Northwest to Midwest Part 3: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park was an unexpected delight for me.  D took several trips there as a child and teenager, but this was a first trip for me since I didn't drive through western North Dakota when we initially moved West.  This time, we spent a night there camping, which, of course, was too short, but it was a lot of fun.

Backing up a bit - the drive through eastern Montana had to have been the most remote- and desolate-looking part of our trip.  The landscape was mostly flat and sparsely populated, I was surprised at how uncomfortable it made me because it made me feel like we were really, really isolated!

We also pushed our luck and spent too much time driving from Yellowstone to North Dakota.  Both boys had had it after six hours.  For all future road trips we will be limiting our driving time to no more than six hours a day!

When we finally arrived at TRNP, we spilled out of the 'burb and relished in the cool air while D set up our campsite!!  M basically played "construction vehicles" in the dirt the whole time we were there while I kept my eyes on the bison parked right across the river from our campsite.

I thought I was being sly and not communicating my concern at the proximity of the bison when I asked D "can bison swim?" (I didn't want him to think I was being a wimp, and he said no, btw.)  So imagine my surprise when I looked down the river and saw another bison ford the six-inches-deep water with ease!  He did meander his way down through our campsite, and when we woke up the next morning, he was hanging outside the bathrooms!

The park ranger also casually mentioned to us that they also have "ticks and rattlesnakes in the park."  Luckily, we didn't see any of those during our short stay.  We saw lots of bison, prairie dogs and wild horses.  On our way out of town, we stopped at the Painted Canyon Overlook, which was striking.  This park, while remote, is worth the effort that it takes to get there, and I'm hopeful for future trips there!

From here, we drove across North Dakota to our final stop on our road trip: D's parents' lake cabin in Minnesota.  We saw so many beautiful places that I want to return to again and again!  I think Montana might be the most beautiful place in the world. =)  But for now, I'll settle for all of the Minnesota exploring that we have to do!

Northwest to Midwest Part 2: Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is amazing.  Seriously.  It is an American treasure, and it is now my dream to take the boys back over the years as they get bigger and can do more and more.

From Bozeman, we drove east to Gardiner, MT to use the park's North entrance.  The drive down to Gardiner alone is beautiful (that's why the area is called Paradise Valley, Annie!) and Gardiner was our destination for the evening.

There's a moose in the field.

The next day we (well, D and M, I can't see anything without my glasses!) woke up to see elk and antelope relaxing in the hills across from our hotel.  We had a quick breakfast in the hotel and then jumped in the car to explore as much of Yellowstone as one can with a baby and toddler in tow (i.e., not much).

The weather was crazy: on and off rain, then snow, and then a break of sunshine for our lunchtime picnic.  We didn't get to see much, but we did see Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  As we were driving, the rangers had to close the road ahead of us due to snow, so we had to backtrack and couldn't tour the northeastern section of the park like we planned.   I would love to go back to explore the Lamar Valley and the Northeast area, as well as Yellowstone Lake and Old Faithful in summer (I've seen it in winter.).

We had a picnic lunch in the Mammoth Hot Springs area where an elk herd kept us company.  Strangely enough though, two Chinese tourists came over and started taking photos of baby J - not the elk.  He is a Ridiculously Happy Baby, but it was a little bizarre!

After spending the full day in and out of the car, we had a delicious barbecue dinner back in Gardiner.  The next morning, we hopped back on the highway with another national park as our destination!

Northwest to Midwest Part 1: Bozeman and the Museum of the Rockies

We drove our fully-loaded Suburban east out of Idaho the day after Memorial Day.  Nothing makes you want to get rid of all THE STUFF like jam packing a POD and then trying to find a place for everything else in the car.....Anyway - on the fun!

Throughout our trip, M kept singing our mantra/jingle: "the great....American....WEST!" 

We stopped in Missoula for lunch.  We picked up Five Guys' burgers and had a picnic by the river.  There was a great playground with an old-fashioned carousel!  M sat on the dragon long enough for a photo op, but once he found out that it moved up-and-down, he downgraded to the chariot.  I guess he doesn't remember that he handled the up-and-down horse on the San Diego carousel just fine in 2014!

Bozeman was our destination for the evening, where M played waiter in the restaurant and enjoyed 2 seconds in the hotel pool and 30 minutes in the hot tub.  Hotel pools became our saving grace for getting the wiggles out on this trip!

Roaring at the T-Rex

After breakfast, we went to the Museum of the Rockies, which is great.  They have a wonderful dinosaur exhibit and D & I probably could have spent all day there!  M mostly ran around and roared at the dinosaurs, so I'd say he enjoyed it.

I also highly recommend taking a 3 year old to a planetarium show.  We watched the movie about black holes, which was fascinating, and M's reactions were priceless ("LOOK OUT, HERE COMES THE SPACE ROCK!!!").

Camping in the children's section at MoR

They also have a working pioneer homestead and other exhibits on early settler life and Native American life.  It really is a great museum and worth the effort if you happen to be in the Yellowstone/Bozeman/Big Sky area!

Bison sculpture constructed of musical instruments - of course our music lover found the electric guitar!

We ate lunch at another playground, shook off the wiggles again at hit the road for a drive through Paradise Valley down to the North Entrance to Yellowstone.  To be continued!

The famous Roosevelt arch, the gateway to Yellowstone!

Minnesota: We Made It!

What do you call a jam-packed Suburban stuffed with a toddler, a baby, and two crazy thirty-somethings heading from small-town Idaho to the northern Midwest? 

An adventure!

We took five days to drive across Montana and North Dakota to visit the Great American West.  It was fun and exhausting, and we are resting today before driving a little bit more to do some house-hunting.  Stay tuned for more photos and recaps as the adventure continues....

Hiking at English Point

There are some lovely hiking trails just 10 minutes north of our house, and we finally got out to explore them recently!

You know our little hiker had the best time. 

We only did the shortest section of trails since we were letting him walk. 

But we'll definitely go back with the hiking backpack and do more.

M was totally soaked from jumping in puddles, but he had a great time. 

We relaxed afterwards with drinks and garlic fries at the Marina on Hayden Lake.  Isn't summer awesome?!

Independence Day: Camping in a Grizzly Habitat

Hello!  I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!  Its my favorite non-religious holiday - I love celebrating this beautiful country that I am fortunate to live in.

This year we celebrated with a VERY rustic camping trip in northern Idaho - yes, even further north than we live now! ;)

We drove up to Priest Lake hoping to catch a first come, first-served campsite on the lake (i.e., "camping light" because you can get running water/restroom access, but really, my style of camping.). All the brochures promote Priest Lake as "the crown jewel of Idaho" so I figured it was time to see for ourselves.

Turns out, they were right - it IS beautiful!

Every campground that we passed on the lake was totally full!  I was shocked.  D remarked about how funny it is that we now live in a state where everyone camps.  Very different from the East Coast!

We headed north up Plowboy Mountain towards a "dispersed camping" spot that D had stumbled upon while hunting last fall.

On the way up the mountain, D tells me that we should "manage our expectations" which really turned out to be code for "be prepared to live like a pioneer for the next few days." =)

After a 6 mile bumpy drive up a dirt Forest Service road, we arrived here:

There were a lot of good spots to set up our tent, and it also had a fire ring and a lot of wood already chopped and ready for our camp fire. 

He just loved playing in the tent!

 And it was about as quiet and peaceful as you can get!  It was a very nice spot and we all had a lot of fun there.  It was definitely off the grid, so my husband was thrilled, but I laid awake all night long trying to devise our escape plans in the event of an emergency (i.e., bear attack)!

Bear locker provided so the bear will only eat you, and not your food.

We toasted our nation's independence by exploring the mountain, roasting hot dogs over the fire for lunch and dining on a gourmet venison dinner. 

Grass-fed, lean, and all organic too!

We didn't see any big game, mostly because M & I did our best to scare them away with our normal noise level, much to D's disappointment.  Although two cars drove by our camp site and stopped to tell us that there was "fresh bear scat" just around the curve from us, and asked if we had seen any bears.  Yikes! #toocloseforcomfort

 M loved exploring and playing in the woods and we all got a chance to get some fresh mountain air.  It was a beautiful weekend, but we were thankful to get home to our showers, a/c and cozy beds. =) 

Icy cold stream won't bother this guy!

 After we came back down the mountain, we did one short hike along the lake shore.  It was really beautiful, M splashed in the water and we found another awesome beach camping spot.  Hope we can get back to claim that one next time!

Awesome little beach on the west side of Priest Lake

 It was definitely an adventure, we'll be back to do some more exploring of this pristine area!

Anyone ever been to Priest Lake?  Seen a bear?

The Beach

Well, we are back home from a wonderful trip home to Florida.  We were lucky enough to spend a week at St. Augustine Beach, and a few extra days with my parents.

It was a wonderful trip: mornings playing in the sand, surfing, boogie boarding and breaking up fights over the little toy boat. =)

M took wonderful, long naps, so I got to read The Fault in Our Stars and The Bell Jar.  I enjoyed them both, but was really glad to have finally read The Bell Jar.  I thought it was a fascinating, and sad, book.  Have you read it?  I would love to hear what anybody else thought of it.

Our running trail in my hometown.

I got 5 runs in total: stroller runs in the state park, a solo run on AIA, and a couple runs on the beach.  There is nothing better than an early morning run on the beach!

M with his partner in crime.

The best part was getting to see M enjoy playing with his cousins - he really enjoyed himself, and it made me so thankful for the gifts of this special time together.  As soon as he woke up, he was basically asking to wake up the cousins so he could play with them.

What beach trip is complete without mini-golf?

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a wonderful beach vacation!

Special Moments From Our Beach Week

10 year old nephew handing me a piece of paper in church on which he had drawn a picture for m that said "I love M"

Surfing!!

2 and 3 yo cousins swinging in the hammock together, singing their abc's at the top of their lungs

A beach run with my iron-sister

4 grandsons watching TV in Grammie D and Granddad's bed in the morning

A family walk to the ice cream shop, after which M, on a sugar high, smeared rocks and dirt all over his face with glee

Eating some delicious fish, caught by my 10 year old nephew on his first deep-sea fishing trip

One Day in Seattle (Is Just Not Enough!)

Hello and Happy June!

We drove to Seattle over the weekend to meet up with an old, dear college friend who was vacationing from Philly.  The trip was too short but we had a wonderful time.

The drive across Washington is beautiful -- there is not much commercial development but the terrain changes from high desert to beautiful green, striking mountains as we approached the Cascades.

The Columbia River in central Washington

We stayed at the Westin downtown (Priceline'd it!) which is just a short walk from the Pike Place Market, the Seattle Center and lots of shopping.

We met our friends for breakfast on Saturday at Bacco Cafe.  Then we walked around the Market, saw the fish-throwing guys and the most beautiful peonies I have ever seen in my life!  They were so big and full and gorgeous.  I'm still mad at myself for not buying any.

Pike Place Market

We took the monorail over to the Seattle Center to visit the Children's Museum.  Our friends have a daughter who is 2 weeks younger than M, so they were hilarious/adorable to watch.  M loved all the water features and completely soaked himself.  He also enjoyed driving a pretend taxi and playing with balls.  The Children's Museum was really nice and not terribly crowded for a Saturday.  It's a nice place to visit if you need to be inside and let the kids out of the stroller.

My happy little taxi driver

After lunch, we walked back to our hotels to get the cars and drive out to Carkeek Park.  It was packed!!  Whew.  The kids played on the playground and threw rocks into the water.  It was pretty neat to see all of the cruise ships going north to Alaska.  And the park had a bridge which goes over a train track, so the kids loved watching the trains pass by and waving to the conductor.

Toes in the Puget Sound

We had an awesome dinner at the Bick's Broadway Grill, close to the park, which is set in an old house and had a really nice atmosphere.  From there we had to say goodbye to our friends so they could catch their red-eye back to the East Coast. =(

On our drive home, we stopped by Kerry Park for some sunset photos of downtown.  The park has some epic views, and Saturday was perfect because the sky was nearly cloudless.  Plus, it was prom night (!) and the park was filled with highschoolers taking prom pictures - you know I love seeing some prom fashion! 

Seattle skyline from Kerry Park

We didn't do much on Sunday before hitting the road - we had breakfast at the Pike Place Grill and went to Ikea.  At breakfast, M looked over at me with a big smile on his face and said "Mommy big nose."  Well, gee thanks, lovey! =)  Haha.

5 Stars for the Pike Place Grill because they gave M a balloon, which we are still playing with today!

D kept remarking "wow, this really is a big city!" which made me laugh.  There was a lot of traffic and the houses seem to all be practically right on top of one another, but it is a beautiful area, and we really only saw a little bit of the downtown area.  I hope we'll have more trips to the area in our future because there's a lot over there that I want to explore!

The Cascades on our drive home

Thanks Seattle and thanks to the Q family for a wonderful weekend!

The picturesque Puget Sound