Believe it or not, this is a brief summary

I don't know when I really lost track of the days of the week but as we were mapping out our route last week, I sadly became aware that we would be going into Yellowstone on the weekend. I haven't been a fan of the crowds at the parks. For a while I didn't mind too much as I took the approach that at least I was still with the people that I wanted to be there with the most. But thinking about being in probably the most visited park in the nation had me rather disgruntled.

We seemed to escape the many of the crowds the previous weekend by heading to the North Cascades National Park in northern Washington. It was less than a couple hours away from thus far our only hotel stay to get to a campsite just outside the park. A cheap site where I was told by the host that there were many animals in the woods that could kill me including bigfoot. And if I happened to visit in the winter than I might be able to see some of the alien ships flying over the closed down park. He also told me many people went missing in the area and the only thing they would find were their shoes with their feet still inside them. So I asked  him I about going for a run in the morning should I go barefoot in order to ensure my return.

 I did skip the run and instead we drove down a long dirt road for a hike up to a ridge line. The weather wasn't very cooperative but the trail up was wonderful and we all easily cruised up the three plus miles turning back just short of the ridge line as the cloud cover was now raining on us a little and we didn't want to wait it out hoping for a view. All in all we had a great time being together and were fortunate to get some views of a glacier just off the primitive parking lot.

The big thrill of the day was I was able to finally shift Bam Bam into a lower gear to ease us down a rather steep grade. We didn't drive much farther and easily got a campsite in the park and made plans for the next morning.

Some great views of beautifully colored rivers and lakes had us hopeful that we might get some views of the clouded in mountains later in the day. Another seven mile hike awaited just outside of the park and even though it was clouded in we decided that we should give it a go. We were greeted by a moose in the parking lot, an animal our campsite host said there were very few of in the area.

The trail was tougher but the kids were having no problem making the ascent getting up above treeline. My greatest concern was that I didn't think the auto focus on the camera was working properly. I had to face the reality that my eyes were the trouble and that I probably need reading glasses for something other than books or maps.

Up to our first pass we were rewarded with some of the best mountain views I have ever experienced. The views kept getting better getting to another pass and along a ridge line. Glaciers and snow fields were all over peaks near and far and my only further wish was that we could do more hikes like this if we make a trip like this in a few more years.

Back to the bus a couple hours later and the kids were in great spirits and anxious to get to watch movies on the long drive we would be making on our way to Glacier National Park. Mo found us a campsite in Idaho and we woke up to a beautiful lake visited by Canadian geese.

Still a long way away, Mo found out about the forest fires in Glacier. The park was open but roads were closed and we were hopeful that we could still get in some good hikes. After a stop at the visitor center we got a site outside the park as expected it was filled. The kids had fun playing with some other kids and we were treated to views of a double rainbow across the road. I kind of hoped for more rain to help with the fires which were being well handled by crews.

In the morning we found out the main road was being opened up a little farther so we quickly changed hiking plans and drove up to Logan Pass on the Going to the Sun Road. A beautiful road but one that made me very nervous and only looking straight ahead. It was an easy hike to an overlook of Hidden Lake. A newspaper reporter took a picture of Quinn and I while the girls moved up ahead. While out ahead of us a young grizzly crossed the trail, which Mo did see as well as many other hikers on the trail and a nearby ranger. Quinn and I did catch sight of him as well when he headed to some bushes. No one was really scared or feeling threatened and only Maggie was a little sad that she didn't get a good view. On the way back many people could see him feeding across the open meadow. Kind of neat but really the coolest thing to see was the rugged peaks.

Almost back to the visitor center I heard someone say they could see mountain goats, so I whipped out our little binoculars and got a view. After the kids finished another junior ranger badge we were just about to walk back to the car when someone spotted big horn sheep on a nearby peak. I ran to the car for the good binoculars and despite how well they blended in the rocks we got to view about four or five of the sheep. Pretty outstanding to see all these animals in the matter of about an hour without walking through a zoo.

We just had to stop for some huckleberry pie after we left the park and headed to the southern part of Montana. A good friend of Mo's, Ann Rose, goes to Montana every summer to visit her mother in her summer place. We had stop for the night outside of Bozeman at a state park where the Missouri, Jefferson and Madison Rivers converge. On a morning run, I found out that Lewis and Clark had been camped in the area exactly two hundred and ten years before. A very peaceful place where I saw more migratory birds, including pelicans, yes pelicans, than people.

We stopped in Bozeman for brunch before making a drive on dirt roads to meet up with Ann, her husband Dan and Ann's mother Jane. A fabulous place surrounded by peaks and a river stocked with fish just down the hill. The kids loved playing in the house and with the Rose's puppy Lucy. We enjoyed sharing memories of our trip with the Roses and getting to know Jane. We all took a little walk on a trail and even though Jane is eighty and forgot to change into her hiking shoes from her boat shoes we got to a river to skip some stones.

I got in a little run the next morning to a ridge that wasn't much of a run but more of push through some really high grass but all worth it to see some deer hopping through the grass and 360 degree views. After trying our best to convey our appreciation to our hosts we got back in Bam Bam and headed for Yellowstone.

I knew there would be crowds arriving on a Friday, especially after noon but after our first stop to check out Mammoth Springs, I was really ready to get out of the park as quick as possible. We made a few stops on our way toward Old Faithful and I will admit the park is very cool with all the thermal activity but I found it all much too accessible and wanted to escape.

Our timing coming into Old Faithful was great as we only had to wait about ten minutes for it to erupt. The kids weren't too impressed so I didn't feel all that bad that my own feelings about the crowds. We had no definite plans on a place to sleep for the night but knew that in Jackson Hole one of the kids favorite plays was being performed that night.

It became our mission to get there and Mo secured us some tickets only about forty minutes before the play. Oh yah, which play you are wondering. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the kids had seen performed at Bowdoin College and I managed to find a DVD copy of the movie, which they have probably watched six or seven time on this trip. They were thrilled when we told them and we were thrilled that we were actually able to make it out of Yellowstone and all the way to Jackson Hole before the show started.

The show was fantastic, although I wanted to get our money back for Quinn's seat as he never used it watching the whole performance on his feet. The show didn't get over until about 10:30 and we had no place to stay. Mo followed one lead to a campsite which was now posted for no overnight camping. I didn't want to drive all over northern Wyoming that night so I found a K-Mart and we popped the top. Although safe and legal it was not a good site and we, especially Mo had one of our worst nights sleep.

Nicely, I contacted an old friend who lives in Idaho just over a pass from Jackson and so we knew as we drove to Teton National Park that we had a place to stay the next night. I was thrilled to return to the Tetons and we had a real pleasant hike to a couple of lakes with nice views of the mountains.

After a little shopping around Jackson we headed into Idaho were Dan and his wife Laura welcomed us into their home. We all went out for pizza meeting some friends of theirs and had a great time laughing the hardest we had in a long time.

The next morning Laura sweetly let the kids ride on one of her horses which I hope they will remember even more than the play which was turning into their big highlight of the trip. We were starting to pack up the bus around noon when Dan invited us to stay another night. I was in no rush to head back to Yellowstone, where we will be heading next no matter what, and Mo was easily convinced as well. So we spent the day on their nice eight acre ranch with Quinn getting to ride on a four wheeler and both kids watching HGTV. A nice easy day with more laughs and no crowds!

Well from here we will be starting our drive back east. We've got just a little over a week left before we want to get back to Indianapolis and then onto Maine. Still we don't know exactly where we'll sleep next but that's alright. I just don't want it to be in a K-Mart again, especially in a crowded one with people waiting to see a geyser.