Summer Time--Headed Home

We were ready to head home when the time came.  We'd been away for  two and a half weeks and we were facing a week's drive ahead of us.   We altered our plans a bit and decided to hold off on visiting Glacier National Park.   It was a good decision.  We headed North out of  Gardiner and then turned east.  We were trying to make Teddy Roosevelt National Park on the Western side of North Dakota that evening. 

Pompey's Pillar

 We pretty much just drove that first day, though we did stop at a National Historic Monument called Pompey's Pillar.  I don't think it's the kid of place people make a destination but we saw the sign on the freeway and decided a stretch of our legs was in order.   It was about the Lewis and Clark expedition and was interesting.  Hyrum really liked it.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

 We continued on our way and arrived at the park just before closing time.  We stopped in the Visitor's Center, stamped our passports, purchased our patch and magnet and then as we were preparing to leave, Hyrum had an opportunity to help the Ranger take down the flag.   We made our camp down in the shade of some trees enjoyed some dinner and went to bed.  It was a quick stop and really just a place to sleep but, little did we know the next morning would bring some new perspective.

Wild Horses at TRNP

 North Dakota is no where near the top of my list of beautiful places but I've learned that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places.  Tuesday morning we got up and packed up camp and headed out of the park.  We decided to take come time though to drive a loop though the park.  I really wanted to get on the road home but I am so glad we took this extra time. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

This park is amazing.  The scenery is so interesting and beautiful.  It was like nothing I'd ever seen before.  I can understand how Theodore Roosevelt was so inspired by it.  We saw prairie dogs, wild horses, and bison as well.  This is another unexpected places that begs to be explored further.  It was a really neat places.

White Butte, ND

The next day we drove through North Dakota and stopped for a couple hours at White Butte, the highest point in North Dakota.  Due to little legs and my fear of rattlesnakes on a trail rumored to have them in abundance, the little kids and I stayed at the car while Hyrum, Hannah and Jonathan hike to the top of the butte.   The weather was warm but the car stayed relatively cool in the shadowed parts and we kept ourselves busy with snacks and tidying up a bit.  Hyrum and the kids had a good hike and didn't see any snakes.

Hannah and Jonathan trudging up the butte.

After that we decided a hot meal was in order so we stopped at Arby's and then decided a bed would also be good that night.   Hyrum's, brother's mother-in-law lives just over the Minnesota border so we called her up to see if we could spend a night there.  She was so kind and let us stay the night even though she was heading out of town for a few days.  She even went grocery shopping for our breakfast.  She is a fabulous women, I hope to see again.

Thank you for the beds and showers!

Wednesday we made our way across Minnesota to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.   There we hoped to hike Michigan's highest point the next day.  We camped at a state park and the mosquitoes were terrible.  It had been a really long time since I'd seen mosquitoes as bad as we had here and at Yellowstone.   We didn't spend a whole lot of time outside at our camping spot.

Trail to Mount Arvon, we think.

 Mount Arvon, Michigan's highest point is found (one hopes) amidst a maze of logging roads.  They can change without much warning.  We got a little lost and weren't able to make that highpoint.  We'll get it another time though.


We were really hoping to make it home on Thursday so we made minimal stops and arrived home around 12:30 am.  It was so nice to be home in our beds.  Hyrum was a trooper because he does all the driving and had been at it for a while.  It was great to arrive a few days earlier too so we had some extra time to unwind before appointments and preparing to go back to school and all things that come with Fall and real life.

Wake-Up, We're home.

It was a good trip, busy and hectic at times, but we saw people we love, and some really awesome sights.  I am thankful we could have this time together as a family.  It isn't always easy but I think, as the kids grow, it will make all the difference in our relationships.

Now we're on to planning next summer's adventures. 

Summer Time--Reunion #4, Yellowstone

Hyrum's grandparents have taken their family to Yellowstone every ten years for a while to commemorate their wedding anniversary.  in 2009, they decided maybe every five years was a better idea so we've now been able to go twice.  This year was great.  The kids enjoyed it and I think they will remember a lot more.  We had some neat experiences and saw some really beautiful sights.  It was our last event before heading home and so was a little more relaxed than the rest of the trip thus far.

Mystic Falls in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin

The crew

Since we headed there from Island park we arrived in the park much earlier than the rest of the clan.   Our family decided to hike a few miles before checking into our cabin.  It was a good hike with a pretty steep point but we all made it.  I was really surprised by the mosquitoes that attacked us on the way down--it ended up being a portent of what was to come.   At one point we looked behind us and realized we could see Old Faithful erupting in the distance.  The kids thought that was pretty neat. 

Old Faithful Eruption from Mystic Falls Hike

We stayed in the cabins near Old Faithful and that is always fun.  Saturday morning started with family pictures with Grandma and Grandpa and of course the whole group.  This part of the family add up to 60 people.  We were only missing four--all of which are currently serving LDS missions.  Pretty crazy.  in the next few months we'll add three more people to that number with a wedding and two babies.  They are all amazing people too.

We went to Fishing bridge after that and let the kids wade in Yellowstone Lake.  This was the high point for them.   They loved letting the waves crash on their legs.  Next time, we'll go equipped with swimming suits though. 

Wading in Yellowstone Lake.  It was cold.

This boy loves the water.

Sunday we had all day before church meetings that night so we met Hyrum's parents and siblings for a photo-op at Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  It dates back to the first year Hyrum's parents went and his mom took a picture with the kids in front of the falls next to a particular pine tree.   Every time we go and re-take the picture with the original 6 and then add in those of us who've have come along through the years.   It's a fun way to document the passage of time.   Afterwards we drove down the road and enjoyed a picnic with everyone. 

Yellowstone Canyon overlook with the cousins.

We headed north while everyone else headed south.  This is where the highlight of this trip happened for me.  Every time I've been to Yellowstone my only wish has been to see a bear and a moose.  We're still working on the moose and that wish has tempered a bit but, I finally got my bear.  We were driving a long and traffic got really backed up.  We expected bison or elk were the culprits but no, there was a black bear enjoying his lunch by the side of the road.   There were plenty of silly people getting way too close but we enjoyed the view from our car. 

Black Bear

View from our drive near Mammoth.

Monday we left bright and early and headed northeast out of the park and stopped at Mammoth.  The kids enjoyed the formations there and it was fun for Hyrum and I to re-visit our honeymoon spots of nine years before. 

The kids at Mammoth Hot Spring formations.

It was a crazy long trip but I'm glad we were able to see all the family we did.  We love all of them and we are glad we can be together forever through the promises of our Heavenly Father.  We also enjoyed seeing so many of His wonderful creations.  I spent more time outside on this trip than I had in a long time and it was lovely.  I am so thankful for this wonderful planet and the beauty that surrounds us if we'll open our eyes a little wider and pause for a little longer. 

Summer Time--Reunion #3, Island Park ID

As our parents families grow we feel a need and desire to spend quality time together since quantity is a bit hard to come by with everyone's busy lives.   Hyrum's brother, Ian, was instrumental in pushing along plans for a reunion with Hyrum's parents and their family.  Plans were made and this summer was the summer.  Timing turned out to be excellent since Brigham had just been married and Ian will be getting married this Fall.  Myself and the little kids got to meet their two newest aunts. 

Science with cornstarch and water

Hyrum's parents rented a fabulous cabin in the woods in Island Park, ID, about 2 hours outside of Yellowstone.  There was a great wrap-around porch the kids loved running on, a great room big enough for us all and a well-stocked kitchen.   Outside there was a swing set, fire pit, horseshoes, and room for outside family games.  There was also a comfy hammock and a basement great for late night card games.

Grandpa made a great Santa!

We spent a few days just hanging out.  We ate good food, played fun and silly games, crafted and just enjoyed each others company.  I look forward to getting to know each of these people better.

Marshmallow wars

Late night nerts.

How many people can we get in the hammock?

Playing ball

More hammock dwellers

Summer Time--Family Reunions, #1 and #2 in Utah

The reason for this years road trip was a series of family reunions conveniently planned in the same two week time period.  Thursday we had a day of laundry and groceries, and a visit with my grandparents.  Our reunion party started with family pictures with my parents and siblings.  This was the first time we had all been together since Hyrum and I graduated from college nine years ago.  There was always someone missing. 

After pictures, we hurried to the campground so we could set up our tent before it really started raining. The next day we were up bright and early and enjoyed a tasty pancake breakfast.  The kids were quick to find the river behind our site and we spent the rest of the day on the little beach and in the water.  After lunch we wised up and let them put their swimming suits on.  The kids fared pretty well but I think just about all the adults came away with a little or a lot of sunburn.  It was fun just to sit around and talk.  Of course there was  a water fight too. 

The next day was Saturday and we left after lunch to head to our second reunion with Hyrum's paternal grandparents.  It was nice to see that side of the family.  We joined them for dinner and pictures.  We weren't there long since kids were really tired and so was mom.  I am grateful though for those good people in our lives. 

Sunday, we met my family for church.  We then went back to our home base for much needed naps and a/c.  Those couple days in Utah were hot.  We joined them again for dinner and enjoyed a few more hours with my family. 


Monday we ended up cancelling our other plans in favor of doing laundry, going to the temple, and once more provisioning for our trip north the next day.  It was so nice to relax a bit that day.  Aunt Sarah took Hannah and Jonathan to the Aquarium for the afternoon so that was another added blessing and break.   Some friends from Texas live a few blocks for Hyrum's aunts where we were staying so I was able to stop in for a few minutes on my way to the store.  The downside to such a busy trip is that we never get to see everyone we want to.   It was a whirlwind few days that tested my mental and emotional limits.  We loved seeing the family we could and look forward to being back with a little more downtime. 

Summer Time--Going West

After Nauvoo, we continued our trek West with a few more stops.  First up for the day was Charles Mound, Illinois.  That would be the highest point in Illinois.  One of Hyrum's life goals is to climb the highest points in the United States.  He added the caveat that he can't get states next to each other in the same year.  He says it's to spare me but I think it is his way of dragging it out as we travel across country every year. 

Charles Mound is located on private property and only open to high pointers four weekends a year.  We just happened to be passing on an open weekend.   We drove out to the middle of nowhere in Illinois, parked our car at the side of the road and trudged up the drive.  We passed a cow pasture, soybean fields, a pond, a man on a lawnmower and the other people who had come to hike the Mound, there were quite a few.  It was a 2 mile hike round trip and the kids did a great job.  They enjoyed looking around and we even found a few wild blackberries to samples.  We can now say we've been to the top of Illinois.

After Charles Mound we headed east to the Field of Dreams movie set.  The original baseball field and corn field are still there and you can go play a game, have a catch, run the bases or run in the corn.  That is of course just what we did.  It's all free, though of course there is a handy booth for purchasing memorabilia.

Then we were off so we could make it to Omaha that night.  The next day was Sunday so we went to church and drove all day.  We pulled into Rocky Mountain National Park around 8:30.  We hurried to put up the tent and get a quick dinner before night came. 

When we go camping, morning comes early and when the sun rises around 5:30 am it comes really early.  We got up and by 9 am we were on our way to the trail head for a 3.5 mile hike.  Things started out a little rough for Charlotte but once we got her going she was a hiker extraordinaire.  I carried Spencer for the duration of the hike since little legs really slow you down and there was a lot of traffic on the path.

There were three lakes on the trail, Dream Lake, Nymph Lake and Emerald Lake.  Each was prettier than the last and Emerald Lake was well worth the extra steep climb at the end.  The setting of the clear mountain lake under the mountain ridge was just beautiful.

We were glad we started out early because things began to warm up quite a bit as we made our way down the mountain.  We spent the rest of the day chasing the shade from our canopy at our camping site and the kids played with the kids in the site next to us.

That night we had some rain and wind making for a very long night.  We found out our tent doesn't do well in the wind as it buckled in on the kids.  Thankfully we stayed dry and the made it through without having any serious problems.

The next day we left early under clouds and fog.  It was only about 45º when we got on the road and headed out of the park.  We saw a large elk enjoying his breakfast once we rose out of the fog.

Our next stop was a lunch stop at Wendy's and the grocery store.  Our meal provisions had run short.  We then made our way to Vernal and Dinosaur National Monument.  It was pretty warm once we got there so we found a camping spot and went back to the visitors center.  From there we took the shuttle out the old dinosaur quarry.  It was kind of neat to see the place where the dinosaur bones we see in Pittsburgh came from.  Charlotte was disappointed because there aren't a lot of dinosaurs put together, just bones in the wall.  I don't think I would make it a destination but it was a good place to stop since we had time.

Back at camp, we waded in the Green River for a bit and once it started cooling down we ate dinner and let the kids play for a bit then off the bed.  The next day we were back on the road by 8 am and anxious to get to Provo and hot showers.

It was a good trip.  I'm glad we stopped and got to see some really neat things.  Rocky Mountain National Park is definitely on our list of places to stop again.