On the Road Again

Joni made everyone her famous “world’s best scrambled eggs” for breakfast this morning, and then we were off, heading west, back home again.  It was sad to say goodbye to our sweet spot by the riverside (above), as they are such a hospitable family, but we didn’t want to overstay our welcome.  It was amazing what we saw and did with just two days in the park!  God really blessed the time we had and I’m thankful for that.

We stopped in Bozeman to make a Wal-Mart run as Kaleb needed a swimsuit and an inverter so he can charge up his electronics with the RV battery when the generator isn’t running.  Priorities.  Tina bought some “Angry Birds” fruit snacks and the boys set up their own challenges with those treats, throwing the birds at the pigs and if they knocked them off, they got to eat them.  It was pretty funny to watch. 

The best bakery in Montana is just outside Bozeman, started by a Norwegian immigrant.  Wheat Montana is a destination place in itself, so we made sure we stopped there for lunch and to buy a few items for the road.  All I can say is that the bread is as good there as it is in Norway, so that guy knows what he is doing.  Yum.

We also stopped in Missoula again to gas up and to let Are go back to a sporting goods store and buy a few more things for a quarter of the cost they are in Norway.  Tina and I used the time to shop at Ross, next door while the boys just played with their Nintendos in the RV. (These wild purple flowers covered the hillsides in one area we passed.)

While we were waiting for Are, I ran into a store to buy some veggies for dinner.  I took out the trash before I left.  While I was gone, Tina started looking for Daniel’s glasses, worried he’d left them back at the Robert’s house.  When she couldn’t find them anywhere, all she could think was that they fell off the table and into the garbage can below.  Since I’d just taken out the garbage, she ran up to the store and found the bag I’d dumped, sitting on top of the can, then started going through our trash.  Sure enough, they were in there.  We couldn’t have been more thankful to God for that entire series of events.  Amazing all the way around.

Two years ago when we made this trip to Yellowstone, we passed a tourist trap called 10,000 Silver Dollars.  It’s now called 50,000 silver dollars, as that’s how many more dollars are hanging on the wall with the name of the person under it that donated the dollars.  What a gimmick, but it provided for a good stop when we needed it and Kaleb and Daniel both bought some knives there.  It seems they are now at the age where these things matter.  They were happy campers, to say the least.

Once we hit Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, we had to pop in to the Dollar Store to show them what they can buy for six Norwegian kroner.  It was the biggest store I’ve been in so I was able to spend a few dollars there myself.

We debated about eating dinner in the parking lot, as we were all starving, but it was getting late and I was worried about making it to our camp ground for the night, before the Ranger Station closed.  Boy was I right.  We pulled in to Farragut State Park two minutes before 9pm, so God was directing that decision.  I heated up dinner (it was already pre-planned, made and in the freezer), and we enjoyed a very late night dinner at our campground.  It didn’t take long after that before we all decided it was time for bed and that was the end of our long day on the road.

Tomorrow we stay put and let the boys go to Silverwood, a big water park/theme park, in Idaho, and Kory and I get a day of rest.  Not sure what that will look like, but maybe we need it.

Into the Wild - Day Two

I went to bed at midnight, long after everyone else.  I was up too late posting photos and writing my blog.  I paid for it today.  After I got to bed, a huge storm swept through the valley and the RV started rocking hard, the wind was whipping and the rain was coming in horizontally through the open windows.  I had to get up and shut everything down, while Kory slept through the entire thing.  I could hardly sleep, so worried we’d tip over, which was a real possibility.

I got less than four hours sleep so my eyes have been burning all day.  I was up at six again this morning, getting breakfast ready and packing up lunches for the day.  We headed out early in hopes of seeing some wolves in a different part of the park than we’ve been to before. Trying to get a car full of kids up and out the door slowed us down a bit.  We took the Robert’s three oldest kids with us today because Jim and Joni had to go into Bozeman to get some building supplies for a job Jimmy is doing.  It was fun to have the extra kids along, though.

We all played the “spotting wildlife” game where the first person to spot an animal and yell out it’s name, gets a point, but it has to be verified by another person.  I was the scorekeeper, and I won the game both yesterday and today, although today I tied with Emma for being the first to spot 11 creatures.  We saw so many today it was hard to keep count, but most of them were bison, pronghorn deer and osprey.  We didn’t see any wolves, however.  But we did see two tiny baby black bear cubs and their mother – from a pretty close range.  Kory got some great photos of them, as he did of some of the bison we passed.   We saw two huge bull elk as well, which made for more great photos because the traffic jam around them allowed us time to get out and take pictures, too.  Joni jokes that even a squirrel crossing the road in the park will cause a mile long backup.  She’s not kidding.

Our goal today was to see the Canyon with the beautiful waterfall, and we made that by 1:30 so we had lots of extra time today to stop for photos.  We took plenty when we were at the falls, too.  It was a much calmer day today, as the heat was tolerable, and we didn’t have as much ground to cover.  It was in the 70s, but the winds were very high all day. We passed a car that had been smashed by a falling tree as it was driving on the same road we were on.  There were gusts up to 60mph and several trees came down over the roads.  God had his hand on us and we were fine, but it was a brisk day in this neck of the woods.  Even I-90 shut down in Livingston, an hour from here, as the big rigs were in danger of being swept off the freeway.  The wind kept us from having a BBQ down at the beach tonight, as the blowing sand was relentless.

We left the park by 3pm and stopped for ice cream for the kids.  We’d promised them that, if there was no bickering in the car.  We had five kids and four adults in a suburban all day and the chances of things getting out of hand were pretty high – but they all did fine.  The boys sat in the back and had these hand held propellers they loved spinning in the wind of the open windows.  It was better entertainment than electronics, and I was glad for that.

I had time to clean out the motorhome and get ready for the next leg of our road trip before Jim and Joni came back from Bozeman.  I would have preferred a nap, but that wasn’t going to happen with only so many hours in a day and so much to do.  Kory repaired a few things in the RV that broke on the way to Montana, so hopefully we’ll make it home just fine.  On the way here, the motorhome was sucking air going over the passes, so Kory was worried about the amount of power we lost, but Kory didn’t downshift so I think that was the problem and now he knows better.  We were pleased with how comfortable the RV is for traveling in and how much room we have for everything we need – even with six people packed in there.  The trip home will hopefully be uneventful.

After our BBQ dinner tonight the boys got the ATV going and they spent hours taking turns and going around and around and around the big field between the house and the river.  Kaleb was getting a bit too confident on it and turning corners way too fast for my liking, but it sure put a smile on his face.  Daniel thought it was pretty cool, too.  This is the life of country kids and I’m so glad Daniel got to have a taste of it.  Are took some amazing close up photos of the kids tonight with lively expressions on their faces.  He has all the fancy camera equipment and the know-how on using it.  He won’t soon forget this trip, that’s for sure, as it’s as well documented as a trip can be.

Everyone was so exhausted after dinner we all crashed earlier than usual, thankfully.  It’s been a wonderful adventure in so many ways and we are certainly thankful for the chance to see our friends again.  The animals and natural beauty of Yellowstone were just a bonus.

Into the Wild

Monday morning we were up again at the crack of dawn, inhaling breakfast to get out the door before the throngs of tourists hit Yellowstone park before we did.  Joni recommended we drive all the way to Old Faithful, without stopping, then stop on the way back to see what we wanted to see, in order to avoid the traffic jams that would otherwise await us.  She was so right.

We were able to go the speed limit and not hit any slow downs all the way to the Geyser.  We were an hour early for the next eruption so we all killed time at the lodge and in the gift store.  We saw the eruption then took the trail up and around the other boiling pots of water.  It was only a mile loop, but they were enjoying taking photos of everything so much it took nearly 90 minutes to make that loop.  We nearly missed the second eruption in the process, but I keep everyone on task and we saw that, then hit the parking lot before it was done, just to avoid the traffic jam that ensues after the eruptions.  I even heard one woman say she spent more time in the parking lot last time she visited the park, than actually seeing any of the geysers.

Everyone thought I was a bit brash in keeping us on schedule and doing silly things to avoid the crowds, but based on the number of things we saw, it worked out pretty well.  People could be in Yellowstone for a week and not see what we saw in one day.

Within just a few minutes of entering the park we saw a mountain goat, elk, a coyote, an eagle washing himself in the river, and two grizzly bears crossing the road right in front of us.  About 30 minutes later we saw a herd of bison that weren’t just standing there grazing, they were kicking up their heels and having a good ol’ time butting into each other, chasing each other around in circles, rolling in the field and acting about as crazy as I’ve ever seen any wild animals acts.  It was impressive.  And that was all before we made it to the geyser.

After we left Old Faithful we stopped at all the pullouts to see the incredible colors in the pools of water that make Yellowstone so famous.  I’m sure over a thousand pictures were taken today from just the four of us with cameras. 

We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade, as it was another scorcher of a day, and continued to see animals along the way, a beaver, prairie dogs, white tailed deer, and another grizzly.  At one point, driving through a canyon with steep hills on one side and the river on the other, an entire herd of buffalo came sauntering down the road heading straight for us.  We only had about 10 cars in front of us, but behind that bunch of bison was at least a five-mile backup.  I felt terrible for those people who were trapped in the cars for I’m sure, hours on end today, wondering why they couldn’t get through the park. 

I was totally freaked out, as I was driving, that the bison would injury the Robert’s car, which they so graciously loaned to us.  They completely surrounded us and were just inches from the vehicle on all side.  There must have been a hundred of them.  It was freaky, but cool, all at the same time.   Now that can’t happen every day.

We had a game going as to who could spy the most animals first, and Kaleb got his nose out of joint when, after seven hours in the car, he was skunked.  He had a bit of an attitude problem with his last place position, but after a while he snapped out of it, thankfully.  So that was the only damper to an otherwise incredible day.

At one point, walking into a souvenir shop, Daniel looked down at his shoes and said, “I’ve been walking in these shoes all day.”  I told him I thought that’s what shoes were for.  He said, “Oh, I just needed to say something…” which I thought was pretty funny.  I told him he could say anything, but that was a pretty odd thing to say.  We had a good laugh over that one.

I told Joni I’d be back at the house by 6pm for dinner.  Jimmy told her we’d never make it down to Old Faithful and back in 11 hours, but she disagreed and said, “If Mickey said she’ll be here by six, she’ll be here by six.”  We walked in the door at 5:57 and sat down for dinner, just as I planned.  How about them apples.

We were all talking at the same time of all the incredible things we saw and how lucky and blessed we felt to have such an amazing day in the park.  They agreed that it was highly unusual to see all that we did in such a short time span.  Hallelujah for that.

After dinner, Are was too tired to go fishing, and too fried from the sun, so we all sat in the living room and just talked while the kids carried on around us. Everyone went to bed early for another early start on the next day – except me – I had photos to download, an article to write for the paper, and a blog to post.  Life’s too good not to share it.

We Made It!

My plans for Saturday were that we’d stop in Missoula at the Farmer’s Market for a few hours, stop in Bozeman to pick up more food at Costco, then be at our friend’s, the Robert’s house, by 6pm with Pizza for dinner.  We arrived at their house at 6:05pm but it was a lot of hustling to get us there.

We were up and driving to Missoula by 7:30, not even eating breakfast before we hit the road.  The Farmer’s Markets always have baked goods, and this one had about ten booths of them, so we weren’t disappointed we waited to eat until we arrived.

There were actually three markets going on at the same time – two that were primarily produce and plants, and one that had hand made crafts, imported things and a little bit of everything.  We managed to hit them all after we loaded up on cinnamon rolls and fresh coffee.

The temperature was already in the 70s by 9am, so we all overheated walking around from booth to booth.  The boys even had fun looking at things and I managed to find a few treasures and get more craft ideas for Kory and Kaleb to make for me.

We found the Costco so we could gas up our rig, and nearby there was a young woman with a big dog sitting by the side of the road, with a sign to get a ride.  Kory asked her if she wanted to join us and her final destination happened to be Bozeman, which is where we were headed, so we were happy to remove the dangers that might lay ahead for her.  She’d been hitching a ride from Oakland, California to a summer job on a ranch outside Bozeman.  She had tattoos, a nose ring like a bull, half her head shaved and the other half not.  She looked a bit odd, but she was still vulnerable to who knows what.  She said she spent the night before sleeping in the bushes behind the Wal-Mart, but she felt safe because she had her dog with her – a bull mastiff/pit-bull mix. 

We gave them both some food and water, and they slept hard for part of the trip.  Anna played her guitar and taught Daniel a few new cords.  She was a good distraction for that stretch of road and we dropped her off at the Costco in Bozeman when we headed in for supplies.  Her friend was there to meet her so it was all good….

The drive south of Bozeman was gorgeous, as always and I guess that’s why they call it Paradise Valley.  Daniel was anxious to arrive and had had enough with being in the motorhome.  Every few minutes he kept asking how long until we’d get there.  I guess this is the good thing with Kaleb always having his nose in a book – he never notices time passing.  He’ll read the book over and over again before he’ll stare out the window and watch the world go by and get bored.

It was so great to see the Roberts again.  Joni was pregnant last time we were here and now Tilly is over a year old, so we hadn’t met her yet.  With five kids in tow, they keep themselves busy.  Jimmy’s been working on the house – painted it, put in new windows and a new roof and it looks like a different place.  They just got back from a six month road trip visiting several family members, too, so we are there first guests of the season, with others coming back to back after we leave.  God bless ‘em.

The kids all ran around and we walked down by the river to cool off after dinner.  It was in the 90s on Saturday so we were all a bit fried.  After the sun went down we heard and saw a whole herd of elk across the river – making all kinds of wild animal sounds.    After looking at some of the Robert’s photos and hearing stories of their car being “cleaned out” by a black bear, most of their chickens being devoured by a mother grizzly and her cubs (while the Robert’s family looked on helplessly) and bison and elk roaming through their yard at all times of the year, day and night – it felt like we had arrive in Wild America, for sure.

It was good to be back in the Robert’s home, even if I still haven’t forgiven them for moving away from Skagit County. 

Sunday we were up and trying to get everyone fed before church started at 9am.  Their little community church here was packed with locals and visitors.  The sermon was quick and powerful and I was convicted of my “sin of fear” when it comes to not trusting God fully for Kory’s health.  God apparently knows how to speak to me, no matter where I’m at.

After church we had lunch with the Roberts then Kaleb and the Johansens did a river run down the Yellowstone River.  Emma, age 13, and I were the official photographers and we followed them down river in the car, stopping to pull over and get a few shots before jumping in and zooming off to the next lookout.  We were so hot and sweaty by the time we got back to the Robert’s house, as it was at least 95 degrees, we needed a dip in the river to cool off.

We sat in the shade of the trees by the riverside and relaxed a bit before going back into the tiny town of Gardiner, which is only 5 minutes away, to pick up the rafters.  They found a souvenir shop that consumed the next hour in the day before we brought them back to join us at the beach.  A water war ensued with Emma and I against the boys and none of us were sad to be drenched, as it was so darn hot.

It was tacos for dinner before we wound down for the evening and Are got his big moment down by the riverside with a fly fishing reel in his hand.  He wasn’t completely satisfied with the spot he had so he moved down river and ended up catching a rainbow trout before it was totally dark.  He was thrilled.  I felt like it was a “check that thing off their wish list” kind of event, and he was thrilled with the experience of it all.

We adults forced ourselves to stay up a little longer than the kids, just so we could enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet to wrap up the day, as we needed it.