Yellowstone National Park...world's longest post!

We stayed in Cody, Wyoming the night before we entered Yellowstone. It was an awful drive into Cody. What we thought was going to be an easy drive, turned out to be a climb up a winding mountain with sharp curves and dense forest. We were nervous about deer jumping out onto the road. Luckily we didn't see any...which we feel was an absolute blessing. We didn't get off the mountain until around midnight. As we finally approached a straight away into Cody, around 1:00am, large jackrabbits began playing "frogger" with our van. I still don't know why they would dash out in front of us. Possibly an attraction to the head lights? We only killed one. (sniff. sniff.)

The day we entered Yellowstone was also Caitlin and Courtney's 12th birthday! I snuck out early in the morning and decorated the van. They were so surprised when they saw the decor.
We entered Yellowstone the next morning at the East entrance. We could see many huge mountains and snow! The kids were able to get out of the van and play in the snow for a little while! We made a mini snow man and had a snow ball fight. It was great fun! The twins said it was so neat to be in Yellowstone, on their birthday and playing in the snow on July 1st!
Being in Yellowstone was like being on a different planet. The steam vents, mud volcanoes, geysers and paint pots were amazing. We had never been to this park and were thrilled to see how educational it was for the girls. We saw many Bison, up close. (Too close for my comfort!) and some elk but that was about it for animals. We were disappointed we didn't see any wolves or bears. We exited the park after a very long day through the west entrance. The beauty of the park was breath taking, the weather was perfect and it was a memory that won't soon be forgotten.

This area of East Yellowstone burned several years ago. It still has not recuperated. In the distance is Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone Lake

A mud volcano.

This vent hissed and sputtered hot steam.

The bison loved sitting next to the steam vents and boiling pots.

Yes Tori, that is a Bison...

It's difficult to see, but next to my gals is a large boiling pot of water. The steam was hot and smelled of sulfur. I think this park goes on the list as the smelliest!

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

The Lower Falls waterfall drops 309 feet. (can not see the bottom in this photo.)

This photo was taken standing over the Lower Falls drop.

The mouth of the waterfall is right behind the girls. This was an amazing area. I almost didn't hike down with Tiffany, but a man at the top convinced me that it was something I didn't want to miss. He was right! Being able to stand over the mouth of this water fall was exhilarating and so beautiful.

Looking over the falls.

Caitlin & Courtney's 12th birthday celebration..on the road!

Blowing out the candles!

Steam vents.

Old Faithful Geyser.

The Paint Pots.

It looks like another planet! The question my kids kept asking me was, "how come there are no other places like this on the Earth?" Another one of my kids said, "Are they sure Disney didn't come in here and make all of this up, because you know they could!"

The orange slime behind us is bacteria. Again, this area reeked!

There was a run off from the paint pots into this river. The water felt cold and soft. Once the water dried on your hands, they felt like they had lotion on them. Your hands weren't slimy, just smooth and soft.

A hot, steam pot. The colors were amazing.

A large mud volcano. It hissed, spuddered mud and smelled awful. But, it was very cool!

This geyser was incredible! We were able to stand on the boardwalk...right next to it as it errupted. It wasn't just one erruption like Old Faithful, it was a continutous erruption. It blew water several feet into the air and of course we all got wet from the spray. It was mezmorizing to watch the erruptions.

As we were leaving the park, a magnificant double rainbow appeared. Caitlin and Courtney said, "this has been the best birthday EVER!"

Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Since we were in the area, we decided to swing past Devil's Tower. Do you remember watching the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind? This is the mountain used in the movie.

These other pictures are of scenery in Northeastern Wyoming.

Mt. Rushmore National Park, South Dakota

It has been a dream of mine to travel to Mt. Rushmore since I was a child. I guess it's just the patriotic spirit in me that gave me the yearning to see the mountain. It was everything I always thought it was....huge and incredible. If you have not take a trip to Mt. Rushmore yet, you need to put it on your list of things to do in your lifetime. The experience is something, I will never forget. Next time, we plan to go there on a future July 3rd to watch the fireworks display. The fireworks are launched from the top of Rushmore and there is a large stadium to sit and enjoy the patriotic performance. After we left Rushmore, the girls popped in the movie, National Treasure 2. They said that it was even better, after we had just spent the afternoon at Rushmore.

We went on a guided tour and were able to hike to the base of Rushmore. The day was so warm and breezy. The Quaking Aspen trees were rustling in the wind. It was so peaceful at the base of the mountain.

This is what Mt. Rushmore was suppose to look like.

A large photo of one of the workers.

This is what the Mt. Rushmore Presidents get to look at all day! View from the mountain.

Entrance to Rushmore.

Carhenge, Nebraska

Yes, you read that correctly..."Carhenge". As we travel with five kids, we try to break up the monotony of each day by finding the "little pink stops". The "what", you may be asking? Okay everyone, dust off your Road Atlas. Look on a map for the "Places of Interest", written in the hot pink ink, on your map. These my friends, are the gems of America!

So, one morning as we are preparing to leave Alliance, Nebraska, Ron said,"I found a place I think we should stop and see. It's not far from here and it's not off the highway too far." How exciting! A little Pink stop!

This is what we found at Carhenge... (Get it? Stonehenge? Carhenge?)

30 Days, 7,000 Miles = Family Road Trip Across America!

What an incredible experience it is to drive across America. There are so many beautiful areas that I love in the heartland of America. One of my favorite moments of the road trip was driving the back highways of Nebraska. For miles and miles all you can see is farm land. Acres of corn, wheat, or just plowed dirt. It sounds dull, but it was beautiful and so peaceful. You could not see anything for miles all around you. Not a barn, animal or person. Just acres of serenity.



We drove through, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah and Colorado. Each state had something new and wonderful to offer.

Ready, Set, Go!

Alright everyone....get comfy....I am about to unleash our month long travel log with many, many photos included. So, get the popcorn popped and a cold drink handy....here it comes!

And the laundry is done....

It only took a day and half of the washer almost continuously running to get the girls camp clothes and bedding washed! I should have counted...it feels like I did 20 loads! Believe it or not...it is all folded and put away...into our suitcases. We leave this afternoon on our journey to Washington. We plan to take our kids to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, to see family all over Washington, Oregon, and Utah, and to visit a few Seattle sights, and to see National Parks in Southern Utah, the Grand Canyon and Salt Lake City sights on the 24th of July! This is going to be 30 days of running! I am sure my blog will be packed full of craziness soon. But, that's what makes life fun with five kids... craziness! The van is packed! ROAD TRIP! ROAD TRIP! ROAD TRIP!