Go West!

So after six days Up North with the whole Pool Party, a faction split off to head west. The splinter group consisted of Megan, Eli and Jim, while the two girls stayed behind with Grandma and Grandpa, and a nearby Aunt Dawn. After nearly 5000 miles of road-rage free (okay, mostly free) driving, we're home to tell the tale. Enjoy!

Here we are at 11,000 feet, getting ready to cross over into Yellowstone National Park. I love being in shorts standing in snow. What a surreal joy. As we drove the winding road up to this pass, Eli kept saying, at every new height, "These are the highest mountains I've ever seen. This is the highest I've ever been, right, dad?" He loved it.



This is how we cooked. That really is my hand. It isn't photoshopped in. I really did successfully cook over an open flame for four nights in a row. Without killing us or setting anything on fire (other than the s'mores, which Eli kept wanting to set on fire). It was great. Our friends gave us some organic meat packed right at the ranch. You can gain a new delight in and appreciation for your food in a setting like this.


Eli climbing the big glacial deposit rocks that were scattered like giant play things all over the site where our mountain cabin was. Yes, that is a tree that Eli is holding on to there. I'm standing on a nearby rock. We're probably like 10 feet off the ground. Once I had scaled most of the rocks with Eli to ensure he knew what he was doing, we let him roam on his own. He did great and had what I'm thinking must have been a time of his life experience. He'd be outside for hours on end, climbing endlessly, interrupted only by his desire for me to come out and join him!

Along the back edge of the mountain's cabin property was a little beat-down barbed wire fence that had obviously been stopped on numerous times since last we were there. On the other side was National Forest land, open for exploring. Which is just what we did. Between two big rocks Eli laid out some big sticks to make a bridge, "across the crevasse." I then held his hand and helped him cross it. On the second time around I took his picture at the same time. The smile in this picture is one of the most authentic I've ever seen him smile. It nearly brings tears to my eyes to look at it again.



Megan, in what she affectionately called her "Idaho Heaven Nest." This is where Megan spent much of her time while the boys went out exploring. It is also where Megan and I slept - on this screened in front porch that looked out on the forest and valley below. Amazing. My head was on the pillow near Megan's armpit, with my feet off camera, making an L. The nights got a little nippy. The last night we awoke to the sounds of coyote and/or wolves. We all agree they were probably wolves, including Tri and Nancy. Apparently they bayed every hour, though I only heard them around 5am.

Our friends Tri and Nancy have named their cabin, "Menuchah." (Isaiah 32:18) It means "divine dwelling places" or "resting places," which is exactly what it is.