Hey guys!
We had a great time on our Jackson Hole trip.
We started out on a Tuesday morning. We stopped for lunch in Idaho Falls and then went over to see the temple:
We also stopped by the Falls too:
From there we drove to Driggs Idaho, where we were staying with Grammie and Uncle John and Aunt Kay and cousins!
After dinner each night you guys loved watching a movie:
The next day we drove about an hour to get to the Teton National Park. The first thing we did was take a boat across Jenny Lake:
(John's pic)
After the boat ride we hiked up to Hidden Falls. Here's Grammie crossing the first bridge:
Baby, you got to ride on Daddy's back!:
Hammer, you looked pretty cute posed here on this log:
Finally we made it to the falls, and they were spectacular. It was kind of like a swamp cooler there from all the water. It felt awesome. We tried to get a family picture. It's a family silhouette instead:
We decided to keep hiking up to Inspiration Point, since it said it was only another half mile:
And we made it! It was really beautiful up there. Here's the whole group:
We saw a pika and a chipmunk up close:
Look how pretty the Tetons look. Hammer, you were happy to be out exploring:
Then we saw a marmot eating dandelions. He was pretty cute:
We hiked a bit more to get to the start of a canyon. We didn't quite make it, it turned pretty strenuous! We took a break and when Dad put Baby back in the pack he wasn't really happy about it. Dad tried to hurry back down the trail to the dock where we could get Baby out again. It was steep and there were a lot of rocks, so it was kind of slow going. Mr T and I fell behind. You were my little buddy. You wanted a picture with the green rocks:
and you kept picking dandelions:
Finally we made it down and took the boat back across the lake. We had a picnic lunch:
(John's pic)
(John's pic)
After lunch we stopped by an old church:
(John's pic)
There was also an old ferry and some old buildings to explore:
Lulu, you are so funny about shopping. You just love to explore any kind of shop. You always want to buy something too of course!:
We were thinking about stopping in the city of Jackson on the way back, but it was so crowded and the kids in both cars were really tired from all the hiking. You guys were ready just to go back to the house and play with each other!
Unfortunately Aunt Kay's kids got the flu that night, so the next day we set out with just our family and Uncle John.
We drove up a new road hoping to see wildlife. It was pretty, but we didn't see any animals! We stopped at a place called Mormon Row. We got some really amazing pictures there of the old cabins that are still standing, but not in use. And their fences:
And their famous outhouse:
Mr T, you were kind of obsessed with this outhouse. You wanted to keep going in and sitting on the potty. You were angry when it was time to leave:
There were a ton of ground squirrels out there. They were cute huh?
We then stopped at a few overlooks, again looking for wildlife. Nothing, but a pretty view nonetheless!:
(Uncle John's pic)
We stopped for a picnic by the dam:
(John's pic)
After lunch we did a short hiked called Lunch Tree Hill:
(John's pic)
(John's pic)
It was short and had a view of the wetlands, Jackson Lake, and of course the Tetons. It was pretty:
The sun came out and started to scorch us a little! We were ready to find the lake and go swimming. We found a beach at Colter Bay. It wasn't sandy. There were lots of rocks. And the water was cold! But you guys had fun anyway.
(John's pic) John walked around the lake a bit while we were swimming:
Swimming!:
Lulu, you even put your head in and swam for real. Baby dipped his toes in and wasn't a fan:
We stopped at a visitor's center on the way out of the park:
(John's pic)
And then we were ready to go to Jackson. On our way out we actually finally saw two moose! They crossed the road a few cars in front of us:
We stopped for a picture by the Park sign:
and headed into Jackson. Jackson's town square has these antler arches at each corner. We explored a little then headed back to the house for dinner:
Friday morning we woke up and packed. I took a few more pictures at the house.
Lulu, you and Dad slept up on these bunks above mine and Mr T's bed. Baby slept in a portable crib by my bed and Hammer slept on the floor by the crib:
Everyone loved the ping-pong table. Here's your cousin showing me his skills:
Before we piled into the vans, we took a picture of Grammie and the grand-kids in front of the house:
On the way back through Idaho we stopped at Bear World. As we drove through, we saw this bear scratching and scratching his bum on a sign. It made us all laugh!
(John's pic):
All the kiddos:
Lulu, you make it up to the bears belly on the measuring up chart:
Here's Mr T with his cousins:
And the other 3 kids too, Baby and Lulu and Hammer, with cousin Ky:
There is a petting zoo at Bear World. Look at your face Mr T. You're not sure what you think about touching a goat:
Or a deer. But Lulu seems to enjoy it. And Hammer, you are looking hesitatingly at the animals in both of these pictures:
Daddy let Baby touch the deer, but Baby, you were more interested in the crazy chicken running around:
You LOVED the rides there too. They were like fair rides. Daddy went with you on all of them:
And I went on the train ride too:
Look how cute the bear cubs were, playing with each other:
Mr T, you were sad to leave here too. You said you wanted to go on another "bear hunt," but we had to get on the road while Baby was sleepy. We still had 2 hours or so to go until Grammie's house and we knew Baby would be mad before long.
So off we went. Everyone did great in the car on this part. We made it all the way to Grammie's exit before Baby started screaming. Then we got out and had dinner with Grammie then headed back to our house.
Can you believe how many things and how many pictures we packed into 4 days!? It was a great time. You are all great travelers and loved all of it. It would have been nice to stay closer to Jackson Hole. Now we know. But we loved staying in the house with everyone. I'm already planning on going back here, but not for like 5 years. I thought it would be fun to ride horses and float down the river. Maybe even river raft through some rapids! However, you have to be 6 to do both of those things. Plus I didn't get my Emporium huckleberry shake! So we'll just have to go back!
If only Baby didn't scream so much in the car maybe we could take more trips! Oh, and there's the issue of getting someone to watch Pluto while we're gone. We don't want to abuse our neighbors' kindness in watching him too often! So I'm not sure when our next trip will be.
This trip was awesome though, right?
Love you my traveling buddies,
Mom
