June was one crazy month…so crazy, it has taken me until mid July to get caught up. The first half of the month was spent wrapping up school and preparing for our vacation while the second half was spent on vacation!Maggie successfully completed the fourth grade this year and will head into FIFTH grade this fall. Saying it almost makes me sick to my stomach. She’s grown up so fast. Gary also finished up his fifth year with the district and will be back again this fall. Good news in a year where all the school districts are making cuts. He had the added burden of packing up his office this month, preparing for the school’s move to a temporary home while their building is renovated. Fun!
As soon as school was done, we packed up and headed west! We lengthened our drive to Colorado this year so we could take in a few stops along the way, including Yellowstone. We spent a day in Coeur d’Alene, ID, taking in a water park/fun zone on Day 1. Then we stopped in Gardiner, MT and headed to the Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone on Day 2. They were amazing! The 1 mile hike around the lower terrace was a doozy but luckily there was a breeze and a boardwalk to help. Maggie reminded me that she was born a sea level when she started whining during the hike about not being able to breathe… the altitude was kicking her booty!! And the sulfur smell didn’t help either. But we made it and it was worth every step. There were also elk everywhere. Gary didn’t think we’d see any but they were happy to show themselves. One was even eating just a few feet away from a couple at a picnic table.
We spent a little over a week in Colorado and had a lot of fun…relaxing. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows with the family and played cards, we met friends for dinner (Do Drop Inn Pizza…YUM) and visited our favorite places (Hobby Lobby, Sonic and the Mandarin) and got some of our favorite things (long johns and Rainbo Bread). We celebrated Father’s Day and our 13th wedding anniversary while we were there and the girls got to spend some quality time with their cousins. We also hit the antique stores (and Mimi’s closet) and got all the things I was looking for, fished for walleye and spent a whole day scrapbooking!! And to top it off, the weather was in the 90’s the whole week. It was great.
On the way back we headed up the “scenic route” through Wyoming to Yellowstone. Some spots were scenic…others, well, not so much. This was one of our longest travel days and when we entertained the idea of driving another hour and a half to Yellowstone Lake, no one was anxious to do it. So we stuck around the cabin where we stayed and took in the beautiful sights it had to offer. Along our drive there were several signs warning of Grizzly bears so we were a little timid but never saw any. On Day 2, it was back to Coeur D’Alene where we stayed in another cabin and spent the day at the lake. We played at the huge playground – Ft. Sherman – and stuck our feet in the lake at the beach. After eating dinner at the Coeur D’Alene Brewery, where we discovered Huckleberry Ale, we headed out for a paddle boat ride around Wolf Lodge Bay. It was peaceful and the sun was shining…and then, a Moose came out to eat nearby while a bald eagle sat perched in the tree next to us. It was amazing. We sat there and just watched in awe. The girls loved the boat ride and the trip overall.
