HOME!

Well, I have a fair amount I would like to say, but really just that we made it home....with smiles!! We logged 5500 miles! We had many memorable adventures. We'll try to post a few more pics tomorrow. We all miss our beloved Bison! JW

pics from Tetons

Jameson and Jesse saw Herbie Hancock our last night in Jackson WY!

Amphitheater lake at 9000 feet

Teton mtn

Jenny lake- our camp is right in these woods, at foot of Grand teton

pics from Yellowstone

tallest peak in Yellowstone

canyon in yellowstone - we could hear this from our campsite!

boiling river - fav hotspring spot

bison!

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right in front of our car!

frost on bison - 26 degrees this morn-this guy is warm

mammoth hot spring

momma grizzly and cubs

Jesse's size 13 and bear print

lunch counter

sun in the morning fog

Grand Tetons!

We woke up on wednesday morning in yellowstone at 6:00 am and drove to the Grand Tetons. When we left, the tempurature was 24 degrees. Very, very cold. We woke up early the next morning and rused to the Amphitheater trail up the side of the Grand Teton. It was an eight hour hike, so we brought giant packs and extra layers. The trail was heavily travelled by bears, so we bought pepper spray junt in case. We were expecting a strenuous hike, maby even similar to climbing in the white mountains, but we couldn't have been more mistaken. The hike ended up taking us four hours, half the time it was supposed to take. However, the hike was still full of amazing views and beautiful flowers. Another highlight of being in the Tetons was our white water rafting trip on Snake river. We had a great guide who took us through all of the biggest waves and rapids. He also let us swim in a deep, calm part of the river. However, not only did he let us swim, but he came up with a game called the "Wheel of Fortune." One person would stand on the bow of the boat while the other passengers would spin the boat around as fast as possible. Even with this fun game of balace, only two people took the vertigo induced plunge into the frigid water. Those two people were Liz and I, Nate. My mom went first, lasting only seconds before back flopping into the water. I, however, lasted almost 15 seconds before i fell. The guide had to jump up and down in the boat to make me fall off. When we finally arrived at the boat ramp after our two hour trip, soaked to the bone, we already missed it.

After the rafting trip, we realized that Herbie Hankcock was playing in Jackson... Jesse has worked with some of the folks in his band this past spring... so he popped over to see if he could find them at sound check.  As luck would have it, he managed to get some complementary tix to the sold out show... box seats!  So, we stayed in Jackson for the night.  It was a fabulous show, and Jameson pronounced that he would like to be on tour with Herbie.  I assumed he meant followng the band, but he let us know that he meant as Herbie's bassist.  Who knows... maybe some young Herbie Hancock will connect with Jameson and he will follow in his dad's footsteps.  THAT would be INTERESTING! 

Trucking home... in Nebraska tonight.  Back to Chicago soon and then home again, home again... jiggedy jog.

It has been quite a fun adventure!  What a fun family to spend a few weeks roughing it on the road with!

Final Destination!

Here we sit in a fancy loudge at the most popular site in Yellowstone Nat’l Park. We arrived at the Old Faithful geyser ten minutes before it blew! Today has been a day of impeccable timing and astonishing encounters. Our hour-long drive to the geyser turned into a two hour trek due to amazing sitings of wildlife, etc. Five minutes after leaving our camp site we were in a back up on t eh road, we waiting impatiently. As we came to the scene, we saw the most beautiful elk right on the side of the road! After grabbing a quick pic the animal corssed the road directly in front of our car! Timing…..

Moments later we came across a studding bald eagle sitting by the river.  As Jameson and Liz walked closer to get photos, the eagle seemed intent on sitting and waiting for lunch by the water.  They waited patiently, as just as they turned to head back to the car the eagle took flight!  Jameson captured it on video.

So off we went. Tne minutes later we see a huge herd of bison scattered in fields on either side of the road. We watched an in credible demonstration of buffalo in the wild. They were “rutting” , where the males posture and then engage in head butting in order to win the female for mating. The kids loved watching the scenario play out for 20 minutes, and were thrilled to see the “alpha male” mount his prize as they ran about in this posture trying to avoid the encroaching jealous male bison!  It was amazing to witness. So, today, so far, was one of great timing and great experiences.

We’ve been here in Yellowstone for four days. It started with the most beauftul mountain scenery I’ve ever seen. We drove from Red Lodge, where we walked right passed a black bear at 10pm, (he was eating garbage and we were terrified). What a cute town, a mix of different walks of life. We Bear Tooth highway travels from there for about an hour and half to the entrance. The valleys and peaks, and high plateaus were breath taking We had to pull over in awe several times.  On our first day here we  walked a short distance to the  Gardiner river.  The water from the amamoth hot springs runs directly into this river,  resulting in water that is like a hot tub and the coolness of the river water only a stroke away.  In some spots, there is a wonderous swirling of both hot and cold water.  We floated, happily, for  almost an hour before heading to the site to cook up some dinner.

We set up camp a mile from the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. You can hear the 100+ foot falls from our campsite. On our hike up Mt Washburn we had views of the entire valley, learned about the caldera that is Yellowstone. This is the largest active volcano on earth! The ground in spots moves up and down an inch yearly! At the end of the hike we saw a sow and her cubs, a beautiful mother grizzly and her two cute cubs. I could actually smell them from down wind. I’m sure if the wind were backwards, she would have noticed me! People were so close to this trio. At one point the mother stands up and turns to look at all the “gawkers” – seemed like a good time to walk away! People seemed very unaware of the actual danger in front them!  Jameson video taped the entire scene from only 10 feet away… too close for my comfort!  But we love the footage, so I guess that is what is required of a good filmmaker!

Last night was 33 degrees in our site, and rain, rain, rain.  We woke up this morning to see a fresh blanket of snow in the nearby teton mountains… where we are soon headed.  Still hoping to camp out… but we did not bring winter things… other htan fleece and wind breakers so we shall see how we all hold up!

I wish we could post some of our fab. Pictures, but the internet is slow, and very hard to find around these parts.  So, we will come back and add a few choice pics. When we get to Jackson.

On to Grand Tetons tomorrow early morning. So much beauty, as the kids say, “so wildlife”

Final Destination!

Here we sit in a fancy loudge at the most popular site in Yellowstone Nat’l Park. We arrived at the Old Faithful geyser ten minutes before it blew! Today has been a day of impeccable timing and astonishing encounters. Our hour-long drive to the geyser turned into a two hour trek due to amazing sitings of wildlife, etc. Five minutes after leaving our camp site we were in a back up on t eh road, we waiting impatiently. As we came to the scene, we saw the most beautiful elk right on the side of the road! After grabbing a quick pic the animal corssed the road directly in front of our car! Timing…..

Moments later we came across a studding bald eagle sitting by the river.  As Jameson and Liz walked closer to get photos, the eagle seemed intent on sitting and waiting for lunch by the water.  They waited patiently, as just as they turned to head back to the car the eagle took flight!  Jameson captured it on video.

So off we went. Tne minutes later we see a huge herd of bison scattered in fields on either side of the road. We watched an in credible demonstration of buffalo in the wild. They were “rutting” , where the males posture and then engage in head butting in order to win the female for mating. The kids loved watching the scenario play out for 20 minutes, and were thrilled to see the “alpha male” mount his prize as they ran about in this posture trying to avoid the encroaching jealous male bison!  It was amazing to witness. So, today, so far, was one of great timing and great experiences.

We’ve been here in Yellowstone for four days. It started with the most beauftul mountain scenery I’ve ever seen. We drove from Red Lodge, where we walked right passed a black bear at 10pm, (he was eating garbage and we were terrified). What a cute town, a mix of different walks of life. We Bear Tooth highway travels from there for about an hour and half to the entrance. The valleys and peaks, and high plateaus were breath taking We had to pull over in awe several times.  On our first day here we  walked a short distance to the  Gardiner river.  The water from the amamoth hot springs runs directly into this river,  resulting in water that is like a hot tub and the coolness of the river water only a stroke away.  In some spots, there is a wonderous swirling of both hot and cold water.  We floated, happily, for  almost an hour before heading to the site to cook up some dinner.

We set up camp a mile from the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. You can hear the 100+ foot falls from our campsite. On our hike up Mt Washburn we had views of the entire valley, learned about the caldera that is Yellowstone. This is the largest active volcano on earth! The ground in spots moves up and down an inch yearly! At the end of the hike we saw a sow and her cubs, a beautiful mother grizzly and her two cute cubs. I could actually smell them from down wind. I’m sure if the wind were backwards, she would have noticed me! People were so close to this trio. At one point the mother stands up and turns to look at all the “gawkers” – seemed like a good time to walk away! People seemed very unaware of the actual danger in front them!  Jameson video taped the entire scene from only 10 feet away… too close for my comfort!  But we love the footage, so I guess that is what is required of a good filmmaker!

Last night was 33 degrees in our site, and rain, rain, rain.  We woke up this morning to see a fresh blanket of snow in the nearby teton mountains… where we are soon headed.  Still hoping to camp out… but we did not bring winter things… other htan fleece and wind breakers so we shall see how we all hold up!

I wish we could post some of our fab. Pictures, but the internet is slow, and very hard to find around these parts.  So, we will come back and add a few choice pics. When we get to Jackson.

On to Grand Tetons tomorrow early morning. So much beauty, as the kids say, “so wildlife”

Rattlesnakes, bison, and bear, OH MY!

The Badlands, SD were beautiful. We got there in the afternoon, hiked up the pale pink piles of ash, then set up camp in the "primitive" campground.On the 30 minute drive from the mountains to the back country campground, we were stopped by Nate yelling, "Look! A buffalo!" there were 5 Bison lying in the prairie a quarter mile from the highway. Four were sitting, and one was walking lazily through the grass in search of something to devour. Then prairie dogs began to rhythmically pop up out of their holes. There were hundreds along the road. When we got to the campsite, we realized why it was called "primitive" and "back country." Two extremely large bison were enjoying the afternoon sun just 100 short yards from our tent site. Soon after that, we noticed the many "BEWARE: RATTLESNAKES" signes scattered around the campground. That night, we went to an overlook called "Pinnacle Point" to watch the sun set over the Badlands. In the morning, we woke up to hundreds of bison stampeding down a steep hill close by. They left a cloud of dust hovering over the ground. We packed up the van, then drove nine hours to Red Lodge, a small town in southern Montana. We decided to walk to a restaurant which was one mile away. On the way back, the sun had gone down, and the temperature dropped 25 degrees. While shivering and huddling together, a man in a pizza delivery car pulled up to us. "I don't know how far you guys are walking, but..." we all immediately grew hopeful that he was offering us a ride, "...But two blocks up I saw a bear. It was going towards the creek." My mom recalled that earlier, people had told her that there were 5 bears roaming around town. We walked back very obnoxiously, making loud noises. Despite our efforts to frighten them away, we saw a bear across the road, roaming through a dumpster. Having never been so close to a bear before, I was terrified. Five minutes after, a howling noise echoed from the woods, sending shivers down my spine. The howling and barking got closer, and I saw a large black shape emerge from the shadows. Thinking I was about to be eaten by a bear, I followed my instincts: I ran. Luckily, my dad, who was holding my hand, held me back from bolting into the middle of the street. Fortunately, the "bear" was a fenced in dog. We walked the rest of the way home shaking from fear and the cold. Hopefully, when we camp in Wyoming, we will not come upon another bear.

tired

Started out in Chicago. My great uncle Niall Collins (born in Ireland, County Kerry) woke up early to get us on the road with bagels and directions. We tried to visit Frank Loyd Wright's house and studio, near Niall's house but we hit the road, running. Did see a pic this a.m. of my great grand mother, Mary o'Connor.


So, Liz did the bulk of driving today. We managed around 800 miles. jameson had a couple turns too! He did fine, but Liz and I were on him anyway. I deducted "point" for any small swerves. The road was amazing today. Rt 90 is straight, flat, and little traveled. It really shows some of the vastness of the land. We realized how much faster we were moving than the old horse and buggies!!

Stopped in Siouix Falls for chow, roamed around for a bit and finally found what looked like a good mexican joint. turned out that the asthetic was not matched by the chow. But still fun. On the road for an hour or so more, Liz notices that we have about 41 miles of gas left and we are in the middle of nowhere! Managed to find a tiny town in SD. Population 431! Met the sheriff at the gas station. This town had stories.

Stopped for the night in a small town next to a lake, amidst nothing but farms as far as we can imagine! It is late but surprisingly I am not tired, just wired from the expanse of the landscape and sense of adventure. I'm a cheap date. Just get on the open road and go. We'll see what happens tomorrow when we hit the Badlands. first a little counrty b-fast at Al's. Jesse

day 1 ---a thousand miles

Waking up the kids was easier than we anticipated, because they had only JUST fallen asleep at 4 am... an intentional all nighter! 

We stopped in the fingerlakes region of New York State so I could show the family my alma mater.  It was great fun to share some stories and remininsce--  especially as this year we will begin the college visiting with jameson! 

We drove and drove and drove and drove... until we stopped in Cleveland for a quick dinner.  We encountered an INCREDIBLE storm in Ohio.  In fact, just as we enetered Thomas Edison's birthplace, a bolt of lightening flashed through the sky.  All turned very, very dark, and droves of thick rain pelted our car.  THe sky was so unusual and eerie.... the sun was shining through, at times, with intensely dark clouds juxtaposed with slivery, puffy, cotton clouds!  Of course a full rainbow delighte us all, and we felt very far from our familiar east coast environ.

As we were driving in Indianna, the children quietly watching a james bond movie on their computer, Jesse was on his cell booking a recording session for October.  The person on the line was apparently surprised that he would bring his family on such a long trip, and jesse said the following:
"well, here we are with nothing to do and nowhere to go.  Just the five of us and whatever the day has to bring."  I suppose that sums up what we so adore about such a journey.

We will go into Chicago today, maybe to the modern art museum and to millenium park.  And always in search of blues and jazz in its proper home.  We will try to post some photos later.

Countdown to Day 1

In 9 short hours, possibly the most difficult piece of our adventure, will be upon us. That is when Jesse and I will attempt to awaken three sleeping teenagers, who likely will have been asleep for a few short hours, and stuff them into our minivan to begin our trek to Wyoming. If all goes well, we will be in Chicago tomorrow, Badlands, SD by Thursday, and Yellowstone, WY by Friday. After a few days there, we will head to the Grand Tetons. The tents, hiking equipment, sleeping bags, and propane stove are stowed away in our oversized Thule. Good thing we have it, because there is no excess of space with the clothes, books, provisions, and our continually growing kids. Our adventure begins at 4:40 AM. We're sure to encounter some unexpected things along the way! More from Chicago tomorrow...

-Liz