Summer Road Trip 2020 - WY > MT > ID

The next day, we headed into Grand Teton National Park. I think this was the part of the trip I was most excited about, and it did not disappoint. We had a fabulous drive that morning - stopping at a few viewpoints and just enjoying the beauty. I don't even know how to put into words how gorgeous this was, so I'll let the photos attempt to tell the story, though they definitely don't do it justice.

These photos were taken from a small historic site called Mormon Row - the houses and barns were built by early Mormon settlers who were sent up to the valley by Brigham Young. I was trying to imagine what it would be like to come up here, with no idea what to expect, and to come into this gorgeous valley with the stunning mountains as a backdrop. No doubt it was difficult starting from scratch - and the winters are no joke - but I imagine they would've just been awestruck by the majesty.

That afternoon, we checked into our hotel in Jackson - another cute, rustic motel - and relaxed a bit before heading out to explore the town square and get some dinner and souvenirs - all masked up to control coronavirus spread.

Jackson loved that everything - included the town - was named after him!

The next day, we ventured deeper into the park and met my parents and Tessa and her kids for a hike. We took the boat across Jenny Lake then hiked up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. It was pretty steep and we took lots of breaks, but it was worth it!

  

In all the hotels we stayed in, Jackson got his own big bed, and he certainly made use of all the space! 

The next day, we headed to Idaho to meet the rest of my family. We drove up through Grand Teton National Park and into Yellowstone National Park, so we stopped and took in some of the sights on the way.

Jackson at Jackson Lake in Grand Teton

West Thumb Geyser Basin along Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone

Old Faithful - this was by far the most crowded spot in the park (other than the entrance, which was backed up a couple of miles). Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long before it erupted.

The mother of all springs - Grand Prismatic Spring

Firehole Canyon and Falls

After driving through the rest of the western part of the park, and a small piece of Montana, we made it to our cabin in Island Park, Idaho where we spent the next few days with my family.

Summer Road Trip 2020 - IN > IL > IA > SD > WY

Summer 2020 was the year of the Great American Road Trip. We headed out west to get out of town for a while and enjoy some open air. 

Our first day was the longest driving day - we stopped only as needed, but we tried to make the stops fun. This Iowa 80 Truck Stop is the biggest in the world!

Day 2 started in Mitchell, South Dakota where we'd stayed the night. We made a quick morning stop at the Corn Palace before getting back on the road. The outside is decorated in murals of corn cobs - it was pretty impressive!

We drove for just a few hours and made it to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The first overlook took our breath away - amazing that just the day before we'd been in green, field-covered Indiana!

We did the Notch Trail hike which took about an hour and a half and was a lot of fun, even though it was really hot. I wished we'd brought more water, but we enjoyed the interesting landscape and beautiful vista at the end. It had a rope ladder in one section to help you scale a steep portion of the trail - it was a bit trickier than it looked!

 

After our hike, we drove through the rest of the park and enjoyed the beauty from our comfy air-conditioned seats. 

Next, we headed over to Mt. Rushmore and saw the presidents. Not everything was open, but we did get to see the video explaining how it was made - so impressive! Sidenote - I can't believe how grown up Jackson looks in these pictures. Blowing my mind!

We stayed that night in the adorable town of Custer, South Dakota. We had dinner at a local pizza place and Jackson and Brandon took advantage of the hotel pool. The next day was Sunday, and we started our day with a relaxing drive and short hike in Wind Cave National Park. Unfortunately, the cave itself was closed, but the above-ground park is stunning, and I loved that it wasn't crowded or hot. It was peaceful and beautiful, and was a perfect way to feel closer to God by enjoying his creations.

We also saw a pronghorn, a couple bison, and a bunch of prairie dogs!

 

On the drive out of the park, our GPS took us on a dirt road - we were pretty much off-roading. But we got to drive by an area that had been hit by a forest fire. Crazy to see such a stark contrast between the burnt trees and the new growth.

The rest of Sunday was spent in the car until we reached our final destination for the day - Dubois, Wyoming. We stayed in a cute, rustic roadside motel straight out of the 70s. It was well-kept, though, and we loved the area.

Summer at a Distance

Summer looks a little different this year, since large events have been cancelled and we're supposed to only gather in small groups. But we've still been able to have some fun!

Jonah graduated from high school this year. They weren't able to have a traditional graduation, but we still gathered at Tessa's house to celebrate him. Such a great kid! He's planning to attend Indiana University in the fall and study business.

Our friends the Lunds got reassigned to Colorado this summer, so we had Ethan over for one last playdate. He and Jackson had a great day together. We'll miss having Ethan over to play!

Our front porch project has been a long one - we replaced the floor, painted the walls, and bought and painted various furniture pieces. My dad made me a custom porch swing, but we ended up having to cut a wall in the upstairs bedroom to find the support beams, and then add in extra supports to be able to hang it. But it's finally up and the porch looks great!

 

For Father's Day, we had dinner at Tessa's and presented my dad with his gift - a Big Green Egg grill. He's been wanting one for a while, but they're pretty expensive so we all pitched in. He got emotional and was so grateful - it was a special moment.

Brandon's been working nights most of the spring and summer, so Jackson and I have had some extra time just the two of us. One night we took his bike down to the elementary school so he could really get some speed going. He's getting pretty good! Unfortunately this particular time ended in tears when he wiped out on the blacktop. But he was a trooper and recovered quickly.

I don't know how many of these photos I've taken over the last few years - a lot. If Brandon is home and in any kind of a relaxed position, Jackson is almost always there, too - usually hanging on him in some way. Brandon isn't an overly physical guy, but it warms my heart how he allows this kind of connection, because it means so much to Jackson. 

Our Fourth of July celebration this year was pretty low-key - we had a cookout at Brandon's mom's house then came home. When it got dark, we headed over to his cousin's bar where they set off fireworks for their customers. Brandon loved setting off the fireworks, and it was so fun to see them so close up. The drive over there was so crazy - we'd been hearing fireworks in our neighborhood all month, but this night was something else. Everywhere you looked, there were private fireworks shows going on. And not little dinky fireworks, either. Big, beautiful displays. It sounded like a battlefield and the air was hazy everywhere. It was pretty cool, though. All the large public displays had been cancelled, so there was a kind of solidarity in seeing all these private shows. Despite our differences, we were all gathered in small groups to celebrate the same thing in the same way. It was an unforgettable night with our loved ones.