Don't have time to read all the blogs from our great trip. Take a three-minute "View master" look back at our 12-day adventure to Wyoming & Montana. You should let the video load for a minute or so before hitting "play."
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This group of boys had a minor run-in with the Cody law.
We had a busy day of adventures as we left Yellowstone National Park for Cody, Wyoming. We took the park road out of Yellowstone that passes through Lamar Valley which is known for its abundant wildlife. We weren't disappointed with our viewings. Today we saw another bear (the second one of the trip - the fourth if you count the two cubs we saw with their mama a few days earlier. We also saw antelope and great herds of bison including a couple really close up. As we left the park boundary we took the Beartooth Scenic Byway up to Cooke City, Montana where we stopped for one of the boys' compliment treats at the Cooke City General Store which dates back over a hundred years. After our treat we took the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway across Indian Pass (8,000 feet elevation) down to Cody. We checked into the Moose Creek Lodge in Cody and then immediately drove out to the Buffalo Bill Dam to check it out. On the way back into town we stopped at the Tecumseh Trading Post which features an incredible private museum of the Old West including a miniature representation of the entire history of the West. The boys found it pretty amazing. They also loved the stuff for sale in the Trading Post. We returned to our motel and walked the two blocks to downtown where we witnessed the Cody Cowboys Shootout, a Cody tradition. It takes place in front of the historic Irma Hotel - Buffalo Bill's hotel he built in honor of his daughter. We gave the boys money for dinner and they could, in small groups, choose their own place for dinner. One group actually decided to pool their money and eat in the Hotel Irma dining room. After dinner, boys had time to explore some of downtown Cody. It was a busy day and the kids are really enjoying themselves. It should also be noted that the boys picked up two compliments today. The manager of the motel in Gardiner said they were great as did the store clerk at the Cooke City General Store. So that's five total compliments this trip and that sets a MTA record. Click to see photos from our adventure. We spent all day today exploring many of the geyser basins in Yellowstone. We saw geysers, mud pots, bubbling rivers, and more. It's hard to describe these geothermal features except to say they are totally fascinating. Kids enjoyed the short hikes on boardwalks around the various features. Many of these are spouting water that's over the boiling point. We also had a great wildlife viewing today including Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, bison, and elk. After our 8 hours in the park, we had one of our compliment treats back in Gardiner, and then we had a big crowd in the pool. It was another great day. No compliments today, but the kids are still staying reasonably calm. Now it's time to go out to dinner. Tomorrow we're off to Cody. Click to see photos from our big adventure. Check out this short video of one of the geothermal features.Today was our first full day in Yellowstone National Park and it was fantastic! We were treated to an amazing assortment of wildlife including seeing elk, pronghorn antelope, bison, deer, ground squirrel, and...here's the best...a mama bear and two cubs. It was incredible. Don't worry moms, we were actually in the vans when we saw the bears - but we were treated to that view from 30 feet away. Check out the photo links to see the mom with one of her cubs. We were all pumped to see this much wildlife in one day.
We had a couple of hikes today - one very short trip out to Artist's Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. You'll see the photos in the set from today's adventures. And after that hike we took a longer one along the Uncle Tom's trail that followed the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone down for a closer view of the river. Some boys went the full trail and others only part way. All had a good time. We also saw a petrified tree! We did stop at the general store at Roosevelt Lodge to give the boys their first treat earned for garnering those compliments. We didn't get any compliments today, but believe me - behavior is fantastic. Click to see the photos from today's events. Forget the photo on the left for now, I'll get back to that. Today I'll start with our Compliment Tally. Are you ready? TWO!! The boys received a gushing compliment from two staff members at the Colter Bay Visitor Center in the Grand Teton National Park. They couldn't tell us enough about how wonderful our boys had been! That should have been great news alone, but later that evening our waiter at dinner in Gardiner, Montana also gave the boys a sincere compliment. So that's three compliments in three days (two in this one day) -- and that means three treats coming. We'll start those today (Wednesday) Yesterday was a day of travel and site-seeing. We left our motel after a big breakfast at a restaurant and started to make the 110 mile or so journey to Gardiner. This is a slow drive since it's coming through the Grand Teton National Park, John Rockefeller Parkway, and Yellowstone National Park. So traffic moves slowly and we're stopping. We stopped at that visitor center at Colter Bay and this was the first time many of the boys bought souvenirs, so leader Jeff (our banker) had a busy hour handling transactions. We then headed on up the parkway toward Yellowstone when it wasn't long before we saw the first herd of bison. That made quite an impression - and within a minute so an antelope. Later on we saw a few more bison, and look forward to seeing more great wildlife as we explore Yellowstone over the next few days. After our "trail" lunch at Lewis Lake, we went to the Old Faithful area - which, as you can imagine, is very crowded with tourists - so our group was hardly noticeable. We had just missed one eruption, so we had a little over an hour to explore the visitor center there including more souvenir stalking. Then it was time for the next eruption of Yellowstone's most famous geyser. After leaving, we headed through the northern section of the park (which includes the geyser basin) to our motel home for the next four nights in Gardiner, MT where we walked to dinner through the small town along the Yellowstone River where we enjoyed great pizza at the K-Bar - a Gardiner landmark since 1953. Click to see more photos from Wednesday's adventures. Fifth-year camper Mark has a comment for you in this video...
Our excitement has been building for months and tomorrow morning it all reaches a frenzy as we meet the boys at the airport. We're off for our 12-day adventure to the mountains of Wyoming & Montana including stays in Jackson, Cody, and Dubois in Wyoming and Gardiner in Montana. We'll hike, explore, raft, horseback ride, geocache, take in a rodeo, a couple museums, a tram, a chuck wagon dinner...and a whole lot more. Everything is a highlight on this trip, but getting to hike in the Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks is truly magical.
Check this blog out each day for updates on our adventures including photo or two and a link to a full set of photos from the activities. Thanks to all the parents and grandparents for your support. We're finally on the downhill run to start our uphill climbs out in Wyoming & Montana. Less than six months from now we'll be flying into Jackson, Wyoming where the boys will be greeted by this view. Our motels are booked (all with heated pools), our vans are reserved, and soon I'll make flight arrangements and start arranging some of our adventures like rafting on the Yellowstone River. The trip is full and I'm excited that our leadership is set as well. Ray Thompson will be back for his fifth straight MTA trip and Howard Yarborough will be back for his fourth trip, his third with me to this great destination. Our newest staff member will be Jeff Peisner, an eighth-grade teacher at Carolina Day. I doubt you'll recognize any of the boys in this photo as they're almost four years older now...but three of these guys are returning on this trip for their second go in Wyoming & Montana and that's especially exciting. And did anyone mention 2013? I can barely go a day without being asked about our 2013 trips. Relax...that info will be going out within the next ten days and complete details will be posted on this website. |
Mark LevinI never imagined that when I started taking kids on travel trips in 1978 that I would still be taking trips today! It has been a great ride and I'm looking forward to more. Archives
March 2021
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