Yellowstone, Wyoming

Yellowstone, Wyoming
July 2009

Huge bears looking for food that the workers hid under rocks earlier (in the Bear Exhibit). This was not like the zoo, where you never see any of the animals, or you only see them from a great distance. They were very active, and were very close.

A nice piece of furniture :)

Of course, Old Faithful.

Lots of kids had lots of fun -- Reed, included.

"Hot Pots" section of Yellowstone (bubbling and hissing pools of very hot water/mud/steam). There were also lots of animals in the park that you could literally drive right by (which stopped traffic for quite a while).

Island Park, Idaho

Island Park, Idaho
July 2009

The Tanner Family Reunion -- some biked, some fished, some floated the river, some read, some played games, etc.

This is where we stayed. It was nice to have everyone together.

The kids could not stay out of the water -- the lake, the river, the hot tub -- you name it. They had a blast.

The kids decorating their squirt bottles just before a water fight broke out.

Rafting down part of the Snake River. The three-hour rafting trip was fun, but was about an hour too long -- it was hot. Emy, Kevin, Laura, Reed, and Chad, plus about eight kids were in the boat. Gracie took a dip in the water and, at one point, ended up with a leach on her leg that we had to pry off of her!

Reed gracefully falling back into the raft (and almost into the river). He just about took Annie (and others) with him.

Lewis and Clark Caverns

Lewis and Clark Caverns
July 2009

After visiting the World Museum of Mining, a few used book stores, and a few restaurants in Butte, Montana we spent the night in Whitehall, Montana and then drove to the L&C caverns just south of there. The elevation there was about 6,500 feet and the hike was about two miles. The cave was actually discovered years ago by a hunter named Morrison. It was on land that he did not own, but that did not stop him from charging other people for tours of the cavern.

They refer to this as the "ice cream cone."

Another unique formation inside the cave.

Stalactites inside the cave.

It got a little narrow at spots, at least for mom and dad.

At some points there were large openings within the cave. Inside the cave it was about 50 degrees, while outside the cave it was near 90 degrees. It was also pitch black if you turned out the lights, and there were bats and mice inside the caves, so you couldn't be too loud or you would wake them up. Overall, very cool. The kids loved it, too.

Butte, Montana - Part II

Butte, Montana - Part II
July 2009

This was part of the World Museum of Mining. The kids loved being able to climb all over the abandonned mining/farming equipment (dad doesn't let the kids climb around his car). In Butte we also ate at two great restaurants: Chefs Garden (part of Joker's Wild), an Italian place, and Fred's Mesquite Grill, a BBQ place.

Tractors...

...a crane...

...a jalopy...

...a backhoe (sort of).

...a HUGE dump truck.

Butte, Montana - Part I

Butte, Montana
July 2009 The World Museum of Mining.

Luminescent rock samples inside the museum.

A real mine shaft entrance at the museum.

An abandoned mine shaft at the museum.

Not sure why this area was not closed off a lot better!? We could not even see the bottom of this mine shaft. It's a long way down if you were to fall.

Fairmont, Montana Hot Springs

Fairmont, Montana Hot Springs
July 2009

Between Philipsburg and Butte is Anaconda and Fairmont.

This is Georgetown Lake -- a big area for boating and fishing. Super sunsets overlooking the water.

This is Fairmont Hot Springs. The hot springs enter the area at 150 degrees and is cooled to 90-100 degrees. They had a water slide that Gracie and Andrew loved. Believe it or not, Katie actually fell asleep in the pool!

Lost Creek Falls way back in the national forest.

Panning for gold at Lost Creek Falls. Reed found a fleck of something. Could have been quartz, iron pyrite, or something else.

Movie night at the hotel.

Philipsburg, Montana - Part II

Philipsburg, Montana - Part II
July 2009

These are pictures of the ghost town up in the hills of Philipsburg, Montana. It used to be a mining community until silver and other metals could no longer be readily found.

The mining facility that appears to still get some use.

An abandoned farm house.

An abandoned drilling platform. There were "danger," "keep out," "proceed at your own risk" signs everywhere.

Abandoned houses that were once occupied by miners -- literally a ghost town.

A nice view of Philipsburg, Montana from the hillside.

Philipsburg, Montana - Part I

Philipsburg, Montana - Part I
July 2009

Philipsburg is a place where you can step back in time about 50 years or so. The original buildings of this mining town are very quaint and very much like what you would see on "Little House on the Prairie." There was a flower shop, a hardware shop, a saloon, a motel, a restaurant, a library, etc. Everyone was very friendly. One of the shop owners gave Gracie and Andrew a comic book for the next car ride.

On the road again...We put about 1,000 miles on the rental car during our trip to Montana. At times, even the kids got tired -- very tired. But, after a good nap they were ready for the next adventure.

This was the main street in Philipsburg (Broadway Street). The kids loved the old, one-room library, and they read lots of books while Mom fed Katie.

Then, we ate at Doe Brothers Restaurant (an old fashioned hamburger joint/malt shop). Gracie took this picture (that's why it is a little crooked).

The kids loved the stools and eating at the counter.

The ice cream got everywhere, but they sure enjoyed them.

Missoula, Montana - Part II

Missoula, Montana - Part II
July 2009

The countryside.

Playing in the irrigation ditch again.

You can't see him, but Reed is the one getting mobbed by four little kids. He eventually wrestled them off -- and, yes, we were in the middle of Walmart at the time.

Everyone loved the carousel. Reed won a free ride when riding with Gracie (he was the only one to grab the golden ring hanging off to the side of the carousel).

A father-daughter moment (i.e., a good snuggle).

Missoula, Montana - Part I

Missoula, Montana - Part I
July 2009

Reed and the kids making paper boats to float down the irrigation ditch.

The kids floating in the canoe down the irrigation ditch - note that the boat is as wide as the irrigation ditch itself.

The kids playing at the water park -- there were water features, built-in squirt guns, etc.

A Fourth of July Indian Pow-Wow, literally. Pretty cool. Very loud.

Camping in Doug & Heather's backyard. At about 2AM there were only three kids left out of six. One got sick and two got scared. Reed and Doug shared the tent with them.