tree !
The boys spent some time swimming while we packed, they can not pass up the chance to swim :) Parker and Ryan took this picture for Tyson (who served his mission in Montana). We spent some time in the super cool , very plush and relaxing Jackson Hole Airport. The boys played phone games ( of course) while Taleah explored the fun "cow hide" couches. Then we flew home with another successful trip under our belts :) Thanks again to everyone who made this trip possible and fantastic!
