Improvising on the Journey East

Probably out of denial about the reality of summer ending, we enjoyed the last days in Driggs and struggled to actually plan our trip east. Corb and I both had the strong sense that we'd like to take a route other than I-80, and we were tempted by both I-90 through South Dakota and I-94 through North Dakota. We planned on a 6-day journey which gave some flexibility and the chance to make the trip fun. We looked at a number of possibilities - baseball games, visits to friends, waterpark hotels, etc.

We always love the opportunity to stay in Lander and sent a message to the Campbells to see if that was a possibility. We knew they might be away, and decided that the alternate plan would be to head north on Hwy 32 and go through Montana. Miraculously, we were able to plan a fairly early morning departure on Tuesday 8/23 and were ready to head out the door at about 9am. At the last minute we got a call from Carol Campbell, who had just arrived home. Unable to pass up a chance to visit the Campbells in Lander, we agreed that was our best first stop and abandoned the Montana plan.

We took our time, stopping in Jackson to shop (for the first time this whole summer!). We found some great end-of-season deals and then enjoyed a drive through GT park. We had a wonderful evening at 700 Buena Vista in Lander. Carol had a steak dinner ready to welcome Bruce home from a fishing trip, and Maggie enjoyed helping them harvest veggies and dig potatoes from their garden. During dinner we spotted a great horned owl fly overhead and then perch nearby. This prompted Carol to get an "owl pellet" from the garage for an after-dinner science experiment. The kids loved digging through the (regurgitated) pellet and finding fascinating skeletal remains. Seriously, we never regret stopping in Lander!

Wednesday morning, after I snuck in a quick run and we enjoyed a wonderful pancake breakfast, we headed to Lusk, WY and then headed north with aspirations of getting to Mitchell, SD. That ended up being a very long day - 675 miles - but at the hotel that night the kids made great use of the indoor pool, open until midnight! Our morning stop at Cabelas in Mitchell was less than satisfying. Thursday we headed southeast with the plan to stop at Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA and then to stay overnight in Dubuque, IA. We were able to do that, but we thought the field closed at 8pm, and when we arrived at 5:20pm and found out it closed at 6pm, we had to maximize our time there! All 3 kids got to bat, hit, and catch. Then we explored the corn fields! Overall, a success, but different from what we expected.

Thursday evening it was time to start to track and pay attention to Hurricane Irene. It started to become clear that we should either get to Andover by Saturday night or put off our arrival until Monday or Tuesday. Hesitant to give into the hype, we were skeptical ... but watching the news and listening to family and friends, we thought we best pay attention!

We had some ideas of go karts and waterparks with the planned remaining 3 days to reach our destination. But when we realized we could make a big push and get to Andover in 2 days, we changed our mindset.

Friday (today) we made it to just east of Cleveland, with plans of being in Andover by Saturday evening. This has made for a long day today and another tomorrow (600-ish miles). The kids are doing well with grocery store stops and hotels with pools. The real key to our success has been audiobooks on iTunes - Connor's listening to the Percy Jackson series; Brady listened to Huck Finn and is now on to the Percy Jackson series (not out of interest, but only because the first book is the required reading for incoming 6th graders - he read it in June and is welcoming the chance for a refresher!!); Maggie is listening to a combination of music and books on her CD player.

Honestly, I wish I could put off our return to Andover ... but weather must be respected. Barring anything unexpected, we will be there tomorrow evening. Corb and I have learned a lot from this trip and know that we wouldn't change any decisions with the information we had. Ironically, we are not as "road weary" as we've been in the past. The kids are old enough to be helpful and to be somewhat flexible about changing plans. We have enjoyed discussing ideas for future trips!!

We are all looking forward to the Trepanier family reunion at Purity Springs over Labor Day weekend. The chance to have all 12 grandchildren together at one time is one to be cherished! We cannot wait to see everyone!

I'll post now, with the promise of pictures to be added later (knowing full well that the delay could be a long one!).

Another fun dinner with friends!

Susy and Jeff invited us to join them for one more dinner - a chance to gather our families one more time before we head east. Jeff's father and Susy's cousin were visiting for the weekend, and they also invited Pat, their head cowboy, and Tucker, their intern, so we had a fun evening with a great group of people. The kids love time with Tucker, who entertains them with all sorts of games, including riddles and word games. I don't think Connor ever left Tucker's side all evening! After dinner Jeff got out his shotgun and clays, which would have entertained Corbin for hours had it not gotten too dark to see the clays! It was just another really wonderful evening for all of us.

Today we are beginning to pack up the house in earnest, knowing that all final packing will really happen tomorrow. Perhaps we'll take an afternoon trip up to Targhee for a swim. Tomorrow afternoon, Susy has to take Elsa up to Targhee for her cross country practice :-) so we have the hope of yet one more trail run together!

We are certainly juggling a range of emotions as we prepare to depart on Tuesday morning. For the most part, we've simply felt grateful for our time here and pleased with the choices we've made about how to spend that time. I hope to keep the blog going through our journey east and our Trepanier family reunion over Labor Day weekend!

Glory!

The first time I climbed Glory was the day Corb and I put an offer in on our home and could only wait. He suggested a hike, so off we went with 4-month-old Brady in the Baby Bjorn. The trail up Glory Mt starts at the top of Teton Pass, which is at about 8500'. The trail goes pretty much straight up to the summit at about 10,000'. So it's relatively short and very steep - a great way to get up high quickly! From the top of Glory we could see Teton Valley Idaho, Jackson Hole, and the Teton Mountains. While I carried Brady up, I insisted that Corb carry him down since the footing was so uncertain - steep and easy to slide.

I really thought the boys were ready for this hike this summer, but I also knew that they'd need some encouragement. The best way to get and keep them going was to be sure we went with friends. We were finally able to make that happen today. Susy and I took her three oldest (Elsa, Ann, Will) with Brady and Connor. Since Heather couldn't make it today because of work, we also took Reagan along. Corbin was a good sport and stayed home with Maggie and Tim.

About half-way up, there is a great rock for climbing, and even those who seemed to be dragging at that point perked right up to climb the rock. When we weren't sure if everyone could quite summit, the promise of a "surprise" spurred everyone to new speed. The kids loved the fort (the surprise) at the top! We went through about 8 packets of sport beans (or similar energy snacks) and countless M&Ms. The kids love to consider which color beans give which energy - speed, endurance, balance, etc! They devour all of them.

The hike down proved challenging at moments, but another climb on the rock was helpful. We played some "camp games" on the way up and down and the kids told lots of jokes and stories. We did run low on water on the way down, but the milkshakes at the Emporium made up for that! We even brought milkshakes home for Maggie and Tim.

Evening Teton Floats

By about mid-August, the Teton River is prime for evening fishing. Corb has enjoyed these solo floats in his pontoon boat. This is the standard evening activity when we don't have something else planned. I love that Corbin and I are each able to nurture ourself in the summer, while also having plenty of quality family time!

The Ridge

In 1996, Corbin took me camping for the first time - car camping at "the ridge." We returned to the same spot in the summers of 1998 and 1999. In 2000, with Brady as an infant, we camped there again and the next morning began the process that led us to buy our Driggs home. We've returned many times, to camp or just have picnics, and have always considered this a very special spot. Last night we enjoyed a family night of camping at the ridge, complete (of course) with a fire and s'mores. Corb and I both acknowledged and appreciated how much easier it is to take the family camping when the kids can actually help out and be independent!

After sleeping in just a bit this morning, we returned to town for breakfast at the TWR Grill.

Jiffy Pop!

Do you remember Jiffy Pop? I certainly do. Now my kids might, too!

One more trail run ...

As our time winds down and people's schedules are busy, I took advantage of the opportunity to run with Susy and Tammy this morning. My absolute favorite run ever is Rick's Basin and Quakie Ridge up at Targhee. I ran it once with Amy this summer and a second time today with Susy and Tammy. Great run, great friends, great morning!

A "Lazy" Weekend

After a full week, we didn't plan too much for the weekend. We ended up fitting in a lot of fun, while also feeling as if we kind of had a lazy weekend! Saturday morning, I biked down to the 5th Street Skatepark with Connor and Maggie, while Corb took Brady mountain biking up in Teton Canyon. As the kids scootered around the skatepark, people were setting up for an afternoon competition and concert. Connor was intrigued and wanted to return. So that afternoon, while we ran some errands (dump, grocery, etc), I dropped Connor at the skatepark to watch the events. When I returned to get him, he was not yet ready to leave and asked if I could just bring him his bike so he could ride home when he was ready. Wanting to encourage his independence, I agreed. When I got back with his bike, I found him happily watching the competition and eating a "Snowie!" He returned home about an hour later. While Connor was gone, Brady asked if he could ride downtown alone. The boys are feeling very independent and we are enjoying the opportunities they have here to explore a bit of freedom.

Saturday night, we gathered for dinner and swimming with a bunch of friends at Teton Springs - the Batchens, the Russells, the Wilcoxes, the Schmidts, the Browns, Laurie M's family, Jen H's family, and Carlen's family (yes, Heather and I wore the same dress!). It was a really fun evening, but we missed Corina who was sick. While I've spent time with most of my friends individually or in small groups, it was fun to gather together at least one time as a big group! Once again, the kids of course, had a blast!

On Sunday morning, after Lucie's birthday party (see earlier post), Connor biked back down to the skatepark. He took my phone and checked in regularly, and he loved having the place to himself on a Sunday morning! Later that afternoon, Corb set up the slackline for the first time this summer. All three kids enjoyed the new activity. And with plenty of down time, Brady picked up his BB gun again and practiced some target shooting out by the creek.

Maggie has been asking all summer if we can arrange for her to play with a friend named Scout, whom she remembered from school. I was finally able to arrange a visit on Sunday afternoon. Scout's grandmother brought Scout over around 2pm and had her older brother, Gus, along. Gus and Connor hit it off right away and Connor ended up going back to play at Gus' house - a spontaneous kid swap!

Sunday evening, Corbin took Brady on a canoe float and fishing trip down the Teton (Bates to Rainey). As they took off, I hoped for at least one catch! When we picked them up, Brady excitedly told me that he'd caught "a lot of fish." He hooked a big one (Corb said about 19") and fought it for awhile before he broke the line. That got the adrenaline going ... and after that Brady caught 4 more fish - a rainbow trout, a cutthroat, a brown trout, and a white fish. Corb calls it the "Teton Grand Slam!" A really good night.

As Connor, Maggie and I drove down to the river to pick up Corb and Brady, we watched the sunset, caught the alpenglow on the Tetons, and then watched as the full moon rose over the Tetons ... seriously, how can I ever leave this place?!

Lucie's 10th Birthday

Lucie turned 10 on Sunday, the same day that the Greens had to begin their journey back east. We had them over at 8am for breakfast and cake and ice cream to celebrate Lucie's birthday and to gather one more time this summer. I'm so glad Kath remembered to have us take our "lineup" picture -- we have a bunch of these with the kids lined up by age from past years and it's so fun to watch them grow up together.

They are headed to Nantucket for a few days with Kath's family and then onto Concord, NH to begin their new life at St. Paul's School. We remember the feeling of returning to "reality" after a year of sabbatical, and they are going to a "new reality." We've enjoyed the moments we've shared with them this summer, and we all said our good-byes with the promises of fall visits and the hope that the rumor of a trout stream running right by their new home is true!