It's over?

Wow, has it really been 4 days since I've written anything? Our days are so long that I just don't have much brain power left to write. I knew this would happen. The first week seemed to creep. The last week has flown by and now we are headed home in the morning. Granted, it will take 2 days to get there, but still. Here's the recap:

After we left Steamboat, we drove for a long time and got to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We began our time there by hanging around the town square for a short, little shootout production that was really loud. I realized not only how "western-y" Jackson is, but how touristy it is, too. It was soooo crowded and there are t-shirt shops about every 5th store. It's really cute and you can get an elk or bison burger just about anywhere you turn. However, OUR favorite part was exploring Grand Teton National Park. We went out to Jenny Lake and took a boat across that beautiful body of water and then took a short hike up to a magnificent area called Hidden Falls. It was a trickier hike than Rocky Mountain, but everyone enjoyed it this time, yes, even Maggie. It, too, was crowded, but it was so much fun. Riding the boat back made for some additional scenery that I still think about.


The next day was spent at Yellowstone, which is hard, hard, hard to do in a day. It is so big that we really did have to pick and choose what we saw. We did sit around with a bunch of other folks for about half an hour to wait on Old Faithful. It was something that I'm glad I can say that I've seen. We tried to map our route out of the park via the hot springs, the thermal pools and the areas to see wildlife. Let's just say we were 3-3. The thermal pools were some of the weirdest things I've ever seen. First of all, you can't even walk on the ground because the heat coming off the ground is so dangerous, so they've built boardwalks to walk on. Then, they are the most beautiful shades of blue and they seem to go so far down into the ground, it's crazy. Google "grand prismatic spring" and see what I mean. Walking by this one, it feels like you are in a steam room with the way it changes the air. Only God could do something like that. So weird.


As for the wildlife, I mentioned on a facebook picture that if you see a bunch of cars pulled over, grab your camera and pull over, too, because there is something out there. Unfortunately, more often than not, it was a buffalo. Oh my goodness, those buffalo are EVERYWHERE and it really became a joke because we saw so many. But heading out of the park, we were able to see a mama black bear and her cub, as well as a humongous grizzly bear. It was making its way up the hill where we all were, and it was pretty humorous to hear all the mamas saying, "Kids, back to the car...NOW!!!" We did get some good pics which I'll add to the FB group soon.


So out of Yellowstone we go headed to Billings, Montana, our 8th state on this summer adventure. We were trying to get to the interstate as soon as we could, which appeared to be via highway 212 over Beartooth Pass. Now, before I go any further with this part of the story, let me reiterate what an awesome driver my husband is on narrow, curvy, mountain roads. Let me say now that if either of our mothers had been with us last night, they would NOT have been happy with their children for taking this road. And third, praise the Lord for DVD players and tired kids because they had no idea what that road was like. We wound up this road to almost 11,000 feet above sea level. I've never been above storm clouds and lightning in a car before. Maggie looked out one time and said, "Hey can we go play in that snow?" Thankfully, there were very few cars on the road, otherwise, I'm not sure we would have both made it through at times. And finally, thanks to the Montana State Trooper (aka, our Guardian Angel), who was right behind us for the scariest parts. I've never been so happy to be going downhill in my whole life. There were lots of prayers going up during that hour or so, mostly thankful that the rain had stopped while we climbed the mountain and also that Robert was smart enough to take it slow and easy. On a positive note, it was absolutely breathtaking up there. Charles Kuralt, I have come to find out, has called that highway "the most beautiful drive in America". And he oughta know.


This morning, we left Montana to drive to Rapid City, South Dakota. A lot of you know that this part of the trip was originally "negotiable". I didn't feel the need to drive this far north and east, but Robert kept saying, "As long as we are this far...". And for the record, let me admit that I'm glad we did. We drove up there early evening and if you have never been, the moment that you come around the bend and look up there and see that monument - wow. It's so cool. We then went to an amphitheater and at 9:00 pm they start a Discovery Movie on the 4 Presidents and why they ended up on the mountain. With the monument lit, we all stood, sang the Star Spangled Banner and then the coolest part of all. The ranger called all current and past veterans to come to the stage and honor the retrieval of the flag, which was done by a Boy Scout troop. I'm getting teary just thinking about it again. How incredibly moving to see those veterans honor the flag and the dead silence as that flag was folded and put away for tomorrow. We are so lucky to have freedom in this country. It made me very aware of the price that has been paid for my freedom, both as an American and in Christ. I left there with a grateful heart.


Not a bad way to end our vacation, huh?