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Friday, July 22, 2011

Swimming along in the Wyoming Heat





Aha! We have resurfaced after 6 days in Yellowstone National Park and 2 days in Bighorn Canyon. Reception has been scarce of course so it feels strange to actually be interacting with the technology grid once more. We're stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming and taking advantage of some free WiFi offered at their visitor center. I'm using this opportunity to offer some updates, clear my e-mail, and transfer all the massive amount of pictures we took the park! I'm thinking I may need to utilize my flicker account to deal with all the pictures instead of just trying to post them haphazardly here or on facebook.

Yellowstone National Park was a blast and I can see why it remains one of the most visited places in the United States. There is so much to see and so many trails leading to amazing beautiful places. Actually, I was shocked at how little we actually hiked. All of the major attractions are right off the main roads with lots of parking and very comprehensive facilities throughout the park. Actually, the main attractions are so accessible that there is absolutely no reason that ANYONE should not be able to enjoy the park and all it has to offer. Many roads are paved, wheelchair accessible, and I was impressed with the wide variety of accommodations made available. We saw two bears, countless bison, and less elk than I thought we would. The weather was perfect in the 70's and 80's with a lot of breeze which made the heat bearable. It even rained one day which was a relief and cooled things off considerably. It also didn't stick around too long so it worked out! The geysers were amazing and interesting in their wide variety but by the end I was a little geysered out. You can only take so much sulphur and billowing heat.

Bighorn Canyon National Park turned out to be a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, a far cry from the crowds of people we experienced at Yellowstone. Bighorn has its own beauty however with rust red cliffsides and geological structures that were very beautiful. There was also a lake to swim in, however, it was also swarming with BUGS. I mean, LOTS and LOTS of bugs! Most were fine and of the grasshopper/locust family but there were some scary spiders and Jurassic park sized mosquitoes to contend with. Our natural oil bug spray held up really well though and we'll be needing a restock on that pronto. Bighorn was extremely hot and very windy in the evenings. It also offered utility hookups at a steal of a deal which we took advantage of to watch movies and.... drumroll please.... I FINISHED A NOVEL! As in, I succeeded in writing the remainder of a novel I have been laboring over for some time now. Whitney also worked a lot on her novel and together we were quite the writing pair! It was quiet solitude and just what the doctor ordered.

Well, my butt is numb and my stomach is growling so off I go!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Wowwwww

So our trip has been off to a hectic start. Moving out sapped whitney and I of a lot of our initial enthusiasm and whitney is still recovering from numerous bruises and physical scrapes (though she seems to be steadily accumulating more courtesy of our trailer :)) However, even with the craziness that has been the beginning, I think we're hanging on.

We've made it all the way to Spokane with few problems. Most of my problems have been physical stemming from a nasty sinus infection and special lady cramps. As a result I've been pretty grumpy and struggling with general irritation.

I'll post more at a later time. After a gym workout and shower its time for lunch before we head to idaho!



Sunday, July 3, 2011

MOVING INSANITY!

In all my excitement for our adventure and upcoming joy, I had refused to allow the prospect of "hard work" get to me. Sure, we had to move out of our house 3 days after our wedding. Of course we would have to lug all our personal effects to Gig Harbor. And yes, there was the chaos that was sure to be the first few days un-tethered from true domicile. But I REFUSE TO LET THAT RAIN ON MY PARADE! ....until now. I'm exhausted. Whitney is covered head to toe in hideous and painful bruises and both of us are suffering from a variety of strained muscles.

Side note: the wedding was AMAZING. It exceeded my wildest expectations and was a true showcase of how wonderful our combined families are. We are so grateful and blessed to have the family we do and to have been able to share our love with them.

That being said, we danced so long and so hard that the following morning I could barely walk. Whitney's sister had feet that looked like they had encountered land mines, what with all the open wounds. So our physical well-being had naught a day to recoup before we had to suddenly begin lugging boxes and all sorts of ridiculousness out of our rental home. So although we are at the beginning of our journey, it feels like the first week will simply be spent lounging and resting in some beautiful place while we recover. And that's just fine with us! :-)

More pictures and adventures to follow!