Sit back and relax, folks, because I’m about to bore AMAZE you with my wild west vacation highs and lows! We spent last week in Wyoming and Montana and here’s how it went.
The Highs
My family of four had a great time tooling around the lower loop of Yellowstone National Park. We saw Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and plenty of wild life.
My favorite moment in the park might have been when we spotted a brown dot on a hill in Hayden Valley. We pulled over and each spent at least 5 minutes staring through binoculars at a teeny, tiny buffalo about 2 miles away. When our excitement finally abated, we got in the car, drove 30 seconds around a corner, and spent the next hour in a bison traffic jam observing dozens of stately beasts mere feet away!
We also spent a few days with my parents at their summer home near Philipsburg, Montana. The kids got to play with their cousins and the adults spent time hanging out (and drinking beer). We mined for sapphires, visited a ghost town, played on the lake, and swam in the local hot springs. A great time!
And The Lows
Ironically, the worst things to happen to us occurred when our vacation was over. First, we forgot our seven-year-old’s backless booster seat in the rental car. Eh. It was cheaper to buy a new one for $20 than try to track down and ship the old one!
Second, the darn battery on the smoke detector went out and beeped every 30 seconds starting at 7 am our first morning home. Picture me in my sleep-deprived, still-on-Mountain-time state standing under every smoke detector in the house until I figured out which one was beeping. Then I ripped that sucker from the ceiling and cursed it before I tried (unsuccessfully) to crawl back into bed for a few more minutes.
Good times!
What about you?
Did you take a vacation this summer? How was it? What’s the wildest animal you’ve ever seen up close? Or how do you feel about smoke detector batteries?
I’m glad you were able to see bison. When I drove to Yellowstone with my hubby, we pulled over because a bunch of people were all gathered around looking at, well, nothing in particular. Bunch of smartalecks probably.
Smoke detector batteries should last indefinitely. Seriously. Or at least trigger a light so you know which one needs a new battery. It’s 2014, and we don’t at least have that?
Frankie Laursen recently posted…To My Son at the Start of 2nd Grade
I agree about being lucky. I know I’ve driven through Yellowstone before and not been so lucky. My daughter had an animal check list from the Ranger Station and checked off so many things. Only big ticket animal we didn’t see was a bear! Something to look for in future trips.
And the smoke detector cracks me up because it’s sort of new-fangled. It’s actually wired to the electricity and it was the *back-up* battery that died. Shouldn’t it just flash or something less annoying if it’s just a back-up? It’s not like the whole thing was going to fail because the back-up battery went out! I yi yi.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Our Wild West Vacation Highs and Lows
We’re planning on going to Yellowstone next summer. I’ll be sure to look around the corner for that big heard of bison!
Colleen @MommieDaze recently posted…Healthy Back-to-school #SnackAttactics! and Door-to-Door Organics Giveaway
Yes! Can’t wait to hear about your adventure, too. I bet you’re going in that sweet pop-up trailer in which you toured around Michigan this summer. 🙂
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Blast Off for Fun with Space Scouts – Review and #Giveaway!
Sounds like a great trip! We just got back from a week long vacation to the Outer Banks, and it was glorious. In part because my extended family was super helpful with my toddler, giving my husband and I a chance to actually relax! WHOA!
Katie @ Pick Any Two recently posted…Letter To My Son On His Second Birthday
I would love to go back to Yellowstone someday. My parents took us when we were kids, but we haven’t taken our own kids. We are in Alaska right now and I really am hoping to see some wildlife. I desperately want to see a moose. And if not a moose, then a bear. But not up close…I don’t want to be face to face. Of course we have seen nothing so far. Cross your fingers for me.
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life recently posted…A Thank You to a Good Neighbor