Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Park Trip

So it has taken me a while to post about our trip because it took a while to recoup from the trip. We camped at Colter Bay Village in the Grand Teton National Park a very beautiful place I might add. It was a crazy trip to say the least. It was supposed to be my families family reunion little get together thing. We left last Sunday and came home on Tuesday because Daryl had to work and since it isn't his normal school district job he couldn't take more time off. But it was long enough, camping with a 3 year old in a tent is very interesting. I mean she did great better than we could have hoped for, but she was very needy and wanted to be entertained by us all the time which isn’t her normal self. She really did do great for it being her first camping trip in a tent. Sunday was great we got there fairly early and we set up camp, my family was already there so we just had to find them to set up our tent with them. It was a super hot day so after getting a sweat going we went to Jackson Lake to take a dip and cool off. It was fun and Paiglee loved it she really enjoyed throwing in the rocks, she was even attempting the big rocks that probably weighed as much as she did. My sister Allison made some super yummy, enchiladas that took her forever to make but it was so good, and we had enough to eat for the next three days literally. The trip was great up until this point. Our first night in the tent was earth shaking literally. Daryl and I checked the weather and it said rain and thunderstorms Sunday and Monday. Well I have never been in a thunderstorm like this one in my life. I was scared out of my wits; the thunder was so loud I could barely hear anything. The rain I swear was going to just come pouring into our tent and the lighting was the worst if you had your eyes open when it struck it would leave you night blind and then by the time your eyes adjusted another one struck. Plus it was the loud cracking kind that makes you jump. This storm felt like it was right on top of our tent and I was waiting for a tree to fall on us. I am just so thankful little Miss Paiglee slept through the whole storm, I was shocked but thankful. Plus when the storm let up and stopped raining I had to go out to pee because well I was scared and I drank a lot. So I am shaking due to it being chilly but mostly because I am freaked out and I put my sandals on that are soaked and I have my head lamp on and I am squatting to pee trying to keep my pants out of the mud and making sure I don't pee on myself while holding my Kleenex in my mouth while watching all around me for bears (cause I guess they are bad up there). It was a rough night. After I peed the storm started up again right as I was about to fall asleep again. So I didn't get much sleep, and we were leaving in the morning to go to Yellowstone. Well we get up and get ready have our cereal and we are waiting the whole morning for my family to get their crap together. My sisters are putting on make-up and curling hair, I was not happy about this I kept thinking, we are in the freakin' woods ladies, the bears will eat you no matter how good looking you are. So we didn't get in the car to leave until 11am then we had to make phones calls for 30 minutes then we finally left. I was a little annoyed at this point due to lack of sleep and the waste of time. Then we get to Yellowstone and there is construction like no one’s business plus everyone trying to enter the park. The first stop we were in the car stopped for an hour and a half. I then over the walky talky say don't you wish we would have left earlier? My mom replies enjoy nature and my surroundings or some craziness, all I had to look at were really big trees on either side of me. Lucky for Daryl and me we had my niece and nephew in the car to entertain Paiglee so she was great. By the second or third stop I can't even remember Daryl and I had made up our mind that after Old Faithful we were turning around to camp. We spent 3 and half hours in a car that should only be like 45 to an hour. It was horrible we were both exhausted and were done before we got there. Then we have problems with the parking situation, we eat lunch which was great for the low blood sugar and then make our way to Old Faithful. Then the mess really began, we are walking to Old Faithful because it was suppose to erupt soon and I realize me and Daryl and my half brother Brian and his wife have all the kids. I said whatever a little annoying but whatever. Then I stop at the tree line to take pictures for a good view of the amazing Old Faithful. Everyone walks a head of me to the crowd of people. I stay back just watching, then I see my sisters Allison and Carrie and my mom and dad walk by and then I see everyone wondering where my nephew Duran is (he has down syndrome and sometimes takes off) so then people start freaking out that he is lost. I guess it was just me but I thought everyone over reacted I just saw him with Brian then he didn't move with them when they moved and I didn't see him go anywhere else, I saw and I know. I knew he walked right to the front of people directly in front of me to get a front row seat. But whatever the point is he was lost and it was pure chaos. And my sister Carrie and I exchanged a few words. I am not at fault that is all I have to say. So then after all that Daryl and I had, had it, we took a quick picture with the Old Faithful after the big explosion and booked it out of Yellowstone. We arrive back to camp and I told my grandma she didn't pray for me hard enough because it was pure chaos, she just chuckled, I should have done what she did and just stay back at camp. But we had left over enchiladas and made a fire cleaned our tent and relaxed. I went to put Paiglee down for bed and put myself down instead. I was asleep before she was. Poor girl didn't sleep very well that night because of her mosquito bites all over her legs itched. But it didn't rain on us it was a good night sleep for me compared to the night before. That day we woke up and Daryl and I had decided to do our own thing and anyone that wanted to join was welcome. We took the boys (my nephews) for a bike ride while the other adults prepared a big breakfast and then we didn't eat breakfast until noon, so really it was brunch. Then we began to pack up our tent and things to get ready to leave later that day. We spent the rest of the day at the lake and riding bikes. Then Paiglee was reaching her breaking point, she would just stand by the car door and whine to leave. So we couldn't stay longer it was way past her nap and we wanted to get home before dark. The car ride home took forever it seemed, probably cause we couldn't wait to get home. But I guess that is our family vacation in a nut shell. I don't know if we will do that again with such a big crowd we are a one band kind of people. But I guess it makes for some memories, right?

Enjoying the Lake

Throwing rocks

So heavy!

We tried to make it look like Paiglee was swimming on her own, Daryl went under while holding her up.

The not so amazing Old Faithful

Trying to fake it for the camera, didn't workout, even Paiglee is pissed

This is what we spent doing most the day stopped in a car, thank heavens for the view.

They did this on the way home

We enjoyed the camp fire after we got back to camp

I was happy you just can't tell, maybe because I went through hell and back

This was the view on the way home it was the perfect way to end a crazy trip

Skillet Glacier

Daryl and Paiglee we woke her up to take this picture, can you tell they are so happy.

We are a little happier cause we are leaving

So yeah that is our trip, sorry it was so depressing but really it wasn't that great, we would have had more fun staying home. We will go back some day to make up for a bad trip. The view of the Tetons was worth it though they were gorgeous.