Epic Summer Roadtrip

Epic. The word doesn't begin to describe the trip my family pulled off this summer. Just weeks after Hannah got back from a service trip to the Dominican Republic, and a day after my family returned from Nauvoo, Cal and I hitched a ride with my parents up to our family's place in Waterton, Alberta.I know I've posted about Waterton before, so I'll just hit some of the highlights of the trip.

Cal was anxious to try out his new binoculars from Aunt Meredith & Uncle Scott & Carson, so he took them everywhere we went. He'd say, "Mommy! Need my 'noculars!"

They were actually quite useful, and several other family members used them as the trip progressed. Anytime someone would spot wildlife, someone would say, "Cal, can I use your 'noculars?"

 Uncle Frank came to stay with us for a few nights, and got us set up with boating and kayaking. Here is Markie on the small skiff at Emerald bay. Look at the excited passenger!

 Hannah preferred to kayak. She and mom attempted to brave the open lake to get to Bertha Bay, but the wind was blowing so hard it blew them backward even as they paddled.

 Cal loved the hammock so much, and even told me he needed to sleep outside in his "special bed" one night. I tried to explain why he couldn't, without using the word "bear bait."

 My mom and sister and I climbed Crypt Lake one day while we were there. It's an intense 10.7 miles along steep shale cliffs, and then there's a cool part where you crawl through a tunnel in the mountainside before emerging at the secret lake at the top. I wish these pictures showed the drop off a little better!

 We were pretty worn out around mile 8, or at least I was! When we finally came around the corner of the last bend before the bay, we looked up, and like a rescuing angel, we saw Frank driving out to get us in his boat! Perfect timing! We ran down to the dock where all the hikers who'd taken the Miss Waterton ferry were waiting for their pickup. As my uncle pulled up to dock, a lady said, "Your ride's here? Lucky!" We felt like hiking royalty or something. Home, James!

 Cal actually got Frank to climb up into the treehouse with him. Super cute!

We saw TONS of wildlife while we were there, including bald eagles, deer, foxes, coyotes, buffalo, TEN BEARS, and even a white wolf! Here's a shot of one of the bears:

 We had a picture at Red Rock. Cal was very entertained with climbing all over the rocks and into the creek. He used his binoculars as a microscope to inspect the rocks, too!

 And of course, there were multiple trips to the candy store AND the big scoop.

On the way back to Utah, we stopped in Yellowstone, which I thought was completely fascinating! My favorite part was the "paint pots" -- totally alien-looking!  Cal whined A LOT about the stinky geysers.

We got to see Old Faithful erupt twice. I don't know who named that thing, but it was not "like clockwork." The second wait got particularly long, but we made it right with a trip to the ice cream counter after the spout.

 In between spouts, we all went in to watch what we hoped would be a scientific/educational video about the park. Turns out, it was more of a cheesy thing, with an excited host name Ranger Brandon suggesting activities we could do with our family. It was pretty boring, until the wildlife warning they tagged on the end, where everyone including my 4-year-old was treated to the visual horror of a woman being mauled and trampled by an angry bison. Everyone in the theatre was shouting, "OOOOHHH!!! OoooOOOoooh!" Thanks, Yellowstone!

Then, we were off to the Bar J Wranglers Chuckwagon dinner and show in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was AWESOME. They serve up a big, yummy BBQ dinner and then entertain their audience with fantastic singing and jokes. We loved it! And Cal got to go on a wagon ride while we were waiting for dinner.

We explored the town a little, and even tried on a few things, before heading down to Bear Lake for the Richey family reunion.

And of course, Cal immediately found a candy shop. :)