As always, we could not have done it alone!
We are so appreciative of our gracious hosts who went out of their way to welcome us into their homes:
Tim and Yumi Maule, Ethan and Alexis
Carol and KT Thuerbach
It is so nice to spend time with friends and family as we travel!
We would have spent some cold nights without the help of G-ma Kim and G-pa Alan. Thanks for being our personal hotel reservation line and welcoming party. What a treat to come home to a stocked fridge and hot pizza!
We would never have found many of the places we visited without the iPhone Map App, our well worn Rand McNally Atlas, and the Roadside America App. We are still wondering how Rand McNally decides which spots to mark in red (indicating a historic or scenic stop). Yelp was also very helpful in guiding us to good food and a few great sites.
We are grateful for the amazing park rangers we met who gave us great advice about where to hike and explore in the National Parks and Historic Sites. One of our most valuable lessons was "How to get a campsite in a National Park."
As always, we are happy to share what we know with anyone else crazy enough to take on the adventure!!
Monday, August 3, 2015
Another adventure done!
28 days, 7 states, 4981 miles
It's hard to process all of the places we have been, let alone remember them in detail. This blog is as much for us as it is for you! From the moment we got home we have been sifting through the posts so we can picture it all and reflect on the exciting adventures we had. While we covered more miles this year, we visited less states. That is a true representation, in our view, of the western United States. There is so much to see, and as many places we visited, there are just as many that we did not. It is hard to describe how beautiful and diverse the landscape is and how much wilderness and history there is to explore. We want to see it all!
This trip was a combined science and history lesson. We learned about geology and chemistry, natural disasters and animals. We followed the trails of native Americans, mountain men, and brave explorers and did our best to learn about their history. Samantha definitely has a passion for history and Ali loves to collect rocks.
There were many highlights for all of us- our stay at Flathead Lake being one of the top, and our visit with Tim & Yumi in Washington. The girls loved swimming at the hot springs in Thermopolis. Mitchell, Oregon was a favorite stop because it was a tiny town by all standards. Sitting around the campfire on the last night of the trip we asked the girls what they remember (no more direction than that). It's amazing how much sinks in and once they get going the list is endless. We ended up retracing the trip day by day. We were only in Yellowstone when we got too sleepy to go on.
As always- we learned a lot along the way. I can make a great pot of camp coffee with the percolator and cook a whole variety of meals on a Coleman stove! Ali does not like hiking! Samantha can read the same books over and over and prefers to read than do pretty much anything. Jim is our undaunted expedition leader and would still be on the road if he could.
We know it was a great trip- as the girls were getting ready for bed they were looking at all the new magnets they collected (we buy them in the parks and at historic sites). We were talking about where they might like to go next when Samantha said, "Wait! I need a map." She ran and got the atlas and opened to the US Map. She proceeded to trace a trip through Nevada, California, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, then across the northern states to Michigan and loop back through Nebraska and home. We would need at least double the amount of time even to attempt it! She is definitely our kid!!
Thanks for traveling with us! The truck is unpacked and we are almost settled back home in Eagle, until the next adventure.....
It's hard to process all of the places we have been, let alone remember them in detail. This blog is as much for us as it is for you! From the moment we got home we have been sifting through the posts so we can picture it all and reflect on the exciting adventures we had. While we covered more miles this year, we visited less states. That is a true representation, in our view, of the western United States. There is so much to see, and as many places we visited, there are just as many that we did not. It is hard to describe how beautiful and diverse the landscape is and how much wilderness and history there is to explore. We want to see it all!
This trip was a combined science and history lesson. We learned about geology and chemistry, natural disasters and animals. We followed the trails of native Americans, mountain men, and brave explorers and did our best to learn about their history. Samantha definitely has a passion for history and Ali loves to collect rocks.
There were many highlights for all of us- our stay at Flathead Lake being one of the top, and our visit with Tim & Yumi in Washington. The girls loved swimming at the hot springs in Thermopolis. Mitchell, Oregon was a favorite stop because it was a tiny town by all standards. Sitting around the campfire on the last night of the trip we asked the girls what they remember (no more direction than that). It's amazing how much sinks in and once they get going the list is endless. We ended up retracing the trip day by day. We were only in Yellowstone when we got too sleepy to go on.
As always- we learned a lot along the way. I can make a great pot of camp coffee with the percolator and cook a whole variety of meals on a Coleman stove! Ali does not like hiking! Samantha can read the same books over and over and prefers to read than do pretty much anything. Jim is our undaunted expedition leader and would still be on the road if he could.
We know it was a great trip- as the girls were getting ready for bed they were looking at all the new magnets they collected (we buy them in the parks and at historic sites). We were talking about where they might like to go next when Samantha said, "Wait! I need a map." She ran and got the atlas and opened to the US Map. She proceeded to trace a trip through Nevada, California, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, then across the northern states to Michigan and loop back through Nebraska and home. We would need at least double the amount of time even to attempt it! She is definitely our kid!!
Thanks for traveling with us! The truck is unpacked and we are almost settled back home in Eagle, until the next adventure.....
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Turned around on the home stretch!
I guess we'll turn around and do it all again!
In reality- 20 extra miles to make about 5 miles of progress. Sorry G-ma Kim and G-pa Alan, we're going to be a bit late for dinner.
Home, sweet home!
After 28 days the girls are very excited to be back in Colorado.
Jim is protesting. He wants to stay on the road! Literally....
Jarvis Homestead, Brown's Park, Utah
A remote site on a bend in the Green River. Some of the structures are built with "acquired" railroad ties that were being floated down the river. There was a store and a ferry and even a post office in the late 1800's. 
This dugout was one of Butch Cassidy's hideouts.
Note the cactus growing on the roof.
South Pass City, Wyoming
A state historic site full of well maintained buildings and museum exhibits about the life in the town during the late 1800's and the nearby gold mine. The sign entering town lists the population as 4 people, 2 dogs, and 3 cats. A great and interesting stop miles off the beaten track on a dirt road. We liked it much better than the rebuilt touristy west towns in Montana.
This is the one room school. Small desks for small kid go up front!
After the walking tour we went gold panning. They bring dirt from the old mine.
Sam was excited about the garnets in the mix.
This is the gold we found. Can you see it??
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Red Canyon, Wyoming
A wildlife area set aside for elk in the winter and an old Indian and mountain men trail.
Grave of Sacajawea, Fort Washakie, WY
This is believed to be the gravesite of Sacajawea. Both of her sons are burried beside her.
The cemetary is in the middle of the Wind River Indian Reservation. It is still an active burial site. We hope it was not bad medicine to pass through. This is possibly the most out of the way, remote wacky, wild, and weird that we have ventured to see.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Thermopolis, Wyoming
The largest natural mineral hot springs in the world. The pools and slides use water from the spring. Sam got daring at the pool! 
Hot Springs State Park
This is what an empty pool looks like.
View of the Tetons
We decided to bypass another crowded park. We stopped for the view of the mountains across Yellowstone lake.
Soda Butte Creek
We stopped by the creek so the girls could play. They found ishy squishy mud at the bottom. Good thing they were not clean before they started!
Traffic in Yellowstone
A bison was in the middle of the road making a traffic jam! He walked onto the road and stopped. Must be what the bison do for afternoon fun.
Animal Viewing
We dedicated the rest of the day to animal viewing. Here is Ali's list:
Bison, elk, deer, mama bear and 2 cubs, coyote, fox, pronghorn antelope, pika, and mountain goat.
We were well rewarded with herds of bison and many other great spots. There are big herds in the north eastern part of the park.
The pronghorn were close to the road and posed well for photos! The elk population in the park seems to have dwindled since we were here last. We saw the most just after dusk when we were on our way back from dinner in Gardiner. We saw a fox trotting down the road and a mountain goat hanging out on the shoulder.
The bears were the highlight of the day! We saw a female black bear and her two cubs. They were not phased by all the people and as we stood and watched they got quite close to us. We were very careful not to get between the mother and her cubs. The cubs put on quite a show as they scampered through the meadow and over a log. They followed mom across the road so we could see them clearly. They scrambled up the hillside and out of sight. This was one of our closest and best bear encounters ever! A lucky first sighting for Sam and Ali!!
All the animals were fantastic, but the bears were definitely the best!!
Sam: I liked the fox best.
Ali: I liked the coyote, fox, and bears best.
Tower Falls
We hiked down to the falls.
And then past the "hike at your own risk" sign to the Yellowstone River. There is much less water at this point so the girls played and threw rocks (one of their favorite pastimes). The rocks were interesting- the yellow rubs off the rocks. There must be sulphur in the water. It's like powder on the dry side.
This adventure got a bit more exciting when a coyote wandered out of the woods and walked up the beach. He was less than 20 feet away and had no interest in us. He walked up the trail, cutting the switchbacks (I guess he can't read the "stay on the trail" sign). He went straight for the trailhead and the falls overlook. By the time we hiked back up he had a big crowd. We got the best view!!
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