Girl's Camp Highlights

In the strength of the Lord I can do all things.
He know hows to change the weakness in me,
So I will let His love lift me up.
He believes I can do hard things if I will trust Him,
And walk forward in the strength of the Lord. –Jenny Phillips

Monday, June 2
Waaaayyyyy back at the beginning of June, LadyBug and I went to Girl's Camp.

{Can you believe that 23 teenagers turned up at 7:00 am to go camping?
LadyBug is on the front row, second from the right.
I am on the front row, third from the left.}

I use the term "camping" here very loosely. It was a lot different than when I went to camp as a young woman. We had to sleep in tents, dig latrines, and cook on a number 10 can stove. There were a few similarities. We were definitely up in the mountains, surrounded by trees and deer and nature. But that is where the similarities ended. We slept cabins with bunk beds {there were no mattresses; you had to bring a foam pad, but is definitely better than sleeping on the ground}. We had electricity and running water and flushing toilets and showers {never mind that finding time to take one was a completely different matter}. We still had to cook on propane camp stoves and pot guts ventured into our pavilion area to pick up any food we dropped. But there was a fridge in a pantry area with a door that closed to keep the pot guts from getting into the food storage. On a scale from one to roughing it, I'd say we were only one step down from the Ramada Inn.

The camp is situated on 8,000 acres and about 2,500 girls stay there each week. Over the course of the summer 70,000 young women each spend five days enjoying the best Utah has to offer. We left bright and early Monday morning. We had 23 young women from our ward attend. After we unpacked our gear and settled in, we had several fun activities with the other young women in our stake {around 100 more girls}, including a rousing version of Bazooka Bubble Gum, complete with gum for chewing.

Tuesday, June 3
Tuesday was hike day. There were several different hikes as part of the camp certification, and which hike you went on depended on how many years you'd attended camp. I went with the first-year girls. It was a little short of a 3-mile hike and all of the first-years in the stake went together. It wasn't LadyBug's favorite activity. We went at our own pace, walking at almost the back of the procession, but we made it in the end. The trails were amazing, criss-crossing all over the camp and marked with signs so that you could find your way to and from almost anywhere. We didn't have a particular destination, but just made a loop back around to our campsite. The paths were wide enough for only one person and we were asked to stay on the paths, preserving the foliage. It was incredibly beautiful and very peaceful. Even though there were 2,400 other girls there somewhere on the mountain, aside from the girls in our stake, I felt like we had the place to ourselves.

{Top left: Legacy Lake
Top Right: LadyBug and me at the summit of our hike
I know that hat is dorky, but I wear it anyway
Center: Entire group of first-year campers
Bottom Left: My first year campers - Kenna, LadyBug, Abbey, Me and Jada
Jada just turned 13 and the other girls are 12
Bottom Right: Moving upwards along the trail}

Wednesday, June 4
Wednesday we got to go canoeing on Legacy Lake. It was my favorite day. LadyBug, one of our other girls, and I shared a canoe and had so much fun paddling around.

{The bottom picture is a panorama of about ¼ of the shoreline.
Right click on the photo to open in a new tab so you can zoom in for more details.}

Wednesday, we also provided the camp an hour of service. I was so amazing at how self-sustaining the camp is. It is staffed mostly by volunteers; retired couples serving together. They have their own water treatment plant and everyone who comes and stays at the camp gets an opportunity to give back just a little bit. During our service, we pulled some logs along the trail back to our campsite to be cut into firewood. Prior to that, someone had been into the woods to cut down trees that had died. The trees were cut into manageable size logs and dragged to the trail for us to take back to camp. From there someone else cut it into firewood so that we could use it in the evenings for campfires and s'mores. Anything that wasn't large enough for firewood was run through the wood chipper by someone in our group and then later, another group could take it in wheelbarrows along the trails to keep them from getting too dusty and dry. In one our, we provided the camp 125 man-hours so that the next group could enjoy this beautiful camp.

Thursday, June 5
Thursday was the challenge course. There were five or six {I forget} low challenges and each ward was asked to send one or two leaders to be trained on those so they could help the girls when it was their challenge course day. It had a really fun time helping the girls and the challenge course is one of their favorite activities for the week. The high challenge, of course, is the highlight of the day. LadyBug and I were in separate groups; my group did the high challenge first and then moved on to the low challenge where I was trained. From there they moved on to the other courses and I stayed put. I got to see and help LadyBug and my other girls when they came through my challenge, but didn't get to see any of them on the high course. I was told that LadyBug met the challenge with determination.

You start by climbing a rope ladder. Then you have to move from the rope ladder to a suspension "bridge." At the end of the bridge, you get to go on a zip line. My goal for the week was to enjoy the experience as much as possible, so I didn't think about it, but just put the harness on and climbed the ladder one step at a time. I'm so glad I did.

Friday, June 6
When I was asked to work with the Young Women in my ward January, I knew that I would get to do a lot of fun things. And there would be some hard things, too. Girl's Camp was hard and wonderful. When you throw 23 girls together into two cabins and they spend all week hiking and canoeing and staying up late giggling, there is bound to be some drama. But I have to say, the drama among these girls was minimal.

Aside from all the fun things we did at camp, there were opportunities to feel God's love and guidance and to learn together. We met together as a stake for Family Home Evening on Monday. We had wonderful speakers on Tuesday and Wednesday night. We sang together and prayed together. Thursday night we spent together as a ward talking about our experiences and the things we had learned. And each of us was able to spend some quiet time reflecting, praying and studying. Those private moments I spent seeking guidance from the Lord were well spent and have helped me to make some important decisions.

We were all also given a challenge to complete during the week. There were scriptures to memorize, songs to learn, talks to read, questions to answer. You could complete the challenge at your own pace and every one of the 23 girls in our ward, plus all of the leaders who attended {believe me, there was no way I could have pulled it off by myself. The camp director was spectacular, as were the other two leaders who came up} finished the challenge. As recognition for this, we were given a beautiful silver pendant with a young woman and the Provo City Center Temple {currently under construction, and which is very special to me} etched in gold. These were created just for our stake and I was so thrilled to earn mine!

All too soon, our week at camp was over. We were packed and ready to go by 9:00 am. I was home, unpacked, the braids out of my hair, showered and smelling sweet as ever by about 2:00 Friday afternoon. In the weeks since then, even though I got rid of the camping smell, I haven't forgotten the things that I felt and learned there; most importantly that in the strength of the Lord, I can do all things.

Grandma Week 2013: Day 5, Lagoon — Let Fun Reign

A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. –Alexander Hamilton

Half my lifetime ago, I worked at an amusement park right here in Utah. It was the best job I ever had {well, maybe I've romanticized it a bit, but I loved working there}. During this time I developed somewhat of an unfortunate habit of locking my keys in my car. It happened enough that I kept an extra set of keys at work and my parents had an extra set in case I locked my keys in the car somewhere other than at work.

I must have been channeling my 20 year-old self in anticipation for our Grandma Week trip to Lagoon because when I got home yesterday afternoon I locked my keys in my car. I didn't discover it until it was time to go today, which was after Mr. Bug and his key to my vehicle had already gone to work. Not having a spare set of keys at home and the need to get to our last Grandma Week activity of 2013 kind of fried the circuits in my brain. I called Mr. Bug, who is almost always calm and collected and he suggested I call the police department and see if they could recommend a locksmith, or if they might do it themselves. I did. They would. And two officers came and unlocked my car.

I then discovered that not only had I left the keys in the ignition, I'd left them turned half-way on and the battery was dead. So, I called Mr. Bug again. Still his calm, cool and collected self, he reminded me that we have a fully charged car battery that he bought to use to power his CPAP machine when he goes camping with Grasshopper, but also for a back-up power source in case of emergencies. Such as when his wife locks her keys in the car and runs the battery down. {Sidebar: Mr. Bug made the comment, "boy you must have been tired when you got home yesterday. You've never done this before." I blame the migraine.} I hooked up the jumper cables, got the car started and we were on our way.

{Top Left: Keys discovered locked in the car
Top Right: The police arrive to get the keys out
Middle Right: These guys aren't Gone in 60 Seconds
Bottom Right: Resorting to the Slim Jim
Bottom Left: Brand spanking new jumper cables and a back-up battery to get the party started}

We had lots of fun. Most unfortunately, my mom {a.k.a. The Grandma in Grandma Week} sustained a small injury while rollerskating on Saturday and wasn't able to make it to Lagoon. My sister, Robin and her husband, Jeremy, came and so did my brother, Andrew, and his wife, Ellen, in addition to my other two sisters, Julie and Jill, and their kids. We're quite the crew.

{Top Left: Frog, Julie, Cap'n Underpants, Mantis, Miss Butterfly, Grasshopper & LadyBug
Center Left: Cricket, Jill, Toad & Lizard Boy
Right: Cricket, LadyBug & Grasshopper
Bottom: Grasshopper, Toad, Andrew, Ellen, Mantis, Jeremy, Cap'n Underpants, Robin}

Lagoon has evolved quite a bit in the last 20 years. It has changed from a stationary carnival to almost a proper amusement park, complete with overpriced concessions {overpriced everything, really}, seven eight roller coasters and several dozen other rides and attractions. They even have a teacup ride, new this year.

{Top Left: Jeremy & Robin on the Paratrooper (ferris wheel on an angle)
Center Left: Capn' Underpants on Scamper (little bumper cars)
Bottom Left: Lizard Boy & Toad on the Dinosaur Drop
Top Right Grasshopper, Andrew & Ellen on the Tipsey Tea Cups
Bottom Center: Toad & Julie on The Bat (suspension coaster)
Bottom Right: Toad on Scamper}

We pretty much rode until we dropped. Julie and her crew and I with my two were pretty much the last ones out of the park at 10:30 pm, despite the fact that we both had to be up early to get back to real life the next morning.

{Top Left: Miss Butterfly & LadyBug on the Paratrooper
Second Left: Frog on Scamper
Third Left: Robin & Jeremy on The Bat
Top Right: Capn' Underpants & Lizard Boy on The Bat
Center Left: Selfie (me) and Lizard Boy on the Wooden Roller Coaster
Bottom Left: Toad, Lizard Boy and me on the walkway in line for Bombora
Bottom Right: LadyBug, Jeremy & Miss Butterfly on the Tipsey Tea Cups}

Thank you, Grandma, for a fun week! We can't wait until next year!

Grandma Week 2013: Day 4, What Matters Most

What is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should let them know. –Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, October 2008

Sunday is a day apart. The bouncy house gets put away, and outside activities are set aside. Our plans include going to church and spending time with the people who matter most. Family is what Grandma Week is all about. We've had so much fun the past few days; the Not-So-Little Bugs with their cousins and grandparents and me with my silibngs and parents and nieces and nephews. But we decided to come home and spend the afternoon with Mr. Bug, because we haven't seen him since Wednesday {and because I had a stupid migraine and hadn't slept in a bed for three days}. Mr. Bug, I love you.

And just in case you didn't know, Mom, Dad, Julie, Mark, Jill, Robin & Andrew, and all the cousins, I love you, too!

Grandma Week 2013: Day 3, Saturday Skate and Other Fun Stuff

If you don't fall every now and then, you're not trying hard enough! –Unknown

When I was little {and I say "little" instead of "when I was a kid," because I'm pretty sure I'm not a grown-up yet} we used to go roller skating every other Saturday morning. We'd usually go to the 10:00 session, pay our admission, get our hands stamped, rent our skates and spend the next two hours having a fabulous time rolling around the rink. There was a D.J. who would play music, dedicate skates to "couples only" {I forgot to ask my sister, Julie, if she remembers what what we did during those; I imagine we sat them out because we were only in elementary school}, led the hokey pokey, announced birthdays and had the skaters reverse direction every now and then to keep it interesting. Because we went so often, my dad had his own skates. He was pretty good, too. He could skate backwards and everything. So it was a bit nostalgic and a lot of fun to go roller skating during Grandma Week this year. My dad dusted off his skates and was the first one on the rink. He was skating like a pro from the word go.

{Top Left: Dad (a.k.a. Grandpa) lacing up his skates
Bottom Left: Still got it
Right: Skating backwards

Our family grew up in two sets; the big kids {me, Julie & Mark} and the little kids {Jill, Robin & Andrew}. My memories of Saturday skating trips mostly include my parents and the big kids. I think the last time I went skating was in the 80's. But the little kids went skating too. Jill, who is the oldest of the little kids, was quick to get on the rink and got her groove right back on.

{Top Left: Mantis
Second Down Left: Cap'n Underpants
Third Down Left: Grandma & Cricket
Bottom Left: Miss Butterfly
Top Center: Julie, Miss Butterfly, Jill
Center: Jill & Cricket
Right: Grasshopper
Bottom Right: Grandpa, Mantis, Grandma, Cricket & Julie}

We had a few spills. I think everyone fell down at least once. My skating skills were pretty rusty. I have a couple of new bruises, but it was fun to visit this childhood memory and share it with my kids. Grandpa spent time helping any of the grand kids who needed a bit of coaching. Everyone was on skates at one point or another and rink allowed scooters as well, so almost everyone switched off a bit. Miss Butterfly rented roller blades and kept up with the best of the skaters. Grasshopper preferred to scooter most of the time. And whatever the mode of transportation {see also, Baby Cricket in her stroller} everyone had a really fun time.

{Top Left: Lizard Boy
Center Left: Toad
Bottom Left: LadyBug & Grasshopper getting their skates on
Top Right: Grandpa, Julie, Jill, Frog, Grandma & Cricket
Bottom Right: LadyBug and me}

As is tradition, my mom also rented a bouncy house to go in the back yard. The kids bounced in it off and on all day long. The kids watched as the Guy With the Bouncy House got it set up. Toad came in to report that it had been staked to the ground, blown up and if it was OK with Grandma, it was OK with the Bouncy House Guy for them to jump in it. When Grandma gave her approval, a delighted Toad announced, The bouncy house is officially open!

{Top Left: Cap'n Underpants
Center Left: Mantis doing a flip
Bottom Left: Miss Butterfly
Top Right: Grasshopper, Frog & Mantis
Bottom Right Front Row: Cap'n Underpants, Mantis, Toad, Lizard
Back: Frog, Grasshopper, Miss Butterfly & LadyBug}

In between the bouncing and skating, we had cookies for breakfast {you can when you're at Grandma's, you know}, ate crêpes for brunch, stayed in our jammies until noon, had a good time chatting with each other, cooked hamburgers on the grill and ate ice cream bars and popsicles.

{Top Left: Frog
Top Right: Cricket & LadyBug
Bottom Left: Mantis, Cap'n Underpants, Grasshopper, Woodland Sprite, LadyBug, Toad, Miss Butterfly
Bottom Right: Pixie

Disclaimer: I used my iPhone for all the photos over the last few days, but I doubt that my fancy camera would have made much of a difference in the quality {well, maybe if I read the instruction manual} as it is hard to shoot a moving target. Obviously, we're going for quantity over quality here.

Grandma Week 2013: Day 2, Antelope Island

When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass and so, we are all connected in the great circle of life.
–Mufasa

Today was day two of Grandma Week, an annual staycation organized and hosted by my mom. Today we visited Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake State Park. It was pretty awesome.

{Top Left: A buffalo
Top Right: Antelope in the grass at the foreground, a buffalo on the salty/sandy beach and Farmington Bay beyond that
Bottom: A herd of buffalo}

There is an old ranch out on Antelope Island that was a working ranch up until a few years back. There were lots of interesting things to see. And of course, we had to stop for a few photos. Here are all the grandkids with my mom {the Grandma in Grandma Week} and dad {a.k.a. Grandpa}.

{In front of the tractor: LadyBug, Grandma, Baby Cricket, Pixie, Mantis, Cap'n Underpants
On the Tractor: Lizard Boy, Miss Butterfly, Toad (formerly Mouse), Frog (formerly Roly-Poly), Grasshopper, Woodland Sprite, Grandpa}

Here's my little family. I'm the oldest of the siblings.

{Top: Grasshopper's first day as a blacksmith's apprentice
Bottom Left: Elizabeth (a.k.a. LizzieBug, a.k.a. me) & LadyBug
Bottom Right: LadyBug, Elizabeth & Grasshopper}

This is my sister, Julie, who is next in birth order, with her little and not-so-little bugs.

{Top, Left to Right: Mantis, Julie, Frog (formerly Roly-Poly), Miss Butterfly, Cap'n Underpants
Bottom Left: Miss Butterfly
Bottom Right: Cap'n Underpants, Frog}

This is my brother Mark, and his two cuties. They are more mythical woodland creatures than your every day garden variety bugs.

{Left: Markus (formerly Mark), Pixie & Woodland Sprite
Top Right: Pixie
Bottom Right: Woodland Sprite & Pixie}

This is Jill, my twin-ten-years-younger, and her bugs.

{Top Left: Toad (formerly Mouse)
Top Right: Baby Cricket
Bottom: Toad, Jill, Cricket & Lizard Boy}

We have one more sister and one more brother, who don't have kids yet, but who are always welcome at Grandma Week and who will join us for some other activites in the next day or two.

After we explored the grounds a little, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in a grassy area shaded with large and very old trees. And then we explored the ranch house a bit. It was very old. I think the ranch was originally built in the 1850's. The ranch house had been updated somewhat, but looked and felt like it was from the early 1900's. There were lots of interesting things inside, not the least of which were these two old quilts. The Courthouse Steps quilt looked like it was about ready to fall apart. I kind of wanted to execute a rescue mission.

{Quilts in the Ranch House
Left: Snowball & four-patch, hand quilted with baptist fans
Right: Courthouse steps, tied}

And there were three old and beautiful sewing machines which I might have carried off if I could have gotten away with it. The White Rotary, in the top right, was in beautiful condition. I don't know if it worked, but I'm sure that if it were cleaned up it would look almost new.

{Sewing Machines in the Ranch House
Top Left: Bel Air
Top Right: White Rotary
Bottom: Singer Treadle}

After we finished at the ranch house, we headed out to explore The Great Salt Lake. The lake is at least twice as salty as the ocean and can be up to eight times as salty as the ocean in certain areas, depending on rainfall and evaporation. There are no outlets, so the salt just accumulates. In some areas there are 3 or 4 inches of salt sitting at the bottom of the lake. Brine flies and brine shrimp flourish.

{Left: LadyBug
Top Right: Lizard Boy with a brine shrimp on a rock
Bottom Right: Grasshopper's knobbly Hobbit feet, covered in sand}

The water was very shallow for a long way into the lake, and it was very warm. I loved Grasshopper's enthusiasm on this outing. He is kind of at an awkward age; too big to be a kid anymore but not big enough to be an adult. It was fun to see him enjoy himself without trying to figure out exactly where he fit in. He has his "teenage" moments, but the for the most part, he is a very mellow, helpful, kind, thoughful boy. I am amazed at what a neat person he is becoming.

{Grasshopper splashing in the Great Salt Lake, after which he pauses to wipe the salt off his glasses}

LadyBug loves the water. She, Miss Butterfly and Grasshopper were the first ones in the water and the last ones out.

{Top Left: LadyBug
Top Right: Miss Butterfly
Bottom: Grasshopper, Miss Butterfly, Mantis & LadyBug}

The kids all had a fun time floating in the salt water.

{Top Right: Lizard Boy
Top Left: Frog
Bottom: Cap'n Underpants}

When we were finished, even though we all had showers, we all still had a fine layer of salt on us after we dried.

Grandma Week 2013: Day 1, The Aquatic Center

Excuse me. I'm looking for the swimming pool. –Unknown

Every summer my mom hosts a fun staycation for her grandkids. Grasshopper and LadyBug start asking when it is going to be before school ends in the spring. In early July, she did had a few unofficial Grandma Week activities with some of the grandkids. My sister and her husband went to meet his parents in England at the end of their LDS Mission there and left their kids with my mom. She invited whoever could make it to do a couple of activities while my sister was gone. I wasn't able to make it because of work, but Grasshopper and Ladybug and some of their cousins road the light rail system, went watersliding and made a trip to the dollar store.

Today kicked off the official Grandma Week for this year. Swimming is always on the schedule. This year, we went to an outdoor aquatic center and had a super fun, splashy time. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

{Top Left: Mantis, Cap'n Underpants & Lizard Boy
Top Right: Jill & Baby Cricket
Bottom: Grasshopper, Miss Butterfly, LadyBug, Mantis & Cap'n Underpants}

{Top Left: Toad (formerly Mouse)
Top Right: Grasshopper
Bottom: Miss Butterfly, LadyBug & Grasshopper}

{Grasshopper jumping off the low and high dives}

{Left: LadyBug jumping off the low dive
Top Right: Miss Butterfly jumping off the low dive
Bottom Right: Cap'n Underpants doing a flip off the high dive}

{Left: Frog (formerly Roly-Poly)
Top Right: Lizard Boy
Bottom Right: LadyBug}

Travelogue: Day 5, Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming

Nature is the art of God. –Dante Alighieri

9:07 am
We're all pretty tired, a little stiff and worn out. We stayed in Teton Village, Wyoming last night. I took these pictures as we drove in yesterday evening, but I saved them for today because today is a travel day and this is going to be about as interesting as it gets. I forgot my good camera so I used my iPhone for everything. It was hit and miss, as far as quality goes, but I'm so glad I had it.

The bottom is a view of the Teton Mountains across Jackson Lake as we approached from the north east. The top right is a closer look at the Tetons after we passed the lake and the top left is an elk we stopped to observe. From a very safe distance. There were half-a-dozen cars stopped to take photos. This isn't uncommon through Yellowstone, and I guess the Grand Tetons National Park as well.

12:27 pm
Welcome to Jackson, Wyoming!

1:00 pm
We gassed up, cleaned the windows and just ate in the cleanest McDonald's we've ever seen. We still haven't won a million dollars, but we did pick up a free medium fries and a free McFlurry or Fruit and Yogurt Parfait today.

2:47 pm
Welcome to Idaho. LadyBug has the sillies, which, I suppose, is better than the grumpies. Between you and me, Grasshopper and LadyBug have done really well on the long car rides this trip has entailed.

3:53 pm
Welcome to Utah!

4:26 pm
Welcome to Wyoming! Wait. What? Another winding road, I suppose. Three states in three hours. Too funny.

6:59 pm
I missed the sign that said we'd crossed back over into Utah, but we're home again. Objective: bathroom.

8:48 pm
I think we have everything unpacked. The Not-So-Little Bugs all their dirty laundry sorted and got their suitcases put away in short order. They were highly motivated by the promise of screen time.

It's nice to be home.

We haven't done very many vacations, but this was nice and I haven't had my fill of visiting new places. Mr. Bug has been wanting to visit the West Coast for years now. I'm going to make it happen next summer. We'll start in lower Washington or upper Oregon and then head on down to California. The year after that, we're going to see Mt. Rushmore. And somewhere in there, we're squeezing in a trip to Disney World. That's a different kind of vacation, and we've been putting it off for years. My Disney rewards points {which will pay for about ⅔ of the trip} expire soonish. And the Not-So-Little Bugs will be grown up and gone before we know it.

Travelogue: Day 4, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

The National Parks: America’s best idea. –Ken Burns

8:47 am
Good morning, Montana! West Yellowstone is a fun touristy town, but today we're going to the main attraction — Yellowstone National Park. I can't wait!

10:56 am
We've checked out of our hotel, got everything loaded in the car and we're foraging for food. The continental breakfast left a lot to be desired, especially for the non-dairy eaters.

11:32 am
Food: check.
Gas: check.

And I've decided to go back and get those earrings made from moose antlers.

Pete & Vicki Gould go out in the spring and pick up antlers, which are naturally shed at that time. Then they make pretty things from them. Lots of the designs had a very distinct Native American flavor to them. I picked a fairly subtle pair, which I think will be good to wear any time. I love the pretty turquoise accent.

11:58 am
We're off on a treasure hunt. Mr. Bug thinks Forrest Fenn might have hidden a million dollars in gold near Hebgen Lake. It is in the opposite direction of Yellowstone Park, but it should be fun to have a look around.

12:38 pm
Hebgen Lake. Beautiful, no?

In 1959, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Hebgen Lake. Part of the highway that ran through the area fell right off into the lake. As a result of the shifting earth, the water in the lake appeared to tilt. Several cabins came off their foundations and were set adrift. The earthquake caused the capacity of the lake to increase by 2.6 billion gallons and moved the shoreline of the lake; boat docks were left high and dry on one side, while dry land on the opposite side became part of the lake.

12:46 pm
Mr. Bug has found a trail to a lookout over the river that flows from Hebgen Lake. He thinks that the "F" created by the change in terrain on the mountain behind him is a clue to the treasure. The river in the bottom right of the collage runs for miles and miles and is famous for fly fishing. As we walked along the trail to get there, we saw tons of the black and white butterflies and when one finally landed, I had to get a picture.

Mr. Bug was satisfied with this scouting trip and we're on the road again.

1:51 pm
We are now entering Yellowstone National Park. We have been warned to be bear aware.

1:54 pm
Welcome to Wyoming!

2:28 pm
We are at the Lower Geyser Basin. There is a raised wooden walkway that allows you to see all kinds of neat geothermal and hydrothermal activity. On the left, hot water has seeped up to ground level. The temperature is just right for bacterial growth, which gives it that pretty caramel color. The top right photo is of Celestine Spring, which, as you can see, is boiling hot {temperatures above 200˚}, and gives off a strong sulfurous odor. I did my best to keep notes, mental and written, but I'm not exactly sure what that bit of muddy water is called in the bottom right picture. But it was pretty interesting.

On the top left, the Bug Clan is standing in front of a morning geyser. It continuously spit hot water and was really fun to watch. The top right is Silex Spring. It is fairly deep. The orange on the ground behind the spring is bacteria growing in the warm water. On the bottom, the hot water seeps up through the ground and flows downhill. It kills any vegetation it comes in contact with. I think the white tree trunks are really pretty.

3:08 pm
1 mile to Old Faithful! So. Excited.

3:22 pm
We've found a parking spot and were going to the Old Faithful Museum and Information Station. Objective: bathroom.

3:24 pm
The signs say that Old Faithful is erupting in 1 minute. New objective: find Old Faithful.

3:25 pm
Just as we came into the museum, Old Faithful went off. This picture is through the observation window in the building. Amazing. When does it go off again?

4:36 pm
We've filled our bellies and had a look around the General Store. It's time to see if Old Faithful is on schedule.

4:53 pm
The signs say the next eruption should be about now.

Waiting . . .

4:56 pm
False start


5:11 pm
After several stops and starts, we finally get the big show.

5:24 pm
In the two areas we stopped at today, the Lower Geyser Basin and Old Faithful, we saw license plates from 30 of the 50 states: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii {yes, really. It is more common than you think}, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. We also saw plates from three provinces in Canada: Alberta, Québec and Saskatchewan. We weren't really even trying. We only read license plates from one side of the aisles we drove down. It was a fun game to play.

Time to move on {although I'd really love to stay and explore more}.

5:53 pm
Continental Divide, elevation 8262 ft above sea level. This is the point at which water on one side of the divide flows into the Pacific Ocean and water on the other side flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

5:56 pm
We just passed a group of bikers. They have saddle bags and it looks like they are in it for the long haul. I wonder how long they have been travelling and what their destination is, or if they are just enjoying today's journey. I'm also super impressed that they are chugging along up this hill instead of pushing their bikes.

5:58 pm
Squirrel. Or was it a chipmunk that just darted out in the road in front of us.

It is my turn to drive. I'm trying to keep myself occupied.

6:01 pm
Continental Divide, elevation 8391 ft above sea level. Weren't we just there?

6:13 pm
Continental Divide, elevation 7988 ft above sea level. Apparently, this road snakes back and forth a little.

6:26 pm
Yellowstone Lake. This is now the main screen on my iPhone.

The shoreline was only about 50 feet from the road, but it was a different world. The sound of the waves hitting the shore was so peaceful.

6:43 pm
Lewis Falls

6:59 pm
Now leaving Yellowstone National Park.

8:38 pm
We're staying in Grand Teton Village tonight. We've just checked into our hotel.

We went to Yellowstone when I was a kid. I'm not exactly sure how old I was; perhaps 7 or 8. We slept in a rough rider cabin, much to the annoyance of a squirrel who had squatter's rights on the place. The two things I remember most from that trip are seeing the mud pots and visiting the Morning Glory Pool. I wasn't sure what to expect for this trip and hoped we'd be able to see and do a lot while we were there. We didn't really have time to do Yellowstone justice on this trip and part of me is really sad about that. I forgot that Google knows everything, which is helpful for planning. Even so, we {meaning Mr. Bug} are kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants operation around here and only booked our hotels for last night and tonight five days ago {Mr. Bug's brother & his wife were in charge of the reunion and took care of plans for Monday & Tuesday}. Minimal planning notwithstanding, what we did see was absolutely amazing! I had a really good time and I would definitely love to come back. Soon.

Travelogue: Day 3, West Yellowstone, Montana

Yellowstone Park Bear Safety Guide: Carry a bell and ring it as you walk along the trail to avoid startling a bear. If they hear you coming they'll run away, but if you startle them they'll attack. Carry pepper spray as a precaution. If bears are in the area, you can identify which species are near by their scat. Black bear droppings smell like huckleberries. Grizzly bear droppings have bells in them and smell like pepper. –Adapted from a t-shirt in a souvenir shop

8:21 am
Wow. Vacation day three, already. It's going by too quickly. And I'm getting into some bad habits; staying up late and sleeping in late. It is hard to sleep in a strange bed, though.

Mr. Bug's brother is doing breakfast today. He's doing made-to order omelettes and they look fabulous. Each family has prepared a meal and it has all been really really good.

Mr. Bug's family reunion is over, so we'll be packing up and vacating the house we rented. I think everyone except for us is headed home. It has been a really fun couple of days.

{Mr. Bug's parents, Sondra and LaMar, LadyBug, Mr. Bug, Grasshopper, Elizabeth}

11:27 am
Mr. Bug's brother and his family live in Rexburg and have just bought a new house so we are going to stop by and see it since it's on the way.

1:23 pm
We stopped at the Wal-Mart in Idaho Falls for some travelling snacks and oil for the Trooper. In dog years, it's a 126 years old, so it needs a little TLC.

Grasshopper is officially addicted to McDonald's Apple Pies. Guess where we ate lunch? Still no Boardwalk. We have, however, won any breakfast sandwich except a McMuffin and an 8x8 Shutterfly album.

2:59 pm
Mr. Bug's brother's new house is beautiful. We had a potty break {there's just no getting around it} and we're back on the road. West Yellowstone, Montana, here we come!

Only 80 miles to go.

4:05 pm
I dozed off there for a bit. Did I miss it? Are we in Montana yet? No one knows. I probably missed it.

And I've learned my lesson. Dramamine 30 minutes before travel, no. matter. what. Otherwise, I end up with a migraine.

4:09 pm
Welcome to Montana! Yay! I didn't miss it. 10 miles to West Yellowstone.

4:17 pm
We have arrived in West Yellowstone, Montana — Destination: Adventure.

4:23 pm
The weather is really nice. It is slightly overcast with a nice breeze going. Grasshopper has decided that he's moving to Montana since it isn't as hot here {today} as it is at home.

5:02 pm
There is something irresistible about a hotel swimming pool.

7:13 pm
We're going to find some dinner and do some touristy things.

There were three other painted buffalo statues around town, like the one above. I wanted to stop and get a photo by each one, but no one was game. Grasshoppper would only consent to being in one photo while we were out. When they were in the pool earlier, he asked me to take his photo at least three times. Teenagers.

After we ate at Pete's Rocky Mountain Pizza and Pasta, LadyBug and I hit the souvenir shops pretty hard. Mr. Bug and Grasshopper were over that after we went into two places and spent quite a bit of time on the benches while LadyBug and I searched for the perfect trinkets to bring home. She settled on a Yellowstone pin. I haven't settled on anything, but I think I'll probably go back to one of the shops tomorrow and get some earrings made from moose antlers. They are made by a local woman who goes out and collects antlers that the moose have shed. She cuts and sands them, bleaches them and then hand paints them. They are a bit pricey at $40 a pair.

About 80% of what they sell in the shops are things you can get just about anywhere. One place had some really pretty earrings made from colored shells found in Hawaii. Another place was selling Russian nesting dolls. I'm sure that a fridge magnet that says, "Yellowstone" will find it's way into my suitcase, but that is a run-of-the-mill keepsake. I want to bring home something special too; I want to bring home something that I can only get here. And I want it to be something that I will use, not something that is going to collect dust. We won't be coming back here. I don't know if I will run across earrings like this again. But I want the night to think it over, because we still have a couple of days to go and who knows if there will be something better farther on down the road.

11:27 pm
Up past my bedtime again. But we're on vacation. Who has time for sleep? But I'm thinking it is going to be a little hard to get back into my routine next week.

Off to bed . . . looking forward to the next adventure.

Travelogue: Day 2, Tubing the Portneuf River, Idaho

What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt — it is sure to get where it is going, and doesn't want to go anywhere else. –Hal Boyle

12:24 am
Can't. turn. my. brain. off.

1:37 am
I miss my bed. A lot.

8:00 am
It's a good day. Day two of vacation!

I'm posting from my iPhone again today. It takes about four times as long.

Last night while I was cutting the watermelon for lunch today, two cute little girls, one being LadyBug and the other being her cousin, Amber, came and asked me if they could tell me a secret. I told them that they could. They asked if it could be somewhere else. I said it could. They led me to the back of the house, to the master bedroom and as we went, they asked me not to tell anyone else. Their excitement was almost tangible.

They led me through the bedroom into a small office. The room was completely empty, except for a built-in counter along one wall. There were no windows, and the floor had thick carpet on it. They pulled a rug, made from the same carpet, back to reveal a trap door in the floor, covered by the same carpet. Amber tapped out a knock and I heard footsteps. The door swung up and two more cousins, Emily and Kate, emerged from a secret basement.

Emily explained that they wanted an adult to know where they were so no one would worry. They had placed either five hand towels or five placemats on the floor in a circle. There was a plate of cookies in the center and a cup for each girl at her spot in the circle. They showed me thier secret knock, asked whether I had a flash light and if I could bring a fifth cousin down when she got back from running an errand with her dad. They told me to make sure to put the rug over the trapdoor and sent me on my way.

This was awesome on so many levels. LadyBug and her cousins had found one of those magical places that only exist in childhood. And something I had done made me the cool mom who they could trust with their secret.

8:41 am
Booyah! We're on vacation! It's only day two, but it is going by so quickly.

9:15 am
Breakfast: pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit.

9:50 am
We are going tubing on the Portneuf River today. We're in charge of lunch. I did a bit of prep yesterday, but I need to cook the bacon for sandwiches and slice the tomatoes. I think we're leaving about 10:30. That should be plenty of time to get the rest of the prep work done and the food packed.

10:09 am
Mr. Bug just started pulling food from the fridge to put it in the coolers. I forgot that I brought celery to cut into sticks and onions and cucumbers to slice for sandwiches. I'd better cut faster.

11:07 am
Portneuf River, here we come!

12:28 pm
It's a little bit like herding cats, but we've all been properly sun blocked, outfitted with life jackets, tubes have been rented, groups designated and we're getting in the water.

{LadyBug, Emily, Sarah, Amber}

Having too much fun to keep track of the time
Lunch was great and everyone is having so much fun.

Best thing about the day: splashing down the river.
Nothing you can really do about the day: the shortness or lack of length of the river run.
Worst thing about the day: sand in your shoes.

{Tyler & Grasshopper}

5:00 pm
Someone did keep track of the time, and our tube rental is up. We have to turn them back in and bid the river farewell. All good things must come to an end.

6:28 pm
Dinner: taco salad. Yum!

8:26 pm
Some of the folks are headed to the hot springs. Mr. Bug and the Not-So-Little Bugs don't want to go. But I think I will.

9:23 pm
Wow. That water is really warm. And this is supposed to be the cooler pool?

10:33 pm
That was really relaxing. I'm so glad I went.

Today was a really fun day! And tomorrow is another adventure.