Justin's parents rented a cabin in Driggs Idaho for a week and invited us all along. I was excited to see a place I'd never been and the kids just like going on trips with Nana and Papa so we had been looking forward to this trip for awhile.
On the way up Justin had to stop for a work call so we found a park to hang out while we waited. There was no bathroom or playground and James got stung by a wasp but I was still impressed at how well the children behaved for that hour.
The cabin was large with plenty of room for everyone. The favorite spot quickly became the back deck with a view of the Teton mountains.
The view was never crystal clear because of the smoky skies but it was still impressive.
We ate out there and played games as much as the weather allowed. James had fun taking a pictures of Justin's phone.
Later we took a drive up the canyon that led to some campgrounds and a ski resort. It was all pretty crowded. We found a cool spot to stop and look around. I think Justin is looking at a big bird. You're seeing the west slopes of the Tetons here. The national park is on the other side.
Erica and Madison were all about making flower arrangements for everyone.
I sure hope it was okay they picked so many flowers.
Henry and James played pool for the first time and loved it so much they created a tournament. I don't know who won.
Cousins, snuggles and TV.
Erica loves Rocky and I think she's his favorite cousin.
Three of my kids plus Madison and Bridger shared this bunk room. It was about as chaotic as you would imagine.
It helped that I didn't send my kids to bed until after Madison and Bridger were already asleep. That way my kids knew they had to sneak in super quietly and not make a peep.
The fort went up the first morning and stayed there in one form or another for the rest of the week.
They all play together so well. My kids really like finding things for the little ones to do.
Saturday afternoon swimming at the local hotsprings. Then we stopped at an ice cream shop back in town and then back to the cabin for dinner. Ice cream before dinner is a must on vacation.
Sunday we went to church in town and then took some family pictures.
All the cousins:
Us
The whole crew
Monday we spent the day in Teton National Park. This makes 3 in one year on Erica's 4th grade park pass (yay for free).
After driving over the Teton Pass and through Jackson, we arrived at Jenny Lake and scored an excellent parking spot. We saw tons of cars a mile out on the main road so we felt very fortunate to be in the parking lot at all.
Then we all took the ferry across the lake to do some hiking.
This is the hike to Hidden Falls
The falls!
From there some of the group headed back on the ferry, others did another hike and then back on the ferry. Our little family opted to hike back to the beginning along the shore and it was so pretty. The hike was much longer than the kids would have liked (2 miles maybe) but I think it was totally worth it.
We took a small detour hike called Moose Ponds but did not see any moose. I was kind of bummed and the kids were pretty complainy but Erica made friends with a butterfly so that helped make it a little more worth it.
Okay it was pretty, with or without moose sightings.
Then we met back up with Justin's parents, Dallin and aunt Diane at String Lake. Picnics in national parks are my favorite. I think it goes back to a core memory in Yellowstone in 1989 feeding squirrels part of my sandwich in the drizzly rain alongside our Chevy van.
There was a little rain at this picnic too. It was like 2pm at this point so we were so hungry!
Then we went down to the shore where Erica, Henry, and James played in the water. Some stayed longer in the water than others.
Someone somewhere got a work email from Justin while he was standing ankle deep in a small lake in a national park.
From there we parted ways and drove farther north and saw a spectacular view of the Tetons and then stopped at Jackson Dam to throw rocks.
Saw some bison on the return drive south.
This was the view from where I'm standing just in the other direction. Which is cooler? Bison or Tetons?
One of the surprise highlights for me was Moose-Wilson Road. Highly recommend.
Then we went into Jackson for an overpriced dinner followed by overpriced ice cream. We did not buy the overpriced t-shirts at every souvenir store though.
Tuesday we floating the Teton River just west of Driggs.
This is a pretty slow moving river and compared to the white water rafting we did last year in Glacier, my kids thought it was a little boring at first until they discovered it was fun to just relax and work together to paddle and that they could jump off the raft into the water anytime they wanted. Plus we figured out how to spin the raft pretty fast.
We floated a length of the river then it was other family members' turns. Sarah stayed and used Diane's paddleboard and gave Madison and Bridger a ride every now and again.
Wednesday we picked honeyberries. I would have enjoyed the picking more had I not tasted a berry first. They were weird blueberries and I do not like blueberries so I didn't feel the need to pick any. But some members of the family thought they were the most delicious thing ever. And would. not. stop. talking. about it that night while eating them and playing games. 😜
We stopped at a small thrift store down the highway and stayed there for awhile. The Dyes do enjoy a good thrift store. Sarah got a book, James got a pair of sunglasses and Erica got a pink cafeteria tray.
Playing dominos before lunch.
That afternoon we visited the Teton Valley Historical Museum. I was pleasantly surprised at how cool and well thought out this place was.
We don't have items like this at pioneer museums in Utah.
Or this:
The kids liked this old timey school room and the general store and post office but their favorite was the saloon.
Thursday morning we cleaned up and packed up. Kids had ice cream for breakfast because we couldn't take it with us. This is a common ending for our vacations.
