2010: Utah… Wyoming… Montana and wedding time

When the kids were young and I planned our family vacations, I usually didn’t intend for us to fly two years in a row. This year was a special occasion; Kim’s sister was getting married in Montana. We were very excited since we were in the wedding! Instead of our normal flight to Seattle, we chose to fly into Salt Lake City.

Our first stop was lunch at Les Madeleines a cozy French-style restaurant and bakery. It is known for its pastries & desserts, but also has breakfast and lunch including a delicious Sesame Chicken Salad. They are most famous for the Kouign Amann, a rich, buttery caramelized pastry originating from France.

Next, we headed to the Kennecott copper mine, also known as the Bingham Canyon mine. It is one of the world’s biggest man-made excavations and among the deepest open-pit copper mines. It was interesting to learn about the history of the mine. The kids especially enjoyed seeing first-hand the gigantic scale of its operation, vehicles, and artifacts.

A restaurant that quickly become a favorite was the Red Iguana. It is one of Utah’s most decorated restaurants and serves “Killer Mexican Food”. We really liked trying the different types of mole.

The following day we attended the Tabernacle Choir performance in the Temple Square Conference Center. The Tabernacle Choir is a 360-member chorus of men and women, all volunteers who have performed all over the world. They are one of the oldest, largest, and most recognizable choirs in the world. It truly was a beautiful performance.

After the performance, we grabbed lunch at Tony Caputos, a casual Italian market and deli. Caputos is Salt Lake City’s go-to spot for all types of specialty foods and chocolate. They are also known for their wide-ranging selection of cheeses. We split meatball subs with two cheeses and the roasted red pepper sandwiches with manchego.

The afternoon was spent at Antelope Island State Park. Antelope Island is the perfect place to view the Great Salt Lake and see lots of wildlife. We enjoyed the beach at Bridger Bay. We had planned to get in and see if we could float due to the salinity of the water, but it was too cool outside. The kids’ favorite part was the bison we caught scratching his butt. We laughed about that for days. For dinner, we had burgers at Hires Big H with their special Utah fry sauce (ketchup and mayo mixture).

The next day we headed to the Dinosaur National Monument about 4 hours from Salt Lake City. What is so amazing about this park is the evidence that dinosaurs once roamed here. Their remains are still visibly embedded in the rocks. We even saw some petroglyphs on the rocks. We hiked the 2.4-mile Fossil Discovery Trail to see the fossils up close including a few large pieces of dinosaur bones in their natural state. We then enjoyed a picnic lunch by the river.

As we headed for our cabin, we stopped at the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area with its spectacular red canyon walls for a quick photo. Then we checked in at our cabin at the Red Canyon Lodge. This was a beautiful setting with a serene private lake. My husband took the kids to the fishing pond, then we ended the night with roasted marshmallows.

The following day we headed to Jackson, Wyoming. Jackson is a great city with close proximity to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. It is a popular tourist destination for outdoor enthusiasts. On our drive, we saw lots of wildlife, including a corral for the wild horses. We ate a delicious lunch with fresh baked goods and pastries at the Bunnery, then explored the town.

Located next to Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park is easily identified by the craggy, snow-capped peaks of the Teton Mountain Range. It is one of the most beautiful national parks. There is so much to see, we wish we had scheduled more time in this park. We visited the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center which was a great stop to make to learn more about the history of the area and the wildlife. Then we walked the Heron Pond Trail at Colter Bay. It was an easy 3.1 mile loop trail with access to two ponds and views of the Teton Range, the trail continues on to Swan Lake before heading back to Colter Bay. While hiking, we came upon a bird making lots of noise. He was flapping his wings so loudly, we thought it was a train.

After a fun day at Grand Teton National Park, we headed into Yellowstone National Park. It is one of our favorite parks because it features dramatic canyons, rivers, forests, hot springs and gushing geysers. We checked into our cabin at the Lake Lodge. Lake Lodge Cabins has a main lodge with a large porch offering a view of Yellowstone Lake. The cabins had recently been renovated and were a nice place to stay. There are also hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk, and antelope. The kids had a goal to see every wildlife listed in the park’s brochure. That evening we saw several animals, they could start checking off the list.

The next day we got very close to fulfilling our wildlife viewing list. We didn’t think we would see a grizzly bear, but in the morning the kids were so excited as we passed one on the side of the road by the lake. We weren’t quite fast enough with the camera to get a great picture. Yellowstone lake is the largest high-elevation lake in North America. There are impressive views from all angles and we enjoyed walking out over the old fishing bridge.

Yellowstone is a wilderness recreation area that sits atop a volcanic hot spot. There are many hydrothermal features throughout the park. On this morning we hiked to Mud Geyser a once a regularly-performing geyser in a thick forest, now a large, open, muddy pool. As we turned the corner on the trail we saw a bison. We quickly moved through the area and tried not to get too close. As we moved down the trail, we found more bison in the forest.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is a beautiful area with dramatic colors and shapes. The waterfalls and the river are one of our favorite parts of the park. There are various overlooks and it looks different at different times of the day.

Most national parks have a Junior Ranger program. The kids enjoy earning their Junior Ranger badges at the different parks and we all enjoy the Ranger programs. We listened to the Ranger program while at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

One of the most fascinating areas of the park is the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Walk on boardwalks above the steaming hydrothermal features or take a drive around the vibrant travertine terraces. There is a lot of history and natural beauty here.

One of the most unique parts of this park is the collection of hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles. There are more than 10,000 hydrothermal features, of which more than 500 are geysers. Microorganisms called thermophiles make their homes in the hydrothermal features of Yellowstone. This is what often appear as mats of color. We spent the afternoon exploring many of these areas.

Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone. There are only six geysers that park rangers can currently predict. So make sure to look up the times for Old Faithful to help plan your day. We watched the eruption from the Old Faithful viewing area then walked along the boardwalks that weave around the geyser and through the Upper Geyser Basin. Afterwhich we ate a delicious dinner at the cafeteria in the Old Faithful Lodge.

The next morning we started at Inspiration Point to see another angle of the Yellowstone River. At Inspiration Point you will have an expansive view of the deep rugged canyon. Earthquakes and tremors continue to reshape this area and are responsible for several landslides visible along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

As we got to the Canyon Visitor Education Center it started to snow. The kids were so excited that is was snowing in the summer. As we drove over Dunraven Pass we saw thick snow, we had to stop and let the kids play.

Yellowstone became America’s first national park in 1872 and the park now stands as a an amazing place to visit with your family to get away. It is a sanctuary for wildlife, with 60 species of mammals including gray wolves, lynx, grizzly bears, black bears, bison, mountain goats, mountain lions and moose. There are also different types of amphibians and reptiles along with 318 species of birds. With such unique landscapes and the variety of wildlife, Yellowstone is easily one of our favorite parks.

Now for the real reason for our trip. We headed to Helena, Montana for some family time and to celebrate my husband’s sister in her wedding. Because we were all a part of the ceremony it made the weekend even more special.

After all of the wedding weekend fun was over, we headed back to Salt Lake City. On the way, we made a stop at Big Hole National Battlefield. This battle took place following the removal of the Nez Perce from their lands. On August 9, 1877 US soldiers attacked a sleeping camp of Nez Perce. By the time the smoke cleared on August 10, almost 90 Nez Perce were dead along with 31 soldiers and volunteers. It was a very moving visit and a great lesson for our children. The park site was created to honor all who were there.

This was another great family vacation.  Our kids are so lucky to have family in beautiful parts of our country.  We were so glad we could spend time with family and be a part of Felicia and Tim’s special day. We love to explore our country and spend time with family and most importantly we made memories.