Jackson Hole, Wyoming Part One

So what do I say about our epic trip out West? It was an adventure just getting there as we flew through Chicago (always a risk) while extreme thunderstorms were crossing the country. Plane delays and flying through bad weather does not make for a great start to a vacation. We finally arrived at 11:30 (1:30 east coast time) and proceeded straight to bed. Only to awaken to this:

We were very tired, but off we went to the Bungee trampoline, lunch and a hike. We continued the week with a new adventure everyday.

Hiking was one of our favorite things to do AND (I'm not going to sugarcoat it here) one of the least favorite things to do. Since this is Part One of our adventure I want to start with the good and not the ugly.

We went whitewater rafting, mountain biking and rock climbing. We reached the summit of a mountain, with the help of the tram at Jackson Hole, and saw huge wild animals. We went four-wheeling in the cool truck/jeep that we rented and my boys drove a car for the first time. Really, a car, with their uncle, in the middle of the Wyoming plains, with the Tetons overlooking. Me, I stood far away and watched.

We drove to Yellowstone one day to see Old Faithful and the Morning Glory Pool. Ryan confessed that the Morning Glory Pool was his favorite (he wrote a report on Old Faithful and the MGP this year for science) and that he was glad that he finally saw it. We traveled 2000 plus miles to see a hole!

We smelled new smells like the sage, growing wild...every place you looked. Wildflowers were blooming everywhere. New ones would open daily as it got warmer and warmer. On a side note: Jackson and the surrounding areas are experiencing a late summer as it snowed until the middle of June. The rivers and lakes are extremely high and cold. Wildflower fields are just coming into bloom.

We traveled home, a week later, tired and sore. We discovered new muscles that we didn't know existed and new things about ourselves: perseverance and patience being the top two.

Stay tune for Part Two....