Laowai

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
& the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Where the air is so pure, the zephyrs so free,
The breezes so balmy and light,
That I would not exchange my home on the range
For all of the cities so bright.

The girls and I had a wonderful vacation in the land where the buffalo roam. We joined Mom and Dad and saw all the out west sights that you just must see (and smell in the case of the geysers). We flew from Chicago to Bozeman and as we got on the plane the kind pilot invited the girls to check out the cockpit.

At the Bozeman airport we hugged a buffalo and we also noticed that we had been riding on the plane with our great Governor of Illinois Bruce Rauner. He was waiting for his luggage with his wife and his sweet dog. I learned that he owns lots of land in Montana and Wyoming and he’s very interested in the conservation of wide open spaces. I resisted taking his picture because I think he deserves a vacation and some peace from Illinois politics.

Mom and Dad had their car so we loaded up and headed straight to Yellowstone. The girls were excited to get to vacation with Baxter.

What an odd place Yellowstone is. Not just for it’s unique land features and geysers, but just how it works. People getting in and out of their cars to see the attractions, the animals that you are very likely to see, the warnings and the ignoring of warnings about wildlife. We had a fantastic time… but I would really like to see it in the off season someday. Seems like it might be easier to focus on the wonder of it all if it wasn’t quite so busy and hectic feeling. 

Bea and I pretended to be park rangers. We saw buffalo (babies too) and elk and pronghorns. We learned that the proper word is bison – but I like to say buffalo. And we learned that the antelope are actually called pronghorns and they run fast. Zoom. As much as we were hoping to we did not get to pet a bear or ride a moose. Ha.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the guided tour of The Old Faithful Inn. We learned all about the history of the building – about how it was built in just a year and how it was so, so close to burning down in wildfires not too long ago. It really feels like you are in a fort made of logs. I hope it can be preserved forever.

On our way out of Yellowstone we stopped at a quiet spot to cool our feet off. The girls had fun finding bits of obsidian with grandpa.

Next we went to Jackson, Wyoming and stayed at nearby Wilson. Here are some photos from our ride up in a chairlift and then our little hike at the top. It was a beautiful day with a strong breeze. We had a great view to The Tetons and Jackson Hole below. After this day we didn’t see the Teton range much because it was covered in a haze from some wildfires in Montana.

It was hot and sweaty and I just about melted, but we had to explored Jackson and take a stage coach ride. 

The next day Bea and I did something that I had been dreaming of doing for a long time. We went horseback riding together in Grand Teton National Park. Not only was it a fun and beautiful ride, but it was something I don’t think my Bea would have been brave enough to do in the past. I delighted in her smile the whole time.

Bea’s horse was named Lucky – mine was Cream Soda. After the ride we got to give the horses some treats and pet them. Our guide was super nice; she took a photo of us on the trail after my phone died and she even sent us a picture of Lucky as a colt. We learned that white horses are not born white (aside from albinos). So Lucky doesn’t look like herself in the photo but she sure looks cute.

The night before we had to leave we did one more super fun Western thing. We went for a chuck wagon ride. You ride out in a covered wagon, have a simple cowboy dinner on picnic tables and then you get to watch a cowboy show. Lots of slapstick humor that the girls loved and some great music too. On our way out we sat in the back of our wagon and I had a great view of the big strong horses pulling the wagon that was behind us. I want to be a cowgirl!

There’s mom in the photo above enjoying that silly cowboy humor. Mom was our guide on this trip – she knows the area really well and she took us to all the most fun places. I’m so thankful that we got to go with her and make so many great memories.

And now I just have one more summer vacation to report on before I’m caught up. Stay tuned for some Disney photos.