There and Back Again

Has it really been a whole month since I last posted?  Unbelievably it has been.  Well, when I stop and think about all we have done, I really can believe it.  Life has been clicking by at a dizzying pace this month.  Camps, visitors, birthdays, car trips, you name it, we have done it during the past four weeks.  I haven't had anytime to sit and process all our doings and write them up.  Of course, the problem with neglecting the write up for a month is that many things have already been forgotten or crowded out in the memory by other things.  

So the thing that has taken up the biggest chunk of the past four weeks was our trip to Utah for a family reunion.  Instead of going straight out I-80 or I-70 we decided to see a few things along the way.  First we hit Saginaw, MI where we had a really fast visit with my grandmother, aunt and uncle.  We drove up through the UP and into Wisconsin.  We stayed overnight in Rhinelander, Home of the Hodag, which was one of Ralph's favorite areas on his mission.  It is a beautiful area full of lakes and trees.  We really had to wonder why we were headed to a hot, dry part of UT instead of just staying where we were for a week.  But it was too late to call the family and reschedule so we moved on.  

(older and grayer than the last time he was here)

(The kids were fascinated by the mythical hodag, go ahead and google it)

We stopped to see the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.  We were fortunate enough to stop while they were redecorating and it was fun to watch how they do it.  Moving on, we hit Mt Rushmore and Devils Tower.  The kids really liked Devils Tower.  There is a path around the base that is just over a mile long.  Geral ran the whole way around.  She didn't want to be carried or walk.  "I want to run," she would yell if anyone suggested otherwise.  The kids would offer to pick her up just to hear her insist upon running.  It got dark as we finished the loop which didn't leave William as much time as he would have liked to climb the rocks.  We think a trip back to SD to see the Black Hills and do some more exploring would be fun.

(It rained shortly before we got there making it look like Jefferson had a runny nose.)

(Here she is, our runner, looking like a champion)

(William just wanted to keep on climbing on the rocks)

The last leg of our journey to the west took us to  Independence Rock and Martin's Cove.  There was more to do there than we allotted time for but we did go through the visitors center, pull a handcart and visit the cove where our ancestors spent some very cold nights.  On our way out of Wyoming we drove through heavy rain and were treated to some beautiful rainbows.

The family reunion was a lot of fun.  It was good to see everyone and spend time catching up.  The kids are all so big now.  The vast majority of the grandkids are teens and young adults.  It is fun to get to know them on a different level than when they are young kids.  We spent time playing in the lake and getting sunburned.  I think this was the worst my kids have been burned, usually we do really well with sunscreen.  The kids reapplied but I don't think they gave the lotion time to sink in before the water washed it off again.  

(Gooey rolls on Sunday, a tradition worth keeping.)

After the Smith family reunion we had a brief visit with my family and got to see Brian Taylor get his Eagle.  It was a great evening and as the oldest male cousin, he has set a great example for those that are not too far behind him in scouting.

The return trip didn't involve as many stops as the trip out.  We saw the Wierda family in Iowa and planned a visit to Nauvoo.  The day we went to Nauvoo it was pouring rain.  We toured the visitors center and took a wagon ride around the town.  It was a nice overview of the city but when we were done we were all quite wet and tired.  The kids voted to put Nauvoo on a list of places to visit again on another trip and were ready to hit the road for home.  

(Geral ingeniously eating a fruit rollup without getting her fingers sticky)