Yellowstone/Grand Tetons Anniversary Trip 2016 (Day Three)

An early start was in order on Monday as it was the first of two days Darryl had planned for us to spend in Yellowstone. After a quick breakfast at McDonald's we entered Yellowstone Park through the South Entrance.

Bubba poses at a river/waterfall overlook.

We began seeing bison almost immediately. There are a lot of them for sure. We saw them in groups of two or three or in big herds with lots of little calves. You can't really say they are beautiful creatures but there is something special about them. They move slow and easy. They take their time crossing the road and the fact that they have traffic stopped in both directions doesn't faze them a bit. The animals in the park are abundant. We saw black bears, elk, chipmunks, badgers, deer, coyote, yellow belly marmots, and squirrels.  (I'm sure I've forgotten a species.)



Our first big attraction was Old Faithful. Even though the summer season has barely started in Yellowstone, there was a huge crowd waiting. It turns out that Old Faithful is not always faithful. I always thought that the eruptions were predicted ahead of time. It does erupt on a fairly regular basis but occasionally it may go as long as five hours without erupting. We were lucky to arrive within 30 minutes of an eruption and by the time we ate lunch and looked around the Visitor Center, we were able to see it erupt a second time. By the way, I had bison meatloaf for lunch. I liked it although it was much drier than beef.









We made a lot of stops to look at scenery and animals and arrived at our accommodations for the evening at the Canyon Lodge. Even though it was after 3:00, we couldn't check in because they didn't have our rooms ready. We had reservations for the Cowboy Chuck Wagon Dinner and had nearly an hour's drive ahead of us so we went on without the opportunity to change or freshen up any. We rode in covered wagons to an area called Pleasant Valley with a "wrangler" chatting with us and telling us a lot of the history of the area and that was very interesting. Of course, when given the opportunity to sit up front with the driver, Amelia was excited to do so. The menu consisted of grilled steak, baked beans, potato salad, Cole slaw, corn, corn muffins, watermelon and peach crisp. There was cowboy coffee cooked over the open fire. A pretty good singer entertained us with songs that had a western theme. When we introduced ourselves riding out on the wagon, Darryl told the "wrangler" that we were celebrating our 50th anniversary with the Yellowstone trip. Later the cowboy singer announced that we were celebrating a big anniversary and everyone applauded for us. Then he dedicated his next song to us, "Back In the Saddle Again." We've never had a "song" before so I guess now we do. It was a fun evening. We could see bison grazing in the distance as we ate our meal and saw a couple of black bears as we were loading up the wagon to come back.








The rooms at Canyon Lodge were very nice and we slept soundly after such a busy day but they were expensive and did not have tv, wifi, or air conditioning. A lot of places in the park are not air conditioned. It is really nice to sleep with the windows open and the fresh air filling the room. Needless to say, we slept very soundly.

Yellowstone/Grand Tetons Anniversary Trip 2016 (Day Two)

After eating breakfast at the condo, we went into the Grand Tetons National Park where we visited the Visitor Center.  Then we boarded a boat that ferried us across Jenny Lake  and we hiked UP to a waterfall or at least Amy, Darryl and Amelia did.  Bubba and I went as far as we could and then sat on a rock by a rushing stream and waited for them to hike up and back.   We saw incredible views all day long.

The ride to Jenny Lake had a lot of picture opportunities.

Moose statue at the Visitor's Center at Jenny Lake

Beautiful mountain peak

Taken during our boat ride on Jenny Lake

It should be noted that Darryl was right about the hiking shoes. Bubba thought that there would be boardwalks and easy trails for all the park visitors but he went along with getting hiking shoes to be a good sport.  We were actually climbing up on rocks, stepping over tree roots and sliding on a gravel path.  We were very glad to have our hiking shoes.  We did see many older people than we are hiking up the trail, but most of them were really into hiking with all the appropriate gear.  We sat on our rock with a lady from New Jersey and had a very nice visit.

Bubba found a comfortable log with a tree for a back.

I moved to this log after my rock got too hard.

Amy, Darryl and Amelia hiked to the top of this waterfall
while we waited at the bottom.

Bathroom opportunities were few and far between.  I've made it 67 years without using a porta potty and hope to make it much longer.  The problem is that you have to drink a lot when you are hot and the air is so dry.  We'll see how tomorrow goes.  I may have to try something new.

Posing on the shore of Jenny Lake

Our girls!

  

I was surprised that Amelia didn't accidentally fall in. 

Lunch was at Bubba's Barbecue in Jackson Hole and the food was also very good there.

We saw a moose today standing in a stream near where we are staying.  He was just standing there eating leaves off a bush while a bunch of people took his picture.  The guide on the boat today told us that the most dangerous animal in the park is the chipmunk.  He said that people feed them a lot although they shouldn't.  They will crawl right up on you and bite you.  Then you have to have rabies shots.  I've always thought chipmunks were so cute.  I didn't know they could be vicious.

The Moose!

Tonight we stayed at the condo with Amelia and let Amy and Darryl get out to explore the town of Jackson Hole.  I told Amy what kind of tee shirt I wanted as a souvenir and she found it for me. Now that is the way to get your shopping done the easy way.

Amelia is hilarious in the van.  She makes announcements as though she as the flight attendant on our "bus".  She announces that everyone should stay seated until the bus completely stops.  Then she tells us all to gather our belongings and check our seats to be sure we are leaving nothing behind.

• Time for bed.  It is around 10:00 here and has just started to get dark. We sleep with our windows open.  It is such cool fresh air. There is no humidity to it.  Sweet dreams I hope about mountain adventures.

Yellowstone/Grand Teton Anniversary Trip 2016 (Day One continued)

I had to download a new app so I could use Bubba's iPad to blog daily on our trip.  It will not allow me to go back and edit what I wrote yesterday so I can't add pictures to yesterday's post, but I can add them here.  The pictures below are from our first day.

         

   We're all excited, well except maybe Darryl who is in charge of this rowdy bunch.

 

 Time for a snack.

 

Hot bubbly mud that smells like rotten eggs! 

 

Amelia poses for a picture in front of Clepsydra Geyser.

 

The drive to Jackson Hole from West Yellowstone, Montana, airport was breathtaking.

 

So pretty but boiling hot.  A 23 year old college graduate lost his footing last week

After he ventured off the board walk area and slipped into the boiling water at another

Location.  He had recently graduated summa cum laude from Pacific University.  His sister,who had also

Ventured off the designated walking area, witnessed his death.

 

If there is a rock, Amelia is going to climb it.  This was at the restaurant

 where we ate outside our first night.

Yellowstone/Grand Teton Anniversary Trip 2016. (Day One)

What a day this has been!  It began this morning at 4:00 (EDT) and it is now 9:40 PM (MDT). I feel like this day had more than 24 hours in it, did it?  Flying was a new experience for Bubba and me especially a trip like this.  Bubba had not been in the Atlanta airport since 1974 and it is mind boggling how much it has grown in that amount of time.  Everything went smoothly despite all the tv coverage the TSA has received lately about the length and duration of the security check in process.  We had tickets though Darryl, the frequent flier, that enabled us to process through quickly.


Our first flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City lasted about four hours.  Bubba, Amelia and I sat together which was good because Amelia showed us how to work the screens and lap trays in front of us.  When we reached Salt Lake City we moved quickly through a long concourse where we boarded a small plane for a  flight that lasted only 30 minutes.  By the time refreshments were served and trash was picked up, we were landing in West Yellowstone, Montana.

From the point we disembarked from that plane we were surrounded by snow covered mountain peaks. We picked up our luggage and loaded it into a rented minivan and we were on our way.

Lunch was pizza at Wild West Pizzeria & Saloon in the town of West Yellowstone.  Then we entered Yellowstone Park through the west entrance.  The plan was to go directly on to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then to find the condo Darryl had rented in Teton Village.  The plan is to spend Monday and Tuesday in Yellowstone Park; however, it was hard to pass some places without stopping.

We had dinner outside at MacPhail's Burgers in Jackson Hole.  They are famous for their hamburgers.  A cool breeze was blowing and it was very pleasant.  Afterwards we picked up some groceries at Albertson's and went back to the condo.

The condo is probably the nicest place we've ever stayed in while traveling.  I can't wait to sit on the deck in the morning and enjoy the view of the mountains with my coffee.

You know that this trip is a celebration of our 50th anniversary.  Last night Darryl was cutting up and dancing to "Leaving on a Jet Plane" sung by John Denver and I teared up as I thought about the married teenager I was when that song came out.  I don't even think I had any thoughts about where I would be in 50 years.  I'm certain that I didn't envision I would be celebrating our 50th anniversary with a trip our west.

One Week From Today!

We've been in count down mode for a few weeks now, but as I sit here typing this I realize that one week from today we should be checked into our condo in Jackson Hole, WY, and getting ready for a week of sightseeing.  Darryl and Amy (mostly Darryl) have made all our arrangements for the week.  We have not had to do a thing and that is such a luxury to not have to make those kind of decisions.

I've been studying the weather at Yellowstone for the past month and was convinced that it was going to be much colder than we first thought.  I started mentally packing heavy sweaters, coats, and long underwear, but now that we are so close it has started warming up and I'm mentally unpacking most of the winter clothes and adding in some summer clothing.

This week should go by pretty fast.  Amelia will be staying with us.  She and Darryl came down for his nephew's graduation and since Amy had to work unexpectedly next week, it will help out if she can stay with us.  We will try to do some fun things with her and then we will all go to Atlanta on Friday to fly out from there on Saturday morning.  Can't Wait!

Amelia and her cousins

And in other news.... We went fishing again this week.  We caught twenty and this time I caught the most and most of the big ones.  Bubba caught a huge hand painted bream and released it back into the river.  He said that if it had lived long enough to reach that size, he didn't have the heart to keep it.

Friday we picked tomatoes and they are just about the best ever.  We  made tomato sandwiches for lunch on soft white bread with lots of mayo.  YUM!  I also cut some corn off the cob and put it in the freezer.  

That's about it for this week.  I got a keyboard for Bubba's iPad and hope to blog daily while we are on our trip.  I'm afraid I'll forget important things if I wait until I get home.

Catch Up! Good Times with Family! Here and There!

Hitch itch struck and we called Joe and Judy to see if they were up for some camper company and they were so we went to our favorite campground in Opp, AL for four nights.

What did we do?  We caught up on all our family news.  We ate and ate.  We talked.  We shopped a little.  And we talked and we ate.  We pulled out old pictures and talked about old times and then we laughed because we realized that Bubba had on the same shirt he is wearing in this picture taken decades before.

While we were there we planned for them to come our way for a visit so that Joe and Bubba could go fishing on the river near us. A few days before they were scheduled to arrive the weather forecast was predicting rain for every day, but fortunately they were wrong.  They went fishing on Thursday.  Judy and I went to Pier Park at Panama City Beach for lunch and some shopping.  The fishermen had good luck and Judy and I had a good time.  We also picked up some steamed shrimp which we all enjoyed for several meals.

Friday's rain was almost a relief.  I think they were too tired to go fishing again so the decision was made for them by Mother Nature.  We spent the day visiting.

Saturday we attended the Tupelo Festival and met sister Azalea and her husband, Marshall there.  After looking around and buying a little bit of very expensive honey, we all went to our house where we fried the fish they caught Thursday along with some catfish furnished by Joe accompanied by hushpuppies, tomato cheese grits, cole slaw, potato salad and banana pudding.  

Both visits were so enjoyable and as I've said way too many times before, "A good time was had by all!"

Marathon Weekend

Son-in-law Darryl registered for the Big Sur International Marathon which was held on Sunday, April 24, in California.  Amy registered for the Nine Miler that same day.  They were able to fly to California and meet up with their Baton Rouge friends, Damien and Rebecca, and participate in a weekend of running along the California coast because they have access to excellent babysitters who are always thrilled to help out.  (That's us in case you haven't figured it out!)

We drove up on Thursday.  When we got to LaGrange, GA, we met an old friend from our past, Dolores, for lunch at Cracker Barrel.  Dolores and her husband were our neighbors many years ago.  We lived in a little block house that had two bedrooms and one bathroom and cost us $45 per month house payment.  That was a long time ago.  We sure enjoyed this visit and look forward to doing this again.

Amy and Darryl flew out of Atlanta Friday evening and we picked up Amelia from school.  We stopped by Five Guys for supper on our way back home, thinking that Amelia would probably be hungry right after school and she was. 

Ice cream after Five Guys

 She and I slept upstairs on the new trundle bed in Darryl's office.  I had planned to sleep up there anyway because I hated for her to be upstairs by herself, but she thought it would be really fun for us to sleep on the trundle bed.  The first night was a little rough for Billy.  He is used to sleeping in a crate in Amy and Darryl's room but when Amelia brought him and the crate in our room, he had too much stimulation.  Every time he whimpered, Amelia tried to comfort him and that went on for a while.  (The next night he stayed downstairs and did fine.)  The second night I was having trouble sleeping.  Amelia had been asleep for hours when I heard her stir a little.  She got up on her knees and kissed me on the cheek so sweetly.  Then she lay back down and was asleep again.  (Isn't that precious?)

Saturday, after biscuits and bacon, we went to Jaemore Farms where we anticipated getting some delicious strawberries.  We did get some delicious strawberry ice cream and strawberry pie, but the actual strawberries were not great.  This was the first time I've been disappointed with Jaemore produce.



We went to Joann's to pick out fabric to make Amelia a skirt.  She went in and selected her material from the first bolts we saw.  I wish I could make a decision that easily.  She also bought supplies to make Mrs. Patterson a sun visor for her birthday which was coming up the following Wednesday.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Patterson!

And one for herself!

Amelia is reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
for the second time because it is the "best book ever"!  Bubba is reading
The Harbor Boy for the second time because he can't remember
what it is about.

Monday and Tuesday we took Amelia to school and picked her up.  I also took time to meet my cousin, Vicky, for lunch.  We went by her house to say hello to her greyhounds, Taz and Mango, and to look at all the flowers she had planted for spring.  

Amy and Darryl returned late Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning we said good bye.  Our next trip up will be to leave for our anniversary vacation out west.  I can't wait!

By the way, Amy and Darryl both finished their runs.  Did you know that a marathon is 26 miles?!!   Amy's nine miles is amazing to me.  I think I've reallly done something when I go 2 1/2 miles on the treadmill.

        THE END!

Seize the Day

After returning from sharing the Easter holiday with Amy and family, we became a little restless.  When we checked the weather we saw that some pretty spring days were in our future and we made the spontaneous decision to go back to Seminole State Park for a few days.

We got a great spot on the lake.  There were not many people camping in the park so it was very peaceful and we were able to enjoy some good time out in the cool spring weather reading and watching the fishermen on the lake.  We watched a number of people fishing from fancy bass boats, but the only fish we actually saw caught was by a man paddling quietly around in his kayak and fishing.

Bubba pulls out the binoculars to keep an eye on things.

We both brought our new hiking shoes so that we could start breaking them in before out trip out west on June 4.  We walked over two miles every day we were there and we both declared our shoes comfortable.

This is my new hiker look.

We went into Bainbridge to eat at a buffet that we have found there and as usual the food was good.  

After three nights, we returned home and got back to our usual routine.  Coming up at the end of April was another trip to Atlanta and more good times with Amelia.