Wednesday, September 1st, 2009

^●●● Bozeman, Montana

We just got back from an absolutely wonderful visit to Bozeman to see my older brother.  For the first time, we were able to see his wonderful spread in Montana.  This has to be some of the most beautiful countryside in the United States!

I have not gone up north to see Ted in over ten years (since he lived in Laramie), so it was really nice to get to see him and his family and spend some time with them!  And this was our first time to meet Andrew - who is an incredible cutey.  They were very kind and took the whole week from their ministry to entertain us.  It was an awesome trip!! 

^●●● Museum of the Rockies

On our first day, Andrew had a visit with his birth mother downtown.  After we dropped him off, Laura, Ted, the boys and I visited Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies. Ted and Laura had never been there before, but they thought the kids might enjoy it. This museum is amazing.  Especially considering that it is located in a town of only 100,000.  It is a source of frustration to Dave that Austin is the only city in the top 50 largest cities in the US that does not have a planetarium.  This museum has a planetarium.   Note again Bozeman's size ;o)  The museum also has a large collection of dinosaur bones that were found in and around Montana.  It also has an outdoor "living history museum", complete with live volunteer actors.  We had so much fun here, that we returned the next day with Andrew! The Rube Goldberg like machine "Earthworks".   It is supposed to demonstrate the dynamics of the earth's energy.  Kyle and I watched this machine for at least half an hour!

The Living Museum, a reenactment of an 1880 homestead.  This house had the most beautiful gardens! Andrew hanging out with an iron horse!

^●●● Yellowstone National Park

Dave arrived in Bozeman late on Friday night.  On Saturday morning, we headed down to Yellowstone.  Ted and Laura could only spend the day there, but they convinced us to find a place to spend the night.  And I am so glad they did!

I have seen a lot of amazing places in my life, but I would have to say that Yellowstone tops the list!  Within ten minutes of entering the park, we saw a bald eagle.  During the next two days, we also saw a grizzly bear, elk and more bison than we could count.  And that is just the wildlife.  We also saw more geological features then I have ever seen.  Neither Dave or I had ever seen a geyser before, and we saw at least 50 geysers on our hikes.  Hot springs, amazing falls, canyons, mountains, and breathtaking river scenes.  We spent two days here, and could have spent a week. 

^●●● Old Faithful

What is probably considered the main attraction of Yellowstone National Park is really only one of any number of amazing sights!  We sat and ate a quick lunch while waiting for Old Faithful to erupt.  After seeing this amazing natural spectacle, it is hard to resist the urge to just clap!  Way to go, God! We then took a hike to some nearby springs and geysers.  We passed from gorgeous, green countryside to a barren wasteland straight out of a science fiction novel! By the time we finished, Old Faithful was due to erupt again, so we sat down and watched the spectacle again!

^●●● West Thumb

Ted, Laura and Andrew headed back to Bozeman after Old Faithful, while we went on to West Thumb.  West Thumb is another collection of geysers and hot springs.  While we were there, a large storm rolled across the lake!

^●●● Moose Falls

^●●● Grand Tetons

Our first stop on Sunday morning was to head south and check out the Grand Tetons.  The road between Flagg Ranch and Coulter Bay was torn up due to construction, so travel was a bit slower than expected.  We arrived at Coulter Bay, and stayed for awhile to check out the scenery, while the boys (you guessed it) threw rocks into the lake :o)

^●●● Another stop

Driving along Yellowstone is just amazing, you glance out your car window, and you'll see some of the most beautiful land in the world!  Because we had so much we wanted to see today, we couldn't stop every time our breath was taken away, but we couldn't resist this one spot.  The forest fire of 1988 depleted most of the forest in the area.  Here, the fire was so intense that it actually jumped this huge gorge.  One of the neat things of this trip was seeing mother-nature at work.  Already, small forest of saplings (about 20 feet high) were replacing the burnt down trees.  In another twenty to forty years, the forest will be renewed!

^●●● Midway Geyser Basin

Dave wanted to check out the Upper Geyser basin, which we had passed on our way to Old Faithful, but hadn't stopped to check out.  So we backtracked a bit in the morning to return to the midway geyser basin. Located here was the Grand Prismatic Spring.  We took a short hike around the spring which flowed out to the Firepot river.  With the unusual colors and steam, it really did feel as though we were walking on a different planet!

^●●● Morning Glory Hike

After visiting the Midway Geyser Basin, we headed back to the Old Faithful Lodge.  We had seen a picture of the Morning Glory hot spring and really wanted to visit it.  It was located in the same area as Old Faithful, but along a path that we hadn't visited the previous day. The hike to Morning Glory was two miles, round trip, which was a little longer than we realized.  But along the way we saw some of the most amazing geysers.  In some ways, these geysers were even neater than Old Faithful, because we were closer and there were less people.  The Sawmill geyser seems to bubble constantly.  We stayed and watched it for at least twenty minutes.  We were so close that Dylan even got wet!  Also along the way, we chanced upon the eruption of the Oblong geyser - a less regular geyser.  Some geysers blow very regularly, and others may only go once every couple of years (depending on the underground shifts and activity).  Kyle really wanted to stay and wait for Giant Geyser. But considering the last eruption was in 2001, we finally convinced him to move on.  At the very end of the hike was Morning Glory.  Apparently this was originally named because of its violet, blue color.  Over time, people have thrown trash and debris down the geyser, stopping it up, and cooling the pool off.  The colors have changed to more green and orange, but it still is one of the most beautiful pools we saw!

A less common eruption of Oblong Geyser Kyle and I watching Oblong! Morning Glory!

^●●● Upper and Lower Falls

One of the most amazing things about Yellowstone is how many different landscapes you can see along the road.  Yellowstone is home to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, maybe smaller than the main Grand Canyon, but still impressive in its views!

Within the Grand Canyon are Upper and Lower Falls.  We pulled off the road and had an amazing view of the two beautiful falls.  We walked down Uncle Tom's trail, over 326 steel steps that led us down to the bottom of the 304 foot waterfall.  With my fear of heights, I had a harder time on the way down.  Dave had a harder time on the way up due to the climb. The boys, of course,  skipped along the trail like billy goats :o)

^●●● Mammoth Springs

This was our last stop in Yellowstone for the day.  We took another small hike around the springs despite our feet crying for relief. Over all we probably hiked 7 miles in the two days! But we couldn't miss this last scene!  As elsewhere in the park, the super hot temps of the springs harbor a microbial life that gives off the brilliant colors.

^●●● Virginia City and Nevada City

On Monday, we reunited with Ted's family and headed to Virginia City, an old mining town that has been partially restored.  The highlight of this trip was taking a ride on an old steam train.  The train only went two miles, but the boys (including Andrew) got a huge kick out of it!  The train deposited us in another living history town, which was decorated in 1880s style.  After an hour or two of touring the town, the train returned us to Virginia City.  The highlight for the boys was when Aunt Laura took them into the Old Time Candy Shoppe, and let them pick anything they wanted.  Kyle picked out a drill press lolly pop about two feet long, and Dylan picked out a little bit of everything!

^●●● Palisades Falls

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

^●●● Old and New

The boys and I and a neighbor friend went to Peter Pan Mini-golf.  This place has been here for 50 years, and I don't think they have changed much since then.  Very nostalgic and fun! I played one round of golf, the boys played two until the heat finally forced us to quit!

Nothing beats a summer snow cone tongue :o)

The day was really starting to heat up, so after catching a quick lunch, we went across the street to the new Butler Park.  Even though this place is only two years old, it totally feels like Austin!  The boys had a great time splashing around in the fountains, and playing in the small water pools.  A great way to spend a 104 degree day!

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

^●●● Blazer Tag

Every week, I give one of the boys a chance to pick our "adventure". This week, Dylan picked mini-golf - but unfortunately, we had our one day of rain for the summer, and the place was closed.  They were a bit disappointed, until we decided we'd go to Blazer Tag instead.

Saturday, June 27th 2009

^●●● UT Tower

When Dave and I were in school, the UT Tower observation deck was closed to visitors.  This was largely due to a one Mr. Charles Whitman who brought a pile of guns up there in August of 1966 and killed 14 people.  Thirty three years later, the Tower was opened back up to visitors (though it now includes a metal detector and three armed guards).

Since Dave and I have never been up to the observation deck, we decided to take the boys.  It is always a sort of strange juxtaposition to be on campus with the boys.  We are on this incredibly familiar terrain, and yet having the boys with us, (when children had not even been a distant thought when we lived there) is always strange.

But seeing the city from the top of the tower was a lot of fun.  The tour included a brief history of the tower, and then thirty minutes for the kids to run around the top.

Afterwards, we went bowling at the UT Union. 

	Looking down 27 flights of stairs The clock face is 15 feet tall!
Dylan and Aidan showing their longhorn spirit!	Kyle showing off his lack of fear of heights!

Thursday, June 18th 2009

^●●● Cub Scout Resident Camp

One week after day camp, Dave and the boys and I headed to Cub World in Bastrop for three days (two nights) of overnight camping at Resident Camp.  This was a whole lot of fun  - a lot more fun than day camp, largely because Dave was there, and I was only responsible for my two boys (not eleven others!)

It was your typical camp experience with archery, BB guns, swimming,  fishing, boating, crafts and of course, bad food :o)  Despite the 100+ degree days, we all had a lot of fun!

Paddle boating! To make this activity more entertaining, the scouts encouraged "splash wars".  In 100 degree heat, I'd say anyone who got wet won!	The scouts used the "Chicken Dance" to call all the boys together for dinner.  Dylan and Kyle loved it and would come running as fast as they could!
One night, a ranger from McKinney Roughs came, and brought a few friends!
Dylan in the "mine shaft"	Kyle showing off his bulls eye!
	Dylan and Kyle were in the "Panthers",  a group of seven cubs plus a couple of siblings. We went mid-week, and the overall camp size was a third of the weekend sessions.  Because of the small group size, the boys got a lot more time on the ranges, and a lot less time standing in the dining line.  We will definitely choose a mid-week session if we go back next year!

Wednesday, June 10th 2009

^●●● Cub Scout Day Camp

Wow.  I just spent the last three days outside in 100 degree heat from 7:30 in the morning until 5:30 at night for Cub Scout Day Camp.  I was the den leader for 11 Webelos boys.  The boys spent their days shooting arrows, splashing down a water slide, fishing, shooting BBs, and lots more.  Dylan and Kyle had a great time.  I ... well, I survived.

Friday, June 5th 2009

^●●● Austin Children's Museum

I let the boys choose which "summer adventure" they would like to do first - and they chose the Austin Children's Museum.  Kyle has been begging to go there for months! We have been there many times before, and they always have a great time.  Unfortunately, we happened to pick the week that the museum was between main attractions, but the boys still had a great time playing in the kitchen, with the blocks, going down the slide and making spin art and slime!

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

^●●● School's Out for Summer!!

Today was the last day of school!! Yahoo!!  The boys had a busy week.  Yesterday, Dylan had his end of school party - a Luau.  And today, both of the boys spent the morning visiting the school's "Three Ring Circus".  I volunteered with Kyle's class and then stayed to set up Kyle's party.  Kyle's class had a "water day" and spent the afternoon shooting each other with water guns, eating cake, and running through a slip and slide.

^●●● And with school out - it is time for ... summer hair!

Daddy gave Kyle a buzz cut!  And I think it looks super cute!  Just perfect for hot summer days!

Saturday, May 30th 2009

^●●● Hamilton Pool

Although summer has not officially started (meaning school is still in session for three more days), I thought I'd start a new blog leaf for "Summer" since today we enjoyed our first "Summer" adventure from my list of top 25 (link).

We schedule a cub scout hike to the Pedernales river, and then took a dip in the cool waters of the pool afterwards.  Only two other cubs showed up for the hike, but we had a great time anyway!! While standing beside the pool, I watched a huge water snake swim right past a group of swimmers.  But after swimming in Town Lake last weekend, I felt somewhat fearless, and Kyle and I decided to get in anyway!