Family Yellowstone trip!

Here we start on our hike to Ribbon lake.  Hiking in the back country of Yellowstone is something we have never done!  We got all packed up for an adventure.

 

Samuel and the sand hill crane. We kinda made him mad...lots of squawking

Hyrum and Samuel are the family fishermen.  Shawn did learn a fair bit about how to fix a tangled up fishing pole. And we did have to get in the pond to retrieve the reel.  They didn't catch anything but loved casating it out there.

Shawn, me, Samuel and Hyrum got into Ribbon lake.  Cold and a little slimy on the bottom.  But refreshing

We hung our packs at night .  All 6 packs up there.  That could have been a Bear picnic

yes, this is a bear claw mark in the tree holding our packs. Don't know how old it is but it's a great reminder that we are in their living room

Samuel and Hyrum at clear lake.  This lake was bubbling with thermal activity in the middle.

Here are the famous Artist mud pots...spewing some mud

We went down to the waterfall a new way for us, the Uncle Tom's Cabin way.  We loved all 348 stairs.

Here are the herd of bison in our campground

We loved all the thermal pots...really liked the clear blue ones

And yes, we found a swimming hole at Indian Creek

This is a herd of Elk in the Hayden valley. What you can't see is this herd is being chased by 5 wolves.  We were witnesses to mother nature at work....for some dinner!

Sierra is the photographer here, can you tell? She takes the best pictures

Yup, buffalo jam

And it really was a blue mud vent

Mammoth was the most dissapointing though. Very little water running there.

On the way home, the TETONS of course!

And after all the natural geysers, we top off the trip with the man made geyser at Soda Springs

We had a great family vaca at Yellowstone!

Yosemite! + other fun

What does Dallin want to do on his graduation trip? Go and hike Half Dome in Yosemite.  We saw this bear right off the side of the road.  Someone almost hit it with their car.  He was just digging around under the pine tree there for a while.  very cool!

We had to walk through some of the big trees in the park

Here we are the morning of the Half Dome hike.  Shawn and Sierra hiking up by Vernal Falls. That is the first of two big waterfalls along the trail.

We did a hurried hike because of the threat of rain up on top of Half dome. By the time we got here, the clouds were rolling in and we climbed it at our own risk.  You just don't want to be up there during a lighting storm.  Lightinging hits Half dome every month of the year.  Dallin at the bottom of climb up the cables. Oh yea it poured rain on us...like buckets and swamp the tent so we had to find a cheapy hotel.  at least that was dry.

We Dallin and mom made it up to the top. Hanging on to the cables at 45degrees is way steep!
Here Dallin is on top of the world is seems.  2000 ft. to the valley below

I took this pictures right as we go over the edge of the cables.  So steep

Yosemite falls in background.

We took  this picture out the window!  It's my favorite shot of the mountain!

We traveled onto Big Tree state park.  We took Dallin here 18 years ago when he was just a wee baby.  This is a place everyone needs to see.  The trees are just so huge

Dallin at 4 mo, Dallin 18 years

Umm ya, we got a snake.  His name is Oscar. He love eat mice and be coiled around your fingers and hands.  Sometimes he will give you a kiss like he is doing to Samuel here.

This is Oscar after he just ate his first mouse.  Isn't he happy?

Oh yea, the kids went to Montana  for a visit to Grandma Blomquist and see the ranch

Hyrum is splitting some wood just for fun.. because it was there

Frisbee golf at the ranch

Frisbee action

Samuel, Ashlee and Brooklyn at Lewis & Clark outlook

Yes, They both are allergic to the Hay but it's so fun to play on

The whole gang at Papa T's

Shooting gofers off the shed.  yes that is legal on the ranch

The kids and grandma Blomquist

Fathers' day.  Dad got some concert tickets and chocolate! 

Moving on with 2012...it's now spring

Every year for Mother's Day, we go down to Temple Square and watch Music and the Spoken Word.  Love to see the orchestra and the choir.

We love to have a picnic over at the City Creek park . Samuel and Hyrum and playing around under the bridge...yes hyrum got a little wet.

Shawn and Me

We are celebrating our 20 year anniversary this year..May 15th.  We stood here not so long ago.  We are happy as ever.

Uncle Jared came to town and we played a great game of Frisbee golf. Here we are up at Butterfield park trying to hit the tree.  The first one to hit the object is the winner.  They chose the next target.  We did get a little creative with the frisbees...Samuel is using a bucket lid for his. That thing is a flying bomb!

Here's my handsome Dallin...all graduating and everything.

Our family and all the Grandparents were there for their grandson's graduation! Go Herriman!

Graduation was at the Maverick center.  Dallin was up near the front

Look at my Dallin

Happy Graduation day

We went up to Donut Falls with Bonnie  & Dave.  Great little hike.  Grandpa brought sardines and jerky.  Jerky yes, sardines...no. Although Hyrum didn't think they were too bad.

Shawn climbing up by the falls.

Hyrum at the Donut falls

Mommy and the monkeys