A Roadtrip to Yellowstone - Part 2....

We spent the day driving, first through the state of Wyoming. Wyoming was full of vast open space with nothing between the spread towns. We stopped at the information center at Jackson Hole at around 2.30pm in the afternoon to double check on directions. We were expecting an hours drive to West Yellowstone - but we were very disappointed to discover that at least a three hour drive was still ahead.

So we continued to drive out of Wyoming and into Idaho. We thought that Wyoming was barren, but the big potato state was almost a blanket of white.

The Grand Tetons in the distance, driving in Wyoming

 

Arriving in the outskirts of West Yellowstone on dusk

We continued to drive into the state of Montana, arriving at the town of West Yellowstone at dark. We checked into our accommodation at the Kelly Inn and organised dinner and went to sleep in preparation for our big day touring Yellowstone Park the following day.

We woke early, and prepared to be collected at 8.00am, by our snow-cat. Along with four other couples and our tour guide Wayne we started our adventure, hoping for sightings of wildlife on a cold, snowy, minus ten degrees morning.

We drove for only a few minutes when we spotted the first Bison of the day, down by the river. It was truly a beautiful sight - the enormous animal in such an amazing setting. What a great start to our day!

This solo Bison was the fist of possibly one hundred or more we saw throughout the day. At times as I was leaning out the window of the snow cat photographing these amazing animals we were so close I could have actually touched them. They were strangely calm, often wandering along the groomed trails in small herds. It sounds silly, but we felt sorry for them  being out in the cold and the snow, their eyes looked sad.

A really amazing moment was when we had stopped to photograph a waterfall on the side of the road and we were a distance from the safety of our vehicle, when a herd came racing down the trail. We were within two meters from the Bison and Yas and Max were a little further up the trail. I was worried about Yas and Max's safety but they were just standing watching these animals in awe - particularly when two large males stopped and butted each other. Even though these are wild animals and can be very dangerous it was a strangely calm and beautiful moment, listening to their hooves in the snow.

We stopped for lunch in our snow cat in a very cold and remote part of the park. As you can see from the images almost a pure blanket of white. It was bitterly cold, but Yas was still happy to have a quick run around outside wearing next to nothing.

We arrived back at our hotel at close to six pm. We had an amazing day and saw Bison, Antelope, Eagles, Coyotes, Ducks and Swans. Yas and Max were fantastic, considering this was the third day straight in a vehicle. We traveled forty miles in and then back out of the park and were overwhelmed with the beauty and diversity. This surely is going to be a highlight of our trip,

A Roadtrip to Yellowstone - Part 1....

We left on our massive road trip to Yellowstone, immediately after school on Thursday afternoon – a massive 750 miles drive ahead of us. Our aim was to drive a four hour estimated drive to the town of Rawlins in Wyoming and stay overnight. We started well, missing most of the afternoon traffic in Denver and well on track.

We were warned by friends to be well prepared for the journey, with plenty of blankets, food and water in the car in case of unexpected storms with high winds and snow. The high winds and wild weather are famous in Wyoming, as the countryside is wide open with no protection.

About 200 miles into our drive we found out exactly why we were warned. The winds were excessive, not only blowing the car but also blowing snow both across our path and making visibility poor. Just to spice things up the roads were also covered in ice. The worst was driving through the Medicine Bow National Park.  Our trusty Subi performed well under the frightful conditions, in a temperature of minus 15 not taking into account the wind chill factor. We drove past no less than six semi -trailer accidents in the short space of ten miles.

Our estimated four hour journey, developed into a five and a three quarter hour challenge. We were so glad to finally at the Ferris Mansion Bed and Breakfast.  Garry and I carried sleeping children to their beds in the maid’s room. Their room was very close to our room – the Rose room. The three storey mansion was warm and inviting with soft beds and lots of pillows.

In the morning we woke and appreciated the beautiful guesthouse. We were served a fantastic breakfast consisting of homemade granola, fresh fruit, egg and bacon casserole and the house specialty – caramel apple French toast. Along with fresh orange juice, tea and coffee it was a great way to start the day. The kids enjoyed playing with Flapjack the cat and later the two dogs outside. We set off on a very cold and icy morning with a 480 mile drive through wild Wyoming ahead.

American Choclate Chip Cookies...

Susan is my buddy or support person at McKinley-Thatcher. Well, that’s how our friendship started. Susan has fast become a dear friend of mine and Garry’s.  Yasemin and Max adore Aunty Susan and were treated to a cooking lesson a couple of weeks ago.

 

Susan spends her days teaching little people PE and I would have thought the last way she would choose to spend an evening after school would be teaching my two her famous American chocolate chip cookie recipe! But Susan wanted to do something special with the kids for Max’s birthday – so cookies it was!

As you can see from the photos the kids had a fantastic time – I am envious of Susan’s patience in the kitchen.

The cookies lived up to their reputation – Yum! Thanks Susan, for making the night lovely for Max and Yasemin. We all enjoy spending time with you – especially with a margarita, or two!

A blizzard equals a day off work !

We have been treated  to our first major snow storm - which meant the city basically shut down and all staff and students were told to stay indoors! A massive dump of snow and a day at home - I so love Denver!

The warnings came Thursday evening, before it even started to snow, but when we woke on Friday morning it was indeed a magical scene and the snow was still falling. These photographs were taken at 7.30 am on Friday morning.

Garry made me pose for this bad, bad photo

just a few doors down

Gaylord Street

 We spent most of the day indoors, but the kids did play outside for a while. Max wanted to lie in the snow and make snow angels, but gave up because it was so cold.

Yas didn't mind and crawled on her hands and knees, pretending to be a dog, lapping at the snow.

In the early afternoon we ventured out, across the road to London and Pat's home for dinner. The snow kept coming and now the road had disappeared. No point in any snow plows working until the snow stops falling.

We were joined by another couple and their children - we all had a great night and enjoyed lots of food and red wine. We especially enjoyed London's corn bread and her wonderful stew.

This was a great end to a really fun day, but poor Maxy fell asleep on the lounge - with all the kids still racing around. We left late in the evening, all firm friends excited about repeating the experience. At 11.00 pm the snow was still heavy and we struggled across the road carrying sleeping and cold children. Did I happen to mention that I really love Denver!

On Saturday morning we set off for the town of Breckenridge to see the International Snow Sculpture Championships. On the way we stopped at Silverthorne and visited the amazing ice castle Brent Christensen is constructing, it relies primarily on cold temperatures and water.

Early this winter, the artist started creating and placing between 4,000 and 8,000 icicles daily. After 3 million gallons of water, he aims to construct 10-foot walls with 40-foot towers. Embedded inside the walls are 200 compact fluorescent bulbs, capable of producing more than 350,000 lumen's of light. At night the walls glow with ethereal hues of green and blue. The size of the sculpture is expected to double from December to March.

Although it cost us $30 to all go inside we were really impressed! It was really cold and windy which made it even colder, but Yas and Max could not contain their excitement at being able to walk inside ice caves. It was like a man-made Jenolyn Cave - but made of ice!

Breckenridge history is rich with tales of pioneer life and adventure. It is a town filled with Western culture, gold mining tales and residents keen on preserving their way of life. Breckenridge has grown from a prime Native American hunting ground to one of the best ski resorts in Colorado. The history will need to wait for our next visit as this trip is all about snow sculptures and skiing!

 We instantly fell in love with Breck as we drove down the main street on our way to our hotel - Beaver Run Resort, which is a ski in and ski out property. We were really happy to find that we could see the chair lift from our lounge room window, and we were only meters from the kids ski school. All still hopefull for a great stay at this stage.

We arrived late afternoon, settled in and set out to purchase lift tickets for Sunday. We nervously booked Yas and Max into a full day of ski lessons each - from 9.00am - 3.30am. I was a little concerned as they would not be in the same class and hoped that Max would cope. Garry and I decided this would be the best way for them to learn and fingers crossed give us some time to ski alone together. Only the morning would tell if this was a very expensive and successful plan?

We then drove into town to look at the snow sculptures. It was a very cold below zero with a wind!

The International Snow Sculpture Competition had fifteen teams enter from eleven nations - even Australia had an entry!

each team starts with a 10 metre square ice block

this amazing sculpture was the eventual winner

 

Their was also an amazing play area with ice castle sculptures and igloos with tunnels to play in, on and around. The sunset was amazing!

At one point we lost Yas, but when I saw the horse and carriage on the road of the main street I knew instantly where she would be. We all were feeling the cold and headed back to our room for a home cooked meal in our kitchenette in preparation for our first real day of skiing.

Max's 5th Birthday and Groundhog Day...

Today is the 2nd of February and it is my beautiful boy's 5th Birthday. We woke early this morning, all of us in our bed and Max opened his presents from us and Grandma! Max was particularly taken with his talking Scooby Doo card and his Lego. It was all a bit of a rush since it is a school day but celebrations will continue later in the day...

Today is also Groundhog Day. This U.S. and Canadian tradition comes every year on Feb. 2. It has its roots in astronomy, in the sense that it’s a seasonal festival, tied to the movement of Earth around the sun. In the U.S. and Canada, they call it Groundhog Day – a great excuse to go outside and enjoy some revelry during the winter months.

By far the most famous of the February 2 shadow-seeking groundhogs is still Punxsutawney Phil. He’s in Punxsutawney, in western Pennsylvania, which calls itself the “original home of the great weather prognosticator, His Majesty, the Punxsutawney Groundhog.” Since 1887, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club have held public celebrations of Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney is where Bill Murray was in the movie Groundhog Day. From the looks of things … a good time is had by all.

And the verdict from Punxsutawney Phil after seeing his shadow this morning during the 126th annual Groundhog Day festivities is: six more weeks of winter! This is the news we were hoping for - hopefully more snow! The forecast for tonight is a foot of snow in the Denver area with snow falling until Saturday afternoon. We are all hoping for a massive dump so that it will be dangerous to travel and school will be cancelled tomorrow!

The crowd wait for Punxsutawney Phil to come out from his den during the 126th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Feb. 2, 2012, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Top Photo: Groundhog handler Ron Ploucha holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow predicting 6 more weeks of winter. Photos: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Phil saw his shadow....See for yourself........

 

We are loving all the quirky American culture.....

Max had a great day at school, and celebrated with his class by eating cookies. Max loved opening his Birthday cards - the Sheriff card from Grandma was a huge hit! A big thank you to Lachlan for the beautiful artwork included. Your spider man colouring is now posted on the wall next to where max sleeps, so he can, "look at it all the time because he misses his Lachie sooooo much"!

Lachlan's fantastic colouring