Camping Trip 2013-2, The Trip Home

The trip home was awesome.  We planned to take a different route home, one that would lead us through Yellowstone Park and also Mount Rushmore.  We were super excited because we hadn't ever been to either of those places before.

On the first day, we only drove 4 hours and landed at Mount Saint Helen's.  I went to visit my cousin Renae and my Aunt Becky in Washington only a few years after the eruption in the 1980's and it left a major impression on me.  I saw the ecosystem completely changed from what it was prior to the eruption.  Two headed fish swam in the streams, new and previously unheard of plants popped up, and I saw a salamander with a couple of tails.  The forests were nothing but dead toothpicks of what used to be trees.  Geologists were busy surveying the area back then because the landscape had changed so drastically that new maps of the area needed to be produced.

A few years ago, when she started rumbling again, Justice and I spent countless hours on the National Park Service's "Volcano Cam" watching her steam back to life yet again.  I knew Mount Saint Helen's was out of the way, but I really wanted to take him there to check it out.  I'm glad we went.  It was really cool.

It was also very cloudy and rainy that day, which meant she was hiding in the clouds through most of the day.  At the end of the day though, she peeked through the clouds and we were able to get some pictures.  

When she erupted, the entire top and side of the mountain was blown off laterally, reducing her height by almost 3,000 feet.

Breathtakingly beautiful

This shot is from the lakeside of our campground

The campground was super cute.  I got as close to the volcano as possible without going too far off the beaten path.  There was a break in the rain and the boys got to go fishing.

The Coach spends a lot of time untangling the boys lines. 

The human wind-shield.  Gotta keep the coals lit.

 On day 2, we headed to Yellowstone, through Northern Idaho and then Montana.  We stayed at a Jellystone in Montana.  You all already know how much we like Jellystone campgrounds.  This one was no exception.  They had a great pool and an ice cream social that evening.  The boys had a great time.

If you remember in the first installment of this blog series, I mentioned that I didn't like Idaho at all.  Boy what a difference between southern and northern Idaho.  Northern Idaho is absolutely breathtaking.  The lakes and rivers and landscape was beautiful.  I am very glad I had the opportunity to have my mind changed about Idaho!  Montana was also very beautiful. 

On day 3, we headed to Yellowstone.  We didn't have too much of a drive that day, and got to spend the entire afternoon and evening exploring the park.  Take this advice... if you plan to go to Yellowstone, take two or even three days to do it if you want to explore the entire park.  For us, one day was enough because we were toting very little kids with us, but we could have easily spent a few more days there.  It was a great trip.

The geyser fields were awesome.  I mean really awesome.  I'd always heard of them, but when you really see them in person and realize what they are, it's pretty neat.  

Then we went to sit and wait for Old Faithful to wake up.  

Old faithful was AWESOME.  Even my main man Jack was duly impressed!

 Seeing the buffalo randomly roaming free all over the place was really great.  

And what's this?  Jack is smiling!  Yay!  We pulled over in the park and let the kids walk around in the stream for awhile.  Jack was a pretty happy camper until he got his pants wet.  He was not thrilled with riding back to the campground in his skivvies.

I loved Yellowstone.  I am so glad we decided to go.  Breathtakingly beautiful landscape.  I know I said I did NOT like Wyoming, and I still don't .  Yellowstone though is a beautiful little slice of landscape tucked inside Wyoming that is indeed a very special place.  

Next stop, Mount Rushmore!  I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Mount Rushmore.  I was afraid it would be one of those things that I had glamorized in my head since childhood and it wouldn't live up to the version I have in my head.  I mean, it can't really be as big as I think it is, can it?

Why yes, yes it can.  It was AWESOME!

Look!  Jack is smiling again!  Being around his baby brother brings out the best in him.  He loves him.  And love don't come easy for Jack.  

Mount Rushmore is a really beautiful and well thought out monument.  It's worth the random and out of the way trip to South Dakota.  I would actually do it again, it's a comfortable two-day trip from Tennessee. 

Remember in the first post when I mentioned Jack sneaking off to find solitude?  Lucky for me I was paying close attention to him, because he did just that.  And me, not anticipating it being a crowded or busy place, hadn't dressed the boys alike. One second he was there, the next he was gone.  He slid over the wall he and Justice were sitting on in the above picture, and just quietly headed down the steps of the amphitheater.  Once he got to the bottom, he just sat down on the bench in the first row for about ten solid minutes.  I let him be, I figured he needed the alone time.  I eventually called his name, and he came back with no problems.  But that's why he has to be watched constantly.  He sneaks off with the intention of sneaking off, it's no accident.  

Can you spot him?  He's about 3/4's of the way down the steps.

We ended up staying an extra day at Mount Rushmore.  Not to revisit the monument, but to let the kids enjoy the campground.  If you ever get up that way, the KOA at Mount Rushmore is absolutely amazing.  They had a waterslide, two pools, a kids splash zone, a jumping pillow, a lawn-size chess and checkers set, a rock climbing wall, horseshoes, ATV rentals, horseback riding, mini golf, a little mini-city with two restaurants, a fudge factory, 700 campsites and about 100 cabins.  With that being said, it was NOT quiet.  There were kids everywhere, and it was a ZOO.  It's not a place to go if you want to camp in peace and quiet.   It is quiet from 10PM to about 6AM, and the rest of the time it's mahem.  Not in a bad way, but mahem none the less.

Great time on the waterslide!  See Jack's little face?  

Close enough to a smile.

Chess or checkers

Splash Pad

Nice cheese, Jack! 

Jumping Pillow

Mini golf with the rock-wall in the background

It was a great time!  The kids played and played and played.  They were exhausted at 10PM when everything shut down, and slept like babies.  

The last two days of the trip were quiet and uneventful.  We slowly made our way home, stopping for the night just outside of Kansas City before making our way home the following day.  While I was glad to be home, I realized that I could camp an entire summer away without any trouble at all.  

I am so thankful we had the opportunity to do this with our boys this summer.  It was a wonderful experience.  

The End!