2011 Summer Adventure Day 10

Today it's off to Cheyenne, WY - an eight (8) hour trek.  We begin our return to reality now.  It had to end some time.  Won't be many exciting pictures today but we'll do our best.

We begin our journey just as we begun when entering Yellowstone - with a shot of a bison (don't think this is Byron though)  Good-bye Byron.

Our goal is to get to Cheyenne and do some wash (well it's someone's goal).  So we head on down the highway...

Wyoming is the place to be.  It has got to be the most scenic state in the country....at least top 3.



We took some breaks...

and drove some more...

You know who did you know what....

The drive gave us time to reflect on some interesting things about Wyoming.  Things you'll never see in Mt. Laurel - "Bear Spray Sold Here!" and "Do not climb the tunnels".  And this beautiful town...

....have an idea as to who might live there.

You can also set the cruise control on 80 mph and not worry about anything...

As we approach the city of Cheyenne, it appears a storm is about ready to pounce...

but it never happens.

We roll into our Country Inn and Suites at 7:00pm.  We are all pretty hungry by this point so we ask the hotel clerk to suggest a place to eat.  She suggests Sanford's Pub and Grub.  It's modeled after the old TV show Sanford and Son.  So reluctantly we went....'when in Rome' they say.  Boy was it the best meal of our journey thus far.  Even better than any of the two DDD sites we visited...

The girls had a good time...

Sarah must have had ham for dinner.

Sean ordered the biggest, greasiest, fat-busting burger on the menu...as usual

Even Elvis had a good time...

Thank you...Thank you very much.

We also met four (4) players from the Cheyenne Grizzlies.  We know - 'who are the Cheyenne Grizzlies?'  Well they are only the Champions of the MCBL (Mountain Collegiate Baseball League).  Tommy Cunningham, who attends St. Joseph's University in PA overheard us talking about home being in NJ and that's how we met them....Here they are...

Well it's off to the hotel to do some wash and get some rest.  We're off to see the biggest ball of twine tomorrow....How exciting!

2011 Summer Adventure Day 9

Today is scheduled for some downtime (so we thought). Steve took the girls fishing in the morning...

These guys were getting pretty good at casting...

...while Jackie went for a walk and Sean slept in.

We all went to the lodge again for breakfast. But as we were getting ready, we turned to look outside our hotel window and this happens to walk by....his name is Byron – Byron the Bison.

As Sean put it...the world's largest lawn mower.

We than went to the lodge for some breakfast. This just never gets old...

As we wrote above, this was scheduled “downtime”. A small hike up Elephant Back Trail would be the perfect way to get some exercise, see the Lake from a different vantage point and to tire out the kids while having some fun – so 3 out of 4 ain't bad . It was a 3.5 mile round trip hike 800 ft from where we started. A piece of cake..?..?.. Jackie was so excited to go up this trail. We ventured out into the woods – all five of us. Sean of course leading the way. We saw this tree growing out of rock...

A great view of the lake from about 700' up...

...but than the trouble began (reenactment)

The trail turned into a series of thin ridgeback routes winding up Elephant Back Mountain. The fear of heights soon set in on Jackie. She hugged the side of the mountain and just had to go back. We tried to calm her down but to no avail. She took off down the mountain like a fat person chasing a twinkie. So Steve had to figure out what to do at this point. He had to deal with Sean who was upset for having to turnback after nearing the top of another summit (Inspiration Point was the first one) and tend to the girls who were ready to do whatever Steve told them. Fortunately, another family was not far behind us so Steve asked them if Sean could tag along to the summit – “no problem” they said. So Steve and the girls went down to tend to Jackie. In doing so, the girls were helping each other down the mountain.

Rule #1 – you should not be in the woods by yourself. Steve and the girls tried to catch up but it soon turned into a lost cause. Steve and the girls kept asking people we saw going down the mountain if they saw a freightened woman swoosh by them. They all said yes until we neared the end. The last family did not see such a woman. So the girls and Steve got back to the van but no Jackie. Where could she be? We didn't hear any screams so chances are a Grizzly didn't eat her. We couldn't leave the van, since Sean would be back soon. Fear started to set-in. Where could she be? What should we do? How could Steve explain this to Jackie's parents? Their daughter was lost in Yellowstone National Park....Holy cow...We must remain calm, wait for Sean, than alert the authorites. We thought since the Hotel was only a mile from the trail that possibly she walked back there. So once smiling Sean returned from his quest conquering Elephant Back Trail, we rode back to the Hotel. Sure enough, there was Jackie walking through the parking lot after embibing on a libation at the hotel....whew...crisis averted...but Steve now needs to gather himself

The downtime could now begin. We hung out at the hotel, sat by the lake, exchanged a few laughs and took some pictures.

Patriotic Shannon...

Nice Truck...

The cabin we stayed in for the first two nights...

We didn't take many pictures after this. We went to dinner at the lodge, drove off to find some more wildlife. We were particularly interested in spotting some bear and wolves but were too elusive for us on this trip. We went to bed early to gear up for our drive to Cheyenne, WY tomorrow....Good Night.

2011 Summer Adventure Day 8

Another busy day planned. But first, we begin by strolling to the lodge for some nourishment and to witness another perfect sunrise ...

This place just oozes with love...

After breakfast, we did some shopping and than Sean and Steve went fishing on Lake Yellowstone by the marina.

We decided to rent a rowboat instead of a powerboat (cheaper). This is the only shot of Sean you'll see rowing. It lasted about 2 minutes and we went nowhere. But at least he gave it a valiant effort....

Since Steve was the picture taker and rower, you won't see any shots of that....but here is some proof of Steve's rowing experience – ouch!

We were advised by the ranger at the visitior's center that fishing was not very good at the moment. It was too “high” for fishing – not really sure what that means just yet. When we arrived at the marina, the ranger there said we could go fishing and that there are typically two (2) main types of trout being caught - the good ones and the bad ones. The good ones are the Cutthroat. The bad ones are the Lake. The reason the Lake Trout are bad is that they are very aggressive and eat the cutthroat so the park wants you to kill all Lake Trout. We were also advised that a Lake Trout is more than likely what we would catch if anything. Unless of course you are the mighty fisherman – Sean Murray.....

...a 16” Cutthroat. Just as we were about to head in, Sean landed this trout in true angler fashion. We were both beaming from ear to ear for the rest of the day. Yeehaaa!!!

It was now time for everyone to get ready for the big Chuckwagon Dinner. During our ride to Roosevelt Lodge, we wound up in a traffic jam. Just your typical herd of mountain goats blocking traffic on our way to dinner...

Another awesome animal shot by Jackie. She may be the next National Geographic photographer of the year with shots like these...

After the moutain goats finally left, we were off to our Chuckwagon dinner. This was a funtime had by all. Sean, Sarah and Steve went by horseback (1hour) to the cookout site while Shannon and Jackie rode the chuckwagon out to the site. We saw a coyote and badger either playing or fighting with each other – not really sure what they were doing. What an experience it was...

The food was fantastic – steak cooked to perfection and some awesome side dishes....yummy

over 200 people waiting in the chow line. The night was perfect complete with a campfire...

...entertainment (Cowboy Bill)

...and some new friends

Just an awesome time.

We than moseyed on back ….

...and headed for some much needed rest. Tomorrow is our last day here :-(

2011 Summer Adventure Day 7

Woke up this morning with a Bison walking by the front of our cabin.


Jackie and Sean went for a walk earlier than the rest of us. Sean had carved a stick into a weapon the night before in case they ran into any wild beasts. Fortunately they didn't need to use it. They got a good shot of the sunrise over the lake though.

Steve and the girls went for a walk themselves. Shannon bought a book earlier in the trip entitled “Who pooped in the park – Yellowstone National Park” It's a book on how to identify wildlife footprints and their poop. It came in handy during our walk. Here is some bison scat....

OK...you really didn't need to see that....but it was interesting if you were with us. We got a good shot of the bison that walked by our cabin.

After they returned, Jackie than went to find a hot spot for her phone so she could text. The cell service around here is spotty at best. The wi-fi service is nil....which is why I haven't posted to the blog recently. Steve and kids went for a walk and to grab a bite to eat at the lodge nearby.

We also wanted to see if we could find more wildlife. We saw a mule deer and her fawn...

We than set out for Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole. It was about 80 miles south of where we were. Hard to describe how picturesque this place is...but we'll try with these photos

Sean holding his Tetons

We decided to stop off at a place called Jenny Lake. A relatively small lake (compared to Lake Yellowstone) where you could rent a boat to take you across the other side and than hike to a place called Hidden Falls...

After our hike to the falls, we decided to head back into Yellowstone and on to our next stop – Old Faithful. Apparently she boils over lock clockwork – every 90 minutes. But before we arrived, you know who did her you know what...

We arrived 20 minutes before the next burst – perfect timing.

Thar she blows!!!

After her performance, we ate a little something at the Old Faithful Inn before we headed home. So we started out for our cabin and to perhaps catch some good wildlife photos. Dawn and dusk are the best opportunities for spotting some. This elk was running along the shoulder of the road as we approached him. Unbelievable!!

If we didn't see this with our own eyes, we would have sworn this was photoshopped in. What a great shot Jackie!

We than stopped at a place called Hayden Valley where a lot of bear and wolf hang out during the dusk timeframe. We did see a bear and coyote running around but too far off for a good photo.

Just before turning in for the night, we came to an overlook on the side of the road with the full moon rising above the Abarakos Moutains and Lake Yellowstone...Unbelievable (starting to sound redundant we know)...Goodnight