We've been doing some other stuff too

I have to admit that even though we've been home for the summer and not really been traveling, we've been pretty busy and the time is really flying by.  Inside and outside projects are keeping our days quite full and we did manage to take the King out on a brief weekend trip a few weeks ago.   I was afraid we would have to pass this weekend up as the King was still transmission free 24 hours before we were supposed to leave, but the Husband and his friend came through, got the new transmission installed and the King through its New York State inspection in the nick of time.  The bucket of parts did keep me pretty nervous throughout the day:

Almost ready to test it out!

We spent the weekend at Jellystone Campground with the boys Cub Scout pack.  It was a great weekend, with lots of friends, campfires, good food and fun.  Our campsite was on "Sing-A-Long Avenue."  How could we not have a great time!

The boys had a great time with their friends!

 

The kitchen has kept us pretty busy too!  Everything on the first floor had to be packed up and I had to find a place to store it all.  I also had lots of help

 

We have boxes stored in every spare corner of the basement, under our bed and at my parents house.  We also discovered that the husband has a problem finishing what he starts, namely bottles of scotch.  For a time we were having groups of friends in for dinner and ending the evening with tastings of scotch from different regions of Scotland and Ireland.  We found several bottles, each with a small taste left in them, in the back of a cupboard in the dining room.

He also has a problem finishing beer...I bought them in December and found them in the refrigerator in the garage during a 90 degree July heat wave..

 

Merry Christmas!  If you need me I'll be "finishing" some things!

Yellowstone National Park

I took over 200 pictures in YellowstoneNational Park. The husband and the boys took almost as many. We spent several days here and in Grand Teton National Park as there is so much to see and do. The wildlife in both parks is spectacular, as are the lakes, mountains and rivers. With seemingly endless hiking trails, bike trails, rivers and lakes for fishing, ranger programs and scenic drives we left feeling like we could have spent a few more days, and are already planning our next trip back.

We headed into Yellowstone from the west toward Old Faithful. The road in leads you through several active geyser basins and we stopped to take a walk through and enjoy them on our way. Most of Yellowstone, like Crater Lake, sits in the caldera of a collapsed volcano. With large magma fields still under ground heating water just under the surface, Yellowstone is home to more than half of the worlds geysers and hot springs.

We reached the Old Faithful Visitors Center just before lunch and had time to visit the museum and grab the cooler full of sandwiches before heading outside. Named for its predictability, Old Faithful goes off regularly every 60 to 90 minutes. Times of all of the more predictable geysers are posted in the visitors center and we found them to be very accurate, never waiting much more than 15 minutes at any of these geysers. Old Faithful is spectacular, and I took a series of pictures as we enjoyed the view.

We spent the afternoon exploring and hiking in the black sand basin, where the sand is...white. Through the ranger program we attended we learned that the basin got its name from the black sand geyser about a mile to the east where the sand is, in fact, black. The colors in the geyser pools are amazing, ranging from brilliant blue water, the result of silica deposits eroded into the water, to vibrant orange and yellow from the tiny bacteria that live and thrive in the warm pools of the hot springs.

I know I've said it before, but really, the ranger programs in the National Parks are excellent. Filled with geology, history and current events, we have most enjoyed the ranger led hikes through various parts of the parks. For example, one of the geysers in black sand basin is named Handkerchief Geyser because in the early days of the park visitors would drop their handkerchief into the geyser where it would be sucked under, battered around, and spit back out, sometimes clean, sometimes shredded, through another nearby geyser. Ranger Landis soon became the little dudes new best friend and spent a ton of time answering questions and letting the boys measure the temperature of the water.

Yellowstone is also known for its wildlife viewing opportunities, and sure enough, we saw a bison just hanging out on the side of the road on our way into the park. Home to mule deer, coyotes, wolves elk, bears, moose, bighorn sheep, pelicans, ospreys and pronghorn, the best place for wildlife viewing happens to be in Hayden Valley, just to the north of our camp ground. There were also several hikes to geyser basins and mud pots that we wanted to do, so off we went. Herds of bison can be found around every turn, but we also saw elk, mule deer, osprey, pronghorn and a wolf. The middle child is our resident wildlife photographer, so many of the pictures are his. He did a great job!

The Park Rangers are all very knowledgeable about wildlife and the park newspaper comes with an insert, on bright yellow paper, with a wildlife warning stating among other things that “Many park visitors have been gored by buffalo and elk.” All the park rangers carry big cans of bear spray and when we asked about the best locations for wildlife viewing the rangers told us “all the bears are in Pelican Valley,” I could have enjoyed my vacation just fine without seeing a grizzly up close but guess what else was right in the middle of Pelican Valley? Fishing Bridge RV Park, which only allows hard sided camping vehicles (a.k.a. “bear resistant containers”) and where we had a campground reservation. So, bear bells in hand, we parked our bear resistant container at our camp sight, heeded the warnings from the ranger that checked us in and the signs that greeted us, and rang our bells furiously every time we dashed to the lavatory.

Seriously though, Fishing Bridge was a really nice camp ground. We could walk (with our bells!) to a general store that also had a little cafe where we had breakfast one morning. There was also a really nice visitors center with an amphitheater with nightly ranger programs and a beautiful black sand beach on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. The boys were able to swim and fish each evening after a long day of hiking. Cut Throat Trout are native to Yellowstone Lake and must be released if caught. However, Lake Trout are a tasty but invasive species and if caught, may not be returned to the water, but may be taken to the Old Faithful Inn where they will cook it for you to enjoy. Sadly, the men in my life did not come through on this one and we ended up poaching some salmon that I bought at the store instead.

Adjacent to Yellowstone to the south lies Grand Teton National Park. We decided to leave the bear resistant container, hop in the rental car and spend a day checking it out. Yellowstone, with its geysers and hot springs, is all about the geology of the region. Grand Teton is where people go to play! With extensive bike trails and hiking paths, marinas and boating and gorgeous glacier topped mountains to view there are endless amounts of things to do.

We spent the day hiking to Jenny Lake and checking out the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. Featuring a Leed platinum certified visitors center and miles of hiking trails through grasslands, forest, around lakes and streams, it was a beautiful hike.

I could go back tomorrow and easily spend another week in each park. We had a great time and really didn't want to leave. The Continental Divide runs right through Yellowstone, and we crossed it several dozen times during our stay. Very cool!

  

Bryce and Zion Canyons

Just a short distance apart in Southern Utah we visited Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion NationalPark. Both canyons are located on the Colorado Plateau and were formed over millions of years. They both offer stunning views of amazing rock formations, but look completely different from one another.

Bryce Canyon was our first stop, and we started at the visitors center where we picked up a junior ranger book, watched a short film then caught a shuttle bus down to Bryce Point. Expecting to see something very similar to the Grand Canyon, but much smaller, we were surprised by our first view. Where the Grand Canyon's walls have been carved in very linear patterns by the Colorado River, Bryce Canyon's Paria River and its tributaries has eroded and carved the Canyon walls in a much different way. Here the canyon has been carved into tall pillars of rock, called Hoodoo's, each with a slightly different shape and many variations in color. The first look was amazing.

Wanting to see more of the canyon, we headed off along the rim trail toward the center of the canyon. A much more uneven and hilly trail than the rim of the Grand Canyon, it was a beautiful hike. We saw lots of birds and wildlife and enjoyed the many stops and lookouts along the 3 mile section to the Bryce Lodge.

After lunch, the boys wanted to do some hiking down into the canyon, so we headed for the Queens Garden Trail. Not too steep, it was a nice walk into the canyon and as we walked along we looked for benchmarks along the trail. This canyon has a program this summer called “Hike the Hoodoos,” set up like a bit of a treasure hunt with clues to find along the way. We made it into the first benchmark, when the little dude announced he had had enough hiking and wanted to go back up, so I headed up with him and the middle guy while the husband and teen hiked the rest of the trail looking for more clues. While we attended a ranger program about the hoodoos and how they were formed, the big boys hiked up the Navajo Loop trail, finding and photographing more benchmarks with their phones. Back at the visitors center, the little dude was sworn in as a junior ranger and the husband and teen were awarded these neat pins for “Hiking the Hoodoos” and taking pictures along the way!

The next day we headed to our third and final canyon, Zion. An interesting drive, as when you approach this canyon from the east, there is a tunnel, 1 mile long, that you must drive through in order to get into the park. The only problem is this tunnel was built in the 1920's, when cars were smaller and also before big, giant motor homes. It's small, and dark, and curves a few times inside the mountain just for fun. And if you have an oversized vehicle like the King, they have to stop oncoming traffic so you can drive through the middle of it. It also costs an extra 15 bucks. I didn't think we were going to fit...

But, we did! Whew! This canyon was another complete surprise. The road into both the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon take you up, to the top of the plateau and along the rim. The road into Zion Canyon takes you down, into the bottom of the canyon, leaving you looking up at smooth rocks and steep cliffs.

We again wanted to do some hiking, but choosing a hike was more difficult in this canyon. We had originally planned to hike into the Narrows, a trail that leads to the end of the canyon where the walls get closer and closer together, but the area had a very heavy rainstorm the night before we were there, and that trail was closed due to a flash flood warning. Many other trails were closed, or didn't connect to each other as the Park Rangers are doing a lot of work to improve the trails this summer. Finally, we decided to hike up a ways to the Emerald Pools. A beautiful and easy walk. These trails take you to a series of small waterfalls over the side of the canyon that fall down into small pools, surrounded by greenery and filled with a greenish algae, giving the pools their emerald green color, and their names. It was very relaxing a peaceful to listen to the falling water and watch the birds and squirrels play in the mist.

Both canyons were beautiful and we really enjoyed our hikes, but by the end of the day the boys were pretty much canyoned out!!  They had a great time and kept up with all the hiking and would love to come back someday...and so would I! 

Grand Canyon Arizona

The Grand Canyon was a bit of an overwhelming experience. It is breathtaking and beautiful and at the same time a slightly terrifying place to take small children. It's also the largest National Park we have visited so far and offers a dizzying array of tours and activities for it's many visitors. With hiking trails, mule, horse or donkey tours, Jeep rides into the canyon, and plane and helicopter tours of the canyon the possibilities are pretty much endless. We had two and a half days to explore and decided to keep it simple, and cheap, and do a lot of hiking.

We entered the park from the east, at the Desert view visitors center and got our first view of the canyon. Spectacular!

Next we climbed the historic watchtower to get an even better view. A round tower constructed in the 1930's and made to look like an ancient puebloan watchtower, it has an observation deck and a winding staircase that takes you to the top for the ultimate view.

It was about a half hour drive along the south rim and out the south exit to our camp site, which was thankfully only a short walk from a shuttle bus stop. We were able to park the King and let it rest, as well as give the husband a break from some really white knuckle mountain driving and ride the free shuttle from Tusayan Arizona into the park each day. We spent the first day hiking along the rim trail for several miles, taking in the scenic vistas and visiting the Yavapai Geology Museum. The rim trail is a wide, well paved path that follows along the rim of the canyon, and there are a few places where there is a small wall or fence, but most of it is wide open, so the little dude was made to hold a hand...the whole day. It was a beautiful hike and I snapped several pictures along the way.

I took the boys favorite picture along the rim, at one of the sections without a rail. The view was beautiful so they sat down and just soaked it in for a bit!

Clearly, they love this picture because it looks like they are sitting right on the edge and dangling their feet over the side of the canyon. Now, I know my mom and dad are probably freaking out right about now, and I can hear my next phone call home as I type this. So, mom and dad, this picture is for you!

See, they're not really sitting right on the edge. So relax, I promise, we didn't even come close to loosing one of them over the edge!

The one thing that struck me most on our first full day at Grand Canyon was the silence. Living so close to Niagara Falls, a place I've visited hundreds of times, one of the things that sticks with you is the sound, the noise and the fury of all that rushing water. The Grand Canyon, on the other hand, is almost silent. No songbirds chirping or people shouting. Even my own kids were pretty quiet, speechless actually as they took it all in. And then we saw the coolest thing. 5 California Condors, soaring in the thermal currents coming up from the bottom of the canyon. We must have stood there watching them for an hour or more. The middle child is our resident wildlife photographer and he captured some great pictures of these huge birds.

The next day we decided we were ready for a bit more adventure and wanted to hike a ways into the canyon. There are several trails that go all the way to the bottom, but the Bright Angel Trail has some water stops, ranger stations and places to turn around without hiking all the way down. We started off, planning on going three miles round trip, six if we got down there and still felt pretty good. We made it to the first water stop when it began to thunder and lightening, so turn around we did and headed out. Only 3 miles for us. The climb down wasn't bad and it was beautiful, but that hike back out was tough.

Finally, a word of thanks and praise to the Park Rangers we have met in each of the parks we have visited so far. The rangers give talks, programs and tours throughout the day at each park. They are all free and have all been excellent! Most National Parks also have a Junior Ranger Program that the little dude has been participating in along the way. You pick up a book at the visitors center, then your child has to complete 3-4 activities, pick up some litter along the way and attend a ranger program during your stay. They have all been excellent, but I think the best one so far was at the Grand Canyon. The ranger taught us about many of the artifacts that have been found in the park, then took the kids on an “archeological dig” to see what they could learn about the first people who lived in the canyon. It was fascinating and the little dude was right into it!

At the end of the day you take the book, signed by the ranger, back to the visitors center and are “officially sworn in” as you take the pledge to protect the National Parks and be a friend to nature. It's all very official, and the kids earn a junior park ranger badge at each park. The little dude should have quite a collection of badges by the end of our trip!