Finals week wasn’t even over yet, but our little sedan was packed to the gills with camping gear and we were on the road at dawn, heading for Josef’s biggest adventure yet. \u00a0With two weeks of no work and no school, we were bound for Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and points in between!<\/p>\n
We made our way east over the mountains, all the way to Hampton Station, before our first real pit stop. \u00a0We had a pretty tasty and enormous feast of classic American road food: burgers and onion rings. \u00a0Then we headed on to Hines and stopped at a playground which was hosting some kind of gem and rock fair. \u00a0The playground was remarkable and esteemable for having the tallest, most rickety and risky slide I have ever seen open to the public. \u00a0I guess folks like to raise their kids with some grit out in Hines.<\/p>\n
We tried to stop in quaint Frenchglen, but the mosquitoes were out in force so we made haste to Fields. \u00a0At this point Josef was about to lose his mind with boredom, but Rachael saved the day by reading book after book to keep him amused. \u00a0It’s long lonely stretch of desert from Frenchglen down to I-80; I think we maybe saw 2 cars the whole time, and I loved every minute of it. \u00a0We made it to Winnemucca and a little family-owned motel just near sunset; 500+ miles and dusk til dawn travel was not too shabby for our first day! \u00a0Spirits were high, but energy was low and we decided to skip the Basque festival in town and just go to sleep.<\/p>\n
The next day we traveled east on I-80 across the eerie Bonneville Flats, thru Salt Lake City, and then up and into the Wasatch Range, where we were delighted to see some green for the first time since leaving Sisters. \u00a0From here on out it would be all new territory for me, and that was an exctiing feeling. \u00a0Our destination was a secluded lush retreat hidden in the red mountains of Utah where upwards of 50 of Rachael’s Orrock Family relatives were gathered for a four day reunion.<\/p>\n
It really could not have been more wonderful. \u00a0We had the place all to ourselves, were surrounded by stunning rock formations, and had a gentle looping creek to float on. \u00a0We feasted like kings, played volleyball and basketball, went on some amazing hikes and swapped a lot of tales. \u00a0There were about 20 youngsters and they all got along famously, keeping tabs on each other, playing on the rope swing, and taking Gramnette’s art classes. \u00a0Lovely people every one of them and I feel quite blessed that I get to be a part of this family.<\/p>\n
After the reunion, the three of us struck out North through the Uintah Mountains and found a wonderful secluded little camp among aspens along the Bear River. \u00a0After all the fun of the big gathering it was nice to have a spot in the wilderness all to ourselves. \u00a0From there we cruised into Wyoming and visited the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, before landing at the Teton Canyon Campground, on the backside of the National Park.<\/p>\n
We spent a couple days there hiking and exploring the Tetons, and then cruised north into Yellowstone, which was sadly a little lackluster after the majesty of the Tetons. \u00a0I have no doubt the park has much to offer, and it is probably worth a week all by itself but we were eager to reach Glacier so we kind of gave it the short shrift… \u00a0We put on a lot of miles that day, and finally called it quits at a Motel 6 in Helena.<\/p>\n
The next day we made it to Glacier at last. \u00a0Rachael spent two summers working at the Many Glacier Lodge back in college, so the park was very familiar and dear to her. \u00a0It was fun to get to revisit such a special place and share it as a family. \u00a0The lodge was incredible and we hope to go back and stay there sometime.<\/p>\n
We left Glacier by driving through the heart of the park on the fabled “Going To The Sun Road,” which was nothing but a series of eye-popping vistas around every bend as you wind your way across the continental divide. \u00a0From here on out we were pretty much just making a beeline for home, but we did stop for an hour or two to explore Spokane, where I got to have my first iconic fatherhood experience of slinging a kicking and screaming two-year-old over my shoulder who was devastated that he couldn’t ride the Ferris wheel again.<\/p>\n
Other than a brief early morning exploration of Sacagawea State Park in Washington, we pretty much made haste to return home. \u00a0In the end, we covered over 2,800 miles and six states, two of which I’d never visited before. \u00a0Josef was an absolute champ, handling long car rides and cramped tents with good humor and patience, and we in turn handled Josef’s endless requests for the same stories and songs over and over with munificence. \u00a0It truly couldn’t have been a more magical adventure, and I feel we were rewarded for our ambition with warm memories that have already become stuff of family legend.<\/p>\n