We recently returned from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. We flew in through
SLC which made it possible to have wonderful visits with Great Grandparents Tanner and Great Grandpa Hunt, Jolene, Jennifer, Daniel, Cami and Shawn, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Shawn as well as a great get together of Tanner-side cousins. A happy coincidence occurred as our trip overlapped with Utah visits of my parents and Melissa, Andy, Jessica and baby Dean, it was quite a get together.
We drove up through Blackfoot and I got to show off Grandpa and Grandma's house (we got to get out and swing in the backyard). Ralph go to show off many of the places he lived and worked on his mission in Sugar City and Jackson Hole.
We of course got to see Old Faithful and a funny thing happened there. Some back story- The day before was very sunny so Jackson wore his sunglasses (which I was amazed he didn't touch and left on his face) and we got comments from almost every person we passed on them. The next day at Old Faithful was really cold so J was all bundled up. A couple of people commented on how cute he was and then asked "He isn't the little boy with the sunglasses is he?" Jackson had become something of a celebrity in Yellowstone (much like the animals everyone stops in the road to see).
We got to stay in Mammoth Hot Springs Inn where a bull elk and his harem grazed outside our window. We also spotted deer, moosen and plenty of buffalo (Ralph won our animal spying contest). A funny thing happen while I was driving- We crossed several hikes that were closed due to bear activity and it also had been raining- I could swear
I was hearing a grumbling, rumbling, roaring of a bear in the close distance. I was a little freaked out as I told Ralph "I hear a bear! and it'a Angry!" As soon as I said it I realized the windshield wipers were still on, even though it had stopped raining and had begun to make strange scraping noises. So that was our joke the rest of the trip "I hear a bear and it's angry" (its almost as good a the van is buffalo mishap of years ago).
Our trip ended with trip back to BYU. (It was interesting to think with all the time we have both spent there- it was our first time knowingly being on Campus together). We attended a great alumni dinner for the Chemical Engineering department, ate at JDawgs new indoor location, shopped the bookstore and scored big on a summer camps T-shirt sale.
