Ryan and I had 10 days off (will probably never happen again) from school, so we decided to head home to IDAHO! Im sure you all are so surprised, pretty sad that every vacation is to go back home instead of like Hawaii or Bahamas haha if only we had money. But we LOVE Idaho and everything it has to offer. This trip was a little different for us, because instead of flying home like we always do, we drove.....the long, dreaded, 14 hour trip. We drove it once when we moved down for school and promised each other we would never do that again, but when gas prices are cheaper to drive then fly ya got to do what ya can on a student budget, it actually is a pretty trip, just nap thru Fillmore and Beaver Utah. We were ready to get out of this dang Arizona heat and see some real mountains. My nephews were currently with us so they got to make the long haul back to Idaho too! I bet that was a dream come true for them, but with both having Ry and I's laptops they hardly made a peep. We started our long journey at 6 pm, yep crazy we know, Ryan had class till then and couldn't leave sooner, so we drove to my sister's house in Salem, Utah (10 hours away). We arrived at 5 am (time change added on a lovely hour) took a 5 hour cat nap and then were back on the road to cross that beautiful Idaho state boarder....
For the first half of the trip we stayed with the Hess Honey's. To our exciting surprise, my sister had an apendicitis attack and had to have emergency surgery, not to mention being 5 months pregnant! So Ry and I got to take care of Harper Jo and Gunner who were both at my parent's house. It was SO MUCH FUN!! Ryan and I set out for a day of adventure with the two little ones. Here were some of the many activities we did with them..... (pretty sure we are the coolest aunt and uncle around)
We played on the bean bags
Went on tons of mule rides
Helped Pappy change the oil in the car
Helped Pappy move pipe
And of course there are always tons and tons of horse rides, have to start them young!
My brother-in-law Brad has been in the family for 9 years and has only been on a horse once or twice so since Harper Jo was cowgirlin' it up Brad put on his cowboy pants too...
Cowboy Ryan
Up next for the Hess Honeys we headed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the usual anual trip and hit up the Bar J Wranglers. It is a chuck wagon, cowboy singing entertainment. My family has been going for years and we love it. My dad always drops us off at the square and everyone shops while he saves us seats, then we come back when we are all shopped out and play some games till the fun starts.
The next day, Ryan and I left the Hess Honeys and headed for Island Park to hang out with the Finn Clan. On our way from Jackson Hole we hit up the Teton Mountain range and I took Ryan on a hike called Table Rock. It is by far one of my favorites and a pretty famous trail. I don't know if we were ready for the 14 miles round trip (it seemed easier when I was younger), but we conquered it in good time, 6 hours including a 40 minute lunch sitting on top of Table Rock.
Our destination point
Ryan was so excited to see snow, little did he know we would have a lot more to cross
Almost there, The Table Rock
Eating lunch at 11,000 ft
A Little Piece of Heaven, the three Tetons
Our feet were very tired so we soaked them in the cold river for a while and cleaned off all of the mud and dirt. It felt so good, that is an understatement.
After the hike we headed to Island Park to meet up with the Finn Clan. We were a head of them so we decided to go the scenic route and hit Mesa Falls. This place is beautiful, in the summer and the winter.
We did a lot of road biking, playing in the river, building dominos, and enjoying the outdoors. Tanner likes to come and ride horses, so we saddled up the boys and headed for a ride, this time baby sister Kennedy and Tiffany got to join us for a fun night ride.
Someone got a little tired
Nice try Jonathon, maybe next year??
After the adult ride, Tanner met up with us and showed us how to really ride, this kid has no fear.
Sometimes working out can be a little hard on you, when you only do it twice a year...
We were ready to go and play in the river, especially the kids. Tanner was ready to catch a fish and the little ones (Jonathon) were ready to jump in head first.
I swear I just saw a fish!
It was time to celebrate the 4th of July. In the past, lets just say that people don't go up to Island Park for the fire works, but this year was different....they were SO GOOD!!! Like actual legit, huge, multiple at a time, fireworks. The weather was a little chilly for the Arizonians so we had to get some hot chocolate to celebrate.
The boys went on mountain bike ride up off of Sawtelle, which is about 10,500 ft up.
Unfortunately like every vacation, it ends way to fast. We were not ready to come back to reality or the hot weather but life never stops. I warned you about the picture overload, so if you made it...WOW you must really like us! Thanks family for a fun vacation, see ya in November for the holidays Idaho.
Awkward to have your sister-in-law take a picture of my butt. When you have one that looks as nice as mine, i guess its hard to resist. Oh yeah, and by the way, its amazing I only work out twice a year and I am the specimen that I truly am.
ReplyDeleteLove,
J