Yeah, there've been a few overnighters here and there, but this was the first "real" one. And it was great.
We left for Yellowstone on the 20th. We got on the road by 9:00 am, which I thought was really something to brag about.
We went the Jackson way thinking it would be faster due to the major road closure in the Park. We were wrong. There was serious construction getting into the Park and so what should have been a 5 1/2 hour drive turned into 7. It was long, but the kids really did a great job. I had a basket full of activities, snacks, and movies and they really kept pretty darned entertained. Cannon was the only limiting factor, as he is hardly entertained by anything at this age (you know, except by being held or walking around -- two things that just don't happen in the car). He did very well, all things considered, and that helped the other kids to do well, too.
As we drove into Yellowstone, the kids immediately started looking for wildlife. We were treated to several buffalo, one of which was very close...so close, in fact, that the kids all wanted to get back in the car. We also caught a glimpse of a coyote and an elk that first day.
We got to our cabin at the Canyon village and ate dinner at a picnic area nearby. We bought a very cool Camp Chef oven (it has 2 burners on top and an oven on the bottom...a real oven that holds a 9x13 pan!). We used that to cook tin foil dinners, as there are pretty strict no fire rules at most of the picnic areas.
While the dinners were cooking, we went to look at a group of buffalo that were right by the picnic area. We were within 25 yards of them and they just hung out right next to us. As they started to move in closer, we felt like it was a good time to get back to eating and leaving quickly. The kids ate great and then we headed back to the cabin. We decided to take one little loop that was off the main road and I'm glad we did. We saw an elk within about 10 yards of us! I don't know that I've ever seen so much wildlife in Yellowstone before. It was so cool. The kids absolutely loved all the animals.
Okay, they don't look like they're loving anything in this picture, but whatever.
He spent most of his vacation in this or a stroller. Not his favorite places, but he did well, all things considered.
We finally got back to the cabin and got ready for bed. It was a typical first night --- LONG. And sleepless. But we made it through and headed off for our next day's adventures.
On Friday, we went to another picnic area to make breakfast. While we waited for the muffins, the kids ran up a hill into a very pretty meadow. After breakfast, I went with them again.
These were the treasures they collected for me during breakfast. Lily wasn't allowed to go on the hike with us the second time around because she was whining so bad. I think the grape was from her?
One of the many, many buffalo we saw on this trip and not one of the closest up.We hit most of the sights we were wanting to visit. We drove the lower loop all the way around and started at the Artist Paint Pots. It was the perfect little path for the kids to walk on. They enjoyed taking pictures of things with their own disposable cameras.
With their cameras at the Paint Pots. Lily: "I've got to get a video of this, Mom!"I was surprised at how many looks we got from people even at a place like this. We were a definite stand out with our four young kids. People are and were generally very kind, though.
After the paint pots, we caught Old Faithful. Luckily, we only had to wait about 25 minutes. I don't think the kids would have lasted much longer. I was surprised at how totally enthralled with the geyser the girls were. They absolutely loved it! They shot way too many pictures of it, but oh well, that's why they got their own cameras.
We had a picnic after Old Faithful. Simple lunch of sandwiches, chips, and fruit. Stanton took the kids on a little walk, which was good because he'd been pretty upset with them after Old Faithful (I think Chloe was being a stinker about buckling up or something--- we were all tired). They all came back happy.
After our picnic, we started to drive back to the cabin, but ended up deciding to go see the Lower Falls. We got Cannon in the backpack (thanks, MN8), Brigham in the stroller, and the girls by our sides. We headed down the trail about 1/4 of the way in, a couple stopped us and told us we wouldn't be able to take the stroller down because there were stairs most of the rest of the way. We got Brig out and made a decision: we were going down that trail. I'm happy to report that we did it. 328 stairs down and 328 stairs back up. The kids were amazing. Chloe went down mostly by herself while Lily & Brig held my hands very tightly. Stanton had Cannon on his back and the stroller in one hand all folded up. He was a machine.
We got so many crazy looks from people seeing us go down the trail. We also got a lot of "good luck" "you're crazy" "do you know how far down that is?" and "wow, you're brave" comments.
The hike was totally worth it. Those falls are stunning. They have this neat green hue to them on one side that really captivated Lily. Chloe just loved getting her heart beating fast and seeing all the scenery, while Brigham thought the rocks and water were "ohwesome." A girl who'd passed us on the way down happened to still be down there when we arrived and insisted she take a family picture of us. I'm glad she did.
We headed back up and the kids were amazing. I only carried Brigham up one flight of stairs, maybe two. They loved seeing how fast they could get their hearts to "beep" and the promise of ice cream cones carried them up the stairs that would possibly have seemed too much otherwise.
This was the zone where Chloe really shone. She loved loved loved the challenge of all those stairs. She finished well before the rest of us and was full of energy to spare. I loved watching that.
We took a quick walk to a view of the Upper Falls and then headed to the village for ice cream. It was the best $13 we ever spent (expensive, right?!, but totally worth it). It was fun to see them all messy after earning such a treat. I'd say this was all of our favorite excursion of the whole trip.
We had an easy dinner of hot dogs cooked on the camp chef. We ate at the cabin and then got everyone to bed. It was a much better night!
We did discover on this night that Lily has sleep apnea. She had woken up suddenly at about 1 am and so I took her out to the car so she wouldn't wake everyone else up with her crying. She got under control and I took her back inside. She went back to sleep easily, but I couldn't sleep for another two and a half hours. For the first hour I listened to her snore and for the second hour and a half, I listened to her snore in a long breath, hold it for several seconds, and then gasp for another breath. Crazy! She'll be getting her (giant) tonsils out this year for sure.
We woke up refreshed (most of us) and ready for our last day in the park. Actually, it was our drive home day. We ate breakfast in the car and didn't stop at all until Old Faithful because Cannon fell asleep. We did get "stuck" behind several buffalo on our way, though. I say "stuck" because it wasn't the least bit annoying. In fact, it was a really fun way to end our animal filled trip to Yellowstone. The kids loved taking pictures of them (actually, I think Brig was the only one with any film left at that point) and I'll admit, I took a ton of pictures, too. They're really beautiful animals.
We stopped at Old Faithful for a potty break and to look at souvenirs. I found a moose hat for $10 that I love. The ones the kids wanted were pretty expensive, so we decided to wait till we got to West Yellowstone and see if we could find cheaper souvenirs there. We did, so I'm glad we waited.
We stopped in Rexburg for another potty break and drove around the campus of BYU-I. It was fun to see where I used to live (back in the Ricks days -- I always feel compelled to throw that in) and how much the campus has changed.
We planned to stop at my folks' house in Blackfoot, but Cannon fell asleep near Idaho Falls, so we drove straight through.
We stopped at the stairs near where? I don't know, Downey or somewhere on that road into Cache Valley and got a lunch ready for the kids. Once again, Chloe LOVED those stairs. She was amazing! All the kids loved stretching out their legs and even Cannon climbed all the way to the top. It was a welcome stop, as Cannon had screamed non-stop for the 30 minutes previous.
We finally got home at about 6:30. We got everything unpacked (amazing, I know!!) and can I just mention that Chloe was so amazing while we unpacked? It was like she decided she was the babysitter. She kept Lily and Brigham entertained and happy for a full hour and a half while we got everything put away. I feel like this trip bonded the three of them in a way. It was a really great evening and the kids, as well as Stanton and I, were very happy to be in our own beds.
I'm sure we have that amnesia that happens after you have a baby, because in spite of the sometimes extremely aggravating moments on the trip (you know, the yelling, fighting, name calling -- oh, you think I'm only talking about the kids?), as we made the trip home, we were already planning our next trip. I hope we get to Yellowstone every year. It's a really incredible place and I'm so glad we took the kids there.
Coming soon: Conversations -- Yellowstone Edition and Kids' View of Yellowstone.
