More pictures of the Kids riding bikes and scooters!! :) I promise we will get that thing painted blue or red or black or something other than pink in the very near future. Riley sure does enjoy it though, he likes to put rocks in the basket.
On July 30, 2010 was our Sweet Kiley's (Riley's birth-mom) wedding day! She looked so beautiful!!!! Lacey was a flower girl and Riley I guess you could say was kind of like a ring bearer ( he didn't actually hold the rings, just sat around all dressed up looking cute). :) Lori had fun doing Kiley's hair. It turned out very pretty. Thank you so much for including us in all in this wonderful event WE LOVE YOU KILEY AND JAMES!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!
On July 26, for a Family Home Evening activity, we took the kids on a hike to the temple quarry up Little Cottonwood Canyon. Well Ron and Lori hiked, Lacey rode her bike, and Riley rode Lacey's princess scooter (I know, I know, we're working on that). It was fun.
Adventure Stats:
adventure days=.25 work vacation days used=0 highway miles=10 off-highway miles=0 hiking miles=0.5
July 23 we decided to take a drive and go for a hike in the Unitas. As much as we go camping around the state we have never camped there. We decided this year we wanted to do more of that. Well we still haven't camped there we did go on a beautiful drive and the hike we went on was fun and of course gorgeous. We hiked to a lake called Castle Lake. It was small but pretty, the area reminded us of the movie, How to Train Your Dragon. . While we were there we met a cute couple with a darling little girl, who were camping at the lake. We talked to them for a while then we hiked back to our car. On our way home the moon rise was spectacular, the pictures don't even do it justice. Once we got back to Kamas we decided to go and eat. Lori wanted to eat a Cheeseburger at a place she use to eat at when she worked at Oakcrest. We couldn't find it so we ate at this pizza place. It was one of the best pizza places we've ever eaten at. In Kamas, who knew?
FYI - Riley is shirtless not because we were working on his tan, but because got a potato chip stuck in his throat which caused him to puke all over his shirt. So he had to go without while we washed it and hung it to dry.
On the 24th We had breakfast at the pool then went swimming. Then later that night we went to fireworks at Liberty park with some of Lori's family. It was fun. Riley got a kick out of the sparklers, so did the other kids.
Adventure Stats:
adventure days=0.75 work vacation days used=0 highway miles=100 off-highway miles=5 hiking miles=1.5
Our last night in Grand Teton National Park, we went to Jackson for a night on the town, to celebrate Lori's birthday that was coming up in a couple of days, the 11th to be exact. We had fun. We had been planning a nice dinner and Ron had purchased some discounted gift certificates beforehand online. We were excited for a nice steak dinner at the Teton Steak house! It ended up being a re-badged, glorified Sizzler. That was very disappointing because we were expecting something different, but it WAS beef, and that was good enough for Lori. We went window shopping and hung out around town. We love Jackson!!!!! Despite his awful look, Riley was actually feeling much better by this time!
THE DRIVE HOME:
The last day we got up bright and early and drove home. We got some amazing pictures of some of the scenery. We were hoping to get a picture of a moose to complete our collection of wildlife sightings, but were not successful. We stopped in Idaho Falls again for breakfast, a break, and to change out of our jammies. This was such a fun trip despite sickness and the cold.
Adventure Stats:
adventure days=8.5 work vacation days used=4 highway miles=2,635 off-highway miles=65 hiking miles=6.5 average lodging cost per paid night(5 nights)=$33.20 average lodging cost per total nights(8 nights)=$20.75
After a couple of days in Yellowstone National Park, we all packed up and headed for the Grand Teton National Park. As soon as we got into the park we noticed a bunch of people pulled to the side of the road We thought it was just more Buffalo. We then noticed it was a couple of bears we got out and took lots of pictures The Park Rangers came by and made us all get back into our cars when one of the bears started charging us from about 100 feet away. Other Grand Teton wildlife sightings included a bald eagle and some pelicans.
JACKSON LAKE BEACH:
We were in the Tetons for a family reunion with Lori's family. While we were waiting for them to show up, we went to Jackson Lake in Colter Bay and, of course, threw rocks. This is one of our favorite spots in the Park because of the great view on the Teton Mountain Range. The lake was so cold only Owen, Mark and Ron braved the water. The girls had fun collecting pretty rocks.
SWAN LAKE HIKE:
Early one morning, we went on another ranger guided hike. None of the extended family joined us. The hike was to Swan Lake. We met some nice people and learned some neat things about the area we saw some neat wildlife, we didn't see any swans but we did see a bald eagle and some pelicans (pictures above with the "wildlife" slideshow). We watched the pelicans land in the water and that was pretty cool.
VISITOR'S CENTER/ STRING LAKE:
One afternoon, we all went to the visitor center and then to String Lake. The sad thing was Ron was still so sick and getting worse and Riley was starting to get really sick too. You can see it in the pictures just how miserable they looked. Other than the sickness, the rest of us had so much fun we goofed of in the water. Marley, Bradley and Tyler played water basketball and the girls dared each other to see how far we would dare to go in the cold water then we decided to take funny pictures. We had so much fun playing in the water. I think water brings out the kid in everyone, and also if you can't make a fool of yourself with family then who can you do it in front of?
CAMP:
We camped at the Colter Bay Tent Village on Jackson Lake. It was a great place to stay. The last night, while everyone else hung out at camp, Ron and Riley-sick as they were-took a nap. The girls made bracelets provided by Mallory and we chatted and laughed. Later that afternoon Riley woke up and wanted cuddles poor guy he was so miserable. Ron ended up sleeping about 14 hours. That night we roasted marshmallows and did more chatting. It was fun. Ron was so sick he missed the last night's activities.
CANOE RIDE:
The last morning we all got ready to go our separate ways. It was sad to depart from each other. Thank heavens Ron and Riley were feeling better. This was a short but fun trip for the extended family . We haven't done a big family vacation like this since 1996 when we went to Disneyland so we hope to keep this up and do it yearly and make it longer than a couple of days. Ron, Lori and the kids stayed in the Tetons a couple of days longer. We found a tentsite at Colter Bay and camped there again. We wanted to take the kids on a canoe ride, unfortunately we all couldn't go on the canoe: three was the limit. So Ron and the kids went on the ride and Lori walked around and looked at shops and then went back to camp and read a book. All in all it was a lot of fun the kids enjoyed the ride and Lori got some peace and quite.
As a side note, Julie, Jordan and Lyndee got in a really bad car accident on their way there. It was very scary and we are grateful that they all survived. Julie got a concussion and other than that everyone was shaken up but they were all alive and ok. We thank Heavenly Father for that blessing. Also, a little over a week after the accident Jordan got his mission call to Tonga.
After the Tolman family reunion we ditched the rest of the family and went to Yellowstone National Park. On our way we stopped in Livingston, MT at a park to get dressed, have breakfast, and take a break from the drive. It was a fun town. The ride between Livingston and Yellowstone is breathtaking. We then made to the “gateway to Yellowstone” in Gardiner, MT.
YELLOWSTONE WILDLIFE:
We saw some fun wildlife of course. One of our favorite animals encounters was a female elk that came up right by us while we were throwing rocks in a river by our campground. She came down the hill and took the spot where we had been playing. Once we realized where she was going, we scrambled like crazy to get out of her way. The kids got the biggest kick out of it. You'll notice a picture with Lacey in the foreground marking “elk” off of her animal list, with the elk in the background. We saw lots of other animals as well, including a postcard perfect scene of a buffalo walking in front of Old Faithful.
MADISON CAMPGROUND
While we were in Yellowstone we stayed in the Madison campground it was fun but it was still cold, the kids had fun helping us put up the tent and get camp ready. Riley's job when we set up camp is to drive the tent stakes into the ground. I don't know who likes throwing rocks more, Lacey, Riley or Ron :) I guess we all like the noise (plunk) it makes as the rocks drop in the water. They had a pretty neat ranger program and man it was cold so we all snuggled up in a blanket and enjoyed the program. You can see in some of the pictures that Riley is starting to get a little sick too. Don't take that wrong, nothing graphic, I was just talking about his nose and cheeks.
Lacey was so excited because she was old enough to be a Jr. Ranger, she had to fill out a fun activity book and complete some assignments and once she did all her assignments she went to a visitor station and was sworn as a Jr Ranger, she liked that a lot.
OLD FAITHFUL HIKING:
One of the fun hikes we took was a ranger guided hike on up above Old Faithful, the view was amazing. We then walked around Old Faithful and saw some of the other geysers in the area. One of the most impressive was the Beehive Geyser, wow it is powerful and pretty cool! The thermal pools were pretty neat too and it was nice to stand by them because it was chilly and you could feel the heat from a ways away. You just need to get past the smell. After looking at the beauty outside, we checked out the Old Faithful Lodge. It is gorgeous inside The architecture is beautiful.
OTHER YELLOWSTONE HIKING:
Mark, Susan and family joined us for part of out time in Yellowstone. We went to Fire Hole Lake, Fire Canyon drive, and the Fountain Paint Pots. The pictures speak for themselves.
This Summer went by so fast and I'm sure it was because it was so jammed packed with all sorts of fun stuff we did. July was full of fun!!!! The beginning of July we went to Ron's family reunion at his late grandparents' Ranch in Montana: over the Forth of July. We stopped in Idaho Falls for a bite to eat and then we played by the falls. Those falls are so beautiful. We then stopped and camped in this campground near Dillon, Montana. It was dark when we got there. Lori and the kids slept in the car (they were too tired to climb outside). Brian and Ron slept outside under a picnic shelter. Despite the shelter, they ended up getting wet in the rain. The kids and Lori stayed dry, but slept sitting up. It was not the best accommodations, but it was cheap (free), extremely convenient, and there was no risk of being so comfortable that we might accidentally sleep in. By the way, in the morning when we got up about 5am, as we were leaving, our headlights hit a reflection in the bushes where we saw... Well, the picture speaks for itself. Oops! :)
THE RANCH:
When we finally got to the Ranch it was cold. When we left Salt Lake it was in the high 90s and when we got to Montana it was in the 60s. Grandpa Tolman's home is so fun, there is so much to do there. Lacey had lots of fun playing with her cousins. One of the highlights the kids look forward to is Ron's cousin Todd tells such great stories. He has the kids eating out of his hands they are mesmerized by him. On the Fourth we had a home-brewed firework show over the pond, which is always a blast. Ron went to bed early because he was starting to come down with something. Poor thing. (that was just the beginning of the sickness on this trip).
On a side note here are some fun thing the kids did. Riley was in heaven because he got to play on a tractor again. I know he doesn't look like he is having fun, I promise he is. He is good at hiding his excitement when he is ecstatic about something. He also had fun on the four wheelers. Lacey had fun on them too. Uncle Brian made the mistake of taking Lacey and her cousins on some rides on the 4 wheelers. The problem was they didn't let him stop and when he did they begged him to go again. Those kids have Brian wrapped because he gave in to them a lot. Riley was mesmerized by the buffaloes that live next door.
It was decided that Grandpa and Grandma's headstones were not stout enough to last for eternity, so the boys got a big rock for a new headstone . It was quite the project, but everybody had fun.
On Sunday, Sam went with us on an attempt to go to church. The church is some 30 minutes away via dirt roads. We started out with good intentions, but about half way there we realized we were going to be at least 30 minutes late. So instead, we put on one of those scripture story podcasts from radio.lds.org. We were on dirt roads, in the mountains, with 4WD, and a couple of hours to spare. We took a detour and ended up on a mountain and got the car really dirty. Let me explain it was a very wet June so there were some big mud puddles, especially this one we found that Sam was determined to get through. It took him a few tries but he finally made it through. We had mud everywhere, even inside the car. WOW he made a mess but it was so fun the kids were loving it. I hope you enjoy the videos of us going though the mud puddle and might I add Ron was in pure heaven, he is a kid at heart and loves puddles the more muddy they are the better. Later on that day Brian, Ron, and Lori took the Four-wheelers out on a dirt road and Brian took us to some really cool old buildings he knew about. In these buildings there were so many cool old furnishings and and there were old cars, tractors and car parts in the yard. One of the cool things we saw was a tree growing up through the middle of the steering wheel. Inside one of the houses, we scared a cow who was in there exploring, who then scared us. We somehow didn't expect to find a cow inside an abandoned home. I don't know who was more scared the cow or us. It freaked us out and the poor cow didn't know what to do because we were blocking the only exit. Well he did finally escape and we were all ok. Our country cousins would have either laughed at us or scoffed at us I'm sure. Perhaps both. :)
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