Technical Difficulties

Grrrr. Arrrrgh!

Ok guys, I'm having trouble uploading my pics here. I'm just going to wait until I get home (which will be Monday) and do it then. I might try earlier, but just in case I can't, here's my disclaimer.

I might also upload a bunch to Facebook, or for those of you who don't facebook, I'll create an album on photobucket or something. That'll be for my friend Sue

who said, "Take a lot of pictures!" but all of you might not want to see that many ;)

BTW (by the way, for those of you not versed in 'net speak), our last day in Yellowstone was spent in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. DJ participated in some games designed to compare human skills with animal, we did a Ranger talk about wolves, and we drove on both sides of the canyon and saw what I call the "money shot" - the same view that hundreds of artists over the years have painted and photographed. You know the one - the waterfalls cascading down the middle of a steep canyon. Let's see if I can at least post this one:

Beautiful, is it not?

Day 7

Such a big, exciting day! It all started off with a big slowdown of cars soon after we entered the park. There was actually a park ranger directing traffic, so when we passed him I asked what everyone was looking at.

"Eagle," was the response. And then I saw it. Very beautiful, but I did not take a picture. Too far away for my little camera. The next time we saw a traffic slow down and lots of cars pulled over, I had Jimmy park and I ran out to a group of people. "What's there?" I asked.

"A bear!" a nice lady replied, and she showed me where to look. Basically it was just a dark spot under a tree (across a river, of course). Then some teen-ager took off to the right with a bunch of people following. There were two bears crashing through the trees (again, on the other side of the river!). Tried to get the best photos I could, but you can really just see black and brown smudges.

On our way toward Old Faithful we stopped to see some mudpots and a geyser basin. Then we finally made it to Old Faithful; had a picnic lunch and walked over to the geyser just in time to see her blow. We then headed off towards Fishing Bridge and Lake Village, because there was a family campfire program I wanted us to see. We passed the Continental Divide and saw Yellowstone lake. The family campfire was fun; Helen got to go up front and participate by reading a description of one of the animals and finding its picture.

After the campfire we made our way to the Lake Lodge for supper and nearly ran into some bison. I mean literally. They were right by the edge of the road. They say that early morning and dusk are the best times to view wildlife, and they were right. On our way back to the campground we saw more bison, with calves (!), a herd of elk cows, a bear, and a male elk. Quit impressive!

I'll try to add the photos tomorrow. It's almost midnight, I'm beat, and the internet is running really, really, slow right now and it would take forever to upload them. Come back tomorrow to see the pics and read my last Yellowstone entry.

Day 6

Let's start with the ubiquitous "Yellowstone National Park sign family photo." James would not look at the camera because a stranger was taking the picture. This theme lasted throughout our vacation.

We drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs this day. It was a loooong drive, and I don't think I had Jimmy stop anywhere on the way. We hiked around the upper and lower terraces and sa

w a movie at the visitor center, which is in the former Bachelor Officer Quarter

s at the old Fort.

We saw this cool bird, which is a magpie.

Then it was time for the long drive back to the campground.

Day5

Wow - the days are just so full when you have so much to do! Since I didn't post yesterday we'll do some pics from yesterday and today.

Yesterday we drove in to the Norris Geyser Basin. It was pouring down rain, so we parked at the trailhead and had a picnic lunch in the car. By the time we were done the rain had almost gone away and we had a lovely walk around.

The biggest feature is Steamboat Geyser, which when it erupts is taller than Old Faithful, but the frequency of eruptions is from 4 days to 50 years! It last erupted in 2005 and gave us a tiny show while we were watching.

Drove back towards the West Entrance and stopped by Gibbon Falls, then checked out a couple of campgrounds (for future reference!).

Saw a bison and either a doe elk or mule deer. Who can tell the difference? :) I'll post the pic and maybe one of you can tell me.

Day 4

The good news is we're at Yellowstone.

The bad news is plenty.

The tire is wearing down, and we've pretty much decided to turn around and go home after we spend a few days here. It's really not something that can be fixed on the road.

I'm furious that putting new axles on didn't solve the problem. I'm furious that no one seems to know what the problem is and how to fix it. I'm upset that we have to go to plan B, because I was really looking forward to seeing many new places.

Also, there was lightning and thunder here tonight. Good thing we were all settled in before nature's light show started. And internet is sketchy. Supposed to be WiFi, but we're having trouble with it.

Oh well. Ya gotta let go of the things you can't control. We'll enjoy the sights around here and

I'll keep posting for now as the service lets me.

And we'll pray for patience. Lots of patience.

James disappeared for awhile - found him in the back of the trailer, squeezed between two crates playing his DS. A good activity to keep him occupied during the inclement weather.

Day 3

It was a long, hard day of traveling. Everyone's tired and cranky, and the kids are, too ;) I don't even have any pictures...the one I did take today was from the car window as we passed this big industrial plant of some kind between Baker City and Ontario. The sign said Cement Plant Road, so I'm guessing it was a...cement plant. I also took a picture of Helen at lunch because we ate at Cracker Barrel. Those are mostly in the South so it was a treat!

My AAA TripTik app said it would be about 5 1/2 hours from Baker City to Pocatello, but we left at 10am and got here at 8pm. Even gaining an hour for changing time zones, stopping for lunch, gas, and potty breaks doesn't explain the extra time.

But we made it, and the kids got some time on the playground, and they learned to teeter-totter! Yes, this old playground has such dangerous pursuits as a teeter-totter and merry-go-round. Only the merry-go-round didn't work. I do understand, though, why such things have been removed from most playgrounds. My heart was racing the entire time the boys were teetering. Remember when we used to slam down, making our partner catch air? Geez! I'm surprised we never broke our necks!

Tomorrow: Yellowstone or bust! The tires are looking good for now, so we're pleased about that. Hopefully I can get some laundry done before check-out tomorrow and we'll be in good shape. I might have to go against everything I believe and shop at a Wal-Mart tomorrow. Don't judge me! They have big rig parking and most of the things on our list; things that will probably be over-priced in West Yellowstone.

See you next in Montana!

Day 2

We had a nice lazy morning, except for Jimmy, who rotated all the tires in hopes of postponing undue stress on any one tire. Packed a picnic lunch then went to Les Schwab to replace the worn tire then we headed for the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

The strength in this Center is personal voices - the different sections of the journey are chronicled through pioneer diaries. Which of course meant that the kids blew through the place and got impatient with me because I had to read every word. At the end though, was a great play area for the kids - a bare bones wagon with different size pillows representing all the things people needed to take on the trail (the kids have to try and pack it all), a giant magnetic word wall for creating poems, and a dress up area.

We didn't have the fortitude to take the 2-mile hike to see the wagon ruts, but there's a place along the road back to town that you can stop and walk to see them, so we did that. I wondered, as I stood in the place where those intrepid pioneers (and indigenous peoples before them) rode toward a new life, if my great-great grandfather, Henry Clay Huston, had walked over that very spot on his way to the Willamette Valley. I'd like to think so!

We returned to camp and indulged in a swim until the wind started blowing and we got chilly.

Tomorrow we stop over in Pocatello, Idaho on our way to Yellowstone.

We would appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers that our trailer axles function appropriately so we can continue our journey!

Day 1

Nothing much to see here; move along...

Drove to Baker City and the kids blew off some steam at the RV park playground while Jimmy connected hoses and such.

Before we left we got new tires and axles because they were bent, but it's looking like one of our tires is wearing on the inside again. *huff* We'll visit Les Schwab before hitting the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center tomorrow, get a new tire, and shift some weight before leaving Sunday for Idaho. If it looks like the problems persist this might be one short vacation.

Testing, testing; 1, 2, 3...

Well, I'm dusting off the 'ol blog so we can keep track of our adventures on the Cross Country Sabbatical Tour 2011. We're scheduled for take-off on Friday, July 8th, and will return home around August 28th.

We'll be heading to Florida via the northern route, and returning home through the South. What an adventure!