Day 8: Last day at Yellowstone

(Editor's Note:  We are 3 hours away from home as I type this one out!)

Wednesday night, we were FREEZING. It got down to the low 30's and while we *thought* we had prepared "enough" for the cold (wearing hats and layers and brought our good sleeping bags), 30 degrees in July is still 30 degrees in July and it was pretty miserable by night #3.  We had one more night to get through and it was going to be colder than the previous nights.  While I had plenty of (cold) time to think on Wednesday night, I had a wonderful idea.... what if we did our full day at Yellowstone like we had planned, but after dinner--instead of going back to the campsite-- we started our drive back home??  We would still have our full day at Yellowstone, end our day with a very fancy celebratory dinner at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel, but after that, we would drive 2 hours to Cody, Wyoming and the Brandows would drive 3 hours to Idaho Falls, Idaho.  There was truly no downside--  we would get the full day of plans, but avoid the freezing sleepless night and the angry, cold camp packing on Friday morning.

I tossed the idea out to Chris & Maggie and they were on board, so Maggie and I took off for the Canyon Lodge to get the $5/hour wifi to do a quick search for hotels.  We both found a spot to sleep that night and when I say the celebration as we hit "submit" on the reservation form was great, I mean it.  The celebration was GREAT.  We hugged and jumped and did sparkle fingers and just could NOT believe that we wouldn't have to endure one more night of cold camping.

SO HAPPY!  We are each wearing about 6 layers of clothes in this picture.

Back at the campsite, we told the kids and they had all been cold enough that they readily agreed to the plan.  We started packing up and it took us almost 4 hours before we were ready to leave.  (AG
AIN:  CAMPING IS HARD WORK.  YOU NEVER STOP WORKING.) Honestly, I don't know how we would've done that the next morning in the cold when we were trying to get to Mount Rushmore by a certain time on Friday.

We had time for one excursion before our dinner reservation--  We went to Norris Geyser Basin and enjoyed one more round of thermal features.  (Some of us enjoyed it more than the others.  I would be the one who enjoyed it less.... they all start to look the same after a mile or so.  And we walked a lot of miles on those boardwalks.)

Vixen Geyser eruption

YSNP scenery is amazing-- so diverse -- mountains to desert to waterfalls to plains

Oh, these kids!  They had such a good time.  Mine are missing the Brandows already.

A few weeks ago, Maggie had a wonderful idea and the foresight to make us a dinner reservation on the last night of Yellowstone.  She knew we would've had enough of camp food and it would be nice to not have to cook and clean up (again with the CAMPING IS A LOT OF WORK theme) one last time.  At 5:00 we went to the Yellowstone Lake Hotel and had a very nice meal--  the bison tenderloin, huckleberry margaritas, lamb sliders, and other "local" favorites were all amazing.  What was not amazing was how we looked and smelled.  Honestly-- I was a little scared they wouldn't let us in.  Greasy hair, dirty wrinkled clothes, and Will had visible dirt on his face and his shirt looked like it had been fished out of a dumpster.  We looked like the country cousins who got invited to a nice meal but had no idea what was expected.  After one round of huckleberry margaritas made with locally sourced tequila (who knew YSNP had locally sourced tequila!) we did not care how we looked or smelled and we honestly got a little slap happy and silly over the fact that we DID IT!  We made it through this awesome, difficult, wonderful, dirty, memorable, exhausting hard work of a trip that we planned over 2 years ago.   It was just what we wanted it to be.  I think the kids will remember it forever and all the hard work, miles, cold, and danger will have been worth it.

Huckleberry Margaritas-- tasted like blueberries to me, but they were so proud of their huckleberries there

We were laughing so hard we were crying...each time we looked at Chris' greasy hair

Lake Hotel-- over 100 years old

THE BEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD.  Cody, WY:  no risk of freezing to death or being eaten by a bear here!  WINNING.

Day 7: Grand Canyon and WIldlife tour

No filter and all that disclaimer--- rainbow was real and not photoshopped in.  This is from an iphone, taken by someone who has no idea how to maximize its benefits.

If you're like me, when you heard "Grand Canyon," you may have thought that you were reading the LWOW 1 blog since we did that on the last trip when we were in Arizona.  Not so, dear reader!  There is a Grand Canyon of Yellowstone that has two main features:  one 30 foot waterfall and one 100+ foot waterfall that absolutely take your breath away.

(Prepare for some pictures that don't even come close to showing the majesty)

We did a hike down to Uncle Tom's Trail-- a steep descent and THEN you reach the final stage with over 300 steps to the lowest point that made your legs into jello before you even hit the half way point. That view though.......

And then you gotta hike back out!  (All the crying emojis)

We went to a few more overlooks from the South Rim (Artist Point is a good one!) then drove up the North Rim on our way back home.  We walked along a series of switch backs to get to the base of a trail that put you right ON TOP of the main fall.  I couldn't stand there very long because it just made you nervous.  (Yes there were fences, yes we were careful, etc etc etc).  :)

That evening we had our big Wildlife Excursion.  It was a 4 hour ride on a 1936 yellow touring vehicle that took us all over the park to spot animals.  We got to see two packs of wolves, 500+ bison, plenty of mule deer and prong horns and mountain goats and we even made it into Montana so we can cross that off our list.  I spent $5 on some popcorn, so it makes it an official stop in Montana. :)  

Travis was our tour guide and he had a telescope that let us see things we would've missed on our own

Lamar Valley is where you go to see ALL THE BISON.

Our biggest problem on this part of the trip has been the cold temperatures.  At night, it has gotten down into the low 30's and it has been brutal for sleep.  I can't move for all the layers I'm wearing and I'm STILL cold.  We have one more night to get through and it's going to take all the gumption I've got.  

teenagers!  wearing shorts and flip flops in 35 degrees like it's nothing.

Michael and Maggie:  friends for almost 25 years! They met at Vanderbilt in 1992; Maggie and I became good friends about 4 years ago when they came to Nashville for a reunion.  We laughed several times this week thinking about this idea:  5 years ago, if somebody had told me I would be camping for a few weeks in Yellowstone, with the Brandows from CA, I would never have believed you.  At the time, I did not camp (NEVER would I EVER!) and didn't have any relationship with the Brandows whatsoever and honestly didn't even know what Yellowstone was.   Ride the wave, people!  Life can take you a whole lot of places you never knew you needed to go with people who you didn't know you needed to know.  My life is richer because of these experiences.  I've had to learn to be a whole lot more flexible (and dirty! and sleep deprived!) than I ever was before, but it's been worthwhile.

I'm currently writing these last few updates in the laundry mat--We couldn't pack enough clothes to last the whole length of the trip, so here I am..... 

Moms:  Living the 'vacation' dream since the dawn of time.

Day 5 & 6: Driving to YSNP and Old Faithful

Up and at 'em--

Day 5 Driving to Yellowstone
Monday, July 4:

Today was bound to be the worst (and I'm not just being dramatic....truly--) We had to break down our camp in Estes Park, drive 12 hours through Wyoming which is nothing but plains, a few mountains, and a Walmart in Rawlins, WY which we were delighted to see so we could stock up for our next 4 days in Yellowstone (YSNP).  Once we finished that long drive, we then had to race the sun to set up camp in Yellowstone.  Setting up camp/breaking down camp in the same day can make a grown man cry.  It is the same amount of hard work whether you are staying for a month or staying for only a day.  

The highlight of the drive was seeing the Grand Teton mountains as we approached the area and they were unbelievable.  They just shoot straight up out of the earth - We also loved seeing bison pretty soon after we got into YSNP.  There was a group of 4 that were grazing along the side of the road and walked right in front of our car.  It was so exciting!

We were a little bummed the next day to realize that we missed the 4th of July since we were driving and did not get to YSNP until late. I had little glow in the dark flags we were going to set out and other ideas for how to celebrate but we were so exhausted we didn't even toast a single marshmallow or crack open one beer before falling into bed.  (We did play a quick game of "Hi/Lo" or "Roses/Thorns" or "Peak/Pit" in which several of the kids said their favorite part of the trip so far was riding in the car and watching movies with their friends.....so glad we could take this epic road trip so they could enjoy sitting in the car and watching library DVDs.)

Day 6  Old Faithful 
Tuesday, July 5

So, here's the thing about Yellowstone:  it is HUGE.  It is the size of two or three small states and you could spend a week here and probably not see it all.  YSNP is divided up into several small villages.  We are staying in Canyon Campground which is near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (Yes, there is such a thing! Who knew!?)  

When you think of Yellowstone, most people assume it's just Old Faithful-- but in reality, that is just one small part. (It's the most famous part, for sure, but there is so much more to this park than that.  We are planning to see most of it and I hope to tell you all about it this week.)  From Canyon Campground, it takes about an hour to get to Old Faithful. 

After we got to the OF visitors center, we watched a "Welcome to Yellowstone" movie in which they warned you about getting too close to the wildlife by playing a clip where a woman gets gored by a bison (Noted.)  (Aside:  I LOVE visitors center movies-- they are one of my favorite things!)  

We got to see the 11:08 am eruption of Old Faithful and she is a beaut!  Old Faithful has predicted eruption times posted +/- 10 minutes, but she was right on time for this one.  While we were waiting, we got to see Beehive geyser erupt as well. 

There is a several mile long boardwalk that guides you through the thermal features-- more pools and geysers and hot springs than I can even describe to you.  Truly--  it took us about 90 minutes to walk through one section.  

And this is where we met Nancy.  I am kicking myself that I didn't get a picture of her, but I'll just say this:  she was like a Ninja Angel Unofficial Ranger.  Nancy has been to Yellowstone 29 times.  She loves it here and knows more about the thermal features than I could even begin to tell you.  We met her when she started talking to Will at one of the geysers and ended up taking our family under her wing.  She gave us a personal guided tour of the boardwalks as she talked of the history of YSNP and the science of the geysers.  And she just made it so fun!  About an hour into our time with Nancy, I asked her why she decided to help us along and she said, "I just love this place-- it is so special to me and I want others to appreciate it the way I do."  She regularly walks along and finds someone who looks like they need help with directions or assistance with knowing what to do next at YSNP and will guide them along for a bit.  She was truly a God send.  Let's all be like Nancy, ok?

We saw Old Faithful again at her 2:21 pm eruption then got back in the car to start driving back toward Canyon.  There are a lot of short hikes/points of interest along the way and we stopped at several of them.  We got to see the Prismatic Pools and we were there when White Dome erupted (I have to admit that I had had enough at this point and watched that one from the car......was having a "mom moment").  

This is the view from my car window as I begrudgingly watched my family excitedly watch a geyser that never erupted.  

It was a very full day with a lot of wind and temperature fluctuations (it's hot! it's cold!).  More to come tomorrow....

Day 4: Gem Lake and Trail Ridge Road

(Edited:  I have had NO cell service since we got to Yellowstone on Monday night.  Occasionally, somebody has been able to receive a text but it's been so spotty, so these next few blog entries will be written and posted at times MUCH later than they occurred.  We just arrived at a hotel in Cody, WY and have Wifi for the first time in 5 days-- We weren't planning to come to Cody, but we nearly froze our buns off the last few nights in Yellowstone-- it was in the low 30's at night and we just did not have the camping gear to keep warm.)

Written about Sunday, July 3:

Today involved a 3.5 mile hike to Gem Lake.  The views along the way were gorgeous and the pictures don't do it justice (get used to me saying that a lot).....  

If you're brave enough, look closely and you'lll see my people climbing up there

The kids have done great with the hikes.  We hike about once a week in Nashville at Radnor Lake or Smith Park, but nothing as grand or inclined or at such high altitudes as we are here, so it's been surprising and a relief to see how well they have done with the physical demands.

After a quick stop at McDonalds to refuel we headed into Rocky Mountain National Park.  

We stopped at the Alluvial Fan first-- it is a massive waterfall/rushing water situation that was formed from a flood in the 1990's.  Again:  pictures that don't do it justice.

And at long last, the crowning jewel was a drive up Trail Ridge Road, the highest road in the U.S.  I believe we got up above 12,000 feet-- far above the tree line and saw lots of snow.  It was a white knuckle curvy road driving experience that I was not glad I participated in until the next day.  Once the adrenaline ("We're all going to die!") wore off, I could appreciate the views and the experience.  In the moment however, I was wishing I had been at the campsite with a book.

Here, let me show you a picture that won't do it justice:

Nice "guardrail", huh?

That's all she wrote for Sunday-- we have to pack up in the morning and get geared up for a long drive on Monday.

Jellystone Campers!  The Walshes (Denver), Brandows (Pasadena) and Livingstons (Nashville)

#2016LWOW update

We have had no cell coverage for the past few days-- I have written out my blogs for each day but haven't been able to post them because I can't get my pictures from my phone to my laptop quite yet...  I'll update the blog when I can.

Popped on here for a minute now to say that we are fine and happy and having a great time from 10:00 am until 10:00 pm each day.  However, once the sun goes down, the temperature plummets and we have been miserably cold!

Our original plan was to stay in Yellowstone until tomorrow morning but it is going to be brutally cold again tonight (33 degrees) so we decided to stay and do our full day of plans here today, but leave after dinner and drive to Cody, Wyoming.  The Brandows are also going to be leaving and driving to Idaho Falls, ID on their way back to Pasadena.  Maggie and I just booked the hotels and now WE CAN'T STOP SMILING.  We keep doing sparkle finger/jazz hands toward each other over our laptops like a couple of 10 year old girls.  This would have been our 7th night of camping and we are feeling all sorts of calm and peace about abandoning ship.

The only thing we miss by leaving tonight after dinner is 2 hours of cold, angry packing in the morning.  DONE.

#2016LWOW Day 3: Hiking Estes Cone

Estes Cone is right behind us!  

Good morning from Jellystone-- we have just woken up from perhaps the best sleep ever, which is prone to happen after you hike to the top of a mountain!  We are so proud of our accomplishment yesterday.... let me tell you about it:

The Walshes are from Denver and have done quite a bit of hiking in this area.  They recommended we go to the summit of Estes Cone.   It is rated "strenuous" and is 6.5 miles total round trip.  Will is 8 years old and has 8 year old legs and 8 year old stamina, so in my mind, I was hoping to coerce him to the halfway point and then perhaps he and I would turn around and go back to the trail head.  The good thing about having another family hike with us is that there is some peer pressure to keep going and to keep the moaning/complaining to a minimum, so on we went to the tippy top.

It took us 3 hours to get to the summit-- the last hour was scrambling up steep rocks-- we climbed 800 feet in the last 2/3 of a mile and it took us A LONG TIME.  Will and I would walk for a minute, then stop for a minute for the last hour.  We kept seeing people descending the trail and they all had big smiles on their faces and promised us it was worth it.

At long last......  we arrived!  And it was awesome!

That view though....

UNREAL

It only took us about an hour and a half to get back to the trail head where we loaded up to head to Estes Park to get ice cream and our souvenir t-shirts and the most crowded and poorly designed grocery store I've ever been in (I'm looking at you, Safeway!) and finally back to camp!

The Brandows arrived (WHEEEEEEEE!!!) from Pasadena and we had a gourmet dinner of hot dogs and chips before showering and getting to bed quite early.

Where I slept and slept and slept .... before being surprised with donuts from "You Deserve a Donut!"  Thanks Walshes!  :)

Yogi was out making rounds in the campsites-- we tried to wave him down, but he just put a #1 in the air and drove on by.  We later found out that you have to pay $15 for him to visit your campsite. WHAT?  Yogi is a capitalist.

View from my cot 

#2016 LWOW Day 2: Denver City Park and Jellystone Park

Good morning! I'm writing this on Saturday morning from Jellystone Park in Estes Park, CO.  The signal here on the Yogibear 5 wireless network is a little weak and I'm currently fighting off chipmunks (I wish I was kidding) so I don't know when this will actually post or if it will have pictures. Anyhow--

It's in a gas station! As all good restaurants are...

First and foremost--Eat at Joe's Kansas City for BBQ next time you're through there.  I've already written about it extensively on Facebook/Instagram.  But just do it.  And order the Z-Man sandwich.  Smoked provolone, brisket, onion rings and BBQ sauce....and the FRENCH FRIES.  So so good.

Z Man:  it'll change you 

We spent half of Friday traveling from Salina, KS to Denver, CO.  We went to City Park in Denver-- it was a beautiful park with downtown Denver and the mountains in the background, a large lake, lots of walking trails, and several museums and nice neighborhoods surrounding it (think Central Park...but smaller and fewer homeless people).

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science was a great way to spend the afternoon!  It was raining most of the day, so we appreciated the indoor activity.  Lots of wildlife exhibits (we kept imagining the scenes out of Night at the Museum where the exhibits all come to life at night.)  They had a few Egyptian mummies, a HUGE exhibit on dinosaurs and fossils which made me quite glad I wasn't alive during those times.

Probably my favorite thing we did was see the new National Parks IMAX film.  We have made it a goal to get to as many National Parks as we can-- we love them.  It was fun to see the movie and count how many we have been to and which ones we want to add to our list.

We got to Jellystone Park (an hour away from Denver) around 7:00. The Walshes were already set up and graciously came over to help us get our camp up in a flash.  Ate a few s'mores and some melatonin and a few photo opps with the Yogi statue and we were done for the day!

Adult and anxious 8 year old tent on left
Teen tent on the right