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July 20, 2015

The rest of the trip...

I won't bore you with lots of vacation pics, but it was a wonderful trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
When my conference presentation was accepted earlier this spring in Denver, I knew it was going to be an opportunity to do some work and then extend my time with a family trip into Wyoming and Montana.
We flew into Denver and after my conference ended, we then got a rental van.   We ended up putting 2000 miles onto the van in only 6 days!
We absolutely fell in love with Wyoming and Montana.  
Such beautiful and vast terrain.  
We marveled at how frequently the landscape changed.  
The state of Michigan is so flat in comparison.
We also experienced extreme temperature changes.  
It could be in the low 40s at the top of the mountains and then in the upper 80s at the base.
We stayed at the Cody Cowboy Village in Cody WY and had a wonderful time.
We also stayed at the Three Bear Lodge in West Yellowstone MT and had equally pleasant experience.
The only advice I would give about Yellowstone National Park, is that despite its size, it's extremely busy and it really is better to go at dawn (as soon as the park opens) to avoid the masses.
Wildlife is also more active first thing in the morning.  
The Grand Tetons allow for amazing hiking opportunities and I'm glad we invested in good hiking shoes for our whole family.
This was probably the last BIG family trip we will take with Emma going off to college in 2016.
 It was definitely a trip of a lifetime.
XOXO

16 comments:

Lynn said...

That's a beautiful pic of you and the girls! Looks like you all had a fantastic trip:@)

Lynne said...

The girls are growing up so fast . . . Emma off to college 2016 seems way too soon!
This truly was the trip of a lifetime, wasn't it . . .
Wonderful pics!

Pam~ Virginia Retro said...

What a fantastic trip for your family! Wow, you did put some miles on that van in just a week! Great scenery and fun photos. Both on my Bucket list.

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Great memories for your family and great family photo!
warmly,
deb

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

You have so many beautiful and awesome pictures (and memories) to keep forever! I've been enjoying seeing them on IG too! Luke and I hope to go to Yellow Stone for a vacation sometime in our future! Such a great family picture to end with! :) Happy new week! xo Holly

A Little Creation said...

The third to last photo of the girls looks like an LL Bean photo. We lived in South Dakota for 10 years and never went to Yellowstone.
Chris =]

Jboo said...

Wow -- it looks like an amazing trip! Loved following along on IG!

laurie -magpie ethel said...

Im glad you got a family trip in and it looks like you saw some amazing sights. This is exactly the kind of trip that makes you want to explore more of the USA! We did Yellowstone a few years ago with the kids and still in a "talked about" trip with them. A good memory for sure.

Patti said...

Such precious memories you all will share for many years to come. My siblings and I still talk about the car trip to Connecticut nearly 50 years ago! Such memories. Your scrapbook is vintage, right? Looks wonderful!

Pam Kessler said...

Glad you had a great time! You could never bore me with vacation photos, I love seeing other parts of the country. And then I go right back to looking at the flat old corn fields around here :) Have a great week at work!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

It sure looks grand and gorgeous! I'm so glad your whole family got to go and see so much! I would love to travel out West....it's been too long! Hugs, Diane

Gina @ VictorianWannaBe said...

Oh how nice! I really enjoyed seeing all the pics of your beautiful family (including you!)
Looks like you had a wonderful time and your Cowboy place looks like so much fun!
Thanks for sharing your vacation with us!
Gina

Corey said...

Such a fun, fun trip! You all look like you had a great time- I love the family photo of everyone!

Jodee said...

Wow! What a fabulous trip! I love the family picture too!

Margaret said...

I just got to see this post! Amazing. I hope to get our family there someday. I love where you stayed too! Wonderful memories. Love ya.

Donna said...

What a great trip, Kim! The scenery is amazing, and you are creating such special memories for you and your family. I can't believe Emma is going to be a sr!