Jackson Hole 2011
For our family vacation this year, we went to Jackson Hole. Brent and I went last year and thought it would be something the kids might enjoy so we made it a family event. We invited Brent's parents to come along as well. We had a great time with them, and we hope they didn't get too tired of us.
I'm disappointed I didn't take more pictures than I did. I realized it's really hard to play photographer while bouncing a 7-month old munchkin on my hip. But, thankgoodness for Dave and his camera! About half of the pics in this post are from him.
Anyway, we packed up and headed out Thursday morning, June 23. Dave and Karen came to our house to load some bikes and other gear into and onto their truck. They also invited Brooky and Damon to ride with them, which was really nice for us. Brent and I had to deal with 50% less funny-business than we would have otherwise.
Our fist stop, of course, was Maverick in Richmond. Why? Because Maverick is "adventure's first stop". And we were setting out for an adventure. And...we needed gas. But drinks really were our first priority.
We headed north to Grace, Idaho where we stopped to eat the picnic lunch we'd packed. We sat on the grass at an elementary school and just shot the breeze for a while. The kids also did some jump roping and bubble-blowing.
We made a pit stop in Alpine Junction.
We actually stayed in Teton Village, not Jackson. We rented a family loft at The Inn at Jackson Hole (in Teton Village) and when we arrived we unloaded the vehicles, unpacked and got settled. It started raining really hard as we were carrying things into our suite and we were worried we'd have crappy weather our entire stay. We didn't. After we got settled, we had dinner and then walked around the courtyard since it had stopped raining. We also hopped on the Bridger gondola and rode up to the summit.
Maya had a terrible night that first night. She was so out of her comfort zone being in a strange bed in a strange place. She awoke screaming every hour and half to two hours through the night and nothing seemed to calm her down. Nobody slept well, it was frustrating for us all. I had planned to go running at six Friday morning but at about 4:30 attempts at more sleep seemed futile so I got up, got ready to run, put some warmer clothes on Maya, grabbed some blankets and a bottle, put the screamer in the jogger and off we went. Maya dozed a little but she was mostly restless for the entire seven miles. My plan was to log my miles and then just wander around until at least 7:00 so everyone else could get a little sleep. But just as we finished mile 7, Maya threw up. Everywhere. I felt so bad for her. She may have had a sour stomach all night and just didn't feel good. We got back to our room and I gave Maya a bath, then we headed to the laundry room. I hadn't packed any laundry detergent but I was sure there would be a vending machine. Silly me, there wasn't. So Maya and I headed to the store. We got our extremely over-priced soap and went back to do laundry.
That first morning got off to a rough start but things did improve. After everyone got up, we cooked breakfast (we had a kitchenette) and decided to go biking. There is a great little paved bike path that's about 6.5 miles long from the parking lot of our hotel to the other end. We headed out on the path, went the full distance and then headed back. I was really impressed with the kids, they did so well. Damon's little legs were amazing, he just kept pedaling non-stop.
After the bike path we headed out for lunch. After lunch Brent and Dave wanted to do some mountain biking so they headed for the Teewinot lift while the rest of us had a little quiet time. After resting up a bit, we headed to the pool. The big kids had a blast playing in the water with Grandma and Maya seemed to really enjoy her first swimming experience. Brent and Dave had a great time riding down the mountain. For Brent, this was the highlight of the trip.
For dinner Friday night we packed a picnic and ate in the courtyard.
Back at the hotel, we began to get settled for the night and I was worried we'd be in for another long, miserable night with Maya. I was relieved that was not the case. It wasn't a perfect night, but it was much better than the previous.
Saturday was a fun and busy day. We spent some time at the bungee trampoline and the climbing wall. Brent thought it would be a good idea for me to join the kids on the trampoline, so I did. I've done this before but I don't remember my first experience being as intense as this one. It is one thrill I don't ever need to have again. I also learned that sometimes Brent's ideas aren't that good.
The girls and me in our harnesses, waiting for our turns.
Brooky's turn. She didn't enjoy this as much as she thought she would.
Brittany didn't love this either. She actually got a little bit hurt.
Me. I wanted to get off after that first bounce. If I hadn't have been so scared, I probably would have peed my pants.
The climbing wall seemed to be more enjoyable for everyone. We were all impressed at what good climbers the kids were, especially Brooky.
Glad to be back on the ground!
Look at Grandma go! No harness or anything!
We headed to Snow King resort for a ride on the Alpine slide. The kids loved this!
We had reservations to see the Bar J Wranglers Saturday night. After riding the Alpine slide we headed back to our room to get cleaned up and ready to go. Dinner was really good and so was the show. I was surprised at how much the kids enjoyed the entertainment. I was afraid they'd be bored but they weren't, they loved it.
Maya has a new favorite pasttime. Unfortunately, it's not so pleasant for Damon.
Sunday was a lazy day. I put Maya on the bed next to Damon to watch TV but she was more interested in him and his blanket. After trying to shove Damon's blanket in her mouth once or twice, Damon said Maya could keep the blanket for the rest of the trip and would I please wash it when we got home because it got spit on it.
We lounged around the hotel for the morning, had lunch and then headed to the arerial tram and rode up to the summit of Rendevous Mountain. The temperature at the base was quite nice but at the top it was freezing and so WINDY! I forget the exact temp, it was in the low 40's and the wind was blowing around 30mph. The kids didn't enjoy this so much but the view is so spectacular we made them stick it out for a few minutes.
Digging for rocks at the summit's gift shop. The kids couldn't wait to get inside out of the wind.
There is a moose in the center of this picture. We spotted it from the tram on our way back down the mountain.
After our trip on the tram Brooky wanted to go hiking. She'd been asking to go for a hike the entire trip. Nobody else was too interested so I told her I'd go with her. We started up the mountain and I told her we'd go as far as she wanted. I'm sure we didn't go further than about a quarter mile when she said she was done. So we headed back.
Brittany, Damon, Brent and Dave went swimming.
Monday morning Brent and Dave decided to hit the mountain on their bikes one last time and the rest of us decided to ride a few miles on the bike path. We packed up most of our belongings and headed out.
The one thing we would have liked to do and didn't was river rafting. The water was so high and so fast, not to mention incredibly muddy looking, so we opted not to run it this year. Brooky was disappointed, she had been looking forward to that but we decided it was too dangerous.
A few more pics from our trip.
The drive home was uneventful. We made a couple of stops and arrived home Monday evening. I'd have to say the trip was a success. I think everyone had a good time. I even think the kids might like to go back there again sometime.
I'm disappointed I didn't take more pictures than I did. I realized it's really hard to play photographer while bouncing a 7-month old munchkin on my hip. But, thankgoodness for Dave and his camera! About half of the pics in this post are from him.
Anyway, we packed up and headed out Thursday morning, June 23. Dave and Karen came to our house to load some bikes and other gear into and onto their truck. They also invited Brooky and Damon to ride with them, which was really nice for us. Brent and I had to deal with 50% less funny-business than we would have otherwise.
Our fist stop, of course, was Maverick in Richmond. Why? Because Maverick is "adventure's first stop". And we were setting out for an adventure. And...we needed gas. But drinks really were our first priority.
We headed north to Grace, Idaho where we stopped to eat the picnic lunch we'd packed. We sat on the grass at an elementary school and just shot the breeze for a while. The kids also did some jump roping and bubble-blowing.
We made a pit stop in Alpine Junction.
We actually stayed in Teton Village, not Jackson. We rented a family loft at The Inn at Jackson Hole (in Teton Village) and when we arrived we unloaded the vehicles, unpacked and got settled. It started raining really hard as we were carrying things into our suite and we were worried we'd have crappy weather our entire stay. We didn't. After we got settled, we had dinner and then walked around the courtyard since it had stopped raining. We also hopped on the Bridger gondola and rode up to the summit.
Maya had a terrible night that first night. She was so out of her comfort zone being in a strange bed in a strange place. She awoke screaming every hour and half to two hours through the night and nothing seemed to calm her down. Nobody slept well, it was frustrating for us all. I had planned to go running at six Friday morning but at about 4:30 attempts at more sleep seemed futile so I got up, got ready to run, put some warmer clothes on Maya, grabbed some blankets and a bottle, put the screamer in the jogger and off we went. Maya dozed a little but she was mostly restless for the entire seven miles. My plan was to log my miles and then just wander around until at least 7:00 so everyone else could get a little sleep. But just as we finished mile 7, Maya threw up. Everywhere. I felt so bad for her. She may have had a sour stomach all night and just didn't feel good. We got back to our room and I gave Maya a bath, then we headed to the laundry room. I hadn't packed any laundry detergent but I was sure there would be a vending machine. Silly me, there wasn't. So Maya and I headed to the store. We got our extremely over-priced soap and went back to do laundry.That first morning got off to a rough start but things did improve. After everyone got up, we cooked breakfast (we had a kitchenette) and decided to go biking. There is a great little paved bike path that's about 6.5 miles long from the parking lot of our hotel to the other end. We headed out on the path, went the full distance and then headed back. I was really impressed with the kids, they did so well. Damon's little legs were amazing, he just kept pedaling non-stop.
After the bike path we headed out for lunch. After lunch Brent and Dave wanted to do some mountain biking so they headed for the Teewinot lift while the rest of us had a little quiet time. After resting up a bit, we headed to the pool. The big kids had a blast playing in the water with Grandma and Maya seemed to really enjoy her first swimming experience. Brent and Dave had a great time riding down the mountain. For Brent, this was the highlight of the trip.
For dinner Friday night we packed a picnic and ate in the courtyard.
Back at the hotel, we began to get settled for the night and I was worried we'd be in for another long, miserable night with Maya. I was relieved that was not the case. It wasn't a perfect night, but it was much better than the previous.
Saturday was a fun and busy day. We spent some time at the bungee trampoline and the climbing wall. Brent thought it would be a good idea for me to join the kids on the trampoline, so I did. I've done this before but I don't remember my first experience being as intense as this one. It is one thrill I don't ever need to have again. I also learned that sometimes Brent's ideas aren't that good.
The girls and me in our harnesses, waiting for our turns.
Brooky's turn. She didn't enjoy this as much as she thought she would.
Brittany didn't love this either. She actually got a little bit hurt.
Me. I wanted to get off after that first bounce. If I hadn't have been so scared, I probably would have peed my pants.
The climbing wall seemed to be more enjoyable for everyone. We were all impressed at what good climbers the kids were, especially Brooky.
Glad to be back on the ground!
Look at Grandma go! No harness or anything!
We headed to Snow King resort for a ride on the Alpine slide. The kids loved this!
We had reservations to see the Bar J Wranglers Saturday night. After riding the Alpine slide we headed back to our room to get cleaned up and ready to go. Dinner was really good and so was the show. I was surprised at how much the kids enjoyed the entertainment. I was afraid they'd be bored but they weren't, they loved it.
Maya has a new favorite pasttime. Unfortunately, it's not so pleasant for Damon.
Sunday was a lazy day. I put Maya on the bed next to Damon to watch TV but she was more interested in him and his blanket. After trying to shove Damon's blanket in her mouth once or twice, Damon said Maya could keep the blanket for the rest of the trip and would I please wash it when we got home because it got spit on it.
We lounged around the hotel for the morning, had lunch and then headed to the arerial tram and rode up to the summit of Rendevous Mountain. The temperature at the base was quite nice but at the top it was freezing and so WINDY! I forget the exact temp, it was in the low 40's and the wind was blowing around 30mph. The kids didn't enjoy this so much but the view is so spectacular we made them stick it out for a few minutes.
Digging for rocks at the summit's gift shop. The kids couldn't wait to get inside out of the wind.
There is a moose in the center of this picture. We spotted it from the tram on our way back down the mountain.
After our trip on the tram Brooky wanted to go hiking. She'd been asking to go for a hike the entire trip. Nobody else was too interested so I told her I'd go with her. We started up the mountain and I told her we'd go as far as she wanted. I'm sure we didn't go further than about a quarter mile when she said she was done. So we headed back.
Brittany, Damon, Brent and Dave went swimming.
Monday morning Brent and Dave decided to hit the mountain on their bikes one last time and the rest of us decided to ride a few miles on the bike path. We packed up most of our belongings and headed out.
The one thing we would have liked to do and didn't was river rafting. The water was so high and so fast, not to mention incredibly muddy looking, so we opted not to run it this year. Brooky was disappointed, she had been looking forward to that but we decided it was too dangerous.
A few more pics from our trip.
The drive home was uneventful. We made a couple of stops and arrived home Monday evening. I'd have to say the trip was a success. I think everyone had a good time. I even think the kids might like to go back there again sometime.
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