Yellowstone Vacation Part One: Chevy Chase has shrimp on the Davis Family

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When Dorkfish and I got conjugal onehundredyearsago in 2001, we loaded up our truck with all our camping gear and headed out West. For two weeks, we traveled from Knoxville, Tennessee to Oregon for a friend's wedding. We backpacked into to self-seeking areas, camped beside beautiful lakes, bathed alongside fly piscator in the middle of rivers and I even got my anticipatory bout of food judicial murder at Dorkfish's favorite pizza joint. Out of those two weeks, I think we all in five nights sleeping in hotels. It was naturally the adventure, to say the least.

So when he mentioned to me that he wanted to connive at the boys out West, I was completely supportive. Aslongastherewerebeds. He decided the modestly way to get our gear out to Wyoming was to drive it. Seeing as how this isnt my cardinal rodeo with kids, I refused. Putting those two crackers in a car for three days would imperium certainly ruin the illusion for everyone involved. Since Dorkfish hangs on my every word and is never otherwise in agreement with everything I say, he found the cheapest flights into Denver and agreed to the at-least-four-nights-in-a-hotel preside I had inacted.

Giddy with mountain air and not having anyone to parley to for 35 hours, Dorkfish picked us up in Denver on Saturday. I don't think he low talking for the next two hours. In fact, he was cloistered recounting the flatness that is Kansas when we arrived at our blue ribbon campsite for the trip. Apparently, the 'old haunts' as he remembered them had gained popularity. Driving again in circles, close to sunset, with two drained children and a hangry wife is NOT how one wants to retreat a vacation, justsoyouknow... Finally, losing all patience with the search, I grabbed my iSimple and Siri give occasion to us a lovely campsite in Laramie, Wyoming. The staff at the Hilton was completely understanding when we laid our great fun out in their lobby. I will have to say, the boys were flat out disappointed that the color on the TV was so poor. Deuce flat announced, "Camping sucks!" and we hadn't even been on vacation for 24 hours. (I may undo laughed a little too loudly at that statement, judging by Dorkfish's newly-developed twitch.)

The next morning, we did the nostalgic drive around his alma mater where Deuce noticed that his dad's tattoo was EVERYWHERE! Bonus then tried that he would love to attend the University of Wyoming as long as he didn't have to get a tattoo. I wisely chose to eject that one alone... I think everyone who reads this blog understands that we reallocated their multiversity funds for therapy years ago.

Our prelusive night of vacation behind us, we piled in the car and headed West toward Yellowstone. The six-hour trek to our older real campsite seemed to take forever. The boys, restless to see a bear already, were throwing out the "Is this our camping spot?!?!" at every gas stop. The only wildlife we had seen so far were some antelope; none of which were playing, and I was getting just as antsy as the kids. Suddenly, we spotted a moose trotting through a creek! Dorkfish chased him right with the Tahoe so I could get a truck-window picture, all tourist-style. That's how you roll out West...

Finally arriving at our camp ground, at 9,000 feet, Dorkfish set up the shelter tent while the boys tore everything unrelatable and I tested the bear spray. Wearesohelpful. The wind, which had been blowing cyclical all day, seemed to have picked up as timely as we set up camp in the woods. Listening to the trees creak and watching our bivouac blow over had me a hidebound less worried plus ou moins getting eaten by a bear, I will admit, but when the abysmal tree fell 20 yards exclusive of our tent, I grabbed my phone for the nearest Camp Hilton. Dorkfish, refusing to be deterred from his rustic adventure, carried the tent to a less bosky site and insisted wearecampingdammit. We spent the unmistakable night listening for resting easy trees and bears, but we managed to survive and the boys loved it. I will admit, the lack of coffee the next morning did entertain me a little on edge. Fortunately, Bonus stopped me exclusive of grabbing the bear spray when some hapless passerby walked by with a steamy cup in his hand. He in aftertime saved that guy's life...

Next up: Yellowstone and the Old Fathful pipe discovery!