Day 10B(2nd Tues) - Day 14A(Fri noon)

Aren't they precious!

Day 10 part B, Monday afternoon - evening
After we left the coffee shop where we sent our last post, we drove back through Mammoth Hot Springs and toward Lamar Valley. On the way, we happened upon a crowd of people looking down a hillside at two bull moose in the canyon. We sat and enjoyed watching them because it is very rare to see bull moose.

Then we went on to the supposedly wildlife-rich Lamar valley. Apparently, we came on a bad day, and there wasn’t much wildlife to see, except for buffalo, which we had already seen plenty of. Then we raced back to where our RV was so that we could get to our campsite on time. This was the evening when we had a wonderful “God experience”. Ask us in person to explain, because it is too complicated to write in a blog, except to say, God “turned our sorrow into laughter”.

Was sooooo cool to see these two bulls locking antlers. They had about 10 or so cows in a herd. Hard to tell if they were actually trying to establish dominance or were just playing around w/ one male clearly already having established the alpha role. Nevertheless, it was something you never get to see in Cary.

Check this guy out...just hangin' out by himself off the side of the road. Interesting how sometimes you'd find a herd of 20, 30 or more and then you'd find those loners seemingly miles from any other.

Their big heads make it seem like they should just topple over forwards.


RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Abby-“More Hot Springs?”
2) Teresa-enjoyed huckleberry ice cream.
3) Katie- We saw a lot of “Buffalo rocks”
4) Teresa- that would be rocks that from a distance look like buffalo.
5) Mitchell- We kept seeing this because we kept expecting to see so much wildlife in Lamar valley, but our eyes played tricks on us with these rocks instead. (mirages)

Day 11, Tuesday
We had our usual breakfast in the RV of oatmeal and cereal with hot chocolate and coffee then drove north to the canyon, so called the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone”. We hiked to the lower falls down 328 stairs (the harder part was hiking up) plus trail hiking.

Then we had a picnic lunch near there. We went to the most photographed part of Yellowstone, Artist Point, where you can see the waterfall, river, and canyon.

It would have been nicer without all the people. You could barely take a picture without someone getting in your way or you getting in someone else’s way.

Then we drove to Yellowstone Lake Hotel to buy a sweatshirt for Abby. We ended up getting ice cream too. That night Daddy taught us girls how to play hearts.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Teresa – Surprisingly there are fewer internationals in Yellowstone. At Bryce and Zion, we were clearly in the minority as Americans. We heard many languages spoken every day. At Yellowstone, the demographic is mostly retired Americans.
2) Karen- We liked playing hearts. We even played it by ourselves in the RV while Daddy was driving.

3) Mitchell- Who’s Karen you wonder? It’s James Cornell’s abbreviation /nickname for the the conglomeration “Katie, Abby, Lauren”

Day 12, Wednesday
We ate breakfast at the Fishing Bridge General Store Fountain. Then we headed toward Grand Teton National Park. We did some last minute Yellowstone shopping on the way. We found a campsite at Coulter Bay. We ate a quick lunch then took a 3 mile hike exploring the Coulter Bay woods and lakes.

We drove around and stopped at some view points in the Grand Teton Mtns. Then we went back to the campsite.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Mitchell-“I finally found my zipper hooded sweatshirt that I’ve been looking for since the first day in Yellowstone. All the other stores only had larges.”
2) Teresa-“The Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) is so striking because you’re driving on a flat road next to a flat lake, and on the other side of the lake there are tall, alpine mountains up to 13,000 feet” see pics.

Day 13, Thursday
After organizing suitcases to prepare for the trip home, we headed south on the main road trough GTNP and came across a group of cars stopped on the side of the road. We have learned that this means that there is wildlife to be seen. There we saw a couple of cow moose grazing by a creek. Then we turned the corner to see another group of cars. This group was looking at a… GRIZZLY BEAR!

It was about 150 yards away in the willows and short trees. Once It left the view from that road, Daddy sprinted to the RV with Abby keeping pace not far behind. They sped up the road, circling to the other side of the willows along a river where they got out to try to see the bear as it was heading in that direction. Later, a ‘real’ photographer showed up, then some others. They sat and waited for the bear for 20-30 minutes, to no avail. But there was much excitement with simple anticipation that the grizzly would pop its head out from the willows to provide a closer look. After we left the bear, we continued down the road and beheld another magnificent view, the calm, glass-like surface of Jackson Lake reflecting the image of the Grand Tetons from the rays of the morning sun.

We ate lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge Pioneer Grill. It was like eating at Ashworth’s (in Cary), but 10 times bigger. Our waiter, from NC, served Lauren and Katie their first buffalo burger.

Our next activity was a 1.1 mile hike up one of the mountains to see Hidden Falls and then catch a view across Jenny Lake from Inspiration Point. You never get tired of so many breathtaking views.

We experienced one of our few unfortunate events on the way down when Katie twisted her ankle. Daddy ran down the mountain to hold the last ferry that was supposed to depart at 4:00pm. The driver of that ferry across Jenny Lake was kind enough to wait a few extra minutes for Katie.
We took it easy after that and enjoyed some final sights of the Tetons before going to the Gros Ventre Campground on the south side of the park.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Mitchell-“in some kind of ‘sick sense’, we’ve enjoyed watching the girls learn to live in close quarters together for two weeks as they nag and squabble with each other…then they love each other”
2) Teresa-yes, I know the girls will appreciate being able to sleep in their own rooms again.

Day 14, Friday
We woke up to 2 moose that were visible from our RV window . Pretty cool sight for our last morning in a National Park. Our goal for the morning was to get ALL of our stuff packed back into the van from the RV and to clean the RV. Amazingly, we accomplished this task and began our 725 mile journey back to Las Vegas.
RANDOM IMPRESSIONS
1) Mitchell-“ …I was just thinking ‘I never in my life thought I would ever be in Idaho’”
2) Teresa- kind of sad that the trip is over, but lots of good memories!

Day 7 thru 10

We'll edit this blog post w/ pics when we have unlimited free internet access time...for now...here ya go

Day 7
One of the most enjoyable events of our trip was going on an ATV ride. Daddy and our guide, tony, chased down a prong horn (sometimes incorrectly ID'd as an antelope) to get a picture. Katie and I drove our own ATVs! It was really fun!! Abby rode on mommy’s ATV with her. See our pictures! After that, we drove all day from Bryce View Lodge to Pocatello, Idaho where we stayed at a Comfort Inn for the night. We stopped along the way at Park City near Salt Lake City, Utah, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was cool to see some of the US National Team training for the 2010 Olympics. See pics below.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Abby-
a. I think ‘hoodoo’ is a cool word
b. I also think that ‘junction’ is a cool word.
c. I still don’t get how Lauren can read on the winding roads.
2) Mitchell: Hoodoo really IS a cool word. We’re havin’ too much fun…Thank You God!

Day 8
Left Pocatello, Idaho for a 2.5 hr drive to Jackson, Wyoming where we picked up our RV. Kids were so excited about the RV. A Ford 350 mod w/ a camper…full bath, kitchen, dining room, two full size beds, etc…just like home…well not quite, not as efficient to run. But it’s fun. Was nice to unpack our stuffed van and use the large storage compartment of the RV
Another 2.5 hrs later, arrived at Yellowstone. We were late for our dinner reservation at the Old Faithful Inn so we ate at the Old Faithful Lodge cafeteria instead. Worked out perfectly…paid half as much and got a seat by the window viewing good ole Old Faithful herself. The timing was perfect too. Old Faithful erupts about every 90 min. We finished dinner just in time to get outside to view the next eruption. We were also happy just to see the lodge in the first place, because our original plans had us coming to this area later when it would have been closed.
After a few minutes at the Old Faithful General Store, we departed for our camp site. There we quickly got ready for bed. We were all pretty tired, so we all fell asleep pretty quickly.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Abby-“When I first got in the RV, I wanted to be in a field by myself and scream as loud as I can.” (she was excited)
2) Lauren-I found a ‘buffalo’ for Mrs. Geri!!


Day 9
We were in bed about 9.5 hours, but probably only slept about 7. I think Katie was the only one who had a good sleep that night (because she didn’t have to sleep with Abby or me).

We decided to go back to the Old Faithful area because we didn’t really see much of it the night before. When we first got there, we learned that Beehive Geyser was about to erupt. This particular geyser isn’t consistent, and it’s one of the tallest in the park. We were really blessed to be able to see it. The geyser is kind of shaped like a beehive when it erupts, hence the name. We saw plenty of other geysers and hot springs. My personal favorite was Castle Geyser. We almost missed seeing this one, too. It was really magnificent, and it erupted for about 20 minutes. The steam even created a really pretty rainbow!!! At the end of the day as we were leaving, Old Faithful erupted just as we were walking by. The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect.
Once we got back to the campsite, we had a delicious dinner of steak, mashed potatoes, and rolls. We all agreed that it was our favorite meal of the trip. We were happy to get in bed since we didn’t have a good sleep the night before.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Mitchell-8 nights, 8 different beds (in Zion slept one night in bed, next night on couch. Important note: Katie wasn’t feeling well)
2) Lauren-“I’m so tired because Abby woke me up in the middle of the night and I couldn’t get back to sleep! (she was cold)”
3) Abby-“How did the workers build the boardwalks if it was unsafe?”

Day 10
We all (except for Katie and Lauren who slept together) slept better last night. We left our Madison campsite and had a beautiful 30 minute drive along the Gibbon River. We stopped at Gibbon Falls, which was also beautiful. After parking the RV in Canyon Village, we saw some elk (the first of the trip). We stopped in Norris Geyser Basin, and then we drove on to Mammoth Hot Springs. On the way, we stopped for lunch.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS:
1) Mitchell- already dreaming about retirement plans (every summer they will go on a 2 month trip in their RV)
2) Teresa-“the temperature difference amazes me” start out with 5 layers and end up with just a t-shirt
3) Lauren-“I’m still tired because Katie kept pushing me against the wall of the RV last night (she didn’t like the way I was breathing)”
4) Lauren-“Yellowstone is smelly!”

This is probably our last chance to blog until last day at Las Vegas…Had to drive a few miles to outside of North Entrance of Yellowstone to Gardiner, Wyoming to an internet café…6pm now. Adios.

Day 6 - Bryce Canyon

Well, don't know when we'll have internet connection again, so I thought I'd write a morning blog before we leave Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

First to wake - Teresa and I. We did some laundry and got breakfast ready. She and I had a nice quiet romantic breakfast while looking into the hills. Toward the end, Abby joined us.
Lauren and Katie are waking now. Katie has been a bit sick the last couple of days...but praise God, she had no problems at all during all the hiking yesterday. Symptoms started on our way back home, she went straight to bed and has been sleeping ever since (13 hours+). She says she's feelin' about 70% right now as she wakes. If opportunity allows, I'll edit this post later (9a our time now - 11a yours). Adios amigos. Mitchell

Day 5

DAY 5 - Zion National Park

notes:
1) can double-click on images to enlarge them
2) sorry for the "large" banner on main page. don't know how to make it smaller

Spent the whole day in Zion National Park...awesome experience (in some ways, more enjoyable than our Grand Canyon experience). Lots of hiking (light to moderate w/ a little strenuous treks).

After an hour drive to the visitor's center, got on a park shuttle bus to the Zion Lodge.
Started things with a one-hour horseback ride. fun fun fun



Then took the shuttle bus to their end then to a trail to a point up the Virgin River. See pics below



Lauren, Katie and Mitchell then split from Teresa and Abby to different trails.
Pics of L, K, & M below:

It may look like rain here, but we're behind a water fall. Very little water falling now, but in Spring it's aparently pouring over.

Met these guys on the road back to the resort. Don't see these in Cary, NC.

Now to bed to get refreshed for a day in Bryce Canyon tomorrow.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS
- Teresa - I think I've been on my last horseback riding...I'm toooo old
- Abby - I want to go horseback riding again and again and again...I'm still young
- Lauren - enjoyed hearing so many different languages
- Mitchell - We got to see a Japanese invasion and a Chinese mass exodus...ask us about it when we get home

- Mitchell - starting to get used to the air. But the temp swings are wild. Highs in 100s in LV, upper 80s one day, upper 60s another, then 80s again, and tomorrow barely 60.
- met some really cool people from so many different countries, good conversations---Italy, Bacrelona (Spain), Germany (LOTS of Germans), Australia, China. Anyway, people are cool, wherever they're from.

Day 4

One more memory from the North Rim (yesterday). I think God has enjoyed watching his children play...this include the big kids (T and me) too.


Left Kainab Lodge around 9a (their time).


This is Katie talking now. Yo! Today is a very cool day because we got to stop at the honor system rock-native-thingy! See picture below. Mommy bought a rock there.



Mitchell now. Stopped for a pic at the Utah border sign and happened along this road side vendor (ghost vendor). Leave $ in the can that's on the post.




Enjoyed disc golf, Utah style. (about 5pm) at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch near Zion National Park. We'll head there in the morning for a full day of a shuttle tour and hiking.





Relaxing in the pool and hot tub at the end of the day.





Great end to the day. Had my first Buffalo burger...tasted kinda like chicken...lol. Not really...tasted much like cow but a little more lean.









Gonna go finish our big UNO game now... ttfn







RANDOM IMPRESSIONS

• groceries in Kanab were much cheaper than in Las Vegas
• Mitchell - our girls nag each other to death some times, but they love on each other so well sometimes it amazes me. They've been great travel companions.
  
• Lauren - I won disc golf...because daddy fouled every time on his tee shot
• Teresa - I finally know what time it is
• Abby - What time is it?
• Teresa - likes the way we're able to be flex with the plans and change them as we desire
• roosters crow the same as they do in NC
• More greenery in Kanab than other part of this region at this elevation...guess that's why there's a city here.

Day 2 and 3

Notes:
1) You can click on each image to enlarge it to see it better.
2From now on, we're going to put some "Random Impressions" for the day. We'll put these at the bottom of each blog entry.
3) Teresa - I LOVE being the "camp couselor (Mitchell's impression on her behalf). She's been an awesome travel agent, tour guide, and planner.


Praise God...Abby is 100% now (as of mid Day 2)! Thanks for your prayers. "God hears the cry of the poor." Lot's of theology in there...He would have "heard" even if Abby wasn't feeling better now...but we ARE thankful for the good times as well as the difficult ones.

Drove from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon. Stopped in Mesquite, Nevada for lunch. Lots of rocks. They're really proud of their rocks...lots of signs saying "Watch For Rocks".

It seems that Lauren and Katie are addicted to reading all of the books they brought. We never thought we would have to "restrict" their reading! I can understand restricting computer time or TV time...but READING?!? They seem to have no trouble reading up and down the winding mountain roads.

Arrived at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim around 5:30 or 6p. Of course, our first view of the Grand Canyon (while en route) was breath taking. Our more captivating view was at dusk, and then sunset. Wow!
I (Mitchell) got to spend some good time talking with God about this creation as I watch His sun set over the South Rim. What a blessing we have had.


Awoke early on Day 3 to see the sun rise over another portion of the Grand Canyon. Pics can't come close to revealing the beauty of the different shades of red, orange, and tan as they reflected the first rays of the day...but I'll add one just for a taste.

Spent the rest of the day traveling along the North Rim. Many beautiful sites, the most impressive was at the end of the trek at Cape Royal Pt.

Left a peak elevation of 8803 ft down to Kaibab (bab pronounced like "Bob") Lodge, about 16mi from the North Rim Lodge. We'll stay here tonight and then travel to Zion National Park tomorrow for a couple of days, then one day in Bryce Canyon.

RANDOM IMPRESSIONS

• moderate walks feel like a mile run
• Air is thin - difficult to breathe
• Lauren - My hair is straighter
• Mitchell and Abby - My hair is...who cares?
  Abby - I'm myself again (daddy's impression on her behalf)
• Rocks, Rocks, and more Rocks and no grass - in the lower elevations - say less than 6k ft or so. Above 6k, started seeing tall pines, Aspens, and maybe two or three other species. Ther were even forests (hence Kaibab National Forest). When we first entered, we thought
  
  "How can you define a forest by rocks? Some were taller than others and some more jagged, however, they're not trees." Later we saw...
  
• All - hardly any sweating, even after moderate exertion.
• Katie - sniffle sniffle sniffle - back to the dry, thin air situation
• Teresa - What TIME is it anyway? Confusion with multiple changes in time zones and the fact that Arizona does not "celebrate" daylight savings time.

Day 1: Las Vegas!

After barely escaping Tropical Storm Hanna at 8:30 a.m., we arrived safely in Las Vegas 5 long hours later at 10:30 a.m. Views of the Grand Canyon, crop circles, and other land features made this a beautiful trip! Take a look at our pictures!

We cramed all our luggage (15 bags including carry-ons) into our rented minivan as soon as we got there. We ate lunch at "In-n-Out Burger". The burgers were excellent. We had mixed reviews about the fries and shakes. We would definitely recomend it to anyone who visits Las Vegas. Thanks Elders and McCoys for their recomendations! (here's the url for the website: http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp )

The main attraction for the day was Hoover Dam, built during The Great Depression. The construction was completed in 1935. The dam lies on the Colorado River, on the border of Arizona and Nevada. The town nearby was Boulder City, NV. The people who worked on the dam lived there originally. I thought that was pretty cool. Again, check out the pictures!!!

We're having a great time so far, but please pray for Abby because she's having some stomach cramps. She's sleeping in the bed right now while Daddy watches tv. I think she'll be better soon. Check out our blog tommorrow, because we'll be at the Grand Canyon. We can't believe we're actually here, and we miss ya'll already! We'll keep you posted! Check out my dad's facebook page he'll keep it updated whenever he has a chance.