Whoa! Where do I begin... We had such a fun vacation we didn't want to come home. I thought after two weeks that I would be dying to get home and back into "our" routine. But I was wrong! This might be a boring travelog but I have to share all of the memories on this trip or I will forget them.
First, Campfire Lodge in Montana, we love it here. Our family has been going there for 17 years and this year was just as good. We had cabin 12 which is the best cabin ever. It is right by the Madison River and I would do the dishes and think I could do dishes all day if I had this view.
We had a great time with Grannie, Grandpa, Uncle Scott, Ronnie, & Robert. We just relaxed and then did some more relaxing. Dylan got to try kayaking in Uncle Scott's kayak. He thought he was pretty cool and I have to say he was pretty much a pro. One night on the deck of the cabin we had swooping bats join us. Jesse took cover so fast. Too funny! The kids loved finding rocks and sticks in fact we brought home a box full of "special" rocks. My favorite part of campfire this year was hobo dinners and s'mores. We all gathered around the campfire and just enjoyed each other. It was quite chilly so huddled around the campfire was perfect.
Next we were off to Yellowstone to meet Grandma and Grandpa from Arizona and the rest of the Whitney Clan. We stayed at Fishing Bridge in Grandpa's BIG trailer or as Dylan calls it the Party Trailer. We met up with Jesse's two Uncles and Aunts and several cousins.
Coolest things at Yellowstone:
1: Grizzly Bear! We saw this bear on the way back from Tower Falls. It was the number one highlight ever!!! You don't see Grizzly bears much so this was very cool. The kids must have felt our excitement because the rest of the trip they played Grizzly Bears. The picture is fuzzy but you can still see her.
2: Renting a boat and exploring Yellowstone Lake. It was so pretty and huge. Dylan even fished off the side of the boat. He didn't catch anything but it was sure fun trying.
3: The mud pots. Dylan was dry heaving the entire time. It was so funny and yet I was a little scared that he might lose it. He plugged his nose the whole time. Sophie and I got caught in a Geyser exploding and we got wet with stinky water. Good times!
4: Mr. Buffalo walking down the middle of the street. So cool and a tad scary.
5: Upper and Lower falls. So amazingly beautiful!
6: Sophie eating Moose Poop ice cream. She throughly enjoy this ice cream. So cute!
7: Old Faithful. A classic but still fun. My dad loves the Old Faithful Inn. He loves the leather chairs, the fireplace and just the history of it all. So I had to go in this hotel just for his sake (every year!). We ended up eating lunch there on the balcony, it was a great afternoon.
We has such a great time in Yellowstone. I love seeing all of the sites and really taking the whole park in. I love the wildlife and just the beauty of open land. Sometimes we forget that there is still wide open places and Yellowstone is one of the best.
Now on to Glacier National Park. This was a long drive from Yellowstone to Glacier. The kids were great. There were a couple of breakdowns but being in a car for 10 hours there is bound to be some crying. We made it though in one piece! We stayed at the KOA in St. Mary, Montana. It was a very nice campground, they even have pizza delivery to your campsite. Funny uh! We have never been to Glacier and found in truly an amazing place. The beauty was endless. We loved it, but we wish that it was about 10 hours closer to Utah.
Coolest things in Glacier:
1: The mountains. They were so beautiful and green. Glacier is called the Alps of the West and rightfully so. There are waterfalls at every turn and wildflowers everywhere. So Pretty!
2: The wildlife: Jesse had to move off the trail because a family of Mountain goats were coming down the trail. The baby mountain goat is too cute.
3: Many Glacier: This is on East side of Glacier and one of my favorites. There is a beautiful lodge on the banks of a lake. The water is the most beautiful color. Jesse and I rented a rowboat and we went around the lake. So romantic and relaxing. I felt like a princess with my prince rowing me around the lake. Cheesy I know!
4: Going to the sun road: The road literally is carved out of a mountain. So neat and exciting. The view is amazing. They were doing construction on the road while we were there so it was down to one lane in several places and that was a good thing. We could get out of the car and take pictures. They even restricted the length of vehicles that can travel on the road.
5: Dylan collecting rocks constantly:
Glacier is such a beautiful place we saw Black Bears, Mountain Goats, Big Horn Sheep, Deer, and much more. We are looking forward to return there soon. So pretty!
Now on to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. The border wasn't to far from were we camped and Waterton is a sister park to Glacier. The day we went to Canada was very cold and foggy. We are all a little disappointed but we had a great time anyway. We took a boat ride around Waterton Lake and is was so pretty. We saw a bald eagle, so neat. There is a famous hotel there called the Prince of Whales hotel. Really neat hotel. In keeping with the spirit of things we ate in the dining room and we all had fish and chips. It was a nice afternoon. We took a wrong turn going back to customs and came across a huge herd of Elk. There were two males on their hind legs fighting with their antlers. It was amazing.
All and all it was a fabulous time. We were so glad to spend time with both grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. We had so much fun playing games at night and just being together. Dylan said that he wants to go on vacation with grandparents all the time and I agree. Wew!
