Yellowstone - Day 2

June 24, 2015 – Day 22

Gardiner, MT (north entrance) – West Yellowstone (west entrance)

135 miles (all in the park!)

The Grey Wolf Inn, Rm 125

The park is amazing! I took more than 200 pictures today, which is ridiculous! We scaled a mountain, by car and foot. We saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the amazing lower falls of the Yellowstone River, from vantage points that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It’s very scary when you look down. We also explored the lake area, and rented a boat. We smelled nasty sulfur springs and got up close and personal with some bison.  All in all – a wonderful day. A long day. I am beat!

Hunter's driving...

And Audie's ain't happy about.

Yellowstone Day 1

June 23, 2015 – Day 21

Bozeman, MT – Gardiner, MT – Yellowstone NP

80 miles, then 60 miles driving around in the park!

Best Western Mammoth Hot Springs, Rm 224

Happy Birthday Daddy! We celebrated with a little Starbucks this morning. It’s the little things, right? We were on the road early – on our way to the destination highlight of our trip – Yellowstone National Park. Excitement all around. Okay, seriously, only Mom & Dad were excited. I don’t get it.

It was another pretty (and short!) drive and then we were in front of the Theodore Roosevelt Arch, which was the original entrance to the park (north entrance). Unfortunately, we were detoured due to construction, and I didn’t get a good picture. Our first stop was the ranger station at Mammoth Springs so I could get my bearings.

I won’t bore you with a play-by-play of the day, but we hiked quite a bit and took a stagecoach ride. I don’t think I can adequately describe the beauty of this park without sounding cheesy and over-the-top. I’ll let my pictures do the talking.

Random personal observations of family life in the park:

Barrett likes to hike and is quite fast. He and I will do well as fitness partners in the future. If I’m going to hike, I’m going to burn some calories!

Cammy doesn’t like to hike, and whines about it. He’s gotten too heavy for me to carry, so I basically drag him along, which thwarts my workout - but what am I going to do?

Audrey can take the hikes, or leave them. She’ll complain about it, but physically, she can finally hang. Her competitive nature overpowers her laziness, because she’ll be damned if Hunter is going to beat her at anything.

Hunter and Audrey fight a lot. It can be a joy buster. They both have to have the last word and therefore, it never ends.

Hunter has become a surly teenager. It’s sad. He seems quite miserable spending time with us, and very underwhelmed by the scenery. I think there’d have to be a racetrack in the park for him to be happy. We’re doing our best to ignore his sullenness, but next year we may leave him at home.

Rich is totally in his element. My nature guy gets so excited when he sees wildlife. It’s kind of cute. He’s on a mission to see a bear and said he’s not leaving until he does.

Speaking of bears, the park has hundreds of bears and they have warnings everywhere. They also sell bear spray in the stores. Audrey is freaked out. Rich suggested we get some – just in case. Guess how much they charge for a can of bear spray (which I’m sure doesn’t come with a guarantee)? $50! I told Audrey we’d take our chances. Audrey was not too pleased. “You don’t think my life is worth $50?” Uh-oh. I explained that no bear would get between me and one of my babies. And now, I really hope we don’t run into bears.

We spent six hours in the park and only saw a small fraction of it, so the next two days will be long. We checked into our hotel, and I had to endure a litany of complaints about our accommodations. It seems they don’t care for a Best Western. I should have made them sleep in the car. We’re in one room (a “junior suite”), so you can only imagine. For our first night, we’re staying just outside the park, in Gardiner, MT. I booked our rooms too late for us to get inside the park. Big Mistake.

We took Rich out to dinner for his Birthday and our options were limited in this little town of Gardiner. I apologized, but he didn’t care. He got to spend his day in Yellowstone with his family, He said that it was the best birthday ever!

Quotes of the Day (Cammy’s on a roll):

#1 - A gentleman saw Rich pushing our luggage cart, which was expertly loaded, and he commented that Rich must have played Legos when he was a kid.

Cammy: “Oh yeah, Legos run in our family!”

#2 - Cammy was waxing poetic after Rich and Hunter said they were going to get him a cinnamon roll for lunch, instead of a hotdog.

Cammy: “They replaced my hotdog, and won my heart.”

#3 - Finally, when we were descending the terraces at Mammoth Springs, I offered Audrey the rest of my water. She thanked me and said she’d save it until we got to the bottom. Cammy was holding his water bottle, which was more than half full.

Cammy: “I’m going to die before I get to drink all of my water!” – He didn’t care for the uphill climb.

Bozeman, MT

June 22, 2015 – Day 20

Billings, MT – Bozeman, MT

154 miles/2 hours

Residence Inn Bozeman, Rm 316

Okay, remember last summer when I claimed that I found the place I really wanted to live? Manchester VT. Well, I may have found a place I like better – Bozeman, MT. I love this little town, and the drive from Billings to Bozeman was spectacular!!!!! Truly Big Sky Country. Bozeman is a cute little town and it reminds me a bit of Sonoma. The people are really nice. There’s tons of shopping and plenty of cool restaurants. And the air is so fresh and crisp – and I can smell! I can actually smell grass, flowers and other scents everywhere I turn. My allergies are almost nonexistent. And I’m not kidding, I look ten years younger. You know those bags under my eyes that I complain about all the time? Gone! I know, very vain on me to write about this, but I thought you should know what was up if we put a sign in the yard. Rich loves it too. The kids are not happy with our talking about this – but they’ll get over it.

Bozeman made the itinerary because I friend of mine had posted pictures on FB a few years ago from her trip. That’s it, just somebody else’s vacation photos, so I was nervous when Rich asked why we were going. Thankfully, he got it. We spent a couple hours strolling downtown, going into gift shops, a book store, a toy store, a candy shop, and a wine bar. So much fun. Kids scored as well with candy and Legos. And we had a great dinner.

I want to come back to this magical place!

Billings, MT

June 21, 2015 – Day 19

Medora. ND – Billings, MT

294 miles/4.25 hours

SpringHill Suites Billings

Happy Father’s Day! Aud got up early to take her dad to the hotel dining room for breakfast – while I was left to the task of waking up the boys. Cammy was the easiest, but the other two growled at me. Hunter’s mood improved when I told him he didn’t have to run. According to his coach, Sunday’s are a day of rest. Rich wanted to hit the road early, so we pulled out at 7:30 a.m. We’re heading west.

As soon as we crossed the Montana border, the landscape changed. It was certainly pretty, but eastern Montana looks a little rougher that North Dakota. It’s not as lush and the colors are somewhat muted. Very rocky terrain, with sage brush. Barren in appearance. There were a few mountains, but not as majestic as I’d imagined. We stopped at a Walmart in a very small town, because Rich needed a computer monitor, and he also bought Dumb and Dumber 2 to watch with the kids. Then he climbed in back and left the driving to me. It was Father’s Day, after all. Only problem – there was lots of laughing and cackling going on back there. It grated on my nerves and made it very difficult to listen to my audio book.

We got to Billings early and almost weren’t able to check in, but they found some rooms for us. The kids wanted to swim and Rich decided to join them. He sent me to the mall, because I left my hanging bag in Canada, with all my dresses and blouses, and I have nothing “nice” to wear for when/if we go out at night. It was tough goings at the Billings Mall, different styles out here.

In what has become a road trip tradition – when not on the Cape (Rich’s favorite place to celebrate Father’s Day) - we seem to end up at a Texas Roadhouse. If you haven’t ever been to a Texas Roadhouse on Father’s Day, you’re missing something. It is quite a crowd. Fascinating people watching. But our dinner was excellent and half the price of the place we ate in Canada.

It was a boring day, nothing exciting to report and not much to see in Billings. I forget why I wanted to come here…

Quote of the Day:

Barrett, Cammy and I hung back at the restaurant to pay the dinner bill, while Rich went on ahead with Frick and Frack (our hotel was next door). Cammy was going on about when he goes to college and how he’ll need me to buy him some stuff for his room (why he’s thinking about this, I do not know). Then he made a comment about “When Barrett gets out of autism and goes to college…” Uh-oh, backup Buddy. I had to gently explain that that probably wasn’t going to happen.

Cammy: “Well, that’s going to be awkward.”

Me: “Why’s that?”

Cammy: “Well, you know how I plan to marry you when I grow up? You’ll still be my mom, but then you’ll be my wife, which means that Barrett will be my brother - and my son! That’s just an awkward family.”

I couldn’t stop laughing, I had snot coming out of my nose.

****We’re head to Yellowstone, which means long active days – and from what I hear, sketchy internet. If you don’t hear from me for a couple days, that’s why. I’ll catch up when we get back to civilization:)- A.K.A Idaho.

Dad with his babes.

Love this picture.

Medora, ND

June 20, 29015 – Day 18

Bismarck, ND – Medora, ND

186 miles/ 2 hours

Rough Riders Hotel, Rms 116 & 117

After last night’s wild storm, I wasn’t sure what kind of weather to expect this morning – but it was gorgeous. Although, there were remnants of the storm everywhere – fallen tree limbs all over town.

Before leaving Bismarck, we visited the state capitol (of course) and the North Dakota Heritage Center. The museum was interesting and in a road trip first – we stumbled about a wedding. 

Fortunately, for their sake, the ceremony was over – we just got to witness the wedding party getting their pictures taken. The bride was gorgeous.

Then we headed west for a short drive (relatively speaking), to Medora, ND. This was a small ranching town established in the late 1800’s. Today it’s a quaint honky tonk town for tourists who visit Theodore National Park. Roosevelt first discovered the town when he traveled out west and fell in love with the area. He returned to Medora in 1884 to deal with his grief following the deaths of both his wife and his mother – on the same day. Medora helped him heal. He owned a great deal of land and built a home called the Maltese Cross Cabin, which at the time it was considered quite the “mansion” in North Dakota. In today’s world we’d describe it as a tiny log cabin, and it certainly paled in comparison to Roosevelt’s lavish home in New York City. Still, it’s pretty cool that it still stands today, on the grounds of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  The park, also home to Painted Canyon, is beautiful. And there’s so much wild life roaming around – the kids were particularly excited by the prairie dogs – I was not.

The kids did not have a good day. There were a number of infractions, both big and small, reprimands, and punishments. Mom and Dad needed a break. We picked up two pizzas and left the children in the room to feast and get their technology fixes. We dined in the hotel’s restaurant, Theodore's Dining Room, which was very good. Just when we were starting to relax though, the hotel’s fire alarm went off. I’m not joking. Rich looked at me and said, “Oh no, Barrett pulled the fire alarm.” Before it was even out of his mouth, someone came out from the kitchen to say they had set it off – small kitchen fire. I was already out the door to the room.

The kids were getting their shoes on when I got to the room, this not being their first time at the rodeo. Some of you may remember that we’ve been evacuated from hotels more than once on our road trips. I flagged down the manager in the hallway who was banging on doors and told her what the chef at the restaurant had said. She said we still had to leave. I explained the situation (yes, shamelessly pulled the autism card), and she told me to hold on. She walked a few feet away from me, and conversed with someone on her walkie-talkie. Then she told me the kids could stay. I waited a few minutes, called Rich, and he said that nobody had left the restaurant – they weren’t giving up their tables. There had been a very long wait to dine. By the time I made sure that Hunter and Audrey understood the situation, the firemen were walking down the hallway giving the all-clear.

Never a dull moment.

Quote of the Day:

Cammy: “You better enjoy this Camden while you can, because tomorrow a new Camden is coming to town!”

Me: “Oh really?”

Cammy: “Yep! And he’s going to be someone who drinks Mountain Dew.”

Me: “Keep dreaming buddy.”

Cammy: “Oh, don’t worry. I am.”

ND Capitol Building

The ND Heritage Center

Family photo in front of the Painted Canyon.

More canyon background shots.

The Maltese Cross Cabin 

Prairie dogs.

Another overlook in the TRNP.

The Medora General Store

Date night at Theodore's, pre-fire alarm.

Bismarck, ND

June 19, 2015 – Day 17

Winnipeg, MB – Bismarck, ND

396 miles/6.5 hours

Life on the road with Daddy means being flexible with our schedule. Rich had a conference call in the morning, so I got up early, made sure Hunter put in his miles, and packed up the car. The plan was to tour the Manitoba Legislative Building and then come back to pick up Rich. It didn’t work out that way. I pulled onto the capitol grounds and was immediately stopped by a police officer. They were swearing in a new Lieutenant Governor today and we were not allowed to be there. In fact, all the parking surrounding the Capital was roped off. So, all I got was a drive-by photo.

We returned to the hotel and hung out in the lobby and made nuisances of ourselves. Hunter accidentally slammed the corner of a lobby desk chair into my knee and I swear I saw stars. I crumbled and started crying (I felt like Audrey, drama, but it hurt like Hell). Audrey panicked and ran up to the front desk yelling for an ice pack. Camden started crying and Barrett went off the rails, jumping up and down like Tweety Bird. Poor Hunter looked shocked. I rallied, but man, did it hurt.

We were on the road again and fifteen minutes into our drive got hammered by torrential rains. I kid you not. It was long and boring drive to the border, where we stopped to explore the International Peace Garden. It is a beautiful, and indeed peaceful, plot of land that’s maintained by both Canada and the United States. I only wish the sun had been out, because I’m certain it would have been glorious if we’d seen it in colorful full bloom.

At the border we almost had an incident because we couldn’t find Audrey’s passport. Talk about a heart racing! If we’d had to leave her behind, our relations with Canada would go south pretty damn fast. Alas, the border patrol guard found it – it was stuck to one of the boys’ passport.

The drive to Bismarck was beautiful. Stunning. Green. Rolling hills everywhere – and the sun came out (and the angels sang). Seriously though, it was so damn pretty. I felt like a broken record with my repeated exclamations, but I was in awe. It’s so peaceful when you drive across land like that, and there are no other cars – and your kids are quiet because they’re watching a movie.

We had dinner at what we hoped was going to be an excellent restaurant, but it was not. I guess you can’t win them all. When we left it was raining – and my friends, it was the worst rain we’ve encountered on a trip. I haven’t seen rain like that since I was in Puerto Rico, during a hurricane. Nobody was leaving the restaurant. We were all huddled around the front door watching the patio furniture fly around. Then the lights went out. What in the world? I started to panic that perhaps we were about to experience our first Tornado. When the power came back on, and we decided to get out of there.

Rich ran for the car, and pulled right up to the door. We were exposed to the rain (the kids and me) for less than 5 seconds – we were SOAKED. Once everyone was in the car and buckled in, we started laughing. It was crazy. Cammy, however, didn’t think it was funny and started screaming at us. “Why are you all laughing? I think we’re going to die!” Oh, my little guy. I traded seats with Bear and consoled him until we go back to the hotel. Now before I get any nasty emails – we drove 15 miles an hour and the hotel was less than a mile away. I promise.

The hotel was windblown as well – all the outdoor furniture had blown into a corner of the veranda. And the sky looked weird – the storm moved through so fast, that we could see the pink sunset on half the sky and the other half was black. It was almost like Florida.

Quote of the day:

I’m going with Cammy’s declaration of impending doom.

Manitoba's Capitol Building

The International Peace Garden.

Me loving the ND countryside!

The hotel courtyard, post storm!