Yellowstone Part 2

The next part of our trip was a place called Bear World, which is a little south of Rexburg, ID. That was my favorite stop. You pay admission to drive around this park where the animals just roam freely (predators and prey are separated, of course). They are so close, you could reach out and touch them, except the rules require that your windows are rolled up. It was great! You can drive through as many times in a day as you like.

A rare white elk.


The bears didn't seem bothered by us at all. In fact, some of them almost looked like they were smiling at us!

The employees were out petting and playing with the bears. I was jealous!


After you drive through, you can go into another area and see the cubs. It's not like the zoo where everything is far away. These guys were within arm's reach too! There were six of them and they were so fun to watch. For "just $35", you can bottle feed a cub. We didn't do that.


Here are some other cute little cubs...
And scary ones too!


This picture of the ducks turned out cool. We were standing on a bridge. You can even see our shadows at the top.

There was also a petting zoo. How often do you get to pet a baby deer? They were so sweet and soft.

Just like being in the Garden of Eden! (Except we had more than fig leaves on)

This guy is a monster! I knew moose were big, but it's still shocking when you're this close.

They even had little amusement rides for the kids! It was a perfect place for our family, and we went at the right time of year so we didn't have to wait in any lines!

Yellowstone Part 1

This last week we took a fun trip to Yellowstone! I have three posts' worth of pics for you to enjoy!

First, we had to drop off Dakota at the boarding kennel. She loves it there and she got really excited to play with friends. She sat at the window as we drove away. It was hard to leave her, but we took this picture because she was so cute sitting there, wishing us happy trails.

The first time we stopped for gas (in St Anthony), there was a cute little park nearby and there was an Army tank. Wow!! The boys had to go check it out. How cool is that???

Andy was delighted by the stream running through the park, even though we couldn't see any fish in it. It's a cute little spot though, isn't it?

We checked in to our room, and just a block away was a grizzly and wolf preserve. Did you know poachers are killing bears for their gallbladders?? Apparently it's a delicacy in some countries. Weird! Anyway, it was an interesting place. You get a pretty good view of wolves...we watched them eat their breakfast the next day. The bears were pretty boring, but we got to see them.

In the gift shop there's this giant teddy bear couch. Spencer looks so tiny! Carson was a little freaked out by it.

This wolf was just on the other side of a window. Isn't he beautiful? It made me miss my doggy. Most of the wolves were the same size or smaller than Dakota!

We went into the park just a little. You have to drive a long time to get to different areas of the park, so we just looked at some hot pots, visited Old Faithful, and called it good.

I love the colors in this one. Spencer enjoyed standing in the steam and smelling the sulfur.

There's Old Faithful! Spencer thought it was pretty cool. Carson wasn't overly impressed. Just after Old Faithful went up, another geyser right by it started.

Again, we had to stop and look at a river. This is one of Andy's favorite fishing spots in Yellowstone. We saw some old geezers there and had to stop and ask, "So, what are you using?" (meaning, "What kind of flies are you using?") A good fisherman never misses a chance to hobnob with the old guys.

Exhausted little boys! I love to watch them sleep, especially when they share a bed! There was a LOT of giggling before they finally conked out. We had to keep reminding them to go to sleep, but it was the cutest sound ever. I can't help smiling when I hear that.

National Dog Day

Today (August 26) is National Dog Day. So in honor of the occasion, I am posting some pictures of my favorite dog!

Nothing makes her happier than a new bone!!

She's not really as sad as she looks...she was feeling tired. She came in to watch the sequel to "Old Yeller" with me and Spencer. She slept through most of it.

Good show!

Playing with Uncle Adam. He got lots of wet kisses!

Wildlife

Here are some pictures of some creatures we have seen so far this summer. We're going to Yellowstone next week, so we'll probably see more soon!

Andy took the Scouts fly fishing (what a tough job). All in the name of service, right??

You can see he's really miserable.... Can I tell you how many times I heard about how amazingly big this fish was?

What a beauty!! (Or a disgusting, slimy thing...depends on your perspective.)

We went up to Logan to visit my grandparents' grave. These deer were just hanging out not far from them. If I was a deer, I'd do the same thing. It's a nice, peaceful place with plenty of shade.

Demolition Derby

A couple of weeks ago we went to a demolition derby with my brother and his family. The boys were sooooo excited! I think it fulfilled their dreams. A lot of the people there were...ahem...unusual. In other words, there was great entertainment for all!!

Every time I asked the boys what they thought of the derby, they both replied "Awesome!!" They are rednecks at heart.

Carson doesn't understand girls. My niece was being silly and switching his hat around to make him look funny. He just had this puzzled grin the whole time, and then he'd fix it straight again. He didn't understand what was so funny about messing up a man's hat!

I'm sure if I asked Spencer right now which cars were the winners, he'd still remember. Nothing better than watching car wrecks!

A Date with Dakota

Last night the boys wanted to go get donuts. Andy was unavailable, so I asked them if we should invite Dakota to go along. Wow! That idea was a hit! So we all got in the van and I secured her leash to a hook in the back. I also took some doggy treats so she wouldn't feel bad that she didn't get a donut.

First I stopped for gas and there were endless peals of giggles from inside. It doesn't take much--a few licks on their bare legs, even her very presence was enough to make the whole trip hilarious!

That's not something I'm used to seeing in the rear view mirror!

I held up the camera and told them, "Everybody smile!" so they all did!

"Don't I look pretty with the geraniums?"

Happy Boys

Just a quick story to start off.... One day I gave Carson a snack in a little pink bowl. He looked at it with disdain and said, "Oh bother--PINK!!"

I seldom let them bathe together anymore because they make such a mess in the bathroom!! Occasionally the giggles are worth it though.

Luscious lips (wax, actually) These lips freaked out Carson. He screams and runs to hide behind me.

Yeeeeehaaaawww! Carson was scared to death of this little horse when he got it for Christmas a couple of years ago. He's over that now that he's almost too big to ride it!

He's being a "motorcycle guy"--in pajamas.

I have absolutely NO intentions of encouraging him to join the military, but he does look awfully cute in the uniform!

Okay, this one doesn't really go with the title, but it's too funny not to include it. Carson HATES wearing buttoned shirts unless he can wear his tie like the big guys. Spencer never cared what he wore to church, so I had all these cute little outfits and I want Carson to wear them too. Sometimes I just make him wear them anyway. This is how he feels about it.