A Cruel Jolt of Reality

It was actually snowing when we landed in Seattle.

So Hard To Leave Paradise

Speaking of Cool Cats...

This was actually a random place for us to frequent but as Gary was researching Maui burgers he found a place that uses only hand pressed 100% certified angus beef on fresh baked hamburger buns.

He was sold so he and I went to Cool Cats for burgers one nite. It was really good and we went back there with Taryn twice.

It's located in Lahaina on the upper floor of The Warf right across from the famous Lahaina banyan tree.

Cool Cats has a Fifties flare - random for Maui - and all their burgers have names. Our favorite was the Don Ho - a burger with bacon, Jack cheese, pineapple and a wonderful sweet Hawaiian sauce. Sooo good. And you just have to get it with frings - a basket combo of fries and onion rings.

A bit of trivia about the amazing banyan tree: it was first planted in April, 1873, marking the 50th Anniversary of Christian missionary work in Lahaina. It was imported from India when it was only 8 feet tall and now stands over 60 feet high, with 12 major trunks in addition to a huge core. It stretches over a 200-foot area and shades 2/3 of an acre.

One nite we walked underneath it on our way to Cool Cats and the tree was alive with thousands of bird all talking at the same time. It was unbelievably noisy under there and I was terrified of "falling objects" if you know what I mean.

Fish Tacos

I have this thing about fish tacos - I crave them when I'm in Maui! So I made it my mission to find the best fish taco on Maui.

Every place we ate I ordered fish tacos. At first Taryn thot I was crazy, but even she had to admit how good they are.

(mom has a crazy obsession with fish tacos!!! ~tk)

So here's my list:

First Place Favorite Fish Taco - Moose McGillycuddy's (it's kind of a grubby place to eat but the fish taco was amazing)

Second Place - Lu Lu's Surf Club & Grill (quite spicy and the Ahi was a bit rare for me but really good)

Third Place & Fourth Place - Maui Taco (this was Gary's favorite and I believe this was the first time he has ever actually ordered one for himself...he usually tries mine) and Cilantro's. I really thot these two were very similar restaurants and tacos. I can't personally say one was better than the other.

Last Place - Cool Cats (bad, bad fish tacos) They apparently didn't clean the grill and my fish tasted like burger. Nasty!

I really wanted to go back to Fred's Mexican Cafe in Kihei for fish taco's. Those were my favorite last year, but we never really spent much time in that part of Maui.

Where do you go for good fish taco's mainland??

The Girl at Longboards

Maui in Bloom

Drums of the Pacific

Taryn really wanted to go to a Luau and since so many of the things we wanted to do with her we were unable to because of weather we decided to do the Luau.

There are many Luau's to choose from. The one we chose was at the Hyatt and called Drums of the Pacific and we really enjoyed it. The evening turned out to be so beautiful we spent some time walking along the ocean path before the Luau.

Taryn loved learning a bit about the history and culture of Hawaii. The dancers were incredible, and the food much better than I remembered it being from my first luau many years ago.

It's one of those things you just have to experience when you're in Hawaii and I'm so glad we did with her.

Cindy and Salt Water

I love the ocean.

I'll do anything to get near the ocean anytime I possibly can.

I love walking barefoot on the beach. I love to watch waves. I love the sounds of the ocean. I love finding shells. I love an ocean sunset.

I really love the ocean.

But I really don't like to be "in" the ocean so much.

Salt water in my mouth is just disgusting. It makes me gag. Salt water kinda feels dirty too. And it always feels so cold. I don't like being cold.

I don't like what I step on when I'm in the ocean. I don't like unknown things touching my feet. And I don't like weeds and stuff. I don't like what's lurking in the water that I can't see. Too much unknown.

Sand kinda bugs me too. It gets everywhere...in your clothes, in your swimsuit, in your towel, in your book and your diet coke... and that feels so dirty.

It's so hard to clean out of everything. Everything you bring to the beach needs to be de-sanded, and all the clothes and towels need to be washed.

I'm just not really an "in the ocean" girl.

I'm more like a chlorine pool girl. It's warm. It's clean. I can see everything, and everything stays clean.

And if the pool is near the ocean...that's really, really sweet.

Cause I love the ocean!

A Little Hula

Once a week a group of dancers puts on an hour of Hawaian music and traditional dance. We were very excited for Taryn enjoy it with us.

This week a group of beautiful little girls came with their instructor to share their song, dance and stories from their culture.

This little girl was so sweet and so loved to dance. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

The Hawaian people are very beautiful and hula is so graceful and fluid. I was amazed how well these little girls knew what they were doing. We really enjoyed it.

Hidden Treat

There is a special hidden treat in Maui just up the road from us where you can get a most amazing breakfast. It's called the Gazebo.

Many people hear about it but few actually find it. And once you find it you will stand in line till this very small restaurant can seat you. Plan at least 45 minutes. But it is so way worth it!

The waiting is really not an issue because the view is so spectacular it captivates you until it's your time to be seated.

This ocean front wonder is only open 7:30 till 2 pm each day so you have to be on your game to get there.

I'll just say that the view and the food are worth every effort to find it and every moment of the wait! You'll be sorry if you miss this one.

Whale Excursion

The weather has kept us from doing a few activities we had planned to do with Taryn so we are having to ad lib. We hoped to do a whale watch tour so Gary was watching the weather and knew this was the day to go for it so he made reservations for the first tour of the morning

We knew we wanted to be on a pontoon type boat and Gary found Captain Steve's tour. We were there bright and early, the weather was perfect and the water much calmer than it has been all week.

There isn't a bad seat on the boat. We had no problem finding whales and it was a spectacular experience to watch them up close. You can hear them blow thru their spouts and slap the water with their fins and tails. It really is something you have to experience because a picture just cannot capture it.

After about an hour and a half we went taken back to shore and the next tour loaded. We were starving so went in to Lahaina for breakfast in town - a real treat.

Paddle Board

Wednesday we woke up to some amazing sun and knew this was the day to hit the beach. We decided to drive a bit South and find one where Taryn could use her board safely.

Gary had the name of a beach and we went to find it. When we got there we discovered the right side of the beach was very rocky, but the left side was nice and sandy. The biggest draw for me was actual working restrooms.

There were people in the water everywhere, but most of them were on the paddle boards where you are standing upright and paddling with an oar.

After floating around for a while it was apparent these waters were best on one of those, so Gary got some info from others and then located a place in Lahaina to rent one for the afternoon. The only problem was we had the very best parking spot in the lot...and all the rest were full.

I won't give details but will just say that an hour later he came back with a 12' paddle board strapped on the top of our rental car and parked in that same spot. :-)

As Taryn paddled out for the first time all the other boarders headed in, packed up and left. It turns out that the tide had changed and the best was over so they were calling it a day.

For Taryn it was a great moment to begin. She was amazing and caught on so quickly. Gary even took a turn and he had no problem either. Then, while he was making phone calls, I was very brave and went out on the board with Taryn and it was a blast.

We had to drag the girl out of the water at 5 PM to get the board back in time. She was exhausted and opted to eat leftover at the condo. Gary and I dressed up and went out to eat which was so fun. Our time in Maui is quickly coming to an end.

Steaks on the Grill

One of the things we enjoy about our resort is that there are amazing barbecue's available to us. Just outside our building are four stations with two barbecue's each. It is so nice to cook for ourselves. And guess what...they clean the grill!

The day Taryn came and we were back in town we bot a tray of steaks for a special meal. Since Tuesday was a resort day we decide this would be a perfect nite to cook steaks.

We decided to invite a couple we have connected with on this trip - Jim and Kathy from Michigan.

Gary found some amazing corn on the cob at the Farmers Market so the guys grilled those along with the steaks. How fun is it to have great corn on the cob in March!

Our guests surprised us with wine and an amazing Maui coconut cake for dessert. It was a wonderful meal

It's so interesting to visit with couples our age, with families, in similar business situations. We have so much in common, and yet in so many ways our lives are completely different. I really enjoyed the evening we spent with them.

They left by 9:00 since they are taking a 6 AM flight to Oahu for a tour of Pearl Harbor.

After they left we all crawled on the King bed and watched multiple episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos. Oh, we all laughed so hard I'm sure we were heard all over the resort. So much fun! It felt so good to really laugh.

An Evening Ambush!

Taryn suggested we take an evening walk on the beach. It was a beautiful evening - completely warm. The moon was out, and the stars were breathtaking, waves crashing on the shore. I love it all!

Gary had cut his foot on a reef so he stayed on the path in his running shoes, but we went right down to the water and felt the waves. Incredible!

We then decided to walk down the path together towards the next resort...and then we went a bit farther. Gary decided this was now a dessert hunt and we would go all the way to Castaways Cafe.

We got there just after 9:00 PM and they were closing. No dessert.

We walked farther. Why not? It's a beautiful nite for a walk! Before long we had walked all the way in to Whaler Village - over a mile from our resort.

Gary had tucked a bit of money in his pocket so we counted it and figured we could split dessert.

Hula Grill is one of our favorites and it was so fun to take Taryn there. The outdoor seating is all in sand which is so cool. We could manage two desserts which we carefully ordered and then thoroughly enjoyed.

It was nearly 10 PM when we began our walk back to the resort - in the dark. Part of the path is lit - part of the path winds thru a golf course which is quite a kick in the dark, and the rest weaves thru various other resorts.

Taryn and I opted for the beach for the first part of our walk back. The moonlight on the waves was so incredible - something we never get to see or experience. At the Sheraton we joined Gary back on the path.

By this time I had a rub mark from my flip flops on my foot so I took them off and went the rest of the way barefoot. Taryn did this whole jaunt barefoot.

As we got closer to our resort Taryn noticed something near the path. It moved. It was a frog...and not a little one either! She ran towards it, I screamed and nearly knocked Gary over trying to get away from it. What was a frog doing on OUR path??

These were not little Northwest frogs. Oh no, they were giant tropical frogs. They weren't croaking so I had no reason to even think they were there.

They snuck up on us...ambushing us in the dark on our path.

And guess what? There was more than one. There were many of them - on the path...on the neatly cut lawn...all the way to our resort...and I was barefoot!

I was so thankful to see our resort entrance. I will not be walking on that dark path again without a flashlight, thank you very much!

Aloha

So I'm wondering what exactly does Aloha mean? When I walk in a store I hear "Aloha". When I walk out of a store I hear "Aloha". Was that also meant for me...or did another person enter the store as I was leaving?

Does Aloha mean hello...good-bye.....or both??

Maui Weather

The last several days have been a bit iffy weather-wise - very windy with rain every so often. We mutually decided to opt for the resort going between our lounge chairs and the beach.

There have been double red flags posted which has kept everyone out of the ocean for the most part. Our beach has quite a steep slope to it which makes for a tremendous crashing wave sound, which I love.

It is a very short walk to a more incline sandy beach with a reef just off shore that has some great snorkeling, but even that was too rough to be in. The waves carry a big undertow with them which keeps everyone out of the water.

We opted mostly for our pool side lounge chairs. every once in a while we would get pelted by some tropical rain drops and would pull our towels over us but this close to the ocean it's over quickly and never sent us inside yet.

This has actually been a gentle way for Taryns sunless body to be introduced to the sun again. We are being fanatical about the sunscreen and lip balm. So far so good.

We have made some very good friends and have also connected with two couples who were here last year with us - one from Chicago and one from Virginia.

We did loose our front row status. There was a revolt in the second row and they decided it was their turn and moved our towels. Funny. No worries. It's all good. At least all of us got demoted at the same time and we are just enjoying the camaraderie.

None of them have their kids with them so they are all getting quite a kick out of our girl. She keeps hauling us here and there. Everyone is watching out for her and it's really nice.

We took her in to Lahaina and did a bit of shopping. She got a nice sarong to match her suit.

Hopefully we can get her out on her board soon. It would be so fun to watch her enjoy that. The weather does look like more of the same so we may need to head a bit more South to accomplish that.

Bad Book

So I took two books to read while away. My reading time is actually very sparse and closely regulated by my travel companions, so I slip in a page or two here and there, usually while they are busy.

Anyway, the first was Grisham's "The Associate". Not bad, but not nearly as exciting as the first one of his I read, The Firm. How many vacations ago was that??

My second book I literally grabbed at a store in a split second of time right before we left. A novel, the only reason I grabbed it was because the story was about a world class equestrian.

I started to read it yesterday by the pool. It begins in an interior design firm and my first clue of trouble was the main character in the book dropped an armload of grasscloth samples on the desk. Holy cow! Grasscloth??? How eighties is that??

In the next paragraph they described her "attractive sweater" (who says that?) as "light pink with a lace collar". Crumb! Now I knew I was in the eighties...and totally disgusted. How on earth did I get an eighties book???

Sure enough, it had originally been published in 1988, and now again in 2009. Double crumb!

I tried for a few more paragraphs but just couldn't read it. Never even got near the equestrian part.

Thankfully the resort has a sharing library where people leave their books behind. There is an amazing variety of titles - hardcover and paperback. I decided to share my book with the resort and found another one I hope will be a better read.

She's Here! Day 1

Actually that's old news but I have some recap to do so thot I'd start there. Taryn made it safely to Maui flying solo for the first time. Ryan and & Trac were so kind to get up really early and bring her to the airport.

She was quite apprehensive about the whole process, especially the part about going thru security now with screws in her ankle but Trac assured her she could not recall anyone being arrested for that.

They were able to escort her to the gate and wait with her till she boarded. She did great and we met her on the other end so excited to finally get her here.

First item on our agenda was to get her out of her mainland clothes. Jeans look positively ridiculous and feel awful once you hit the Maui heat. She put on short and a tee and other than feeling incredibly pale she felt great.

There is a convergence zone stuck over the islands which is producing mass rain on the Maui mountains and huge waves hitting the shore. Surfing has been amazing, but it's treacherous for body boarders and snorkelers. Many beaches have double red flags posted which means stay out of the water.

We took her up the coast to see the sail borders maneuver the huge waves and she was quite impressed.

We then took her several miles up the road to Hana - enough of that - and then a brief tour thru the upland before heading to the coast. That short section where you see ocean on either side of you is just spectacular!

We stopped and rented a small board for her to play on in the ocean and had a quick burger in town before taking her to the resort. She loved the condo was quite exhausted by the time we finally let her sleep. It's going to be a whole new trip now with her here. Can't wait.

The View From My Chair

Wonderful Wednesday

Woke up at 7 and checked if towels were being set out on the front row chairs. It's a game to get front row loungers facing the ocean. There are only eight, and we have to have two of them.

Gary made it out there in time, but then the Maui rain came so we stayed up in the condo for a bit.

Gary was not able to run - just too slick when wet - but he did make a run by car to the Farmers Market for fresh bagels. Yes!

We spent the morning on our lanai looking down at our towels safely securing our front row loungers...and getting just a wee bit wet. It continued to rain off and on all morning and few dared to chance it. We opted for our lanai where were still getting some great sun. It was literally raining, no pouring, if you were looking towards the resort, and pure sunshine towards the ocean. Only in Maui!

Gary did some work on his laptop and had to check in with the office where there was an issue needing his attention. Perfect timing.

After lunch we finally claimed our loungers and finally enjoyed some sun. The wind was incredibly strong and there were constant clouds coming off the mountain full of rain. We would get dripped on, but just as quickly it would dry.

We were able to get in lots of sun and visit with several new front-row friends.

At 5:30 we went in to start dinner. Gary made some great steak which we then put on our salads. He also got some amazing corn at the Farmers Market that he grilled. We haven't had corn since summer...and it was amazing.

The resort provides several grills for guests to use, and we try to use them as often as possible. There was an amazing Maui sunset as we enjoy a great dinner....and a great Maui evening!

Unbelievable that back home there is a Northeast wind blowing and 5 inches of snow. So glad I'm takin' one for the team in Maui!

Out and About!

We had an invitation from one of Gary's former clients to visit them while we were in Maui. Since they are leaving for the mainland on Thursday we decided this would be the day. It also gave us the opportunity to explore a part of the island we are not familiar with.

Mid morning we left for central Maui driving through the amazing field of sugar cane. Taking as many back roads as possible we wound our way through the cane fields near the Kahului Airport.

We chanced by the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum and decided that may be a great stop when Taryn gets here. The museum is housed in a 1902 mill superintendent's house and sits directly across from the working factory that has been producing sugar all these years. I think it will be very interesting to learn about the process of making sugar.

We drove up to the little town of Makawao, otherwise know as the "cowboy town". We had decided to do lunch there but were not truly understanding how small the town is. It became apparent once we got there that even finding lunch may be a problem.

We had read about a bakery and thought we would find a nice sandwich to split. No such luck. While we did find the bakery, it was nothing more than a bakery. we did observe people walking out with box after box of cream puffs and decided they must be quite something, so we snagged a box to take with us to Leib & Peg who we planned to visit later that day.

Our only options for lunch were a Mexican joint or and Italian joint. we went Mexican and actually got a very decent burger there to split.

We then drove back to Wailea to our friends. Thanks to the GPS we drove right to their door.

Leib & Peggy retired here just a year ago and have a magnificent home in a very affluent neighborhood of Wailea. We really enjoyed our afternoon visit with them and touring their most beautiful home. The cream puffs, by the way, turned out to be excellent!

As it tuned out they cancelled their evening plans and took us for dinner at Tommy Bahamas, which I always thought was a clothing store. Guess what? Tommy Bahama's is both a store and a restaurant!

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and visit there, and didn't get back to the condo till after 10 PM. It was a great day out and so nice to see Leib and Peg again.

Farmers Market

Last year we discovered this great little Farmers Market just up the road from our resort. It is only open three days a week and you had better be there early if you want a favorite item because they sell out very quickly.

We were there early so we could secure our favorite fresh pineapple bagels and passion fruit cream cheese. So yummy for breakfast.

There is also a great selection of organic fruits and vegetables and we stocked up for the week on all our favorites.

We spent the day in the sun relaxing and watching the whales breaching right off the shore from us. This morning they were so close it was incredible.

It was much warmer today with less wind. We have to be pretty vigilant on the sunscreen. A bad burn can be miserable this early in the game.

The waves are crashing on shore and the sight and sound is amazing. They are definitely bigger this year, and word is the other side of the island is experiencing incredible surfing conditions.

Tonite we went in to town for dinner, enjoyed some shopping and then went to the Hula Grill for dessert.

A Perfect First Day

This was a perfect first day. Gary went for a run and I had breakfast and coffee ready when he got back. We ate out on the lanai and were finally able to get the pictures posted tonite.

After that it was all about getting out in the sun. Gary secured two ocean front lounge chairs for us and we couldn't wait to get out there. We have a system after last year and it worked perfect. And that’s where we spent our day. It was so relaxing.

The couple next to us was from Ohio and it was fun to spend the day visiting with them. One of the couples we met last year is back and Gary spent some time with them. They live in Chicago and had quite a bit to say about Obama and Chicago politics. Won’t got there – I’m on vacation.

There were whales breaching just off shore which is always a thrill to see. It wasn't too hot - mid 70's - which is a perfect way to start in the sun, and there was a constant wind off the ocean which made it so comfortable.

We made an amazing dinner at the condo, watched a picture perfect sunset and plan to find some dessert after Amazing Race.

Breakfast on the Lanai

Lovin' Maui!

Guess what? We're in Maui! For the next two weeks it's all about sun and fun. I do love Maui, and I love what we do in Maui - relax!

Altho it is always less than relaxing getting here. Gary worked an insane amount of hours to make it happen. I don't know how he did it either.

Our goal was to leave by two on Friday, but it was nearly five. Oh well. We did something a bit different this time and got a hotel near the airport where we could park our vehicle and that worked well.

Unfortunately I messed with the clock radio before we went to sleep which resulted in me waking frequently worrying if our alarm would truly go off or not. In fact I didn't sleep much at all. We did get a wake up call and made it to the lobby to catch the 6:20 shuttle.

It was shocking to be greeted by an entire group of people dressed in their most Hawaiian clothes. Can you picture it? I think there were four different groups all going to different locations in Hawaii, but all flying out on Alaska. The only way we could get in the shuttle was for the entire back row of wives to sit on their husbands laps. It was too funny.

Once we had checked in Gary wanted a Seattle's Best Latte which meant a jaunt to the opposite end of the terminal, but a small price to pay for a "good" latte. I opted for Starbucks.

Lattes in hand we headed to security...and then realized we couldn't take our coffee with us. Dumb! Thankfully we had enough time to enjoy our coffee before going thru. But best was that right next to our gate was a Seattle's Best. Now we know.

As we boarded our flight we noticed two smiling faces already seated. Bill and Linda Bode were on their way to Maui and will be staying right down the beach from us. Actually there are many Lynden people here right now.

We landed in Maui just after noon, and Gary went for the car while I got the luggage. It is only 75 degrees but feels so good.

I love Maui, and love that I know where I'm going. It now looks and feels familiar to me.

From the airport we blitzed thru three strategic stops - Costco, WalMart & Safeway. All three were crazy busy and it was quite a feat to maneuver thru them.

The drive across the island over to Ka'anapali is one of my favorites. The road gets unbelievably close to the ocean as it gently weaves along the shore. It's a beautiful, peaceful drive.

By the time we hit the Safeway in Ka'anapali Gary was fading fast so he kept food cool in the car (ha) and closed his eyes while I did the final shop.

We found a great new-to-us restaurant in a funky old warehouse. The menu looked great and right before we ordered our waiter informed us that all the food was half price. It was really good too. We loved the beachy atmosphere and decided we'll take Taryn here when she comes next week.

I was so anxious to get to the condo. Our unit this year is much closer to the ocean which is so sweet. We also have the larger unit and it's so spacious. What fun! Only my kids will appreciate this, but I even have my own vacuum! Yeah

It will be a resort day tomorrow as we get into full relax mode. Our first Maui gold pineapple is on the counter, and we'll be starting our day with Kona coffee and our favorite fresh pineapple bagels as well.

Being on vacation is so sweet!

Almost Home

It's 9:30 PM and we are nearing home. After 17 days, 7 states and 3,340 miles we are almost finished with this amazing adventure.

We left Coeur d'Alene at 8 AM and went into Spokane to continue looking for a scissor lift for the company. Gary spent quite a bit of time going from place to place trying to find one, while Taryn and I enjoyed listening to a few James MacDonald messages on Walk in the Word. If you have never heard him teach the Word we would both highly recommend you do. http://www.walkintheword.com/

We were just on the road again when Taryn came down with another severe headache. No reason this time, but she went down flat. I gave her two Tylenol and told her to sleep if at all possible, but the pain was too great. I watched her for quite a while. Just when she would about be asleep a throb of pain in her head would come that I could physically see happen. Hard to watch her hurt so badly.

Our plan was to stop in Moses Lake and go to the water park there for a final fun stop, but that never happened. Instead we stopped at a park by the lake and sat there for four hours just trying to get her to a place where she could travel again. We finally got her to sleep for two hours and then slowly got back on the road.

It took till Seattle for her to start feeling better. So glad she is. We spent the last few hours of the drive watching episodes of I Love Lucy together. (Europe season 5 rocks!)

We are now on the Guide and just a few short minutes from home, I'm sure Wilson will be glad to see us. He gets so grumpy when we travel for more than a few days. Taryn had hoped to go to Emma tonite but that will have to wait till tomorrow.

Thankful is what I am feeling as we near home. I'm thankful for this trip - for my husband - for my children - for memories - for safety - for adventure - for creation - for America - oh, I could just go on and on. I am blessed. We are blessed. It's been an amazing ride. And hey, I even finished my blog this trip!

Montana's a Big State

Our Sunday was all about driving across Montana. My word, it is a big state! Took us most of the day.

When we got near Bozeman it occurred to me how close we were to some family we rarely see. I decided to call Mom and get a phone number to try and connect with them, but we had no cell service. So much for that.

We stopped in Butte for lunch, and then in Missoula to look for a scissor lift for the company. We were tempted at this point to stay there at a nice "resort", but ultimately decided to continue on.

Gary needed a break so I got to drive for the first time this trip. Taryn sat up front with me and Gary was able to get some rest.

Around 7:30 we got to the Coeur d'Alene area and took Taryn to the Wolf Lodge for dinner - a very unique place we discovered last fall when we were here with Ross and Taya.

After a delicious steak dinner we found our "resort". Get this, it had been a KOA but isn't any more. They just rearranged the letters and now call it the A OK. Sillyness!

Their store was closed but we managed to get the guy to sell us some firewood - at $7 a bundle, thank-you very much! All this so we could make s'mores for a treat on our last camping nite.

Taryn cut down and sharpened sticks for us and we had our last hurrah over our little fire. So fun.

There is a great crisis on 24 that we are in the middle of so had to watch another episode of that before bed. Sure glad Jack Bauer is handling it.

Ya Gotta Love Yellowstone!

In '07 we entered Yellowstone from the East and exited thru the Roosevelt Arch to the North. This year we entered from the Tetons -South and will exit thru the West.

This will be a one day fly-by so we are limited on what we can see. While we would love to focus on animals we are here mid-day which is not prime animal watch time, however, we will be watching carefully to see all we can.

First stop is always a visitors center to speak with the ranger about where animals are located today, and also to help us find the mud pots - a favorite from last year. There we found out that Artists' Paint Pots, one of our favorites, is closed indefinitely.

Last year the three of us hiked there in the evening. I remember feeling strange that we were the only ones out there at dusk, but it was beautiful and a great hike. While hiking along the designated path the earth suddenly became warm under our feet. We all stopped and felt the ground and it was strangely and extremely warm. That was kinda eerie because you know what's below you - closer than you think??

Apparently this spring a woman was walking along that path and and her foot went down into a mud pot. She was burned badly according to the ranger and the paths are being reconfigured by geologists. Yikes!

Our first stop was the west Thumb Geyser Basin Trail. First thing we noticed is how high the water is in Yellowstone Lake compared to what is was last July.

There is something called the Fishing Cone just off shore. Mountain men tell of catching a fish in the lake, dipping it right on the line into the boiling water of Fishing Cone and their fish was cooked without even taking it off the line.

Last year the cone was very visibly protruding from the water. This year it is completely submerged and not quite as spectacular of a sight.

One funny incident was a Japanese man was standing next to us looking at the sign that said "Fishing Cone". In broken English he asked us "What this means "cone", so we explained the shape, and then Gary told him the fishing story. He smiled and nodded.

We walked on and pretty soon a small group was gathered around him and in Japanese he was telling them all about the fishing story and they seemed quite impressed - laughing and making fishing motions with their hands. How cute was that?

Next month Gary's sister Kathy will be traveling thru Yellowstone so we are trying to see Yellowstone thru her eyes -taking notes and gathering info here that will be helpful for her maneuvering thru here.

Next stop was Fishing Bridge where we heard you could see fish spawning. Again, the water was just too high and running too fast. Later we stopped at a pullout and walked over to some rapids. There we could see fish everywhere resting and then attempting to move upstream. Really something to watch!

Other stops:

Mud Volcano Trail: Here, next to the Mud Geyser, lay a very large Mr. buffalo. This must be a favorite spot for them - we see "evidence" everywhere. Last year a big male was also here but farther uphill. At this stop you can see it all - from mud pots, cauldron springs, fumaroles. Yes, it really stinks but the sights and sounds are unforgettable.

Canyon Village:

One of the best shopping and eating locations. Don't miss the diner in the gift store. There's just nothing like sitting on a round stool next to the counter (your only option) Great burgers, but most importantly they serve Coke!

Fountain Paint Pots:

Silex Springs is one of the most beautiful hot spring pools to see up close. Great paint pots. Best sound from a fumaroles. Red Spouter a must see. Best viewing of geysers - you can literally sit right next to them. We happened to be there while Fountain Geyser was erupting which was a wonderful experience. Since it only happens every 6 hrs we were very fortunate to be able to enjoy it.

Midway Geyser Basin:

This was closed last year so we really enjoyed seeing it. Here the boiling water flows right down into the river below. Amazing. Grand Prismatic Spring is a must see.

Old Faithful Area:

We saved the best for last. This is the best place for ice cream...and Honcoop's know their ice cream! Head straight for the Old Faithful Inn, grab a cone then go to the second floor balcony to watch the next eruption of Old Faithful.

There is an extensive hiking area here with tons of pools and geysers to see. Since we did all of this last year we stuck with the ice cream option.

One sight to see here is Morning Glory Pool. While it is a long walk I made Gary & Taryn do it with me last year because this is such a memory for me from a childhood visit I made here with my family.

As a child this pool looked like it went right down to the center of the whole earth. There was just a boardwalk back then with no railings around it and I was scared to death but completely fascinated by it's beauty. Sadly it is no longer as beautiful due to vandalism. It has cooled and looks to be dying.

After dinner at Old Faithful Lodge we headed out of the park. We did see several buffalo, many elk, and a coyote. Fly fishing was also a big event happening. They were in every stream.

We found a "resort" in West Yellowstone and spent the nite there. Busy place even late at nite.

Grand Teton National Park

Last year we heard many stories from others about the beauty of the Grand Tetons, but we just couldn't fit it in our trip. This year we were determined to see it.

After participating in the Afton parade (by accident - see prior post)we headed towards Jackson Hole. This was a shorter drive that I thot it would be. Again we traveled thru beautiful farm land and ranches.

Jackson Hole is a ski resort community with a cowboy twist. The architecture has a unique flare all its own. And guess what? ...they were having a parade too! But try as he might Gary could not find a way to get our bbow in this one.

As the parade ended we found a spot to park the bbow - right next to all the police horse trailers. Perfect. This gave us a chance to walk thru town a bit.

The square in the center of town has an arch on each corner made completely of elk antlers. The Boy Scouts had collected these antlers back in the 1960's. That's a lot of antlers!

We found a few fun things to buy and then grabbed lunch at Saddle Rock Family Saloon. This was actually a dinner theater and our lunch servers were some of the actors from the show. Every so often music would start and they would sing to us. My favorite song was "You Are My Sunshine" because my Daddy used to sing that with us and taught it to all my kids when they were little.

By the time we left town clouds has rolled in and it was quite windy. We drove to the park entrance closest to the ski village and as we entered there was a big sign saying bbows were not allowed. Say what??

Apparently this entrance has a section of road too narrow and windy for them to navigate. (Gary still thinks he and the bbow could have handled it) We had to drive back thru Jackson Hole to enter at the Moose Junction entrance. This brought us in the park close to the new Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center - a impressive building to say the least.

We spent about an hour there and then entered the actual park at the Moose entry station. The nice part was we now knew what we wanted to see, where to go to see it, and that there were still RV sites available inside the park for tonite. One of the ranger presentations explained where all the animals could be seen, so armed with that information we had a great game plan.

The Grand Teton Range, while not all that long, is absolutely incredible to see. What makes it so magnificent is that there are no foothills to obstruct them, so they appear to rise straight up out of the Jackson Hole valley. The jagged peaks are still covered with snow and do have an Alps-like appearance.

It was important that we secure a place to camp tonite so we drove half way thru the park to get a site. On the way we spotted an elk and a bit later a prong horn.

Suddenly we saw vehicles pulled over everywhere and knew something big was happening, so we got as close as we could and Taryn jumped out to climb up on top of the bbow and see what everyone was looking at. It was actually two black bears playing in the scrub brush. We maneuvered to a better spot and could see them as they moved in and out of view. Then one began to head straight for the road. The ranger stopped vehicles in both directions and the bear actually came right out on to the road. He seemed to realize he was a photo op so he stopped, posed, turned, and went right back where he came from. The three of us watched this from the top of the bbow but the people on the ground ran up to get as close of a picture as the ranger would allow - which was actually quite close.

The best was a woman who missed the picture moment. A most kind Japanese man showed her his picture on his wide screen camera. She then took a picture of the bear off his picture of the bear...and it turned out! She was so happy.

We got a campsite, made a quick dinner, and then went out to look for animals again. Evening is the perfect time. And we were not disappointed. We saw herds of elk grazing in a valley, drove right thru a moving herd of buffalo and nourished some of the biggest mosquitoes we have seen this trip.

Our First Parade

Leaving Afton this morning we followed their main street thru town as they were just ready to begin their Fourth of July parade. The street was lined with lawn chairs filled with parade watchers and we got to drive in our bbow right past them all. Gary smiled and waved to everyone. Taryn was simply mortified and slumped down in her seat as far as she possibly could begging him to stop. So funny! Just had to share that. Happy 4th!