Steve and I are taking advantage of this afternoon to catch up on the last of the Olympics before the closing ceremony tonight. We have enjoyed following some of our teams (and Hayden and Jessica's) through their competitions and have loved the tivo feature to fast forward thru the commercials and the longevity of the events but still enjoy the highlights. But now is also a good time to catch everyone up on our latest trip instead of just the pictures we have sent out. Steve and I both start school tomorrow and so new adventures will be starting.
So back to the beginning of August:
Thursday (July 31)
Steve and I pack the Audi and take off to Grace for our first stop to visit Grandma and Grandpa Clegg. We fill up the car for the first time at $4.09 a gallon in Logan, a fabulous gas price for Utah. We expected this to be our cheapest tank since we figured the price would climb higher and higher. We were very pleased to watch the gas price sink to at least $.50 cheaper a gallon. But while at grace, Steve and I visited with Grandma and Grandpa, went and took a swim in the pond, enjoyed Stuart and Kendrick coming over as well that night, ate some fresh raspberries, and more visiting. We took off around noon to meet up with the family in the Teton's.
Friday (Aug 1)
We met up with the family in the Tetons after following Stuart and Kendrick alternating on the motorbike. It was a pretty drive from Grace to Jackson and just as great in the park. We set up camp and enjoyed a cold dinner of sandwiches. The boys all grabbed suits and we walked down to the lake in the dark. The boys (Steve, Larsen, Boston, Stuart) changed in the bushes and then crept into the dark lake. It was cold but refreshing.
Saturday (Aug 2)
Up with sun, as we usually are camping, we packed the car again including a few more items mom and dad supplied us with for our trip. We acquired a sleeping mat and the fridge cooler to help live in our car for the next week. We all headed down to the lake again where a few of us washed our hairs in a swim and Kendrick and Larsen swam out to the buoy. It was just fun to be with the family and to enjoy the majestic scene of the Tetons. After lunch together we split, us heading into Yellowstone and the rest of the family making their way into Jackson to fix the bike and go back through grace. Steve and I drove up into Yellowstone. We loved the drive and chose to go out of our way to see Old Faithful and a few other geothermal sites. However, we missed a turnoff and didn't realize it until 30 miles through the park and just outside the Montana border. So we definitely saw more in Yellowstone than we expected. We also got held up behind a herd of bison that were wandering on and off the road and in between cars. We were eager to get out of the park with lots and lots of tourists and hoping to find a nice place to camp. After we drove through several forest fires, one that was on both sides of us and protected by firefighters, we came into buffalo bill state park and we camped on the edge of a reservoirs.
Sunday (Aug 3)
Driving again. We set a goal to attend church in Sheridan WY and had to keep driving to get there on time, we barely made Sacrament meeting. We drove through some really pretty areas though and I had steve taking pictures of some fault lines and mountain formations that I thought my students would benefit from. We took a detour to see devils tour and then got back on track to see Mount Rushmore before we camped in the Badlands. We noticed more and more bikers as we came into Rapid city. Once we got there, just outside of Mount Rushmore, we realized there was a bike rally taking place and the city and all the roads were just crawling with Harley davidsons. It was really incredible to see so many bikes and bikers all in one place. We did get to see mount rushmore though and really thought that was amazing. We made our way into Badlands, enjoyed a drive though those interesting landforms and then camped in the park. That night we were attacked by mosquitoes so we set up camp as soon as possible and jumped into the tent.
Monday (Aug 4)
We woke up to a huge black storm cloud brewing overhead. It was a day on the road with only Rochester and Mom and Dad Greene to look forward to so we wasted no time packing and hitting the road. We made time for a quick shower from our portable shower at the edge of a picnic table and then we were comfortable driving again. I loved seeing the prairie through South Dakota and thought of Laura, Ma, Pa, Mary and Carrie crossing those prairies. We even saw a sod hut. The black storm clouds eventually caught us as well and we were soon driving in a blinding rain storm. Steve kept his eyes on the yellow line on the side of the road and stayed as close to it as possible. It was one of the worst rain storms I am have ever been in. It was as bad as some of the blizzards we have driving in. After twenty minutes we broke through the waterfall and made our way through more prairie and the beginnings of corn fields. We crossed over into minnesota about midday and really enjoyed the greenery. We pulled into Rochester around 4 where we checked into the motel, showered and then picked Mom and dad Greene up from the airport. Dad Greene was visiting Mayo clinic for some medical testing so it was fun to spend time with them in Rochester. We went to dinner at a very unique restaurant . We enjoyed a wide range of food from shrimp chips or puffs to roasted tomatoes, chicken marsala pizza, cheese and fruit to fabulous desserts. one of the highlights or interesting experiences at the restaurant was a swarm of secret serviceman filling the sidewalks and then the restaraunt. We were later told the president of Iran was eating in the same place in a private room. It was because of his party that we were not able to get the cheese we really wanted because he ordered it all. :) It was a cool experience though.
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And I am stopping there for tonight. Steve and I both have school in the morning and need to get to bed. Much love to all of you and Congratulations to the Hungarian water polo team for taking gold. Is hungary enjoying that Hayden? Once again...We love you all
Anna and Steve
So back to the beginning of August:
Thursday (July 31)
Steve and I pack the Audi and take off to Grace for our first stop to visit Grandma and Grandpa Clegg. We fill up the car for the first time at $4.09 a gallon in Logan, a fabulous gas price for Utah. We expected this to be our cheapest tank since we figured the price would climb higher and higher. We were very pleased to watch the gas price sink to at least $.50 cheaper a gallon. But while at grace, Steve and I visited with Grandma and Grandpa, went and took a swim in the pond, enjoyed Stuart and Kendrick coming over as well that night, ate some fresh raspberries, and more visiting. We took off around noon to meet up with the family in the Teton's.
Friday (Aug 1)
We met up with the family in the Tetons after following Stuart and Kendrick alternating on the motorbike. It was a pretty drive from Grace to Jackson and just as great in the park. We set up camp and enjoyed a cold dinner of sandwiches. The boys all grabbed suits and we walked down to the lake in the dark. The boys (Steve, Larsen, Boston, Stuart) changed in the bushes and then crept into the dark lake. It was cold but refreshing.
Saturday (Aug 2)
Up with sun, as we usually are camping, we packed the car again including a few more items mom and dad supplied us with for our trip. We acquired a sleeping mat and the fridge cooler to help live in our car for the next week. We all headed down to the lake again where a few of us washed our hairs in a swim and Kendrick and Larsen swam out to the buoy. It was just fun to be with the family and to enjoy the majestic scene of the Tetons. After lunch together we split, us heading into Yellowstone and the rest of the family making their way into Jackson to fix the bike and go back through grace. Steve and I drove up into Yellowstone. We loved the drive and chose to go out of our way to see Old Faithful and a few other geothermal sites. However, we missed a turnoff and didn't realize it until 30 miles through the park and just outside the Montana border. So we definitely saw more in Yellowstone than we expected. We also got held up behind a herd of bison that were wandering on and off the road and in between cars. We were eager to get out of the park with lots and lots of tourists and hoping to find a nice place to camp. After we drove through several forest fires, one that was on both sides of us and protected by firefighters, we came into buffalo bill state park and we camped on the edge of a reservoirs.
Sunday (Aug 3)
Driving again. We set a goal to attend church in Sheridan WY and had to keep driving to get there on time, we barely made Sacrament meeting. We drove through some really pretty areas though and I had steve taking pictures of some fault lines and mountain formations that I thought my students would benefit from. We took a detour to see devils tour and then got back on track to see Mount Rushmore before we camped in the Badlands. We noticed more and more bikers as we came into Rapid city. Once we got there, just outside of Mount Rushmore, we realized there was a bike rally taking place and the city and all the roads were just crawling with Harley davidsons. It was really incredible to see so many bikes and bikers all in one place. We did get to see mount rushmore though and really thought that was amazing. We made our way into Badlands, enjoyed a drive though those interesting landforms and then camped in the park. That night we were attacked by mosquitoes so we set up camp as soon as possible and jumped into the tent.
Monday (Aug 4)
We woke up to a huge black storm cloud brewing overhead. It was a day on the road with only Rochester and Mom and Dad Greene to look forward to so we wasted no time packing and hitting the road. We made time for a quick shower from our portable shower at the edge of a picnic table and then we were comfortable driving again. I loved seeing the prairie through South Dakota and thought of Laura, Ma, Pa, Mary and Carrie crossing those prairies. We even saw a sod hut. The black storm clouds eventually caught us as well and we were soon driving in a blinding rain storm. Steve kept his eyes on the yellow line on the side of the road and stayed as close to it as possible. It was one of the worst rain storms I am have ever been in. It was as bad as some of the blizzards we have driving in. After twenty minutes we broke through the waterfall and made our way through more prairie and the beginnings of corn fields. We crossed over into minnesota about midday and really enjoyed the greenery. We pulled into Rochester around 4 where we checked into the motel, showered and then picked Mom and dad Greene up from the airport. Dad Greene was visiting Mayo clinic for some medical testing so it was fun to spend time with them in Rochester. We went to dinner at a very unique restaurant . We enjoyed a wide range of food from shrimp chips or puffs to roasted tomatoes, chicken marsala pizza, cheese and fruit to fabulous desserts. one of the highlights or interesting experiences at the restaurant was a swarm of secret serviceman filling the sidewalks and then the restaraunt. We were later told the president of Iran was eating in the same place in a private room. It was because of his party that we were not able to get the cheese we really wanted because he ordered it all. :) It was a cool experience though.
-
And I am stopping there for tonight. Steve and I both have school in the morning and need to get to bed. Much love to all of you and Congratulations to the Hungarian water polo team for taking gold. Is hungary enjoying that Hayden? Once again...We love you all
Anna and Steve
