July started off fun with a special Family Home Evening with our friends "cousins" the Owens. Gina and I discovered that we share a common ancestor, Gilbert Belnap. We wanted to go to the special memorial located near the place where he buried his deceased baby boy in his tool box as he crossed Nebraska on his way to Utah with the Mormon pioneers. His baby was just learning to talk. How hard it would have been to leave his grave. I have been touched even more by the sacrifices made by those early pioneers even more since living here in Omaha. I am grateful to Gina for showing us where this monument is. I just love Gina and her family and it is so nice to say that we have at least one relative that lives close to us here.
Later in the week- We were able to see a fireworks display on a previous evening-
. . .and so on actual Independence day we just enjoyed prepping for our road trip and lighting a few of our own.
The following day, Friday the 5th we headed north to South Dakota where we camped near Mt Rushmore. We had a good 8-10 hour drive with all the stops for meeting baby needs and potty stops but the kids were very good natured and pleasant. Throughout the trip we listened to Harry Potter #4 on CD. This saved my voice and we used our time to finally enjoy the story together. We hardly had much time for movies! Everyone did so well with the long periods of time in the car.
We arrived close to sunset and it was lightly raining so we set up camp and kept dinner simple. In the morning(Saturday) we went to Custer State Park to enjoy some wild life. We were able to see plenty of bison.
We were also able to see some non-native burros. Understanding the risk, but unable to resist the fun others were having, we decided to let them share an apple or 2 of ours. Once they knew I was the distributor, they were not shy! The kids were tickled by the whole experience.
We then proceeded on to Mount Rushmore National Memorial where we spent a very short time in the visitor center learning about the monument and then enjoyed the awesome craftsmanship of those who created it.
We then drove 8-10 hours to Helena, Montana where we arrived (after dark) and set up camp for the night. Here we were able to connect up with Mike, Taralie and their family (Matt's brother and family.) The kids were delighted to be with cousins again! We treasure time with extended family!
Sunday we drove north to Canada to meet up with Matt's parents near Banff National Park. If I had it to do again, I think I would have tried to find Sunday meetings to attend even for just an hour or so. I really miss church when I can't go. We even passed an LDS chapel shortly after crossing into Alberta. It is hard when you have such a full day of traveling! We drove another 8-10 hours this day. Our campsite was great except that there were tons of mosquitos! We used lots of bug spray but still managed to get plenty of bites.
We enjoyed our spacious tent and were so grateful to have extra hands to help with meals and activites thanks to Bart, Wendy, and Mike and his family! Matt's dad (Bart) did most of the planning for Canada activities and I think he did a great job selecting activies that were appropriate for all the age groups involoved. I know Matt enjoys adventures because his dad and mom gave him so many rich experiences and happy memories growing up. We are grateful that we could experience this Canada trip with them! Also, I recognize that it must be a bit frustrating to deal with us and all the delays, needs, and effort required that come with a young family. They were very patient and supportive!
Monday was rainy so we drove into the town of Banff and visited the park museum where we were able to see great specimen displays (birds, mountain goats, bears, wolves, elk, small furry creatures etc) and the kids were able to complete activity booklets. There was so much to see and enjoy! We then drove to Bow Falls, a beautiful waterfall. I was breathtaken with the beauty of the experience - the smell, the greyish blue sky with the lush green to contrast, the refreshing spray blowing gently on my face . . .I could have enjoyed that forever.
We then went to the Cave and Basin National Historic site. Here we were able to learn about the natural hot springs and the history around that and the development of Canada's first national park (Banff). I enjoyed taking a step back in time so to speak.
Tuesday we drove to Lake Moraine where the view was incredible! We enjoyed a few photo opportunies and then were able to rent canoes. My favorite part of the whole trip was the opportunity to break away from my routines and usual surroundings to be immersed in nature. A break like this brings perspective and time to contemplate how magnificent life is and God is. Obviously, having so much time with Matthew and the kids was just as treasured!
In the afternoon we went to Lake Louise which was also very beautiful and checked out a pretty hotel there.
Wednesday we went to Banff again where we took the Gondola up to the Sulfur Mountain Lookout hike. Here we were able to see mountain goats, chipmunks, and incredible mountain views!
I want to note here that Christian was incredibly patient and flexible with all the activities, varying temperatures, and schedules (a new time zone and the sun going down around 10 or 11PM). He was such a trooper!
After a picnic lunch we went swimming at the Upper Hot Springs. They were comfortably warm, almost too warm to swim in for long, but I relished it because it was so easy to get cold in Canada with varying altitudes, and circumstances. Overall, we stayed pretty comfortable most of the time. The kids, of course, loved swimming!
While dinner was cooking we took a little hike near our campground, Johnson Canyon Trail. This was a short but scenic and fun hike. The falls at the end reminded me of how much power water can have! It always impresses me to hear and feel the thundering water as it crashes at the bottom. Again, beauty!-(flowers, moss, wild strawberry plants, evergreen trees with their new green tips and young red pinecones, and of course loving family)
Thursday we broke camp and headed up to Jasper. On the way to our new camp site (Rampart Creek, I think) we stopped at Peyto Lake to view the glacier and hike. It felt so wonderful to hike in the beautiful mountains! Grandpa (Bart) helped lead the marmot hunt of course. He is always so much fun for the kids! Sheri enjoyed looking for fairy homes and such. We stayed together in case of a bear or moose encounter but never saw either, much to Matt's chagrin!
We drove back to camp and set up, then drove to Columbia Ice Field where it was sleeting. We hiked shortly up to the ice field enjoying the adventure of hurrying up the path in the cold.
The evening was drizzly but cozy in our eating pavillion and in our sleeping bags. I really did enjoy all the great things about camping on this trip - campfires, fresh smells, the kids playing in nature, s'mores, etc.
Friday morning we packed up and said goodbye to the rest of the Smiths and headed south for Montana which took until evening. Here are some pics leaving Jasper.
We got in late and so, found an inexpensive hotel where we could get a good night's rest and warm showers!
Saturday we drove to Yelowstone around 11 A.M. and found a place to camp near West Yellowstone. We then got some groceries and then set out to see the sites. We saw a few geyser basins, Old Faithful, more bison, and the falls near Canyon Village. I didn't realize that Yellowstone had waterfalls. They were beautiful! We very much wished that we could have spent more time exploring but it was getting close to dark and so we headed back to camp, ate dinner, and got to bed.
Sunday we headed to Denver. The scenery through the upper part of Wyoming was beautiful and we even saw real cowboys hearding their cattle along the side of the road. Midway through the day we finally managed a glimpse at a moose. Again we wish we could have experienced more wildlife but we had to be content with our car full of wild animals. :)
We arrived in Denver after dark and went directly to bed. It was a long drive! We were happy to be in Colorful Colorado!
