Monday, July 30, 2012

Brian's Family Visit & Camping in the Parks









We had another, and last for the season, extended road trip.  We covered over 1800 miles on this one, as we worked our way to meet up with Brian's family.   We rendezvous-ed with them in Colorado, a half-point of sorts between Kansas and Montana.   All of Brian's immediate family came, and we settled into a nice townhome for our stay.    It was great to meet baby Jonah, whom Jake and Annie adored, and to let the cousins play and adults visit.   A long over-due visit, and we were glad it worked out for everyone.  On our trek to Colorado, we broke it up with camping stays at Clark Canyon Reservoir, MT and Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Utah.    Clark Canyon was typical, scenic Montana and Flaming Gorge is aptly named and was surprising in its unique rocky, steep, red features.   We also squeezed in a trip to Dinosaur National Park, where we were able to see an actual dinosaur quarry with real dinosaur bones.  Apparently it was a bend in a fast flowing river, and dinosaur carcasses collected there.    On the way home we camped at Grand Teton National Park, where we hiked, fished and swam.    We also saw the largest elk ever - it had antlers that were almost the size of its body, and it was quite majestic.    Then we travelled up John D Rockefeller Parkway to Yellowstone National Park.   We had to do the Old Faithful viewing, along with the masses of humanity.   Beyond the fascinating,  yet touristy, stops along the geysers, paint-points, and boiling waters, we hiked and fished some as well.  I got a true taste for the wild nature of Yellowstone when we walked off the beaten path, only to find a huge moose carcass that was spread across a small area.  Clearly killed and eaten by something stronger than it.   The footprints of various animals were all around it.  We also saw a coyote, tons of pronghorn antelope, bison and elk.    No bear, thankfully, though the black variety visit our backyard too much for my taste.   As always, the three national parks we visited did not disappoint.