Bison and Geysers and Elk. . .Oh My!

We left Montana early Tuesday morning to make our way back into Yellowstone through the North Gate--only to sit in a bit of a traffic jam due to a couple of wandering bison making their way on the road from the Hot Springs down to Lower Geyer Basin.

I had no idea that Yellowstone essentially sits on top of a very active volcanic systems that creates numerous hot springs, geyers and mud volcanos all throughout the park. At one point in the 1970s the underground network was so active, the ground soil temperature rose to over 200 degrees and killed most of the trees. New cedar growith was evident all over the park, as well as remnants of the boiled trees!

One of the most beautiful hikes we took that day was to see the Prismatic Hot Spring in Middle Geyer Basin. The colors were just incredible. It was one of our most favorite sights in the park and unfortunately the pictures don't do the experience justice!



Our last stop before heading out of Yellowstone and into the Grand Teton National Park was the obligatory visit to Old Faithful. A quick run into the gift shop and a stop for ice cream preceeded our walk out to the world famous geyer. We had 30 minutes until the next eruption, so we took a stroll around Old Faithful and watched the eruption from the much less crowded/less touristy side. And right on schedule, Old Faithful did not disappoint the Tolleys, although we did get a bit of spray on us that smelled a bit like sulphuric acid!



We left Yellowstone and entered the Grand Teton National Park on our way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The view to the right was of the Grand Teton Mountain range and to the left was of hundreds and hundreds of elk. Katherine began to plot her strategy on how to get the entire family to move to Wyoming.



Arriving in the town square of Jackson Hole, we immediately found a perfect parking spot right in the center of the square, and went off in search of a restaurant for dinner. We found the exquisite Snake River Grill tucked back a little off the square. This is not the type of place that has a kids menu, but the chef was more than happy to create a few pasta dishes especially for younger diners. I tried my very first dry-aged buffalo steak (Amazing!) and Michael had the Alaskan halibut. The girls utilized their very best manners while sipping multiple shirley temples. An incredible way to end our time in Wyoming.

Back in the car for a two hour drive to Idaho for the night. We set the alarm for an early wake up to drive to Salt Lake City for the Tolley family portion of our trip! What an experience the last week or so has been for our entire family!

Trail Ride and Yellowstone

After an impossibly comfortable and wonderful night sleep in our cabin at the Bill Cody Ranch, we were up at the crack of dawn for breakfast and a 2 hour morning trail ride. The Tolleys all headed over the stables to meet our guides Emily and Jeremy and our horses.

Emma was assigned to Thunder, a beautiful, gentle black horse. Katherine rode on Lakeside, a gorgeous chestnut horse that matched her pink boots beautifully. Kayleigh's horse was Iron, a majestic white stallion. Michael had the guide's favorite horse, Gunsmoke, a beautiful white and gray speckled mustang. I had a beautiful painted mare named Red Feather. Emily led the trail ride, followed by Emma, Katherine, Kayleigh, then Me and Michael.




The horses were very accustomed to the varied terrain on the trail we rode (creek crossings, up steep climbs, across a ledge/cliff) and back down again. The entire experience was just stunning. The horses were gentle, knowing, and very forgiving and the scenery was simply breathtaking. This was definitely a highlight of our entire trip thus far--especially for Katherine and our other aspiring cowgirls!




After our trail ride, the girls reluctantly said goodbye to their equine friends and we hopped in our trusty rented RAV4 and headed for Yellowstone National Park, a mere 12 miles from the Ranch.

All I can really say is "WOW!" We visited the Fishing Bridge area, the Canyon and Upper/Lower Falls, the Tower, and Mammouth Hot Springs. Along the trails we saw bison, pelicans, a black bear, elk, a female moose and some of the most beautiful natural land formations in the world.




I'll post a more extensive photo album on Facebook when we get to Salt Lake. I'm in awe at how beautiful our country is! More on Day Two in Yellowstone in the next update. Tonight is a beautiful night in Gardiner, Montana. Our hotel room overlooks the Yellowstone river. I'm about to go to sleep with the roar of the whitewater river below. Heavenly!

Why not Wyoming: Rallies, Rodeos, and Ranches

We left Keystone/Rapid City early Sunday morning for our long drive across Wyoming. But we still had one stop to make before leaving South Dakota--Sturgis, home of the world famous motorcycle rally. Our first stop was the Sturgis Harley Davidson. Alas, it was Sunday morning, so it was closed, but we parked in front of the Motorcycle Musuem Hall of Fame, and crossed the street to Hot Leathers to pick up a few t-shirts for the Tolley boys in Salt Lake. The roads were blocked off for a street festival--just a warm up for the big rally in August.

It was a stunning drive through the Black Hills National Forest into Wyoming. We traded farm land for horse and cattle ranches. Stopped in a little town called Ten Sleep for lunch at a saloon, and after five extremely scenic hours in the car, we arrived in the rodeo capital of Cody, Wyoming. Home of Buffalo Bill Cody and the Cody Nite Rodeo. To honor local tradition, we did indeed go to the Cody Nite Rodeo and spent the night at the Bill Cody Ranch. Both were a wonderful surprise.




The Bill Cody Ranch was a wonderful and friendly ranch tucked away in the Shoshone National Forest. We stayed in a rustic cabin and had an incredible meal in the Ranch's dining room. The highlight for the girls were the horses. . . .dozens and dozens of them. More on them later.

After dinner we just had time to get into the town of Cody to see the nightly Rodeo--complete with bucking broncos, barrel racing, roping and team roping, and to top it all off, bull riding! Initially, the girls weren't too sure about the rodeo, and didn't really get the politically incorrect jokes of the rodeo clown co-host, but they were soon won over by the girls on horseback roping and barrel racing. And the excitement was infectious as the cowboys rode on the broncos and finally the bulls!




Early to bed Sunday night, for an exciting surprise on Monday morning!

On the road to Wall Drug. . .

Entering South Dakota, aside from taking in the beautiful, scenic farmland, you can't help but notice the billboards posted along Interstate 90. Some are public service announcements reminding you to buckle up or stop smoking, but most call your attention to the fact that the world famous Wall Drug Store is a mere 250 miles away. Every few miles, there's another Wall Drug billboard. "As seen on the Today Show" and "Cowboy Up at Wall Drug!" Even "Free Ice Water and 5 cent coffee at Wall Drug!"

How can you help but get curious? With each passing billboard, I KNEW we needed to stop there. But first was a stop at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. A palace made out of CORN! HELLO! Of course we had to stop! And yes, inside, the entire place did smell like popcorn. A few pictures and soon we were back on the interstate and to my daydreams about the world famous Wall Drug.



Even as we were approaching the Badlands National Park exit, I started doing mileage calculations in my head. If we do the scenic loop through the Badlands we would miss passing by Wall Drug on Interstate 90. Sadly, I nearly resigned myself to NOT seeing Wall Drug as we approached the entrance to the Badlands, until I saw the billboard saying, "See the Badlands and THEN follow the arrows to Wall Drug." I could have my cake and eat it too! Which I found out via a billboard that they did have at Wall Drug!

The Badlands were incredible (and conveniently had a restroom located just a couple minutes inside the park). The girls were in awe at every twist and turn. The colors were incredible, the formations were both stunning and alien at the same time. We stopped, gawked, and filmed.



And then we found the sign to Wall Drug! A mere thirty minutes later, we arrived in the town of Wall, SD and miraculously found the parking spot in front of the entrance to my much anticipated destination. I wish we had an entire day to spend at Wall Drug, but alas we had an hour. The girls were in heaven and surprisingly, so was Michael! Candy, jewelry, food, gifts, art, gems, and yes a fully stocked Drug store. . .you name it, they had it. And if they didn't have it, you really didn't need it.

An hour later, we left with four enormous bags. The Tolley family did indeed "Cowboy Up" at Wall Drug. We all left with new cowboy boots (or as Katherine says, "Pink boots are NOT cowboy boots, they are cowGIRL boots!" and the girls each picked out a matching cowboy/girl hat. These items will actually serve a real purpose when we reach Wyoming, but the girls do not yet know this. Another surprise in store. SSSSHHHHHHH.

With new hats on their heads, we drove though an ominous thunderstorm to reach Mount Rushmore. Skies cleared as we made our way through Keystone up through the Black Hills National Forest. Although I've seen thousands of images of the carvings at Mount Rushmore, it is truly awe inspriring to round the corner and look up and see four very familar faces carved into the side of the mountain. Kayleigh squealed with delight! We spent a couple of hours hiking around the Presidential Trail, dinner and bed early for a long drive through Wyoming.

Malloys, Como Zoo, and South Dakota

Henry was the first face I saw Friday morning. Michael and I were sleeping in Monica's room while the girls were bunking downstairs. Henry was standing by my bed, quietly poking me in the side. "Are you okay, Henry?" "I need help!" he answered in a whisper. He grabbed my hand and took me downstairs. After a few questions, I found out that he really needed some Orange Juice and then to show me all the toys in his room.

Soon everyone was awake. Sheridan and I ran to the store to get bagels while the kids continued to jump on the trampoline. Rory and Sheridan planned another surprise for the kids. They traded their minivan with a neighbor who had a 12 passenger van so that both families could drive together around the Twin cities and to nearby Como Zoo for the morning topped off with lunch at White Castle!





Rory took us on a tour to show us his favorite spots, but it ended way too soon. We had to get to South Dakota that night and had to say our goodbyes. Lots of hugs, a few tears, and with a goody bag to go, the Malloys sent us off of our way to our next stop: Sioux Falls.





Good-bye Minnesota and our dear friends. . .Hello South Dakota!

Daddy's Day and Heartland Surprise

We woke up early in Appleton, Wisconsin Thursday and headed east to Green Bay to fulfill one of Michael's boyhood dreams--visiting Lambeau field, home of the Packers. He grew up with both his Mom and Dad following the Green Bay Packers and could recite the Packer history. So off to Green Bay, we went. When arriving at the field, Michael's excitement grew and the girls grew a bit more perplexed. "Mom, why are we here? We don't even like football," they whispered as we briskly walked behind Daddy rushing up the statues of Curley Lambeau and Vince Lombardi just outside of the stadium. "It's Daddy's Day," I explained. "He does so much for us, this day is about him."

An hour long tour took us behind the scenes and into a luxury box near the end zone. Then through down to the field level, by the locker rooms, and through the tunnel which the Packers rush out to the field.



After the tour, we then went though the Hall of Fame Museum. The girls were trying their hardest not to look bored and keep interested. They kept coming up to me as if to say "Really, Mom?!", but then they would just murmur "I know, I know, it's Daddy's day." We finished up our time at the field in the gift shop. That was something the girls COULD get excited about! A few hats, t-shirts, silly bands, and one giant foam finger later, we piled into our rental and headed east across Wisconsin towards Minnesota.

Now, I've seen beautiful rural areas before. New England is full of picturesque farmlands, punctuated by hills, mountains, and lakes. I wasn't quite prepared for the sheer volume of beautiful green farms and farmlands that made up our nearly 5 hour drive to Minnesota. Farm, after farm, after farm. . .puncutated by the occasional firework stand and one Gentleman's club named Chubby's. Girls fell asleep and didn't know that at the end of our drive a surprise waited for them. We were on our way to visit our friends the Malloys, who lived in Maine for too brief of a time before moving back to Minnesota. The girls really missed Monica and Nora and none of us had met Henry, the newest Malloy child who was born months after leaving Maine.

We didn't tell the kids about this visit they all would be surprised. And boy was it! The girls didn't realize what was happening until we pulled into the Malloy's driveway. It was if a single day hadn't passed since the girls saw each other! They hugged, screamed, and ran off to the trampoline to jump for the next four hours.



With good friends it doesn't matter how much time has passed since you last saw each other. You just seem to pick up seamlessly where you left off. That's how it was for us. We spent the night talking, laughing, sitting around the bonfire making smores with the kids, stayed up way too late. All in all, a perfect day.

Teaching and Learning Moments

The night before leaving on our big trip, I could hardly sleep. We have all been really looking forward to this trip as a family. Our "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" Odyssey was beginning in Hingham the following day with TWO train rides (Hingham to South Station then South Station to Chicago). I tossed and turned with excitement about our adventures. As a parent, I am always looking for "teaching moments" and I knew there would be plenty--history, geography, importance of being patient. What I didn't know is that they would begin the following morning with Michael "teaching" Emma how to make flatuent noises with her hand and her armpit! Which she was happy to demonstrate for most of the morning! Not exactly what I had in mind. . .

Train trip pictures:






And so here we are, in the midwest two days and nine states later. We rode in trains for over 24 hours, sat in Train Stations for a few more hours. Drove in a car through beautiful Illinois and Wisconsin counties for another 4 hours and here are a few of the things we've learned so far:

- Microwave train food really isn't all that bad.
- Children can truly sleep just about anywhere at any time.
- GPS is not always the most reliable method to get you from point A to B in the shortest amount of time/distance.
- On a related note, Chicago has a LOT of different neighborhoods.
- Teaching manners to your kids truly pays off in dividends!
- Asking for restaurant suggestions from a local (and a stranger) will often yield the best meal of the trip.
- Never underestimate the power of car games (license plate states, the alphabet game, car bingo).
- iPods rock!
- It's never a mistake to check in on old friends, even if it's just for a few hours.
- Hotels with swimming pools are not a luxury, but a necessity.
- Time alone (even if it's for 15 minutes) makes for a happier Mom.

Today we visited with our friends the Doyles (Michael's old Navy buddy) in Wisconsin and the girls played with their little girl. So precious!



We are off tomorrow for a quick trip to Green Bay for Michael to pay homage to Lambert Field, and then off to Minnesota to visit with our dearly missed friends the Malloys. This part of our trip is a complete and total surprise to the girls on both the Tolley and Malloy end. Should be an incredible reunion! Personally, I can't wait!