U.S. Safari

Throughout the trip we felt like we were on a safari in the U.S. It was really neat to see so much wildlife; just about everywhere we looked there was some animals not too far from the road.

When we entered the park, the rangers gave us a kid's "Find the Animal" check-off game…probably for Morgan…but we were happy to play along too. By the end of our trip we had crossed off every single species: buffalo, elk, wolf, coyote, bear, eagle, pronghorn deer, long horned sheep, an eagle, and on the last day (in Grand Tetons actually) a moose. It was pretty easy to find many of them…just look for the big group of cars pulled to the side of the road (it must be crazy during peak season in the summer…no wonder they say to leave extra time for driving) or look outside your hotel window. :)

On two occasions, we saw herds enjoying a morning snack right in front of our hotel. The first was a herd of buffalo in front of the Lake Hotel. The second was a herd of elk (including a bugling male) in front of Mammoth Springs.

The Geysers

And the geysers! Probably the biggest attraction to Yellowstone and we can see why….they don't last long and can require a lot of a patience, but they sure put on a magnificent show.

When we were at the park, there were ~6 "predictable geyers" (erupting at regular intervals, often 2x/day at an estimated time +/- 2 hours) including the famous "Old Faithful." With some determination and a little bit of luck, we saw all of them in just 1 day! A feat not may visitors can say they accomplished.

For the first one ("Castle"), we were at the site with our coffee mugs before sunrise, and the last one ("Great Fountain") we snuck in during sunset, after being stranded from reaching our next destination by a forest fire that happened to have closed the road. (Seriously, it's true!)

Yelllowstone

After flying into Jackson Hole, WY and spending our first night at the large Jackson Hole ski resort, we headed up to Yellowstone National Park. What an absolutely unique place! The colors, thermal features, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and wildlife make it location like no other.

For five days we stayed at various lodges throughout the park including Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Grand Lake Hotel, and the Lodge at Mammoth Springs and enjoyed beautiful weather which was so unusually warm we had wished we packed summer clothes.

Morgan did great, probably reveling in the fact that she could spend 10 days in the outdoors with Mommy and Daddy's undivided attention. We had one melt-down at dinner, many rough nights of sleeping, and a few painful moments in the plane…but for a two year old we considered that, not too bad!

Over the five days we saw most of the attractions, including the gorgeous Grand Canyon which goes for ~24 miles (800-1200 ft deep and 1500-4000 ft wide) with waterfalls and amazing colors.

And our last stop in the park were the beautiful terraces at Mammoth Hot springs all the way at the northern entrance, which are probably even more amazing during the wet season in the Spring.

We're Back

Actually we've been back about a week but it has been a busy one trying to get back into the swing of things. Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, WY were amazing!!! We had a lot of fun and hope to have a chance to post some pictures/stories soon. :) We will post a few of our favorite pictures (a small sampling of the hundreds we took) and some videos…but there is no way that they do it justice. If you haven't been, we encourage you to see it for yourself!

Yellowstone Here We Come

In case you noticed, we wrote this "Month in Review" a little early this time because we will be away for vacation by the end of September. We are headed to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons in Wyoming! Stay tuned for some great pictures and stories.

Month 20 in Review

It is hard to believe the summer is over. We had a great time, going to the pool and the park, and the bunch of other activities that kept us busy and made the summer go so fast. One of big projects coming to an almost finish this month is finishing the basement, which is now useable as a playroom, family room and soon to be office. It's great!

Morgan has definitely been consumed with a desire to explore. Climbing into, around and on top of anything within reach has become more and more exciting…hence, we have been making many trips to the park to help her exercise all those new motor skills and burn some energy. However, the couches in our living room are an all time favorite and if you let her, she will clear off all the cushions and jump into them over and over again.

She is also starting to run (or gallop or skip) rather than walk and as seen in the video clips posted earlier this month she loves to dance, twist, and spin. We are starting to feel like we always have to keep one hand free to grab hold of her at any moment (so she doesn't get away or trip on herself and fall!)

Baby Shower for Cousin ?????

In six short weeks, Morgan will have a new cousin to welcome into the world and we can't wait! On Saturday, we celebrated her upcoming arrival at Uncle Matt and Aunt Stephanie's Dr. Suess-themed baby shower.

It was a lot of fun. Everything was Dr. Seuss...the food, the decorations, the invitations, and the games. Mommy was actually in charge of the games (complete with Dr. Seuss quote match, Cat-in-the-hat memory, and Gift Bingo) and after weeks of anxiety, to Mommy's relief, they went great.

Congratulations Matt and Stephanie!!!!