Stuff it!

 On our major loop around Yellowstone and over to Cody, we went through a small town (can’t remember the name of it), and Alex spied a general store and asked his mom to stop. We were glad he did. 

There was a side room that contained dozens of various stuffed animals!  Truly magnificent. 

What a nice surprise. 

Glacier NP

After getting settled into our new CG outside Glacier NP, the kids took off to go visit the park, and Dick and I visited downtown Columbia Falls. He scored some good waders at a thrift store, so maybe he will try his hand at fishing one of these days. 

Today, we got an early start for Going-to-the-Sun Road, with not much traffic. Some idiot drove his 35’ Moho up the road (signs clearly state NO vehicles over 21’), which earned him a park ranger escort up to a wide spot to turn around and get escorted back OFF the mountain...and hopefully a heavy fine!  Here’s your sign...stupid!

Amy heads E tomorrow, while we go to Idaho and poke around a bit. Pray for safe travels for our gal!  We will miss y’all!!!

Final day in W Yellowstone

 Amy and the boys went bike riding in the park both yesterday and this morning, riding 7 miles today. 

Dick and I had planned to drive in to say goodbye to Old Faithful this morning, but traffic into the park was backed up way into town. No thank you. We instead drove a bit W to check out other campgrounds for possible visits but didn’t find anything we liked better than Bakers Hole. And the price is right!

I left Dick to tinker yesterday and poked around town right by myself.  It was fun and not too crowded.  I got a couple of photos of the painted buffalo found all over town.

Tomorrow is a travel day as we head up to Glacier NP for a couple of nights. We are living the cool evenings!

 

Yellowstone NP

We piled in the Jeep and drove around the N end of Yellowstone and over to Cody, WY, for lunch. Since Dick and I were just at the Buffalo Bill Center last summer, the kids toured that while I hit up the grocery store. They could have spent all day at the Center, but we didn’t have that much time, so back to Yellowstone we went. 

Mammoth Hot Springs is sadly mostly dried up. The Lamar Valley is a great place for spotting buffalo, and yesterday we hit the mother lode. We saw several herds that must have totaled well over a thousand head!  Saw some waterfalls and a deer here and there. 

The solenoid on our towed quit on us, but Dick was able to order a replacement, so playing mechanic filled up his morning, and Amy and I did laundry. That stuff goes on no matter where we are!

Grand Teton NP

We all love this area and have some various exploring. We tried for the gondola ride in Teton Village yesterday evening, but the line was too long and we gave up and left. 

Jason and Will played golf over in Idaho today. The rest of us putzed around the CG. Dick played Mechanic Man on the moho, then we all took the afternoon off and drove through the park. The Hensons took a boat ride across Jenny Lake. It was too early for animals to be out, but two bucks walked n front of the Henson’s moho while we were eating dinner!  Score!

Tomorrow is our final day here. Yellowstone next!

Goodbye to Grand Lake

Dick and I decided to go eat one more time at Grand Lake Lodge. It was another great meal, so enjoy a little food porn!  

Since it was getting dusk, we drove a short way into the park and were treated to a nice herd of elk, deer, a fox near the CG, and a cute mini donkey inside the CG. 

We will be back!

Rocky Mountain National Park

We all love this park, and headed there just as soon as we could get settled into the campground just outside the park yesterday. Amy made reservations for dinner at Grand Lake Lodge, which is so outstanding, Dick and I are going there again tonight. 

The Henson fam drove the whole park today over to Estes Park, and they will have dinner together over there. 

So, here is the deal in the photos. That little bit of a stream with wildflowers is the beginning of the famous Colorado River. Dick and I walked across it yesterday. The Henson’s will do the same today. Boom. I’m sure they will have photos for me to share another day. Y’all don’t need photos of our laundry and fix-it fest today from the CG. With lots of horses and their droppings around!  The weather is fabulous; mild days and cool nights requiring a bit of heat. Perfection!

Tomorrow, we head up to Wyoming. WYWH!

Friday Funday

Today was a great day for our hot springs experience. Overcast and not hot, well, except for the water. We had various choices for different temperatures, plus a pool to cool down. Oh, our day started with an eagle spotted in a tree by the river. We never saw another one. Bummer. 

After lunch at Rocky Mountain Pizza, Dick took the kids several miles away and dropped them and bikes off to ride the trail by the Colorado River. I did a little grocery shopping, then picked Dick up at the trailhead parking lot where he had left Amy’s Jeep, then we came on back to the moho. I fixed dinner for all of us (Amy and I are taking turns)... a one-pot meal of creamy pesto chicken.  Everyone gave it a thumbs up. 

Just another day in the life of the travelers...and wishing blogger would put the photos up correctly. Oh well, y’all can figure out the correct order!

Thursday adventures in Glenwood Springs

A gondola ride, cave adventure, alpine coaster ride...wow, fun for everyone. 

The boys really loved the ride down the mountain, each in his own car. Will said he hardly used his brake. I’m glad I wasn’t watching!  They both survived and no one got hurt. 

Dick, Amy, and stood in line for quite awhile to see the caves there under the top of the mountain. Apparently they have about 15 miles of caves, but our almost hour of caving was enough for all of us!

So, we moved to just off I-70 in a Forest Service CG in “shady acres.”  The price is right; it is convenient, and with the temps going down to 55, we will have all the windows closed, so the noise won’t be a problem. 

Tomorrow morning will find us enjoying some hot springs. Pamper time!  WYWH!