Part Three

Before we headed for Cody, Wyoming, we stopped in Rapid City and replenished our groceries. It’s always a good idea when you are in this neck of the woods to make sure both your pantry and gas tank is full. We drove into Cody, Wyoming and stayed at the Cody KOA. It was a very well maintained campground with a heated swimming pool, hot tub, and a jumping pillow. On this trip, we tried to swim every day and were pretty successful until the last few days.

CrewTip: The Concept Behind My Crazy

Let the kiddos play or swim before you leave for your travel day. We found that the days we let them get the wiggles out they were more focused and manageable. It made the day much more pleasant for mom and dad. It takes a little planning but in the end, it was worth the extra time!

I really wanted to do a float trip during this vacation. After researching it, Cody seemed like the best place. The weather was on the cool side especially to us Missourians who are used to all that humidity but it was definitely warmer than Yellowstone. So we decided to book it with Wyoming River Trips in Cody. The owner and the staff were so friendly and made us all feel very comfortable with this new experience. We parked at the Wal-Mart next door and they transported us in their bus to the drop-off point. We floated the Shoshone River which was smooth enough for my younger kiddos but had enough excitement for Sam and me. We were fortunate to be put in a boat with people who wanted to take some risks and were willing to get wet. At the beginning of the trip, our guide asked if Sam and I were willing to be in the front of the boat. I think he figured we were newbies and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. He was right! We said yes and had to sit on the edge of the boat to row. Alex and Nikki were both so scared that I was going to go overboard. They didn’t seem too worried about Sam, I guess that’s siblings for you. Nikki told me if I went over she would jump in after me. I had to keep reminding her to stay in the boat no matter what. I had a life jacket on and I would be ok as long as I didn’t have to worry about her. By the time it was all said and done, we all stayed in the boat. Although there were a couple of big rapids that knocked me back into the guy behind me. The scenery was beautiful as we sailed between red canyons. At times it was quiet and peaceful with just the sound of the water. I think everyone in the boat was mesmerized by the beauty around us.

Crew-Spective: The Perspective and Thoughts of One of the Crew

Nikki (5) says about the float trip: “I liked the little water. I did not like the big water because it got in my mouth!”

That evening we took a shuttle from our campground to the Cody Rodeo. They rodeo over 90 days every year and we had a blast! We did not dress warmly enough for this excursion. I should have dug out our winter coats because the wind was so strong, our sweatshirts were not enough. It was cold but the kiddos enjoyed seeing the horses, cows, and bulls. When we told Alex we were going to the rodeo, he refused to wear red because he thought he was going to be on the field with the bulls. We assured him he would be safe! We bought some Huckleberry Popcorn which hit the spot and was a quick favorite with all the kiddos. About halfway through the rodeo, they called all the kiddos under 12 to the field to chase two calves and try to pull the ribbon off their tails. What an experience that was!

After our 2 nights in Cody, we headed for Yellowstone National Park. Now, I hadn’t really planned what exactly we were going to do while we were there because there were so many possibilities and I thought we would just roll with it. Lots of people on our way up told us their favorites and it seemed very overwhelming. So we put together a small list of things we wanted to see: Old Faithful, Old Faithful Inn, the Mud Volcano, and as many animal sightings as we could possibly manage. Within 15 minutes of entering Yellowstone, we saw a black bear, a grizzly bear, and several bison. We pulled off in the parking lot by the Yellowstone Lake to take pictures and look around. While we were there, we saw a deer and its fawn. I used the maps and navigated while Rick drove the RV. We pulled off at the Mud Volcano and Sam made a quick lunch for everyone before we got out and explored. Now, this is a definite perk for traveling in an RV. You have your supplies with you all the time and don’t have to think ahead to pack lunches. After lunch, we looked around the Mud Volcano. The sulfur smelled like a mix of Thanksgiving Dinner and rotten eggs according to the kiddos. We hiked up the hill and it was hard, between the altitude change and the smell of sulfur, my lungs were burning. When we got the top, we saw two bison just laying in there in the field. It was surreal!

Now, we had planned for a day and a half in Yellowstone and I quickly realized that was not enough time. We stopped at the Canyon Visitor Center and picked up our Yellowstone National Park Junior Ranger Badges. The booklets cost $3 each and it went all the up to the high school level. I regret not getting Georgie Lou one because she loved “working” on it with her siblings. She kept stealing theirs! We looked around, loaded back up and drove through the park for more animal sightings. While we drove, the kiddos worked on their badges so we could be ready to turn them in the next day.

We arrived at our campground, West Yellowstone KOA, and I quickly got dinner cooking in my instant pots while the kiddos got ready to go swimming. This campground had an indoor pool and it was a good thing because snow was in the forecast. We had already dug out the winter coats after the rodeo experience because it’s hard to enjoy something if you’re cold.

The next morning we got up early, ate a quick breakfast and headed for the Old Faithful Visitor’s Center. The kiddos had completed all their badge work but needed to attend a ranger talk. When you enter into Yellowstone they give you a map and schedule of events that came in handy when it came to deciding where to go and what to do. I referred to it and wrote out a basic schedule so we could get everything in. The schedule quickly went out the window when we realized getting anywhere in Yellowstone traffic took forever. It took us almost 2 hours to get to the Old Faithful Visitor’s Center. And to top it all off, it had started to snow. It was the first day of summer and it was snowing. From what we could tell, it wasn’t supposed to lay on the roads but we were still a little nervous about it anyways. The mountains and pine trees were beautiful with a dusting of snow. Now that I look back on it, it was something that made our trip extra special. It is a great memory!

We made it to The Old Faithful Visitor Center just in time for the Ranger Talk. After we finished up, the kiddos got their Junior Ranger patches which can be sewn onto a hat or a sweatshirt and we headed for the Old Faithful Visitor’s Center to look around. About 30 minutes before Old Faithful was scheduled to erupt, we headed over to make sure we got a good spot so everyone could see it well. It erupted 10 minutes early and was as exciting as the kiddos expected it to be. Georgie Lou’s response was “Water boom!” It was an amazing show of how awesome our Creator is!

Our last stop was The Old Faithful Inn. It was a beautiful log building with several fireplaces that were not lit up. With the temperatures being so cold, we would have loved to see them lit. We headed for the restaurant which had a buffet with several wild game items and trout. I had looked up the menu online and felt the lunch option would be the most economical and have all the things we wanted to try. It was good but definitely had a cafeteria feel. The most memorable food for me was the trout and Jalapeno Elk Sausage.

Sadly, our trip was coming to an end and I had mixed emotions. Part of me wanted to keep going and the other part couldn’t wait to get home. Being on the road for 12 days is a lot with 7 kiddos but the memories are priceless!

Check out our YouTube video below!