Camping Trip

I may have smelled like a burnt log on Mother's Day, but the s'mores that gave reason for the smell were well worth it.  I probably indulged a bit much, some with double marshmallows, but they were mmm mmmm good.  I love camping but we haven't been since Leo came along, and quite a while before that so we were well overdue.  I will say that we had fun, however camping with a toddler is no easy task.  We got a cozy cabin at a KOA that worked out great.  Our site was right on the Snake River and had great views, just south of Jackson, WY, just south of Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone.  After settling in on Friday, we drove up through the Tetons and into Yellowstone on Saturday, a drive that took us much longer than we realized but Leo got a good nap.  Because of wildlife we had to drive pretty slow, although the only wildlife we were able to spy was a grizzly bear as we were leaving the park.  Driving past the Tetons was amazing, they are magnificent and pictures do not do justice.  There are no foothills, the jutting peaks just burst up out of nowhere amongst the flat land around it, like no mountains I have ever seen.  Once we entered Yellowstone we were amazed at how much snow was still on the ground.  They had gotten several inches the night before (we had gotten about 2 at the campsite) and had just reopened the roads.  A family of fellow travelers at the campsite later told us they had gone up on Friday, and while they were in the park the rangers closed all the roads except the west entrance, which was not the one they took to get in so they were forced to drive out going west into Idaho and loop around back towards Jackson, WY.  Crazy!  So the air was cold when we drove in, somewhere in the 30s, and there were several feet of snow along all the roadways.  We didn't get out until we got to Old Faithful, which was pretty neat, and we stopped for lunch.  I think we were both surprised at how big the entire park is, and how long it would take to get to everything.  The views that we could catch over the monster snow drifts were amazing, but the lakes could not be seen under the snow.  On the way out of the park, traffic was really backing up and we figured there must be wildlife in view.  We finally got up to the point of interest to see a grizzly, possibly with cubs that I couldn't see but everyone was talking about excitedly.  Some viewers were getting a little nutty and going closer than I'm sure they should have so we skedaddled out of there.  Getting back to the campsite we had dinner that had cooked all day in the crock pot (luxury camping with electricity) and of course made more s'mores.  Leo made friends with the very interesting, fun 5-kid-family from L.A. whose parents had fuchsia hair.  I really don't know how they fit 7 people in the tiny cabin but I'm sure it was super cozy!  Sunday was Mother's Day of course, and Kevin made us pancakes and sausage, my favorite.  After hanging out a bit we checked out and headed home, taking notes on what we learned to do and not to do on the next camping trip.  For example, always have plans A, B and C firmly in place for every waking hour of the day.  Gone are our days of just going on a trip and planning activities as we go along.  With an upset toddler and whiney dogs this is not so easy to do.  Also, bring a stoller or something you can strap your toddler into for just a bit while you catch your breath, wipe your nose, or take a bite of dinner.  While Leo was filled with a sense of exploration, mommy was filled with fear at all the dangerous possibilities.  I had nightmares all night the first night that Leo fell into the river.  We all had a great time but were glad to get home to our fenced in yard.  The highlight of my mother's day was sharing a bowl of mac-n-cheese and memories in our backyard with Leo.