Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota

Well...What a week it has been!  We've gone from Calgary to Yellowstone to the Black Hills of South Dakota!  We've seen bubbling hot springs, snow-covered mountains, lots of Bison and even a few bears.  A week ago we did some shopping in and outside of Calgary and experienced the Bass Pro Shop there. They have loads of taxidermied animals and a waterfall to see. Dominik and the kids had fun pricing four-wheelers and fishing boats!  The next day was our big drive down to Yellowstone National Park. We had rested up nicely at friend's and were all excited about the drive so, armed with our last dose of Tim Horton's, we headed out early and made it to the American border by daylight.  It didn't take us too long to get Dominik's visa and we were off again, enjoying all the vast and wonderful scenery that is Montana. So far it is our favourite State!  It was in Montana that we had our first taste of hospitality from the members of 'acandleinthewindow.com'. We were really warmly welcomed in Bozeman by a lovely Christian family and we spent a comfortable night there.

Now, to Yellowstone! Yellowstone National Park sits at the junction of three states: Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Did you know that Yellowstone is actually a huge super volcano? We found a cheap motel in West Yellowstone where they didn't ask how many children we have and where we could do a bit of cooking on our little camping stove. We unloaded a bit there and headed off for Old Faithful- the large and regular geyser, the most famous attraction in the park. Probably because it is so famous, and because it was a cloudy day, we were all a bit disappointed with it's performance. I think we were expecting some noise, or maybe that the ground around would shake. No, it was pretty quiet. A stream of water and steam came shooting up quietly out of the ground, the steam blending into the background of the gray clouds, and was photographed by hundreds of tourists.

What WAS impressive were the Bison (Buffalo). They were all over the place, in the fields, on the plains, walking through streams and across the roads. Dominik said that he would give a candy to any child who would reach out and pet one! Nope, no takers there! Bison were everywhere but we were also on the look out for the other animals in the park, especially Elk, Bear, Wolves and Cougars. All the shy animals!

On our second day we went to the upper and lower Canyon Falls and then went to the Fishing Bridge and to the look out over Yellowstone Lake.

Our third day started with Dominik, Jonathan and Rebecca hiking up Mt. Washburn- They just missed seeing a grizzly with two cubs crossing their trail! We were able to see those bears on the side of the road just lower down from the train head later. There were SO many tourists there taking pictures that the park rangers came and, when the bear was getting agitated, they ordered everyone to leave or face bring arrested! Hmmm, he was a little stressed.

To end the day and the visit to Yellowstone we drove up to where the Boiling River (yup, it's that hot!) meets the Gardner River. It is the one place where people are allowed to safely swim, where the two rivers mix. We arrived late in the afternoon and there were a lot of other people doing the same: sitting in pools like hot tubs, enjoying the peace of it all.  Even Josiah and I managed to get in.  It was a really a great way to end our time there.

We all ran back to the car (the sun had gone behind the moiuntain and it was about 5 degrees C) and, after a few Elk photos in Mammoth Hot Springs we headed off for the north-east exit to find a cheap motel for the night. Then we drove....and drove...and drove...and ate some tortillas with peanut butter and jelly....and drove. Up and over a mountain pass and finally ended up in The Yodeler Motel! Not a bad spot for some Austrians, eh? We were on the Beartooth Highway, a windy and winding and very scenic highway which leads from the Park to Billings, Montana.

Another driving day brought us from the mountains and hills of Montana to the wind-swept plains of Wyoming. The wind really does blow a lot there!  On the way to Sundance we stopped at the monument and battlefield of the Little Bighorn. Jonathan had read about it in a children's history book about the west and wanted to stop. We are all glad that we did. The presentation was very well done and we all enjoyed learning about it.

We were hosted by another interesting ACITW family, and we are thankful for their hospitality. We toured The Devil's Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore. They were really interesting, especially hearing how they were formed or sculpted. So far this trip has been great for teaching the kids about geology, geography and history.

Now we are off on the road again headed for yet another state. This time it will be Colorado and we will spend a week there. Our first two nights will be in Estes Park at Ravencrest Chalet, a Torchbearer Center. We can't wait to see the Mountains again, the center and best of all- some old friends in the Denver area!