The Grand Tetons

The drive out of Texas is tortuous.  For 10 hours, we battled flat, brown landscape.  The drive into Denver was during the wee hours of the morning, and we weren't able to appreciate the mountains rising over the horizon.  The much shorter drive in the Grand Tetons made up for all 10 hours of Texas.  The mountains were spectacular.  Actually, spectacular doesn't begin to describe the majesty of the country.  As we gasped and awed, pointing out the window at each new glorious scene, we were abruptly stopped.

The bison wanted to cross the road for lunch.  We we not about to disrupt their plans for food!

They appeared to be having enough of their own drama....

The goal of leaving Warren Bridge early in the day was to arrive at  Headwaters Lodge and Campground at Flagg Ranch early enough to secure at walk in camp site.  Folks, these sites reserve up to a year in advance!  A YEAR!  I got in line for a site, and managed to score two out of the last three!  It was 9:08, and the host opened at 9:00. HALF of the campground was booked in 8 minutes.  Geez.  With lodging taken care of, but a few hours till check in, we opted to take a short hike.  

We hiked for over an hour, and the views were...again...no words to describe.  The God I serve has a bigger imagination than I can think of.  From the raging rivers to the deepest canyon to the highest peak of the snow topped mountains, we are BLESSED to live in and experience His AMAZING creation.  

Hiking over, we pitched our tent, showered, and made the hour long trek back to Jackson to meet up with my parent-in-laws and my oldest daughter.  We ate, we laughed, we shared road stories, and when were were done, we headed back to camp.  I was SO thankful for our 20* sleeping bags.  34* is pretty chilly at night!  Tomorrow, we would explore Yellowstone and meet up with an old friend.  Don't miss the next installment of the Jolly Camper!

NorCal and Oregon - Over Half Way Done!

August was upon us.  We left Utah and began our trek across the most boring state in the Union, Nevada.  Seriously.  The kids watched hours of movies in between 2 gas stops.  The only neat part was the very Western section which includes the Great Salt Flats.  Salt for miles.  We were able to stop the van, pull to the side, hop out and grab hands full of salt!  We walked around for half an hour, got back in the car, and watched X-Men:First Class again, and again, and again..............................

Our drive into California took us through Lassen Volcanic National Park.  It is one of the most serene places I have visited.  As we came off Rout 395 from Reno and rounded into Susanville, radio reports gave me the impression we may be in for delays and detours due to a wildfire in the park.  While we weren't delayed or re-routed, we were able to capture the pillar of smoke coming from deep in the forest, blending with the clouds.  The shadow it cast with the smell of burning lumber and brush was heavy, but seemed very far away.

We stayed with my husbands parents in Redding, and were able to meet up with old, wonderful friends.  Ken and Linda (Gordon's parents), Laurie and Joe (Alia's grandparents) with cousins, aunts and uncles, plus the bonus of Eric, Diane, and Erica Rapport met us at Manzanita Lake for a day of hiking, picnicking  

And a little bit of R&R for this Jolly Camper

A beautiful sunset wished us fair well as we headed to Redding, CA for a few days of friends and family.

 We spent about three days getting FAT.  We ate In-n-Out Burger, we had a potluck with dear old friends, we had Grandmas cooking, and we rested.  

 We rested till the 4th of August.  

Then we had captives.

We dragged (very willingly dragged) Ken and Linda (ok, maybe they dragged us.  Very willingly dragged us) to the southern Oregon coast line.  We spent the night in a charming little cabin by the ocean.  The sea air, seagulls and freshly picked blackberries met us in the morning.  Siri and Alia had gone exploring and fed us their bounty of juicy, coastal berries.  Delish!  

Brookings, OR Harris Beach was a cloudy, cool day to climb rocks, find shells, and play in the sand.  Annika hadn't seen the Pacific ocean before, and was in awe of its size.  She ran from the waves with a smile and a giggle.

 Alia was King of the Hill as Grandma Linda helped Annika navigate walking in sand.

A few hours south found us in the land of the Giants.  Paul Bunyan and his faithful Ox, Babe welcomed us to the home of the redwoods.  We recently visited Italy, and when we were sharing pictures of places to visit in the US, he very eloquently said "That is a MOUNTAIN, not a TREE!"

We said goodbye to the redwoods, the cool ocean air, and our traveling companions and headed to SoCal.