Grand Tetons

We have intermittent cell service at best these days.  A real vacation!  We had a great time  in Yellowstone
Yesterday we had an early morning hike around the upper falls.  It was a sight but we were a bit bear nervous. We then drove around the northern loop and saw herds of bison and a grizzly
Now at the Tetons for some hiking and scenery!

Thanks Nana & Granny

The kids have been buying some treasures

At the Old West cookout

In Pleasant Valley near the Roosevelt Lodge.  Gorgeous.

Morning Glory Pool

Yesterday we toured the Upper Geyser Basin.  We saw Old Faithful erupt at least a half a dozen times--now that's faithful!  We were also treated to Grand Geyser (the tallest predictable wig close viewing), Beehive (which is very unpredictable but which Nicholas amazingly recognized the precurser to), Riverside (which erupts right on the river), as Wells's many other wonders!  Adelaide has become the scat expert and we' be seen many signs of wildlife.

Today we viewed the Grand Prismatic Pool.  Wow!  So many sights are "wow"--words just don't do them justice. We set camp at Canyon campground.  There are bear warnings all around and we must be careful with our food and keeping the campsite clean.

The wildlife for today include bison, elk, a black bear, a coyote, a raven, some various ground squirrels, and something pronged sheep. 

The highlight of the day was our old west cookout.  The boys rode horses (John was traumatized by his unruly horse who finally had to be led home on a tow rope) and the girls rode in the wagon.  We had a wonderful guide in the wagon and my head was spinning with stories and information.

Tomorrow we go off exploring and trying to fit in as much as possible.  There is so much to see and do!

Old Faithful--out first viewing

"This is too much!" quoth Nicholas.

We entered Yellowstone and saw snow-capped mountains, a grizzly bear, bison walking down the road, deer, steam vents by Yellowstone Lake and now we await Old Faithful.  We haven't even been here 3 hours!  Tomorrow we explore the geyser basin.  Tonight a hot shower after several camping days. That is as eagerly anticipated as Old Faithful!

Traveling through the Big Horn Mountains, WY

Wow! Spectacular!  Gorgeous! And disappointing when we came to the end.

Devil:s Tower, WY

We spent the day in search of Rocky Raccoon. No, not really but we certainly canvassed the Black Hills. Last night found us at a campground near Mt Rushmore. We had planned to skip The Four Heads but since we were so close we decided to stop by. John and I were AMAZED at how close we were!! I don't know where we viewed it from 18 years ago but we NEVER saw it so close! We were more impressed than the kids.

From there we stopped for Hobbit's second breakfast since we had a tour reservations for 12:20 at Jewel Cave. We learned that Jewel Cave is the 2nd longest in the world--now measuring 151,11 miles long. Every few weeks folks go down to do more exploring and measuring and remain there for about 4 days. They even have a staging area where they keep sleeping bags and they get their water from the cave. What we found even more amazing is that just to get to this area, they had to pass through spaces only 8 inches tall. Now that is a tight fit! Jewel Cave was named for the calcite deposits in it. We saw some very cool formations including two called Bacon and eggs!

After leaving the cave, we headed to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. We arrived in time to pop into the visitor's center and hike around the tower. Falcons are nesting around one face and we could see them soaring. There is a voluntary "no climb" period in June to honor a sacred period for the American Indians. We saw many prayer bundles and cloths tied to trees.

We are settled into camp for the night and off to Yellowstone tomorrow.

The Badlands, SD

CORN PALACE!

Home sweet home

Here we are in Mitchell, SD.  We have a scenic site but it is hot!

This was a crazy night of camping! We were swarmed by giant mosquitoes so we moved around quickly!! Around midnight the wild weather moved in. We had 2 solid hours of thunderstorms with some impressive cracks and booms and lightning. The wind was so strong that it threatened to blow away the tents. Michele had everything bundled and ready to dash to the car. Thankfully we all survived and we awoke to a much cooler morning.

Crumbs! Looks like lunch in the car.

At Home with the Deaven's in Wisconsin

After leaving the Locks, we traveled through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (where they actually had a UP State Fair--hmm...a secession in the works?!?). We skirted along Lake Michigan (and just how many of you can name all the Great Lakes??) and into the beautiful state of Wisconsin. Lots of red barns dotting the countryside. There we hung out with our good friends, the Deaven's.

They treated us to the culinary delights of the area--brats on the grill, local beer, cheese curds, frozen custard, and of course, CHEESE--including stinky Limburger (thanks for the tip Amanda!). The kids played on the trampoline, competed in video games, crafted, had nerf gun fights, and best of all, stayed up late talking and giggling. As for the grown ups, we hiked, visited, laughed, fixed brooms, and gamed. Our time with them is always enjoyable and always seems too brief! Thanks guys!

We are now on our way to South Dakota and are on the hunt for the Maid Rite chain where word has it we can eat some great loose meat sandwiches. Stay tuned....

Soo locks,MI

This morning we crossed from Sault Step Marie,ON to Sault Ste Marie,MI. We stopped at the Soo Locks which connect Lake Superior to Lake Huron and has a 21 ft difference! We were able to see several ships pass through, one being the largest sized vessel on the Great Lakes.

Yesterday was one of our longest travel days. We traversed Ontario. After crossing into Canada, we were driving through scenic farmland when we came across about 100 wind turbines--right smack dab among the farms! We stopped to listen, but could not hear them despite the number and close proximity. Very cool!

Later in the day we passed into the Laurentian Hills--wooded and rolling. That was a surprise since one tends to think of Ontario as mainly farmland.

Lastly we passed through an area dotted with mining towns. The landscape was scrubby and rocky. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset over the North Channel of Lake Huron. It didn't get dark until nearly 10 pm. It really felt like we were chasing the sun.

Crossing lake Champlain

After some technical difficulties, we seem to have figured out uploading photos. Here's hoping!

On our way

2 week countdown!

John: We are all getting excited with our impending departure. We even have our trek mapped out as far as Madison. Beyond that we have a few reservations here and there, but we have most of our time unstructured.

We looked into replacing our aged car 's antiquated CD player, so we can listen to MP3 files.

We also recognize that we don 't have room for every one in the family to bring their usual pillow. Inflatible pillows are under evaluation this week.