Almost Home

Well, we had a great time in Las Vegas and actually left with more money than we came with. Our stay in Phoenix was wonderful. We finally got to see our daughter's new home which is very nice and I got to play golf twice. We are in Nashville now and leave for Virginia tomorrow. It will be nice to finally get home and after looking at the weather for Yellowstone today(High 19 and Low -6) it appears we got out just in time.

6 Days To Go

We have been very busy the last few weeks. We had a great visit with our friends Al and Marsha from Tucson and then our last weekend we had a wonderful 4 day visit with ou son Michael. This is our last weekend before leaving so we are trying to get packed up so we have free time to do a couple of hikes before we leave on Sunday. My last day of work is Saturday. Mary Ann is working a couple of hours Sunday Morning and we will leave when we gets off work and drive to St george, Utah. On Monday we will arrive in Las Vegas and then go to Phoenix on Wwednesday. It has been a great summer.

Busy

Well, we have 22 days left and we are going to be busy. In addittion to working our friends from Tucson are here on Sunday and leave on Wednesday so we will be busy showing them the park. Then our next weekend our son arrives on Sunday and is here until Thursday. When he leaves we will be down to 10 days left and we need to start packing up. We have had a great time but I think both of us will be ready to return to the real world. We have made some special friends but will keep in touch and visit during the year. Thank God for free flying.

What a great weekend

After we got off work on Sunday, we drove to Flagg Ranch Campground which is 2 miles outside the south entrance to the park. The Air Force has 10 twenty six foot camping trailers they keep there and rent for $80 a day. We went with 3 friends. Sunday night we just kind of hung out. On Monday we hiked 8 miles in to the south park of yellowstone to see Union Falls. It is the second highest waterfall in Yellowstone and it was totally awesome. We did a mile add on to scout pond which is thermally fed so the water is fairly warm and we all enjoyed the water. We then hike the 8 miles out for a total of 17 miles. We were all worn out especially Mary Ann and I. Our 3 friends were used to that distance. When we got back to the trailer we grilled steaks and cooked zuccini and potatoes on the grill. And of course drank lots of beer and wine. It was one of the best days we have had in Yellowstone. We all slept really good Monday night.

Where Has the Time Gone?

Well, I have not written anything in a long time. We have really been busy. It seems like we have only been here a short time but we have been here 3/12 months and only have 1 1/2 months left. There is still a lot we want to do.Yesterday we hiked Mt Washburn which was a wonderful hike and gave great views of Yellowstone. It was only a 6 mile hike with 3 miles up and 3 miles down and an elevation gain of 1400 feet but Mary Ann and I both were really tired. I think the elevation had a lot to do with it. Old Faithful area is about 7700 feet and we started the hike at 8800 feet and went to 10,250 feet. In two weeks we are doing a 16 mile day hike to Union Falls with 3 friends. That is a lot more than either of us have done. Mary Ann and her friend Stella went Whitewater Kaayaking on the Gallatin River. Mary Ann described it as fun but scary and a rush but terrifying. She said she enjoyed the time in the kaayak but not so much when she went out of the kaayak. She went up against a rock and got a big bruise on her behind. Our friend Marsha and her husband Al are visiting in early September and it looks like our son Michael will visit the middle of Septemeber and we leave September 27. We will spend one night in St George, Utah and then drive to Las Vegas where we will spend two nights at the Venetian. We have tickets to see Phantom on the 29th. Then we will drive to Phoenix to spend time with our Daughter and Son-In-Law.

Over Halfway Finished

July 10 was our halfway point of our time in Yellowstone. It seems like it is going really fast. I was going to try to upload some pictures but the internet is too slow. We had a great 4th of July weekend. We went to Bozeman, Mt on Sunday the 5th to celebrate my birthday. We had a wonderful dinner and the next day stocked up on things from Costco and WalMart. On Tuesday Mary Ann surprised me with a boat trip on Lake Yellowstone with 3 of our friends. We did a little sightseeing, a little fishing and we had a champagne brunch on board the boat. The weather was nice and we had a great time. Wew are leaving here on September 27th and will spend that night in St George, Utah. Then its on to Vegas for 2 nights at the Venetian where we have tickets to see The Phantom. We will then drive to Arizona and spend some time with our daughter and son-in-law before heading back to Virginia. We have not finalized any plans after that as of yet.

What a Ride!!

On Tuesday we drove 2 hours to Big Sky, Montana and went whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River with 4 friends. It was totally awesome. We had a great guide and the weather was the best we had had in about 3 weeks. It was sunny and in the 70's. Of course, the water temperature was in the 40's but you are dressed really warm with a wetsuit, then a fleece jacket and then a rain jacket over that. We spent about 2 hours on the river. It was up to class 4 rapids and there was one stretch they call the mad mile(WOW!). On the drive up, we saw a Moose and her baby and we also saw a black bear just off the side of the road. We are still having a great time and will now be here until September 28.