Day 10

Well, we were all sad to leave the mountains but ready to get home at the same time. Today was a 12.5 hour run from Victor, ID to Libcoln, NE. The boys were real troopers. We bribed them with a swimming pool at the hotel if they would take a nap. They have enjoyed playing Scribblenauts on the iPad. They ask us to spell words that then appear on the screen. The favorite today was "sumo wrestler."

 

Day 9

Drew and I went downhill mountain biking at Grand Targhee today while the boys went to day camp. The boys got to go hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding and swimming. I gave up after the first run down the hill. Drew made it two additional runs. He is WAY better than me...I fell and he did not. We also hiked across the top of the mountain and down the Cat trail. It was beautiful!

 

  

Day 8

Jackson was dying to ride a mountain bike. He asked no less than 1000 times! So, we rented bikes and rode the South Park Loop in Teton Valley...all 13 miles! We trailed Carson on a random bike but Jackdon ride his mountain bike the whole way.  He even made all the hills without pushing his bike.

 We visited Grand Teton Brewing on the way home. They have a lot of award winning beers. The one you will likely know is Bitch Creek ESB.

 

Day 7

Today was our last day with the Crowleys. The boys went fishing and while the girls went hiking. We met for lunch at a local BBQ joint. It is nice to have good BBQ....one of the things we miss most about the south.  

This afternoon, Drew and I took the kids to play disc golf at Targhee Resort.  It is the more local ski resort. Much less crowded than Jackson Hole so we are going back Thursday to mountain bike.  There are Aspens all over the hillside which make such a pretty twinkling with their leaves in the wind.

 

  

Day 6

We spent the day in Yellowstone. We saw bison and elk but no moose or bear. Jackson's favorite part was the mud pots (boiling mud). They have always amazed me too. We watched Old Faithful erupt. We saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Carson loved completing his Junior Ranger activity guide and earning a badge.  

Day 5

The boys played so hard with Jake and Alec last night. They slept forever this morning.

 

We headed to Jackson Hole this morning. We ended up at Teton Village which is the ski resort. We road up the tram to the top of the Tetons. It was beautiful. Jackson loves his mountains and says he is moving here when he gets older. He said we could come to visit. Haha! I guess the love of mountains runs in the family.

 

 

Day 4

Our morning began with eggs, bacon and diced potatoes cooked over an open fire. Then, our draft horse team, Bart and Brad, pulled us up the Oregon Trail. We renamed them Hoot and Toot. They were passing gas up the hill which made the boys giggle.

 

We have arrived in Jackson, WY! Jackson loves his mountains. We have been playing the Johnny Cash song Jackson for him.

Tonight, we will meet our friends from Washington, Paul, Emily, Jake and Alec in Victor, ID.

 

 

Day 3

We went through the Custer State Park on the Wildlife Loop this morning. We saw bison (tatanka), antelope and prairie dogs. We chose to take a dirt road leaving the park which I called a "goat path." Carson kept asking where the goats were.

 

 

We made it to Wyoming. Jackson keeps asking how much longer until we get to Jackson Hole. I hope he loves it when he finally sees his mountains.

Tonight, we are taking a wagon train to have a Dutch oven dinner by the North Platte River. We will spend the night in a teepee.  The North Platte River was crossed by all settlers.  The Mormon Trail, the Oregon Trail and the California Trail all came through Casper, WY before going their separate ways.

 

 

Day 1

"The mountains are calling and I must go." John Muir

It should come as no surprise that Drew and I love the mountains. Our boys are named after mountainous areas: Jackson, WY and Carson River, NV. We told the boys we would take them to see their mountains one day...Jackson's day has come. We are headed West. Carson was so sweet this morning. He told Jackson he could ride on the driver's side the whole way to his "hole."  (Anyone that has ever ridden with the boys knows that every car ride starts with a fight over who is riding on the driver's side...so that was SUPER sweet of Carson.)

I made the boys travel books for their trip. They have one of my favorite childhood games...find all the state license plates. They have seven already and we are still in Ohio.

 

Day 2

We stopped in Madison, WI to sleep for five hours last night. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s race car was in a trailer in the hotel parking lot.

 

We had Wisconsin cheese curds for our morning snack.

 

After crossing the mighty Mississippi River, we stopped in Austin, MN to eat lunch. Just happens that Hormel is headquartered in Austin and the restaurant served SPAM fires and the SPAM museum was across the street.

 

We made it to Rapid City, South Dakota after 13 hours of driving!

 

Day 1

"The mountains are calling and I must go." John Muir

It should came as no surprise that Drew and I love the mountains. Our boys are named after mountainous areas: Jackson, WY and Carson River, NV. We promised the boys we would take them to see their mountains one day. Jackson's day has come. We are headed West. Carson was sweet this morning as we started out to Erie. He told Jackson that he could sit on the drivers' side the whole way to "his hole."