August 21

Spontaneous veer to the north has landed us in Hamilton, Ontario for the night. Tomorrow Niagara Falls to cap off the summer. Good way to end.

August 20

Sudden decision to have a big day after rangering-up at the Badlands visitor center. Booked a hotel in Elkhart, IN (975 miles away) and put kids' seats back and our heads down. Guess we were feeling the draw of home pretty strongly in that moment, but you can't call this a particularly wise choice. Pulled in happy enough, though, but obscenely late even discounting the two hours we lost today due to time zone changes. Halfway home, though. Phew!

August 19

Rushmore in the morning, Needles in the afternoon, then evening in Badlands. Busy day, no? Especially sincebison wandered all over the road again onthe Needles Highway and stopped us short for a while. Too bad to be blitzing through South Dakota, especially with so many rocks to climb on. Speaking of which, check out Liz on the famous Thimble boulder. She didn't top out. Short visit but full -- two ranger badges in 24 hrs for kids!

August 18

Terrific bacon-and-eggs, lounge-around morning looking up at that great fireplug of a mountain. We needed some easy hours.

A trip around the prairie-dog town next door, then up to the park to hike around, gape up at climbers, ranger up, then head out towards Mount Rushmore.

Pulled up just a little shy of our goal and decided to camp at Rushmore Shadows, which turns out to be just the ticket. A pool, hot tub, internet access . . . this is our kind of late-in-the-trip camping.

August 17

Up creaky and cranky from the night in the car to find we were in a very pleasant spot. Wish circumstances had been a little different. Today up and overBeartooth Pass, elevation 10,947 feet. Wow. Scenery goes beyond description. Brief snowball fight, then down, down, down into Red Lodge, MT (lovely town) and beyond. Ajarring switch from winding high curves to open 75 mph highway, but we welcome the chance to make miles. Pull into Devils Tower National Monument at dusk and the place just breathes peacefulness. So glad we didn't book the noisy KOA we can see and hear across the meadow.

August 16

Sad to know this is our last day in the park, we packed up in the morning and then headed south. Drove back past Old Faithful, then followed the Grand Loop Drive alongside Yellowstone Lake (more fruitless fishing, but a nice picnic) and on up north toward the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. So happy we decided to take a pit stop at the campground near West Thumb because suddenly we were in the thick of a bison brigade in the parking lot! The ranger in charge of keeping us at a distance said he'd never seen the whole herd (dozens of them!) tramp right down to the boat launch. Felt lucky to be there.

North toward GC of the Yellowstone but caught in 2 hr buffalo jam. Cars should be equipped with those cow-catchers they used to put on trains. Or tourists should have their cameras taken if they block progress for more than two minutes!

Great visit to Yellowstone Falls when we finally arrived. Breathtaking really. Walked the 300+ steps down Uncle Tom Trail to the platform below Upper Falls and felt like we were right in the middle of it all.

Much later than

expected out the Northeast Entrance of

the park, but that meant we got to see several hundred more bison (ho hum) and one of the most spectacular sunsets ever.

Refreshing break from the mobs of people we sometimes encountered at the real hot spots in Yellowstone. This feels like wild country, big and open and beautiful. No room at Pebble Creek, the last campground in the park, then consecutive disappointments at four national forest campgrounds outside the park (first in Montana, then back to Wyoming). One was closed outright, then three had signs up saying no tent camping was allowed due to bear activity. What could we do, at ten o'clock and high up in the mountains? Yep, we pulled all the gear out, folded up seats and bunked up all in the car. Some of us actually slept a little, I hear tell. We'd find out in the morning from the campground hosts that the severe response was from the National Forest Service. They've prohibited tent camping in a large radius around the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone after a bear incident earlier this summer that resulted in a fatality. Yikes. Now kind of glad we haven't been following the news.

August 15

Off for a hike today! Drove north from Madison Campground to take off into the wilderness for a few hours, figuring out a route on our way toward Mammoth Hot Springs area. All great, but a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right . . . Figured it out before too long -- we'd left our camera by the Madison River the evening before while fishing. A camera would be enough to lose, but this had two or three hundred great photos on it too, so very concerning. New plan: Clare and kids set off on to hike from the Ice Lake trailhead and take the Howard Easton trail into Norris Campground (4.6 mi!) while Dan drives back to go camera hunting. An hour to travel the 15 miles back (construction -- all your stimulus dollars hard at work!) to strike out, as expected. No camera turned in, no trace of it by the river. Oh well. Did what we could. Back up another hour to rendezvous with family, whose excitement at successfully navigating through empty territory made up for a lot of the disappointment.

Still enough afternoon left to get up to Mammoth Terraces and have a touristy dinner in the town and to make it even better we saw

our first bear on the drive, and our second bear on the way home. Oh yeah, and there were a couple of bison in there too -- imagine!

Post-script:  Next day camera shows up -- turned in by one of those good people we all ought to know are out there. Giant PHEW and a thanks to that anonymous Samaritan.

August 14

Such a different morning! Sunshine and comfort, and all are happy to be in one place for a few days. Today was all aboutgeysers and thermal pools and paint pots (bubble mud!). No chance to forget you were in a very different landscape. We loved Old Faithful, as we knew we would, but also got a kick out of the grand old lodge there. Much needed showers for adults turned out to be substantially cheaper than the rooms -- nice. Back to camp in time for an evening fishing the Madison (a bust, but fun) and a fire.

August 13

Drove back to Jenny Lake from our campground at Colter Bay for a hike and a closer look at the mountains we could see so well from our lakeside campground. Well worth the investment! A short diversion on the way to Hidden Falls led us to the Moose Pond Loop (appropriately named), where we got to look down on a pair of big ones munching reeds and happily wading around. A real treat.

Pooped and a little later than expected when we got to the other side of the lake, kids and Clare hopped on the boat back while Dan hoofed it. They had some rangering up to do after all. We drove out of GTNP feeling there was a lot to come back to. Coming into Yellowstone late we were very happy to have a reservation and a spot waiting for us. Arrived in the dark, in the rain, and hungry. Our most uncomfortable set-up yet, but kids were troopers. No-frills hot-dog dinner then to bed. Glad once we were finally warm in our bags.

August 12

West again, this time through Dan's old Idaho stomping grounds from NOLS days, then up and over and down again into Wyoming. Jackson Hole hasn't changed much in all these years. Still easy to find a t-shirt or a cup of good coffee but hard to find camping gas. Grand Teton National Park tonight. We're all still waiting on the first bison sighting -- maybe this will be the place.

Kids are excited for yet another opportunity to become Jr. Rangers. Their hats and jackets are decorated with ranger badges and patches from all the national parks and national monuments we've been to so far. Requirements vary, but each park has some sort of written activity book to complete and most require kids to attend a ranger-led hike or education program. Really a brilliant idea -- kids are very engaged, and rangers now have crowds of little ones seeking them out all day. Before we leave anyplace we set aside time to "ranger up" at the visitor center, which is our term for the checking and oath-taking and swearing in that makes it all official. It's usually a fairly serious procedure, but it also usually ends in a public cheer for the new Jr. Rangers and smiles all around.

Excellent ranger program tonight at the campground about the night sky, led by a former astronomy professor with the world's most powerful laser pointer. Everyone wanted one. Now we want a star chart too.

August 11

Reluctant to pull away from great beach-side campsite, but after pancakes and coffee with the neighbors we got on the road north and west. Big spaces moving from mountains to flats to high plains, then suddenly black rock all around sparsely flecked with sagebrush. Weirdest environment to date! We were entering Craters of the Moon National Monument. Winds were so gusty we put off setting camp and went on a tour of attractions instead. Favorite stop was at a series of caves you could explore. We expected the usual overly-managed, too-well-travelled kind of national parks experience, but these felt real. "Wild" caves, as they put it. Managed to wiggle hundreds of feet down into narrowing passages by the light of inadequate flashlights, finding permanent ice floes and weird formations. Great fun. Kids loved "Indian Caves," a series of lava tubes 800+ feet long and 30 feet high that are exposed at intervals where the ceiling has fallen so you don't need your inadequate flashlight. Striking. This park would be an amazing set for some off-planet movie. Made a big impression! Great campsite in volcanic gravel under wild stars!

August 10

On our way this morning, but not before provisioning at Trader Joe's (we've missed it so). Then drove, drove, drove past second guessing and confusion to a neat Army Corps of Engineers campground on the dammed-up Boise River. Good company for all of us, but especially for Henry who had three boys to play with who were sharing our private beach and dock. S'mores for everyone around the campfire and stayed up late just because. Couldn't be nicer.

August 9

An added day today because we just couldn't leave Bend without visiting Smith Rock. It's a climbing thing. Really nice day today with kiddos right around the corner from Chain Reaction, To Bolt of Not to Be, etc. They didn't do so good on 5.14b, but turns out there's plenty of gorgeous 5.6 at Smith. We drove away wishing for an extended stay here. Good TV evening with Josie and Dorothy back in Bend. Back at it tomorrow, with a big day toward Idaho!

August 7 and 8

Bend, OR! So glad to be with wonderful cousins Josie and Dorothy and contemplating our big turn eastward soon. We're feeling the length of the voyage a little, but still excited for Yellowstone, for Devils Tower, for Mt. Rushmore and other things. It's hard to leave opportunities unpursued, but it's good to think of home too. Still, a big old country separating us from our beds!

Welcomed Dan and Angela and Sophie and Elie Mahoney next morning (8/8), who were nice enough to make the 3+ hour trip from Salem just to hang with us. Good friends indeed! And good cousins, to let us make it quite a houseful. Excellent float with many of us down the Deschutes, then fine salmon dinner with well chosen microbrews (it's Mahoney, after all). Perfect day. Liz got the added bonus of finally riding a horse today with a private trip to visit Dorothy's baby, Melia. What a thrill, and a special time with Dorothy to boot.

August 6

North! Just not as much north as we were hoping. Spent the bulk of the day trying to navigate the medical system in San Francisco (thanks for shepherding, Sarah!) to check out Elizabeth's lingering cough (she's fine), but finally away in late afternoon heading for Oregon. First an enjoyable couple of hours in traffic (bought a few postcards to show you at the toll booths -- keep an eye out) before getting into the real flow of things and cresting 20 mph. Aimed at Whiskeytown Lake, CA since we knew we wouldn't get all the way to Crater Lake like we'd hoped. Pulled in at dusk to the noisiest, crowdedist, most festive campground we've seen to date. Should've known that Friday night wasn't the best one for those seeking a wilderness experience. Quite a contrast to the pit toilets and 9pm quiet times we had in Tuolumne! Still, good for a sleep. Glad to be on the road again.

August 5

Sad to pack up camp from Tuolumne, but good to follow Sarah back to San Francisco. We were ready for a shower, laundry and some Thai food. All full and happy now and ready for bed. Check out the sea lions we found!

August 4

Great lazy big-breakfast morning with Sarah in the morning, then off in a pack down to the Valley. Great day, scenic and fun. Waterfalls were unseasonably cranking away due to big snowfalls this winter -- so nice to see. Short hike up to base of Bridalveil Fall, a couple hours climbing by Camp 4, lots of time in traffic and looking for parking, then kids were sworn in as Junior Rangers, dipped toes in the Merced, then capped the day with honking those vuvuzelas as we passed through each tunnel on the way back up to camp, starting a wave of good-natured honking from cars behind. Hard to stop laughing. More good time around a campfire and a late to0-bed happy.

August 3

Another fine day in Tuolumne! Climbing on Pothole Dome, then Junior Ranger walk with Ranger Anna, then finally a rendezvous with Sarah late back at campsite. What a great aunt to travel all this way mere hours after flying from around the world just to freeze with us at 7,000 feet. Plus she brought vuvuzelas for those kiddos. Won't our neighboring campers be happy to feel like they're at a world cup match!

August 2

Now we know why everyone in the world said to make reservations six months ago! Up at 6:30 to drive the last hour to the park and then wait in line (unsuccessfully) for a campsite in Tuolumne Meadows. Sigh. Great to be here anyway. We wind up in a perfectly good campsite a dozen miles from the meadow and the lack of water and fancy amenities like flush toilets doesn't faze anybody. Lovely to be high up in a special place. A little bit of climbing on Lembert Dome with the whole fam. Good way to get acquainted here : )

August 1

Great, desolate drive on world's best road (Benton, CA toward Lee Vining, CA), stopping at world's best campsite in the middle of nowhere. Can't wait for Yosemite.

July 31

July 31st

Zion National Park. Wow. Up early and into the park. Bountiful pancakes in the parking lot! Shuttle bus out to our hike for the day -- Hidden Canyon. It was amazing. Elevation gain of 850 feet, with several spots that had chains to hold on to as you crossed rather wiggy open cliff. But, the payoff... the views and a chance to explore the Hidden Canyon. We found two Mexican Spotted Owls (only 2400 in the world) asleep in a tree and hiked back into the canyon checking out the cool rock formations. What an accomplishment for all of us.

Drove on to Las Vegas (thanks to Nate for finding us the room since we had no internet access at Zion). A quick dip in the pool and sleep - off to Yosemite tomorrow.