Monday, June 24, 2013

Yellowstone or bust


From May 23rd through June 8th we embarked on a most epic of all epic road trips with another family of five.  Four adults.  Five kids ranging in ages from 5 to 13.  In a 15 passenger van.


Our route took us from our hometown, to south central Colorado to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO, Black Canyon National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Jackson, Wyoming, Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.

That's four national parks, one national monument, several days in Gothic, Colorado outside of Crested Butte and a total 5,080 miles.


Much of the trip was spent camping.  And each and every time we opened up the back doors of the van it was like a yard sale spilled out on to the dry, dusty, mountainous west landscape.  And the amount of food and various other rubble that littered the van floor is unspeakable.




But it is the new friends and old that we met along the way that is burned into our memories.




And the hikes in the snow in June.



And the wide open spaces.



And calves.  And Old Faithful.







And the wolves.  That some of us saw on an early Sunday morning near Teton National Park.  And the wolves we ALL saw one Thursday evening in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.











And being together.  In nature.  Doing what we all love to do most.

-dana

26 comments:

Jackie said...

Cool. That sounds like a great/busy vacation. My cousin, who lives in MN, took his family to Yellowstone for their vacation, also. Now, one day I think I will need to take my kids.

Kar said...

What a fabulous trip! Memories that will never go away and be talked about many times over. Thanks for sharing Dana. :)

KaHolly said...

Oh WOW!! What a trip!! And what a great destination. I guess it's not too obvious that you had a wonderful time. When our kids were small, we headed out like that, too, but did the east coast. Three adults and four kids. Why amazing years those were! Hope you keep on enjoying vacations like this one!

Kimberly said...

What an awesome trip! I loved the pictures!
I'm on the west coast of B.C. and when I was 16 I drove with my aunt and uncle and cousins from Green Bay Wisconsin, across the states, and home. Amazing scenery! So glad I had the chance to do it! Your Old Faithful pic brought back some fun memories!

Terri said...

Wow, what an amazing, fantastic trip! You will cherish each and every second of it for years to come. You will laugh about all the inside jokes, and cry over all the wonderful moments, discovering together on this great adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us too!

Megan said...

Awesome!!

Kristin said...

It looks like you had an amazing trip! I definitely want to get out there some day. :)

Paige said...

Wow. What a great trip. I enjoyed following your photos on IG and reading more about it here. Lots of good memories for your kiddos!

Sara said...

Looks like a vacation of a lifetime. My favorite pics are Jackson Hole with all the antlers and the view from the van window--amazing!

Oh and the goofy pic of all ya'll---lol!

Anonymous said...

Looks like SO MUCH FUN : ) Think you can fit 4 more in next time LOL! I'm so glad you all had a good time-and you're so right the memories will be there forever : )

Unknown said...

What memories you built along the way. What a great trip, too.

Ah, wolves, be still my heart.

Great pictures. How I love the faces you captured. Such joy.

Glad you had a blast.

And those wolves, oh, I so love those animals.

Jennifer Mathis of Ellison Lane said...

awesome pictures- love the family one- love the one of the lake and cloudy sky.
So glad it was a wonderful, memorable trip for all.
xo

Jennifer said...

What an awesome set of memories you have made!

CitricSugar said...

Sounds like an awesome trip!! And no one suffered from that strange claustrophobic rage that comes with "large passenger van filled with family cabin fever"? Well done! :-)

scottylover said...

Yellowstone was one of my favorite trips as a kid. The memories stick with me still. We did the Sand Dunes park many years later. It was so amazing! Bet your kids talk about this for many years to come.
Sandy A

scottylover said...

Yellowstone was one of my favorite trips as a kid. The memories stick with me still. We did the Sand Dunes park many years later. It was so amazing! Bet your kids talk about this for many years to come.
Sandy A

Beth said...

That is indeed an epic trip! It looks and sounds like a fun, messy, fun, interesting, fun trip.
Love the pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Lee D said...

sounds like a wonderful vacation and great family time

Jessica Christensen said...

I love the West. It looks like a wonderful trip!

www.randomthoughtsdoordi.com said...

I love the way you documented your fantastic vacation. This actually looks like a vacation NOT a trip! Fun times with those you love

Unknown said...

Amazing pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Ranch Wife said...

What a great way to make priceless memories! You know you're good friends when you can take a trip like that together. :)

charlotte said...

It looks like a wonderful vacation Dana. Thanks for sharing your photos with us. I love vacations like that.

Sarah said...

Great photos and great memories for you all. I can't believe how close you got to the bison! And wolves! I'm a bit scared just thinking about it.

cakegirl said...

We did a similar trip with our 2 kiddos 13years ago and it was fantastic! We included Mt Rushmore before going to Jackson Hole, Yellowstone and Montana. Best family trip ever.

yarnivorous said...

What a great trip - brought back memories! We've been to various of those places, not camping, but wow, what a road trip!