First trip: I had been wanting to go to the grand Tetons for a while. Jason is a pretty last minute kind of guy, and will often say, "Hey - do you want to go to Arches tomorrow?" or "Do you want to spend our free hotel night, and go on a little trip this weekend?" We wanted to go on one last big trip before the boys started school, so the weekend before, Jason found some tent cabins in the Grand Tetons. They were nothing like the fancy Marriotts we are used to staying at, but they were fun, and the boys enjoyed sleeping on the funny cots in their sleeping bags. We got there late at night (around 11pm), and had to set up in the dark. Blake did NOT want to go to sleep. I was exhausted, and soon realized this trip with an 18 month old was going to be a bit of a challenge. He finally went to sleep, and Jason and I tried hard to not fall off the top bunks, lol. We didn't really know what we were doing, so we just tried to drive around, and find kid friendly areas to see. We ended up driving to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful, and it was an AMAZING experience. I had never been there before, and it was a whole different world. I had never seen anything like the geysers and hot springs at Yellowstone. I think I was more excited than the boys were. I was also really nervous, because you have to walk on a wooden path that is raised above the ground. There were boiling hot springs all over, with warning signs stating you can die if you step off the wooden path. Wesley - being the inquisitive, strong willed kid he is - was tempted on numerous occasions to try to get some rocks that were off the path. We had many heated conversations on why stepping off the path wasn't even an option. Luckily, we all made it out alive, and I'm glad we were able to experience that amazing piece of nature. I didn't get to see a lot of these things growing up, so it is kind of fun getting to experience these beautiful national parks with my family for the first time together.
On the way home, the drive was brutal. It's only a five hour drive, but it felt like it took longer than the nine hours it takes to get to California. We stopped a good 8 - 10 times for poo breaks, and potty breaks, and stretch our leg breaks, and fetch the paci that fell in the seat breaks. There were not many bathrooms along this road, so we had to find bushes half the time. Blake cried a lot, and wouldn't go to sleep (normally he is a great traveler). Wesley was board...and hungry...and thirsty... We would stop so one could go pee, and ten minutes later someone else had to go. Then, 10 minutes later the first boy needed to go poo. We would stop, and it turned out to only be a toot. Then, 10 min later they needed to go poo again...this time, for real. Ha ha ha. Mommy was about to go crazy! I know I will laugh about these trips someday, and will miss this stage of life, but long road trips really do test my patience sometimes! :-) Random story - We stopped in the middle of no where Idaho because Wesley had to go to the bathroom. We were driving on a dirt trail, and it looked like there was nothing around. We turned a corner, and there was a random porta potty in the middle of a little field next to a lake. Crazy. We go up to it, and it is locked. I knock - and a guy answers. What the heck? lol. Anyways - We ended up stopping at the Soda Springs geyser in Idaho on one of our many breaks. It is fascinating that this little geyser (controlled by the city), is in the middle of a little town in Idaho. If you have never heard of Soda Springs Geyser, you should look it up. There is a fascinating little story behind it!
It was COLD up there even though it was the end of August!!
On the second night, Jason didn't want to sleep on the top, and Wesley REALLY wanted to sleep up there. The campsite office had guard rails, so we rented one (he would have fallen and died without one), and Wesley was literally a happy camper. :-)
Soda Springs Geyser in the middle of a little city in Idaho:
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