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!

Spelunking, kind of.

 

From Illinois, we were in the home stretch.  Kentucky was the next stop south.  On our adventures, we've been as high as Pikes Peak, and now we descended into the pits of the earth.  We arrived at Mammoth Caves National Park too late to score a tradition site, but we had enough in our party to qualify for a group camp site.  The coolest part of our site? The car ferry!  The kids LOVED looking out he windows at the pulley system towing our van across the stream.

The next day, we ventured to the park, being some of the first in line for tours.  Can I just brag on my kids for a sec?  After 27 days of camping, they were still overjoyed at the thought of two cave tours, several miles long.  Their desire and drive to explore and learn overweighs any homesickness and fatigue.  I LOVE these kids!!!

 

The tours took two different days with a sleep in between.  We got to see...

 

The Bottomless Pit

 

Cave Curtains 

 

And SOOO many stalactites and stalactmites!

 

My little family is amazingly resourceful.  A tent, a van, some wood, and marshmallows, and we're having a grand old time!

Here's the set up!

 

Only a few days until our vacation ended.  One more stop before home....Next up, NASHVILLE!

Home, Home on the Range!

Home is a little town in the middle and slightly to the left in Illinois.  My grandmother was born there, my mother was born there, and my sister and I were born there.  I lived in three different houses, the last since I was 10 years old.  Home is familiar.  It doesn't matter that it's small, that it's an hour from a good mall, and that I had five people in my graduating class.  It's still home.  We were lucky enough to get there during the Taste Of Galesburg.  Corn on the cob, spinach bisque, turtle crepes, live music, face painting, and bounce houses were a welcome break!

Galesburg In the Glow found the kids in the middle of hot air balloons!  This happens every year.  My grandpa and dad actually got to ride in the pink/black/white one up front several years ago.  They launch from the part behind my parents house.  Imagine seeing that every summer!  #home #sigh

Annika wasn't sure about getting all the way in the gondola, and I wasn't sure about Gannon being that close to fire.... 

We took a day trip to Herbert Hoovers birth place (can YOU say Herbert Hoover without singing Annie?)

You know those gazillion cousins I mentioned earlier?  We all have pictures just like this, somewhere.  Riding the pig at the Machine Shed is a family tradition!

The tractor ride is another huge perk, since walking around after the tenderloin sandwich and apple dumpling would have been more of ROLLING around.

Since Galesburg is so small, it's important to have an idea of near by attractions.  Bishop Hill, Illinois is a unique village North of Galesburg.  A 30 minute drive, and Gannon got to help weave a rug in a loom while Annika and Siri watched brooms being made.  

Fishing with Grandpa at Lake Story is always eventful.  So far, no ER visits for getting a hook stuck somewhere besides in a fish.  The most successful catch this year was a GIANT chunk of algae!

The kids REALLY wanted to ride a "real" train (because the metro/subway apparently doesn't count).  We loaded up and drove to Aurora, IL where one of two cousins is located.  We were able to take a REAL train into Chicago where we walked to the Filed Museum.  Mastodons, T-Rex's, meteoroids, and the Chicago Bears were fun, but paled to the fun of playing with cousin Ellie.  Aunt Pat and Uncle Rick came for a visit, allowing us to see 3/4 of the Morozink clan (we only missed Jennifer).

Leaving home is always hard.  Not because it's some amazing, event filled place, but because it's home.  I miss my parents and I wish my kids could be closer to their grandparents.  Every Texas sunset makes me think of the wide open spaces, the rolling plains, and .... home.

The Time Vortex

From Disappointing New York (properly capitalized because that is its new name), we drove to Massachusetts.  It is surprisingly easy to find camping in Mass. We picked Wompatuck State Park due to its proximity to both Plymouth and Boston.  A two night stay is easier than packing up camp and moving two hours!  We had another late bedtime, but thankfully no wild animal activity.  The next day, we drove to Plymouth Plantation, which was only about 30 minutes from our site.  I'd been there as a kiddo with my parents and looooovvvvveeeeed it.

I wanted the kids to experience the tranquility, the peace, and the stark contrast from our consumer driven, technologically driven lives.  I wanted them to see how hard the founders of our country worked, and how easy things have become.

We paid the nominal fee and entered the park.  

Walking down a berry bush lined path, we noticed the wild grapes overhead and the crabapples that litter the ground.  Through the clearing, the Wampanoag village appeared.  A man sat carving a boat and women were working in the fields.  Now, the Wampanoag people are very helpful in explaining the culture and the work of the 17th century tribe.  Every participant in the home site is an ancestor of a local tribe.  They showed us the winter home, the summer home, and the fields they planted from seed.

Siri and a little boy made fast friends and spent the better part of an hour hunting "sparkle bugs", an enemy of the corn.  They talked about life outside the village, but there was no conversation about clothing or hair differences, just a solid kinship in the hunt for the bugs.

We moseyed at a leisurely pace further down the path, trying to catch the breeze off the bay.

  

The Plymouth Plantation is nestled on a downward slope from a steep hill overlooking the Bay.  The thing you have to understand about this part of the plantation is that the actors portraying the passengers of the Mayflower DO NOT BREAK CHARACTER.  AT ALL.  I tired to explain to Gannon that they are stuck in a time vortex and that we may not interfere with our modern knowledge.  Being an avid Dr. Who fan, he seemed to understand.  

We wandered through the village, speaking to people about their 66 day voyage and then 10 month anchor at Plymouth Rock.  We met Rosie the Cow and saw how manure is spread.

Reverend Robinson gave an excellent sermon, and we sang Psalms, which was really fantastic as my kids were missing their family at True Life Church.

"Where's the air conditioning?!?!?!?!"

We were leaving the village, getting a much needed drink from the "well" as I observed Gannon talking with a wood worker.

"No, no, no, no, you are ACTUALLY in the year 2015!"

"By what calendar do you mind, as this is the year of our Lord One Thousand Six Hundred and Twenty Seven?"

"No, you are stuck in a Time Vortex, you just don't know it!"

GAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

A short drive and a quick jaunt up the gangplank landed us onboard the the Mayflower II.  This ship was built in the 1950s and sailed the rout of the Pilgrims in 1957.  It now sits in the Massachusetts Bay with more people stuck in time vortexes.   

The ships gunman was kind enough to give us a musket demonstration.  He was the fastest shot on the ship, and was able to fire two rounds in one minute!

Just a quick walk around the corner and we were able to see the ACTUAL rock where the pilgrims landed.  An iron fence surrounded the small monument, and "1620" is etched into the sides.

The kids were done with that in about 15 seconds.  We hiked along the town creek to the gristmill where wheat was and watched in awe as the power of the small stream turned the water wheel to turn the millstones.

We left Plymouth with a renewed sense of appreciation for the luxuries of our camping trip.  Boston in the AM!