The Grand Tetons

Right below Yellowstone lay The Grand Tetons. A must see if going to Yellowstone. We set up shop in an awesome, roomy campsite and the girls took off to explore the beach.  "Mom, I am not sure what that lady was talking about, but that is NOT a beach." For our southern girls, this rocky shore of the lake was not what they had in mind when at check-in they were told our campsite was on the beach! Nevertheless, we played at the "beach" and watched an impressive storm roll in over the mountains. 

After the storm passed we took what became our nightly hike around the lake. We are currently studying pioneers and I will never forget our evening strolls turning into full plays. We are traveling west in a covered wagon. Daddy is Joseph, I am Ma or Josie, R is the quick thinking Josephine always saving the wagon from disaster, and M is the older sister in charge, Jasmine - we cannot convince her this name is not historically accurate. We also have a brother named Joseph Jr? He is always missing up ahead on the trail. People HAVE to think we're nuts as they pass us, and R has adopted an accent, also not historically accurate. We pick up on our journey every evening as we walk, and I want to both laugh at the hilarity of what my husband is being roped into and jump for joy at their creativity and obvious retention of my lessons.

We spent a day driving, hiking, and exploring the Tetons and we earned our Jr. Ranger badges. Our favorite memories in the Tetons are seeing a black bear up close - from the safety of our car, exploring an original homestead, covered wagon, and pulley system for getting covered wagons across the river, as well as Daddy deciding we would have a mountain of nachos and a huge brownie sundae for dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Tetons. 

 

We experienced sarsaparilla!

A covered wagon!

Earning their Jr. Ranger badges!

We spent a day exploring the Snake River, discovered more homesteads, and I even got to copy Ansel Adams' famous shot of the Tetons.

After too short of a stay in this beautiful place, we packed up and headed out of the park. But then we saw a sign for the rodeo. 

R has started a bucket list for us on our fridge. It has things like: go to a rodeo, ride a train, go gem mining, and more. We all looked at each other, Daddy started looking for a place to pull over, and I quickly called for a cheap place to crash for the night. I found a spot with no hook up near Jackson Hole and we changed course for an impromptu night of fun. We explored Jackson Hole, saw a shoot out, ate burgers at a place recommended by a friend, and saw our rodeo! CHECK. Then, we headed out and set our sights on Utah.