Our trip last week to Jackson Hole, Yellowstone National Park, and Billings MT was amazing. That part of the country is so absolutely gorgeous. It literally takes your breath away. We saw some of the old west in Jackson Hole with a good ol’ cowboy shootout. Rachel was particularly interested in the exact definition of an “outlaw,” and could NOT understand why those guys kept taking everybody’s things. We rode a gondola to the mountain-top near Teton Village which had incredibly inspiring views, the kids rode horses at a nearby corral, and of course threw rocks in the stream. We headed onto Yellowstone National Park and saw wildlife galore. Many of the buffalo and elk 
herds had their new offspring and it was tender to watch the massive animals nurture and care for their young. We observed that the bull buffalo and elk were always off by themselves a few hundred yards from the herd, not really doing much, just off for a bit of peace and quiet we figured: ) My eyes started to blur as I scoured the landscape for bears which is what I REALLY wanted to see. And finally on the third day we were just 5 miles from the park exit and we saw both a brown bear with her cub, and about a mile away a HUGE grizzly. Both Darren and I had to shiver at the sight of one those guys in the wild. It was hundreds of yards away and you still had the urge to run to your car. Park rangers were following its path, and they made us “move along” as soon as we captured the moment on film. During those three days, the temperature would change 20-30 degrees in the blink of an eye. O
ne day it was sunny and in the upper 60’s, the next day it was snowing with a high of 36 degrees. Rachel and Jared didn’t notice this of course, and wandered through hiking paths viewing hot springs, bubbling sulfur pots, and chasing myriads of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. They loved exploring rock formations - climbing them when possible, and the cutest thing was their insistence on using binoculars and/or magnifying glasses for anything and everything. We continued north to Billings, MT to visit my sister Louise and her family. Montana was everything you hear it to be – Big Sky country, fly-fishing and all. Even the people at the grocery store had that “home-town” feel and it was so great. We spent some time exploring Indian caves, visiting Don’s scout day camps, chasing cottontail rabbits, riding Don’s bullet-bike, BBQ-ing, eating popsicles, visiting Little Bighorn (Custer’s last stand), a
nd just relaxing. We determined the only thing that did not make it a perfect 10 vacation was the fact that our kids NEVER slept at night! We played musical beds nightly with no success. Then of course they catch up on their sleep in the car, while the rest of us put on game faces for the duration. But as a parent you figure its just part of the deal and crash when you get home from your vacation. It was all worth it...
herds had their new offspring and it was tender to watch the massive animals nurture and care for their young. We observed that the bull buffalo and elk were always off by themselves a few hundred yards from the herd, not really doing much, just off for a bit of peace and quiet we figured: ) My eyes started to blur as I scoured the landscape for bears which is what I REALLY wanted to see. And finally on the third day we were just 5 miles from the park exit and we saw both a brown bear with her cub, and about a mile away a HUGE grizzly. Both Darren and I had to shiver at the sight of one those guys in the wild. It was hundreds of yards away and you still had the urge to run to your car. Park rangers were following its path, and they made us “move along” as soon as we captured the moment on film. During those three days, the temperature would change 20-30 degrees in the blink of an eye. O
ne day it was sunny and in the upper 60’s, the next day it was snowing with a high of 36 degrees. Rachel and Jared didn’t notice this of course, and wandered through hiking paths viewing hot springs, bubbling sulfur pots, and chasing myriads of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. They loved exploring rock formations - climbing them when possible, and the cutest thing was their insistence on using binoculars and/or magnifying glasses for anything and everything. We continued north to Billings, MT to visit my sister Louise and her family. Montana was everything you hear it to be – Big Sky country, fly-fishing and all. Even the people at the grocery store had that “home-town” feel and it was so great. We spent some time exploring Indian caves, visiting Don’s scout day camps, chasing cottontail rabbits, riding Don’s bullet-bike, BBQ-ing, eating popsicles, visiting Little Bighorn (Custer’s last stand), a
nd just relaxing. We determined the only thing that did not make it a perfect 10 vacation was the fact that our kids NEVER slept at night! We played musical beds nightly with no success. Then of course they catch up on their sleep in the car, while the rest of us put on game faces for the duration. But as a parent you figure its just part of the deal and crash when you get home from your vacation. It was all worth it...
