Mike's annual family vacation was this past week. His mom had picked Yellowstone earlier this year as our rendezvous point. What was fun about this trip was that it incorporated our most favorite activity, the road trip, with a week full of family togetherness (Mike's parents, two siblings, three wives (Mike's oldest brother wasn't able to join us) and their five kids). Plus, it took us on a route that we had never been on before.
We left Wednesday morning for Missoula, MT, home of the University of Montana and right on our I-90 route. Our friend, Laura, had suggested we stop there for the night, rather than power through to West Yellowstone in one day. Apparently, Laura's not familiar with our driving endurance, but we decided to take her advice since we had an extra day to play with.
Missoula is adorable. A super cute college town in a super picturesque setting. Right on a lovely river that we wish we'd had more time to enjoy. We arrived around 4PM and immediately set out for a walk to the downtown area. Laura had suggested we stop at The Rhino because of their vast selection of micro brews. Mike really enjoyed sampling their IPA selection, and he probably would've stayed all night if Desi hadn't wanted to see more of the town. Afterwards we dined at the Dinosaur Cafe, which has the most delicious catfish po boys that will most likely be craved fortnightly. 
Thursday morning we hiked up to the M on the mountain before setting off for West Yellowstone. We took a very scenic route through Ennis and past Earthquake Lake arriving at our hotel around 3PM. We rendezvoused with Mike's family around 6PM. 
Our stay in Yellowstone was fantastic! The weather was awesome, consisting of phenomenal thunder storms, hail, and beautiful warm days. The park didn't seem very crowded and wildlife was plentiful. At last count we had seen two black bears, herds of elk and bison, two coyotes, multiple deer, and a bald eagle, complete with nest and baby. In addition to getting to spend some quality time with Mike's family, our friends, Luis & Alysha, drove up from Salt Lake to spend a quick day with us on Saturday night. On Sunday morning we drove to Big Springs, near Island Park, and did a nice hike/walk together before going our separate ways.
When we left on Tuesday morning, after spending Monday checking out the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, we were wishing for more time to stay and play in Yellowstone. We could've used at least two more days for hiking and exploring. But, even with the seemingly short stay, this truly was a great vacation and one we hope to enjoy again someday in the future. 
1 comment:
I've only been to Yellowstone once, and it was for about two hours. Looks like it was a great trip.
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