Yellowstone Park!

What a day! Family was out the door at 9 AM for our visit to Yellowstone National Park. It is so amazing how nature repairs itself after such a tragedy as the Wildfires of '88. So much new growth right alongside the old. Right off the bat, we saw a herd of elk grazing by the Madison River. Then an eagle soared above us. As we made our way to Old Faithful along the "See Yellowstone In A Day" route, we saw a bison rolling in the dirt; naturally, we snapped some great pictures. A little further on, we randomly stopped at the Painted Pots sight. What an amazing phenomenon. From steam naturally escaping the earth's crust and multi-colored mineral pools to the boiling hot springs and mud pots; which we found out were not mud. Instead they are pools of rock melted and boiled by sulfuric acid. Believe it or not, the smell wasn't bad. The kids kept telling us, "it smells like the beach". Back in the car we travelled on, arriving at the Old Faithful area about 45 minutes before she was scheduled to blow. We got a bite to eat and wandered the grounds to kill time. We found a small spot to sit and wait for the show. At 12:06 PM, we got our show. Again, such an amazing sight to see; only glitch, we were down-wind and so when the steam cooled into rain,

we got a little extra gift. I told the family next to us the should put signs up that read: "Caution possible splash zone". Sarah took us on a tour of the Old Faithful Inn, where she stayed during her visit when she was a kid. At the gift shop, we picked up some knick-knacks and post cards and were on our way. As we made our way back to the car, we crested a small bluff and almost came out of our shoes. There off to one side of our path was a 1500 pound bison! So we got some great shots and moved on (quickly and safely, because apparently a bison can run 3-5 times faster than a person!) After our Old Faithful adventure, we headed out to Lake Yellowstone for a light picnic. On our way out, we ran into a random hot spring, in the middle of the parking area; naturally pictures followed. Our trek drew to a close with an amazing close encounter with yet another bison.

This time we were in the car but he was about five feet away. Again, after some great close-ups, we quickly moved on. After a light dinner at Arby's, the kids burned off some steam (no pun intended) in the pool and I wandered in to down town to browse the shops (bad idea). Only came home with one thing, so good for me. Of course, after a dip in the pool, getting them calmed down and into bed was an adventure. But, as this installment of "The Journey Blog" draws to a close the kids are calm and almost asleep, Sarah is finishing up some home work and the cars are packed for our next leg. We will be stopping in Cody, WY to check out the Wild Bill Western Museum and then on to Buffalo, WY for a quick over-nighter. As always, keep us in your prayers and stay tuned for the next blog!
Joe, Sarah & the kids

Up Early...

Preparing for our day in the park. Kids are still fast asleep; Sarah and I are slowly getting ready (coffee is a little weak). I am SO excited for today; tonight's blog will probably be another long-winded one, so prepare your selves.

And so it begins...

Since I (Joe) am new to this whole "blogging" thing, bear with me. I'm up way past my bed time catching up on our first couple of days of what is "The Journey" (named given by Isaak and adopted by the family). At 4:30 P.M. PDT on July 5th, 2010, Sarah, the kids and I began our journey from the West to the East. Our first night was spent eating pizza and popcorn in Missoula, MT. We made it there from Wallace, ID in just over 3 hours. After dinner, the kids and I swam until our fingers were wrinkly and our eyes burned (prompted a trip to Costco for goggles). Up early for Isaak's favorite, continental breakfast then off to the Lewis & Clark Caverns. As some of you may know, I have lived almost my ENTIRE life in Washington, so when we crested the Rockies I can safely say I was awestruck. Sarah and I both felt how small the pioneers travelling east must have felt that first trip over. Lunch was a picnic at a non-descript rest are at the top of the Continental Divide. After lunch, we were off to the Lewis & Clark Caverns. When we got there, Sarah found out we were behind a group of 32, which meant an hour wait. SO, we cruised the gift shop, bought some post cards and were back on the road. We made it safely into West Yellowstone, MT right before dinner; we drove through town & found a quick bite at The Outpost.

After dinner, we wandered through some great shops with Isabel asking every time we paused, "Can we go swimming yet?!?" Fortunately, Isaak pointed us toward the Yellowstone Historic Center. The family got to see exhibits on the first planes into Yellowstone, the Quake of '59 and the Great Fire of 1988. So after a little history lesson we "FINALLY got to go swimming" (Isabel's exact words). And, again, swam till our skin was wrinkly (no bleary eyes this time). And now, Sarah and the kids are tucked happily into bed with daddy catching up the blog. As I close, I keep thinking about the pioneers. How did they do it? Travelling out here...not knowing where the were headed or when they would get there...by horse or foot or wagon, maybe making 60 good miles a day, if they were lucky. Now we travel by every known conveyance, making 3-to 400 miles in a few hours. We blog, text, Facebook; use GPS, listen to satellite radio, use 2-way communication, etc. etc, etc. How far we have come!

Well, I am off to get some much-needed rest. Thank you to everyone who sent prayers and wished us luck. So far The Journey has been great, even though we still have a long road ahead. We love all of you and if you stay tuned, we'll keep you posted!

Love,

Joe, Sarah Isaak & Isabel

West Yellowstone, MT