Mount Rushmore

We came. 

We looked. 

We took a picture. 

We left. 

Next Stop: Badlands National Park, SD

The Teton's

After watching Old Faithful launch her boiling water into the sky, we left Yellowstone and drove down into the Grand Teton National Park. We only had half a day to spend at the park. So after checking out the visitor center and getting a t-shirt at the gift shop we started on a hike along Jenny Lake to Inspiration Point. We saw a lot of wildlife here too, including deer, marmots, a fox and a moose. There weren't as many people here as were at Yellowstone, but we did see a couple of the same people we had seen at Old Faithful that morning.

We came to a waterfall about a half mile before Inspiration Point and after looking at the waterfall for a bit; we were trying to decide of we needed some more inspiration or not, we ended up deciding we would be fine without seeing the view from Inspiration Point. The fact that it looked like it was going to rain also played into that decision. We jogged back a short distance to try to beat the rain, but it didn't end up raining until later on that evening. 

We then drove to a picnic area and cooked dinner quickly in the drizzle so we could stop at some more scenic viewing spots for Jacob to take pictures of the Tetons themselves. We were trying to recreate a picture that we had taken when we came here before with our dad of a lake and a storm brewing over the Teton peaks behind, but unfortunately we were not able to find the exact spot with the time we had. So we got these photos instead:

We were originally planning on camping for the night at the Tetons, but since we would have to leave early in the morning we just decided to drive for a couple hours and get a hotel for the night instead of risking getting rained on and having to pack up a wet tent the next morning. We stayed at a Super 8 in Dubois, WY that night, and left early the next morning for South Dakota.

Next stop: Mount Rushmore, SD

The Yellowstone Experience

Yellowstone was the first National Park established. We spent a day and a half there and got to see a majority of the parks features including hot springs, geysers and plenty of wildlife. 

When we got out of the car at our campsite, we immediately had to find our other jackets, it was cold!! The hoodies that we had been using we're still wet from the rain at Glacier the day before. We got things set up and Jacob built a fire and grilled hamburgers for dinner. After eating we pretty much just went to bed. 

Following breakfast we went looking for an information center to get a map of the day hikes. The first one we went to was closed or non existent, we couldn't find it so we kept going. We decided to do the tourist thing and just walk around the Lower Geyser Basin boardwalk, take a couple photos, and get back in the car. It smelled awful, like boiled eggs due to the sulphur. But there were some pretty cool hotsprings, the clear blue water ranged from barley simmering on the surface to boiling and steaming. We also saw some mudpots, an acidic feature with limited water; basically bubbling mud, except it was a creamy white color which wasn't quite as pretty as the hot springs. Then we walked around the 1.6 mile path through the Norris Geyser Basin. One geyser went off right when we stopped to look at it.

We finally made it to the visitor center in Canyon Village and talked to a guy in the backcountry office. He recommended the Garnet Hill Trail. It was an 7.9 mile loop, with an additional 0.4 mile trail to a suspension bridge 200 feet above the Yellowstone River. The first section was through an open meadow then it moved through a wooded area and back through the meadow again. It was a nice trail, no major elevation gains so it was a fairly easy hike. We saw lots of wildlife - marmots, pronghorns, and bison. Towards the end there was a bison directly in the path, we definitely got closer than the 25 foot recommendation. Those things are huge! It started to rain a little while we were hiking, thankfully we had brought our rain jackets along this time and it didn't last too long. We got to see a rainbow, so to me it was worth hiking in a little rain. 

The next day after packing up we stopped to see Old Faithful on the way out of the park. We had just missed it by about 20 minutes. So we waited around for another hour to see it go off. The viewing area was crowded with people anxiously waiting. It wasn't quite as impressive as I thought it would be, but it was still neat to watch. Although Yellowstone is such a big park, we feel like we were able to see a good portion of it. Now on to our next destination. 

Next stop: Grand Tetons National Park, WY 

- Sarah

Here are some more photos from Yellowstone:

Glacier - The Last Best Place

As we left Washington behind and traveled through the pine covered mountains of Idaho we knew that we were getting closer to our next destination: Glacier National Park. As I drove through Western Montana's beautiful landscapes and up into the Glacier area, I kept counting all the missed photo opportunities that were passing me by. After a couple more miles I had to pull over and let Sarah drive while I got out my camera started taking pictures. ;) With all of it's streams and meadows, lakes and pine forest, snow capped mountains and bighorn sheep, Montana takes first place for my favorite state so far, with Arizona coming in second. 

After driving for a couple more hours we stopped at a DQ to eat dinner before entering the park. Now I thought DQ's slogan was "that's what I like about Texas" I wonder what they say in Montana? I guess if we stop at another DQ somewhere we will have to ask.

We got to our campsite around 9pm I think, it was still light enough outside to set up camp without the need of a lantern or flashlights. The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon and the temperature was starting to drop. Once we got camp set up we all just went to bed. We slept in late the next morning, I'm not sure why, we slept really good at the Finley's house the last two nights, but when my alarm went off at 5:30 and nobody else looked like they were going to get up, I decided I didn't really feel like getting up either. So after we finally did get up the weather had changed, it looked like it was going to rain. We threw a tarp over the tent and hurried to fix lunch, we had decided to have lunch instead of breakfast since it was already so late. Just about the time we finished our lentils it began to rain. Johnny camped out in the car reading, and Sarah and I went into the tent, I can't remember what we did, but I probably took a nap, which really doesn't make much sense. Anyway a couple hours later it stopped raining and we decided to go for a hike. We hiked up to Avalanche lake, I think it was like 2.5 miles or so. Most of the trail was through a densely wooded area, with part of it running along the river swollen with snow melt that ran from the lake above. Once we got to the lake we were rewarded with a spectacular view. The lake was situated in a small basin with mountain walls surrounding it on three sides. Melted snow made waterfalls that cascaded down the sides of the mountains and into the lake, the water was a crystal clear light aqua color, and so still that the reflection of the snow cover mountains beyond was so crisp it was hard to tell where the lake stopped and the mountains began. 

I spent a lot of time filming here with my glidecam. The lower end of the lake was full of fallen trees, caused by the avalanches that occurred frequently on the mountains surrounding the lake. It wasn't enough to make a dam but enough to create a walkway of sorts to the other side. Walking across the wet logs and keeping a steady pace while flying the glidecam was tricky, especially with the occasional log that would roll. But I think I got some really cool video clips, that were worth getting my boots wet for. There where some geese in the lake also, I'm pretty sure they were Canadian :p

We didn't end up leaving the lake till a little after 9pm, Its really easy to lose track of time when your at such a beautiful place with a nice camera.... it was already getting pretty dark at the lake as we started back down the trail. All the trail map signs have bear warnings that say 

Hike in groups of three or more,

Don't hike at night,

Make noise to alert bears of your passing,

Carry bear spray,

1 out of 4 ain't bad right?

Anyway we made it back to the car fine and started on the 30 minute drive back to our campsite. I think we might of had meatballs for dinner that night, although at this point it's so hard to remember what you ate when and at what park. It was after 12 when we went to bed, it wasn't as cold as it was the night before.

The next morning I got up and got a fire and made some hot chocolate, and walked by the lake that was a couple hundred feet from our camp. Around 6:30 it started to rain again so I just got back in the tent and went to bed for a couple more hours. It continued to rain that whole morning, though it wasn't much more the a steady drizzle. John and Sarah moved to the car and I stayed in the tent and read. It started to clear up in the early afternoon so we decided to take another hike along the lake that was by our campground. And sure enough after a little more than a mile down the trail it began to rain again, so we turned around and started back towards our campsite. By the time we made it back to camp we were all completed soaked. So we just chilled in the car until like 8pm and then took showers and went to bed. 

We left the next morning around 7:30 after packing up our tent and clothes that were still wet from yesterday's hike. Now even though it rained most of the time and we didn't do much, Glacier ranks #1 in the national parks I've visited, John and Sarah are still with Zion and the Grand Canyon as #1. But there was just something about walking on the soft ground through the pine covered hills with the rain falling down and smelling a freshness in the cool air that inspired and thrilled me, almost enough to ditch my camera gear and move out here to become a woodsman. Almost...

Next stop: Yellowstone National Park

- Jacob

Stop #14

We crossed the bridge into Washington on Friday afternoon, still trying to get the mosquitos from Oregon out of the car! We were excited to see our friends, the Finley's, whom we hadn't seen since they moved to Washington late last year. Upon arriving at their home the kids ran out to meet us. After exchanging hugs, they gave us a tour of their house and property. They have a really nice home with a beautiful view from the back deck. 

Later that evening two families from their fellowship group came to spend Shabbat with them. We shared dinner together and had a time of Worship. Some from the group started off playing, then we put on some Will Reagan and turned on the Ruach diffuser. ;-) It was an awesome night of Worship. The families spent the night camping in tents out in the front yard. The kids were kind enough to let us sleep in their beds. 

The next morning after a good nights sleep, we had breakfast and uploaded and backed up the most recent photos to the laptop and hard drives. Some more people from their fellowship arrived throughout the morning. Following lunch we had another time of Worship, sharing of testimonies, and some discussion. It was nice to meet the people from their fellowship group, we felt right at home. They are a great group that is truly seeking the Father. We enjoyed spending time with all of you! That night we shared some of our photos, videos, and stories from our trip thus far with the families that were left. 

Sunday morning we did several loads of laundry, packed up, and prepared to leave. Before we left the boys played some football outside with Jake and Jax, and we listened to Madaline play a few songs on the piano that she'd been learning. We were sad to say goodbye to the Finley family, but after eating lunch and taking a few pictures together (Jake had already left by the time we got out the camera) we headed out. 

Next Stop: Glacier National Park, MT

-Sarah

Crater Lake

After leaving San Francisco and driving for about three hours, we stopped in Redding, California for the night. From there it was it another 3-4 hour drive to reach Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon.

We pulled over at the Crater Lake sign before entering the park to take a picture like we have done at all the Nat'l parks, and were quickly surrounded by mosquitos, so we hurriedly set up the tripod and snapped a few pictures before jumping back in the car to drive to the Visitor Center.

Once there we were able to mail some postcards, and get a trail map from the friendly volunteer working there. We then drove along the West Rim road, which had probably been snowplowed recently. On the sides of the West Rim road there was some snowdrifts that were easily 10 feet tall! The East Rim road was still closed due to snow and ice.

Further up the road we stopped at a nice overlook of the lake, where we walked up to the fencing on the edge of a cliff to see the whole lake spread out below us. There were two different sections to this overlook, one having been cleared of snow and the other hadn't been cleared so here the snow was flush to the top of the 3ft fence. The lake itself was awesome, pretty big with small island breaking the otherwise placid surface of the lake. The mountains behind the lake reflected almost perfectly on the water, making for a really great view. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, the ninth deepest in the world. Truly spectacular! 

After spending 10 minutes or so looking at and taking pictures of the lake we ate lunch and then changed into more snow appropriate clothing, so we could go across the road and play in the snow. The average snowfall for Crater lake per year is 544 inches, that's about 44 feet! The greatest cumulative snowfall for one season was 879 inches, which equals right over 73 feet!! For us Texans who might (keyword 'might') get like an inch of snow during winter, that's unimaginable! So of course we had a blast playing in the snow, though we sadly didn't have any cardboard or a plastic tub big enough to sled in. In some places the snow had crusted over enough that we were able to ski down the hill with just our boots on, and then we discovered that with our rain jackets on you could run and jump over backwards and slide down on your back, at the cost of not being able to see where you were going. :-)

So hiking up some of the hills here we found out what it was like to 'post-hole up to your knees in snow'. Once a couple of hours had passed, and our pants and boots were thoroughly soaked, we trekked back to the car and drove to another overlook where Jacob got out his camera and I got out my Quadcopter to get some aerial footage of the lake.

We parked the car right outside the park to repack our camera gear and wet clothes, but we got immediately surrounded by so many mosquitos that we ditched that idea and just drove on to the hotel and repacked everything there. 

Next Stop: The Finley's, Washington

-John

From Bridge to Bridge

Once we crossed the Bay Bridge and entered San Francisco, we met our friend Andrew. After eating lunch together at one of his favorite go to Mexican restaurants, he had to go back to work and we spent some time walking around the city. Sarah's phone battery had been having problems with staying charged properly. So, we made an appointment at the nearby Apple Store for later that afternoon. We still had an hour before the appointment and since it was John's birthday we decided to get some ice cream. Right after making that decision and wondering where there was a ice cream shop, we noticed a Cold Stone right across the street. Perfect! We sat in Union Square eating our ice cream and people watching. There were all kinds of people from all nationalities and all walks of life. The weather was very nice. Not too windy and not too hot. There was a lot of construction on several of the streets there in the city making it rather noisy. 

We spent the rest of the the afternoon at the Apple Store. They ending up completely replacing Sarah's phone for free due to a defective battery. Which was a big blessing! 

We met up with Andrew for a little while again, after he got off work. Before heading out to the beach he gave us a tour of his new apartment building. Super nice, has a great view of the city, and about everything else you can think of.

We stopped at the beach while in San Francisco, it was not what you generally think of when you think of California beaches - it was San Fransisco after all. But nevertheless it was our first time to see the Pacific Ocean. This beach was one that is mostly used by surfers as the waves are pretty big. When we got there there were a good many people kite surfing. We walked along the beach through the water and Jacob filmed some. We all got a little wet, ok more than a little :-) The sun was setting creating a beautiful sunset by the time we left.

Before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge we stopped in order for Jacob to take some pictures. Although we had spent too much time on the beach and the sun was pretty much behind the horizon. 

Then it was on to our next destination. 

Next Stop: Crater Lake, OR