Quick recap of our 40+ hour summer road trip:
First, we went to Utah to visit Jared's parents and sisters. Libby had so much fun playing with her cousins, especially Bethany. Libby and Piper jumped on Rachel's trampoline every chance they got.
What else?
It was hot.
We missed the fireworks.
We specifically left Iowa on July 3 so we could get to Utah by the afternoon of July 4 and make sure we could see the fireworks. But, as luck would have it, all the nearby cities decided to do their fireworks shows on July 3. Bummer.
After a few days in Utah, we headed up to Yellowstone with Rachel's family. It was just as awesome as I was hoping. The scenery was just unreal and we had a great time. Despite a couple rainy afternoons and cold nights in the tent, I enjoyed the relief from the heat we experienced in Utah! (Iowa is making me a sissy.)
Hayden Valley was my favorite part of the park.
We camped at Grant Village, on the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake. We could walk just a hundred yards or so to the lake; it was beautiful.
We saw bison and elk, but no moose or bears...this time. We'll be back for sure!
After Yellowstone, we said goodbye to Rachel's family and headed back to Iowa by way of Thermopolis, WY (where we soaked in the world's largest mineral hot springs), Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills. Mt. Rushmore was pretty neat, but we got there as the sun was going down and it was cold! We bought Libby a sweatshirt at the gift shop because we knew we'd need it camping that night. We camped at Horsethief Lake, just a couple miles from Mt. Rushmore, in Black Hills National Forest. The next day, we drove on Iron Mountain Road for about an hour or so before getting on the highway. I'm so glad we took that road, even if it was a little out of the way. It was the most beautiful part of South Dakota I've seen! If we hadn't already been away from home almost 2 weeks, we would have spent more time in the Black Hills.
 |
| Had to take a picture of the DuPont explosives, used to carve Mt. Rushmore (Jared works for DuPont) |
I'm glad you guys spread out your trip and visited sights along the way! Makes for a longer trip, but how fun! I'm also glad I was able to see you for a little bit, even though it was ridiculously hot and it is so hard to chat with little kids. Also, I love that picture of you and Piper- adorable!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we got to see you, too! Y'all better not leave Utah because I like being able to visit once a year!
ReplyDelete