Rain Storm

This morning we set out to explore the Going To The Sun Road in Glacier. We started out at the St. Mary's visitor's center so that the littles could get their "passports" stamped again. The smog from the fires seems to be following us around, and we were quite disappointed to see that the view in Glacier was a bit foggy too. We stopped at the Sunrift Gorge lookout and were surprised by the cold air coming off of the water as it flowed down stream. We expected the water itself to be cold, but the air around the river felt colder than air conditioning! At the lookout point, we saw that the hike to Baring Falls was less than a half mile, so we got out Little Bud's pack and hiked down to check it out. The view of Jackson Glacier from the lookout point was beautiful! Once we got back into the Jeep, we continued heading west on The Going To The Sun Road. When we arrived at the first construction stop (we've heard that they're always repairing the road as the summer season is so short here that they're only able to do a little bit each year) we were told it would be about a 20 minute wait. As we waited, we watched some incredible storm clouds roll over the mountains and come toward us. It started to hail and then to rain, so we decided to head back to the campground. What good is a scenic highway if you can't see the scenery?! After the rain cleared out, John took big Sister to the playground and pool while Little Bud enjoyed his afternoon nap.

St. Mary, Montana

We left West Yellowstone last night and drove a few hours to Helena, Montana. We thought it would be a good idea to split up the 7+ hour drive. This morning we headed north to St. Mary, which is just outside of Glacier National Park. The Gardners stayed at the KOA here earlier this summer, and on their recommendation, we decided to give it a try too. Big Sister was happy to see a nice playground and a pool area complete with a splash pad! We're excited to start exploring Glacier in the morning!

Yellowstone (South Loop)

Today we drove the southern loop of the "figure eight" in Yellowstone. Our first stops were to see both the upper and lower falls at "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone". On our way to Yellowstone Lake we saw several herds of buffalo. There was no way to count them all, but I would say that we saw at least 500. Big Sister was most excited to see several baby buffalo. Our last stop before the lake was to check out the mud volcano. Both littles napped on the way back through the park. We decided to make one last stop at Firehole Falls, where we found a fun looking swimming hole. Big Sister decided the water was too cold for her (the 70 degree overcast weather didn't make me want to jump in either), but John decided to go for a swim. Unfortunately, in the cold water his wedding band fell off. He and a few good samaritans tried to find it, but the water was too deep.

On a lighter note, here's a funny story from this morning. I picked out the kids' clothes, and while I was getting ready John got them both dressed. As he was putting on Big Sister's pants, he asked me if he had the right ones. I only half way looked up, because I was certain they were. A few minutes later, I came to the front of the motorhome to see quite a funny site! Big Sister had on Little Bud's 6 month baby jeans! They were a bit snug and more like capris, but John was able to get them buttoned and everything. She never even complained. Too bad I didn't think to take a picture. I guess Big Sister was playing with her clothes, and hid her pants. There's never a dull moment with her around!

Yellowstone (North Loop)

Today we drove the north loop of the "figure eight" in Yellowstone. We saw so many cool things, including lots of wildlife. Big Sister's highlight was seeing 3 buffalo! Yellowstone is such a big park that we were on the road for over 7 hours (and we covered less than half of the "figure eight"). We have to figure out a way to not be in the car as much; both littles are beginning to be challenged by all the car seat time. Tomorrow we're planning to spend most of the day around Yellowstone Lake.

Old Faithful

Yesterday we found out that there's an art show in Jackson Hole this weekend, so while John watched the kids and got everything packed up and put away (he's pretty great!), I went down to check it out. It was by far the best art show I've ever been to, but most things were a bit pricey. Looking was still fun though!

After I got back to the motorhome, we headed towards Yellowstone by way of Grand Teton National Park. We stopped at the first visitor's center inside Yellowstone, so that the littles could get their "passports" stamped, and on our way back out, Big Sister fell down and busted her lip! She did not think that was a very good welcome to Yellowstone gift! (It kind if reminded me of the time that Jamie got her finger smashed by the motorhome door as soon as we arrived at Mount Rushmore. She was probably about the same age as Big Sister is now.) We cleaned it up and put some of Little Bud's teething gel on it, hoping to numb the pain. We also gave her some calming medicine, and she held a frozen fruit squish on it to keep the swelling down. She must have had at least 3 fruit squishes today, since she had to eat each one as it melted, before getting a new one to apply again as an ice pack. Her lip is still quite large, but we're hoping the swelling goes down and it feels better in the morning.

On our way to West Yellowstone, we stopped off to see Old Faithful. Our timing was lucky; we only had to wait about 20 minutes for the eruption. It was such a neat sight to see! We're looking forward to spending a few days exploring all the cool things Yellowstone has to offer!