The last couple of destinations of our epic road trip are long overdue now. I was on vacation mode during the last 72 hours and once I got back, a flurry of unexpected things have happened. I will update you once I have a moment to collect photos and thoughts, I promise!
For now, thank you for your patience.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Elysabeth
My apologies.
7.31.2010
7.21.2010
I'm struggling with how to describe Yellowstone. Before arriving, I knew that it would be a beautiful sight and a memorable experience. But I had no idea that it would be THIS beautiful, this impacting on my life and this much fun!
Yellowstone National Park is a place that can be described with no words. Nothing I say, no matter how hard I try to come up with just the right words, will sufficiently illustrate its power. Thus, I leave you with only pictures (and maybe a few captions), even though they cannot capture what we experienced in person. None of my photos have been altered in a photo editor in any way. Enjoy!
[The first of many bison]
[Little Rob in front of Old Faithful, the infamous geyser]
[Daniel waiting for it to erupt]
[There it goes!]
[The water and steam blended in with the clouds]
[I'm a tourist and proud of it :)]
[Look at those clouds...]
[The orange stuff is heat-loving micro bacteria in the hot springs]
[A baby and mama elk kissing]
[Going in for a little dip to cool off...I could stand there all day!]
[Bison crossing the road...no big deal.]
[A male elk napping in the sun]
[At Artist's Point, overlooking the Upper Falls]
[More bison crossing...]
[And the beautiful sunset on the way back to the hotel]
The next morning, we went back to Yellowstone for a few hours to check out a couple more spots and search for more animals. We were very pleased to see most of the animals we hoped for: bison, deer, elk, moose and even bears! In fact, all of us really, really wanted to see a bear but we weren't sure how likely it was. For the full day at Yellowstone, we spotted one very far away that could have been mistaken for a bison or even a boulder (the only way we were sure it was a bear was because others with binoculars told us so). We were thoroughly satisfied with just that, but then the next day, a grizzly cub jolted out onto the street and Dad had to slam on his breaks! Shocked, the cub stopped suddenly, just in time for us to not hit it, and turned back around to the side of the road. Daniel spotted the mama bear on the other side of the street, eating berries and waiting for her cub to join her. It all happened very quickly but it was neat to see the bear so close to us :)
Hands down, Yellowstone was one of the major highlights of this road trip. I'm certain that the entire family will remember it. I know I am. If anything, a day and a half there only wet my appetite. I can't wait to have another opportunity to go back! Thanks God for making such a beautiful place :)
Yellowstone National Park is a place that can be described with no words. Nothing I say, no matter how hard I try to come up with just the right words, will sufficiently illustrate its power. Thus, I leave you with only pictures (and maybe a few captions), even though they cannot capture what we experienced in person. None of my photos have been altered in a photo editor in any way. Enjoy!
[The first of many bison]
[Little Rob in front of Old Faithful, the infamous geyser]
[Daniel waiting for it to erupt]
[There it goes!]
[The water and steam blended in with the clouds]
[I'm a tourist and proud of it :)]
[Look at those clouds...]
[The orange stuff is heat-loving micro bacteria in the hot springs]
[A baby and mama elk kissing]
[Going in for a little dip to cool off...I could stand there all day!]
[Bison crossing the road...no big deal.]
[A male elk napping in the sun]
[At Artist's Point, overlooking the Upper Falls]
[More bison crossing...]
[And the beautiful sunset on the way back to the hotel]
The next morning, we went back to Yellowstone for a few hours to check out a couple more spots and search for more animals. We were very pleased to see most of the animals we hoped for: bison, deer, elk, moose and even bears! In fact, all of us really, really wanted to see a bear but we weren't sure how likely it was. For the full day at Yellowstone, we spotted one very far away that could have been mistaken for a bison or even a boulder (the only way we were sure it was a bear was because others with binoculars told us so). We were thoroughly satisfied with just that, but then the next day, a grizzly cub jolted out onto the street and Dad had to slam on his breaks! Shocked, the cub stopped suddenly, just in time for us to not hit it, and turned back around to the side of the road. Daniel spotted the mama bear on the other side of the street, eating berries and waiting for her cub to join her. It all happened very quickly but it was neat to see the bear so close to us :)
Hands down, Yellowstone was one of the major highlights of this road trip. I'm certain that the entire family will remember it. I know I am. If anything, a day and a half there only wet my appetite. I can't wait to have another opportunity to go back! Thanks God for making such a beautiful place :)
7.20.2010
We got a late start the next morning from just being on the go all the time. Rather than rushing out the door at 8 a.m. to get to our next destination, we took our precious time waking up late, watching TV and catching up on emails. Around 11, we finally dilly-dallied out and drove to Mount Rushmore.
On the way there, we spotted some bison near the road, which was really fun since I've never seen them out in the wild like that. After a few pictures, we continued on but kept our eyes peeled and paid very close attention to the drive. We didn't find anything after that but it made for a quicker second half of the drive!
We arrived at Mount Rushmore in the afternoon and right away, we were amazed at how neat it was. It's so hard to imagine ordinary men working on those massive faces and perfecting it. You'd be amazed at what details they paid attention to: Lincoln's furrowed eyebrows and Theodore Roosevelt's mustache and even his glasses!
[A touristy picture isn't complete without jumping]
[Marveling...aaaand semi-posing]
The stop didn't take long...there wasn't much more we could do other than look at the mountain and read a few displays about the workers. But with the combination of the beautiful weather and the gorgeous view, it turned out to be a fun day!
[Ranger Robert]
It got better after we left too. On our drive out, we spotted some more animals--a huge herd of sheep and some moose--as well as wonderful cloud formations in the sky. As we drove deeper into nature's thick, curving around the windy roads, the day just got better and better. The entire family was just in awe of how gorgeous some parts of our country are. It is so completely different from southern California in the most perfect way: silence, fresh air, crisp weather, wild animals, fresh water, I could go on and on forever!
[A curious little guy]
[And the most gorgeous sky ever!]
But no worries, we ARE returning home soon. We will not be turning into nomads and we will happily rejoin the civilization that exists at home, which, by the way, can you believe is only a week away?! It seems like just yesterday, we were driving away from our humble abode for what seemed to be an infinite amount of time of chaos and uncertainty. And now, here we are 5 weeks later, mentally preparing ourselves to return home and all experiencing a degree of sadness that it's almost over.
Well, it's not over yet! So let's cross that bridge when we get to it ;)
On the way there, we spotted some bison near the road, which was really fun since I've never seen them out in the wild like that. After a few pictures, we continued on but kept our eyes peeled and paid very close attention to the drive. We didn't find anything after that but it made for a quicker second half of the drive!
[The bison!]
We arrived at Mount Rushmore in the afternoon and right away, we were amazed at how neat it was. It's so hard to imagine ordinary men working on those massive faces and perfecting it. You'd be amazed at what details they paid attention to: Lincoln's furrowed eyebrows and Theodore Roosevelt's mustache and even his glasses!
[A touristy picture isn't complete without jumping]
[Marveling...aaaand semi-posing]
The stop didn't take long...there wasn't much more we could do other than look at the mountain and read a few displays about the workers. But with the combination of the beautiful weather and the gorgeous view, it turned out to be a fun day!
[A peak of Mt. Rushmore through the brush]
[Ranger Robert]
It got better after we left too. On our drive out, we spotted some more animals--a huge herd of sheep and some moose--as well as wonderful cloud formations in the sky. As we drove deeper into nature's thick, curving around the windy roads, the day just got better and better. The entire family was just in awe of how gorgeous some parts of our country are. It is so completely different from southern California in the most perfect way: silence, fresh air, crisp weather, wild animals, fresh water, I could go on and on forever!
[The moose]
[A curious little guy]
[And the most gorgeous sky ever!]
But no worries, we ARE returning home soon. We will not be turning into nomads and we will happily rejoin the civilization that exists at home, which, by the way, can you believe is only a week away?! It seems like just yesterday, we were driving away from our humble abode for what seemed to be an infinite amount of time of chaos and uncertainty. And now, here we are 5 weeks later, mentally preparing ourselves to return home and all experiencing a degree of sadness that it's almost over.
Well, it's not over yet! So let's cross that bridge when we get to it ;)
Destination 20: Ames, Iowa
We drove to Ames, Iowa for a very short but pleasant visit with some good friends of the family. Right around dinner time, we drove up to Kevin and Laurie Willson's house where the kids immediately ran off to the basement of fun while we sat in the living room and caught up. Before Mom and Dad got married in 1998, Dad and Kevin used to be roommates. They told stories about eating whole pies from Marie Calendars in one sitting, having messy rooms, being chased by a bird, etc.
Later, others friends, including Dad's roommate from 1981, showed up for a hot dog and sloppy joe dinner. Simple, fast and in good company...the perfect way to end a long day of driving.
[Karis and Mary downstairs in the basement]
While they continued chatting after dinner, I joined the kids downstairs and learned how to jump on a pogo stick! Perhaps pogo sticks are a common thing to the average child, but not to me. Up until that evening, I never tried! Anyway, I was hopping all over the place for a good 10 minutes while the other kids kind of sat there and just watched. They weren't laughing along with me. In fact, they were probably thinking, "Who is this weird person? And why is she so laughing so hard?!"
The night was so mellow and it ended perfectly with the most beautiful lightning storm. Every 2 or 3 seconds, the sky lit up with large bolts of lightning. It probably lasted for an hour. I've never seen anything like it.
Finally at 10 p.m., it was time to part. After a few wonderful hours of relaxing, catching up and exchanging life stories, we left fully content. Satisfied and sleepy, we made our way to the hotel for a good night's rest before the next destination.
[Laurie and her daughter, Rianna, tending to their horses]
Later, others friends, including Dad's roommate from 1981, showed up for a hot dog and sloppy joe dinner. Simple, fast and in good company...the perfect way to end a long day of driving.
[Just hanging out and chatting]
[Karis and Mary downstairs in the basement]
While they continued chatting after dinner, I joined the kids downstairs and learned how to jump on a pogo stick! Perhaps pogo sticks are a common thing to the average child, but not to me. Up until that evening, I never tried! Anyway, I was hopping all over the place for a good 10 minutes while the other kids kind of sat there and just watched. They weren't laughing along with me. In fact, they were probably thinking, "Who is this weird person? And why is she so laughing so hard?!"
The night was so mellow and it ended perfectly with the most beautiful lightning storm. Every 2 or 3 seconds, the sky lit up with large bolts of lightning. It probably lasted for an hour. I've never seen anything like it.
[A beautiful sunset and the clouds rolling in]
Finally at 10 p.m., it was time to part. After a few wonderful hours of relaxing, catching up and exchanging life stories, we left fully content. Satisfied and sleepy, we made our way to the hotel for a good night's rest before the next destination.
7.19.2010
I apologize for the lack of posts...I'm a little backed up on blogging because this last week has been filled to the brim with activities. I'm sure not complaining but I hope none of you feel neglected :) With that being said, let's get started!
At 3:30 a.m. (yes...3:30!), we left Wisconsin for Lake Vermilion, Minnesota to spend a couple nights with Mom's college friend, Jeannie Burlowski and her two kids, Elise and Matthew. The drive was long and tedious for Dad because, let's face it, everyone else was sound asleep. But when we finally made it there, we were greeted with hugs, taco salad and the most beautiful panoramic view of Lake Vermilion ever to exist. Jeannie's house sits right on top of the lake, and in her living room are two wonderful recliner chairs overlooking what I'd consider a little taste of heaven.
The Burlowskis also made arrangements so that my parents and I could have our own separate rooms, Daniel could sleep in a separate "house" with Matthew, known as the Crow's Nest, Mary could sleep on the pull-out couch facing the fire place with Elise and Robert could have his own bed. How sweeter could they be?? (I must add that Jane also provided me with my own bedroom in Wisconsin too! I think my constant complaining of my lack of sleep is paying off!) I was absolutely touched. Not only did I have my own bedroom, I had a view that framed the edge of the lake with tall evergreen trees. In the mornings, I woke up to the waves of the lake slapping against the old paddle boat.
After lunch, the temptation of the recliner chair was one that Dad could no longer resist. He plopped right in, picked up a book and began his three days of utter relaxation. Meanwhile, the rest of us piled into Jeannie's motor boat to make our way to a small island where the adults could visit and the kids could tirelessly play. We spend a good 2 or 3 hours there collecting minnows, swatting away bugs, taking pictures and swimming while Mom and Jeannie caught up on many years since the good 'ol days at TC.
[Look at the water sparkle!]
[Yummm...dead minnows.]
We returned to the lake house to find Dad napping on the couch (he moved!). The kids continued their playing while Jeannie prepared a delicious dinner of Korean shredded beef for us. In the meantime, I took hold of the recliner and tried to read. But the pure beauty of the lake forced me to put the book down and simply enjoy what was in front of me. I did that before dinner, after dinner and until it was time for bed.
[Lake Vermilion in all its glory]
[At sunset...breathtaking isn't it?]
After dinner, we lit up the fire pit and made smores and salty dogs. If you don't know what salty dogs are, I suggest you read the next few lines very carefully because they will change your life. Instead of your typical smore, which can get boring after awhile, a salty dog requires two saltine crackers, a marshmallow, chocolate and peanut butter. Before melting your marshmallow on the fire like you do for smores, spread peanut butter on one saltine cracker. Then, roast your marshmallow, place it on the cracker with peanut butter, add a piece of chocolate to the other side of the marshmallow and squish it all together with the second cracker. The combination is ingenious...it's like the perfect amount of salty and sweet and gooey and creamy all mixed into one.
[Starting the pit]
[Hey, Matthew, you savin' that for later?]
[A beautiful-looking smore]
[Now, if that's not a perfectly golden marshmallow, I don't know what is!]
[Who wouldn't wanna kiss this little guy?]
[Daniel leaping into the lake]
The next morning, the family awoke to heavy gray clouds, which eventually led to a consistent downpour throughout the entire day. However, none of us minded. Instead, we took the opportunity to read, eat, lay around, talk, nap, eat some more and listen to the rain drops hitting the roof. By mid-afternoon, the kids were getting antsy so Jeannie took them to the Bear Center while Mom and Dad spent quality time at the house talking, napping and reading. Meanwhile, I went to a cafe with WIFI to catch up on some much-needed work. Two hours and three cups of tea later, I made my way back to the house to find the kids taking turns jumping off of the dock. That evening, Jeannie invited me to go on a canoe ride to see the lake at sunset. Everything was still and I discovered right then and there how beautiful nature's silence is. I took pictures but they do no justice to how breathtaking it really was.
[The infamous leaning tree against a perfect sky]
[Me and Jeannie canoeing; photo taken from the lake house window, courtesy of Mom]
Although we were scheduled to leave the next morning, Mom, Dad and Jeannie decided to extend our stay one more night, but instead of staying at the lake house, we'd all go to this cabin for alpine slides, swimming and hiking. So the next morning, we packed up all our stuff and headed to the mountain resort. Once we got there, we rode the alpine slides numerous times, going faster each time. Dad snapped a few photos on our way down. Jeannie was, by far, the fastest and most daring one out of the bunch.
[Jeannie & Mom on the way up!]
[Look at her go!]
We grabbed some dinner and then headed to our cabin. The kids grabbed their bathing suits and ran to the half indoor/half outdoor pool while I went on a pretty difficult hike. The trails were steep and I didn't exactly know where I was going but the view made it so rewarding. Because I was hiking, I didn't have a camera on me but I tried to take a ton of low-res photos on my phone. Even with the gross quality, the pictures look like postcards.
[This is where the cabins were...gorgeous huh?]
[After my hike, I went back to take a few pictures with my Nikon]
The rest of the night remained pretty mellow. After the pool, the kids were pretty beat and not long after, they passed out. Mom and Jeannie continued their catching up, giggling well into the night like young teenage girls. The next morning, both families were running out the door (us to the van for our next destination and the Burlowskis to their canoe tour). The "goodbye" was short and sweet, but I'm absolute confident that their hospitality and the utter beauty of that lake house will reverberate much, much longer for us. At one point, Mom and I tried to find the right words to describe that lake. We could come up with none. The closest I got was this: it is simply the truest form of God's beautiful work.
At 3:30 a.m. (yes...3:30!), we left Wisconsin for Lake Vermilion, Minnesota to spend a couple nights with Mom's college friend, Jeannie Burlowski and her two kids, Elise and Matthew. The drive was long and tedious for Dad because, let's face it, everyone else was sound asleep. But when we finally made it there, we were greeted with hugs, taco salad and the most beautiful panoramic view of Lake Vermilion ever to exist. Jeannie's house sits right on top of the lake, and in her living room are two wonderful recliner chairs overlooking what I'd consider a little taste of heaven.
The Burlowskis also made arrangements so that my parents and I could have our own separate rooms, Daniel could sleep in a separate "house" with Matthew, known as the Crow's Nest, Mary could sleep on the pull-out couch facing the fire place with Elise and Robert could have his own bed. How sweeter could they be?? (I must add that Jane also provided me with my own bedroom in Wisconsin too! I think my constant complaining of my lack of sleep is paying off!) I was absolutely touched. Not only did I have my own bedroom, I had a view that framed the edge of the lake with tall evergreen trees. In the mornings, I woke up to the waves of the lake slapping against the old paddle boat.
After lunch, the temptation of the recliner chair was one that Dad could no longer resist. He plopped right in, picked up a book and began his three days of utter relaxation. Meanwhile, the rest of us piled into Jeannie's motor boat to make our way to a small island where the adults could visit and the kids could tirelessly play. We spend a good 2 or 3 hours there collecting minnows, swatting away bugs, taking pictures and swimming while Mom and Jeannie caught up on many years since the good 'ol days at TC.
[Loaded and ready to go]
[Look at the water sparkle!]
[Yummm...dead minnows.]
We returned to the lake house to find Dad napping on the couch (he moved!). The kids continued their playing while Jeannie prepared a delicious dinner of Korean shredded beef for us. In the meantime, I took hold of the recliner and tried to read. But the pure beauty of the lake forced me to put the book down and simply enjoy what was in front of me. I did that before dinner, after dinner and until it was time for bed.
[Lake Vermilion in all its glory]
[At sunset...breathtaking isn't it?]
After dinner, we lit up the fire pit and made smores and salty dogs. If you don't know what salty dogs are, I suggest you read the next few lines very carefully because they will change your life. Instead of your typical smore, which can get boring after awhile, a salty dog requires two saltine crackers, a marshmallow, chocolate and peanut butter. Before melting your marshmallow on the fire like you do for smores, spread peanut butter on one saltine cracker. Then, roast your marshmallow, place it on the cracker with peanut butter, add a piece of chocolate to the other side of the marshmallow and squish it all together with the second cracker. The combination is ingenious...it's like the perfect amount of salty and sweet and gooey and creamy all mixed into one.
[Starting the pit]
[Hey, Matthew, you savin' that for later?]
[A beautiful-looking smore]
[Now, if that's not a perfectly golden marshmallow, I don't know what is!]
[Who wouldn't wanna kiss this little guy?]
[Daniel leaping into the lake]
The next morning, the family awoke to heavy gray clouds, which eventually led to a consistent downpour throughout the entire day. However, none of us minded. Instead, we took the opportunity to read, eat, lay around, talk, nap, eat some more and listen to the rain drops hitting the roof. By mid-afternoon, the kids were getting antsy so Jeannie took them to the Bear Center while Mom and Dad spent quality time at the house talking, napping and reading. Meanwhile, I went to a cafe with WIFI to catch up on some much-needed work. Two hours and three cups of tea later, I made my way back to the house to find the kids taking turns jumping off of the dock. That evening, Jeannie invited me to go on a canoe ride to see the lake at sunset. Everything was still and I discovered right then and there how beautiful nature's silence is. I took pictures but they do no justice to how breathtaking it really was.
[The infamous leaning tree against a perfect sky]
[Me and Jeannie canoeing; photo taken from the lake house window, courtesy of Mom]
Although we were scheduled to leave the next morning, Mom, Dad and Jeannie decided to extend our stay one more night, but instead of staying at the lake house, we'd all go to this cabin for alpine slides, swimming and hiking. So the next morning, we packed up all our stuff and headed to the mountain resort. Once we got there, we rode the alpine slides numerous times, going faster each time. Dad snapped a few photos on our way down. Jeannie was, by far, the fastest and most daring one out of the bunch.
[Jeannie & Mom on the way up!]
[Look at her go!]
We grabbed some dinner and then headed to our cabin. The kids grabbed their bathing suits and ran to the half indoor/half outdoor pool while I went on a pretty difficult hike. The trails were steep and I didn't exactly know where I was going but the view made it so rewarding. Because I was hiking, I didn't have a camera on me but I tried to take a ton of low-res photos on my phone. Even with the gross quality, the pictures look like postcards.
[This is where the cabins were...gorgeous huh?]
[After my hike, I went back to take a few pictures with my Nikon]
The rest of the night remained pretty mellow. After the pool, the kids were pretty beat and not long after, they passed out. Mom and Jeannie continued their catching up, giggling well into the night like young teenage girls. The next morning, both families were running out the door (us to the van for our next destination and the Burlowskis to their canoe tour). The "goodbye" was short and sweet, but I'm absolute confident that their hospitality and the utter beauty of that lake house will reverberate much, much longer for us. At one point, Mom and I tried to find the right words to describe that lake. We could come up with none. The closest I got was this: it is simply the truest form of God's beautiful work.