West Trip Day 6: Mount Rushmore, Harney's Peak, & Needles Highway

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Day 6: Mount Rushmore, Harney's Peak, & Needles Highway

Jen and Family (minus Scott) at Mount Rushmore 1988

If there's one thing in South Dakota you can't miss, its Mount Rushmore. We were on our last full day in Custer State Park and set aside this day to see the historic monument. On the way, we saw the Crazy Horse statue which is still in the process of being carved, but is impressively large nonetheless. (They claim that all of Mount Rushmore would fit in the horse's head.)

Very honestly, I was really only seeing Mount Rushmore for the kids. I figured that since Jen and I had been there before, it wouldn't be all that interesting for me. I couldn't have been more wrong. As we gathered for some pictures, I noticed a naturalist standing around getting a tour ready to go. We decided to tag along with him. I won't go through the entire tour, but I'll say that the idea and creation of the monument is a really fascinating story. Part of the tour explained why each president was chosen and discussed their contribution to history. At the end of the tour, everyone clapped loudly and cheered. I'm not the mushy type, but I have to say it was pretty moving.

As we left Mount Rushmore, Jen wanted to go home via the Needles Highway. This is a winding, scenic highway through the “Needles”, pointy rock structures in the area. It is also known for having several very narrow, one lane tunnels through the mountains. At one point we came to a large RV that apparently hadn’t read the signs and was trying to back up down the hill so it could turn around. Yikes!

We eventually came to one of the other campgrounds in Custer State Park called Sylvan Lake. From reading about it, Sylvan Lake is very popular for its restaurant and resorts. It seemed to have a lot of activity going on as the parking lot was nearly full. Later we discovered there was a wedding being held there. We decided to take a stroll around Sylvan Lake which was active with people, hiking, fishing, and having picnics. The area was gorgeous and provided many opportunities to climb up on the rocks and to take pictures. We found one rock with a natural window and took a few pictures. Then I started tossing pine cone “grenades” over the rock and through the hole at the kids. They, of course, returned fire and left me wounded.

When we finished the walk around the lake, I talked to the cashier girls in the convenience store and they said there was a nice hike to what is called Harney’s Peak, a lookout that is the highest point east of the Rockies. They also said it was somewhat long (3.5 miles each way) but not too steep until the end. How could we pass up a hike to the highest peak?

Jen and I brought up the idea to the kids to do this hike while we were here and both were not really excited about the idea, particularly Rogan. He said he was much too tired, and complained it was too long. I didn’t let on, but I was worried about the same thing. The ladies had said it would take 3 to 4 hours depending on your pace. The hiking map listed the trail as “strenuous”, but other hikers I talked to seemed to think it was more “moderate” or even “easy.” I was also a little worried about weather which at that moment was nice, but I knew from the forecast that there was a possibility of thunderstorms popping up in the evening. It was now 2:30.

We finally convinced the kids to do it, and we set off on the trail.

People hiking in the other direction seemed energetic and many were not particularly fit so I began to feel more confident that we could handle the hike. About a 1/2 mile into the hike we rain into a family taking pictures at a scenic spot where you could actually the lookout tower on top of Harney’s Peak where we were headed. It looked a LONG way away, even as the crow flies. A young girl filled us in on all the details of the hike including the fact that we had a long way to go and there were muddy areas 10 feet long. I was again starting to second guess the choice of this hike, but wanted to keep the kids positive. The father of the family offered to take our picture which we reciprocated and we continued on.

See that tiny little building over Rogan's shoulder? Me, neither. Its a LONG way away.

Most of the first half of the way there was pretty easy. From there, the steepness of the trail began to increase. We tried not to stop often because every time we did, Rogan would start complaining and ask to go back. We came to a small station where you had to fill out a form listing who you are and when you entered the trail. I assume this was for the purposes of search and rescue should it ever be needed.

We hiked further and after a particularly tiring stretch stopped to rest. Rogan’s mild grumbling was getting more determined now and he was saying he was tired and wanted to turn back. I told him that we were probably about 3/4 of a mile from the top (I really had no idea) and that we could make it. Offering ice cream upon completion was also mentioned at some point as well, I think. We were all tired, but we just didn’t want to quit. Jen and I had told Rogan that if he didn’t want to go on, we would turn around. As we sat there discussing what to do, a young kid, maybe 5 years old, hiked by with his dad. I said to Rogan that if that little kid could do it, then he could, too. So, we all decided to press on. Incidentally, the young kid I had used as an example turned around about 500 feet down the trail - so much for that example of persistence.

A reenactment of Rogan's moment of determination.

As we approached the top, the steepness of the trail really increased with tall rock steps that led up to the peak. At that altitude, you also would become winded very quickly. We finally reached the top, and Jen and I praised both the kids for making it that far on such a challenging hike. The end of this hike offered an excellent reward. On the peak is a very interesting lookout tower with several levels. The top of the tower was very windy and cool, but had spectacular view for miles in all directions. Supposedly you could the the back of Mount Rushmore from there, but there was nothing to distinguish one group of rocks from another. We paused at the top to snack, replenish fluids, stretch and rest a bit.

We made it to the top of the world! (east of the Rockies)

We didn’t rest long because as we looked out across the skyline, we could see a large ominous looking cloud off to the west heading our way. Not wanting to be on the highest peak in a metal building with a thunderstorm approaching, we decided to double-time it down the path back to Slyvan Lake. It had taken us about 2 hours to get to the peak, and I was hoping we could do better on the way back going downhill. Even then I wasn’t sure we could beat the storm.

Fortunately, the path down was much easier and faster. On top of that, everyone felt extra motivated to move quickly as we started hearing thunderclaps in the distance. I would count in my head as I saw the lighting strike and count for the boom of the thunder. The first ones were far off, maybe ten seconds after the lightning. Then they got to be 7 seconds, then 5 seconds, then 3 seconds. The storm was definitely coming our way. Mikah, who I hiked with most of the way was getting worried. With probably less than a mile left, it started hailing. Rogan noticed it first, and I didn’t believe him because the balls of hail were so tiny. Then the hail stopped and the rain started. With the cover of the trees it wasn’t too heavy, but we did get a little wet.

When we came out of the trailhead, Rogan spotted the port-o-potties and sprinted for about 100 yards to get there. The other three of us were amazed as we had never seen Rogan run that fast for that long before. Apparently Rogan was too worried about peeing in the woods because there we a lot of hikers always going both directions.

We enjoyed an ice cream cone in the gift shop at Sylvan Lakes and relished in our accomplishment. Everyone was feeling rather tired and sore and wanted to get back “home” to our campsite so we continued on down the Needles Highway. Unfortunately, it was harder to enjoy the views with the storm, but we did pass through two more narrow tunnels on the way. At this point it was really raining which meant no campfire and no eating outside. Our towels hanging out to dry from our showers were of course soaked, but oh well.

The kids were excited because this was the first time for us ever to use the propane stove in the campers. Jen cooked some chili for Rogan and me, some chicken noodle soup for Mikah and herself, and hot chocolate for everyone. We sat around our tiny little table and reflected about the fun of the day as the food and drink warmed us inside. Soon after, we called it a night and let the soothing sounds of the rain on the roof drift us off to sleep.

West Trip Day 5: Hiking, Horseback riding, and Hot Springs

Friday, June 18, 2010

Day 5: Hiking, Horseback riding, and Hot Springs

In the first morning in Custer State Park, I woke up pretty early and went to grab the camping confirmation to show that we had the site reserved. As I looked at the sheet expecting to see Stockade Lake North, it said Stockade Lake South. I showed it to Jen and we both felt embarrassed and bad that we had intruded on their campsite. I immediately walked over to Gary and Mary Lou and explained that we had goofed and would move off right away. They were very understanding about the whole thing and told us to take our time, not to rush. Mary Lou laughed about the whole thing and said, "These are the camping stories that will get you through Thanksgiving dinners with your family someday."

We hastily started packing everything back up again to move, and in the process, one of the 5 year old twin boys, Carlos, watched intently as we did everything. During each phase of the set up, he would ask questions about how the pop-up worked, and I would talk to him about soccer, skateboarding, and his aunt in Colorado they were visiting. He must have been the social one because Pascal, his twin, seemed content to watch from a distance and play in the grass. Before we left, I asked if I could take a picture of everyone, and they said sure, as long as they could get a picture, too. Here it is:

My new buddy Carlos (middle in green) and his brother Pascal (in red) wearing a stick-on mustache as a disguise.

We moved over to correct site on the other side of the lake and set up camp. This site was very nice. It was the closest to the bathrooms, close to the dumpster, had nice shade and had two nice fire pits. The kids explored around a bit as Jen and I planned what to do for the day.

We made reservation for horseback riding at nearby Bluebell Campground, but decided to get the lay of the land by going on a hike first. There was a 1.5 mile hiking loop around Stockade Lake that sounded like a good warm-up. While looking for the trailhead, we stopped at the lake for the kids to dig in the sand and get their feet wet. The water was extremely cold, but that didn't keep them from getting in it.

See, Tina. There are beaches in South Dakota!

The trailhead was right by the beach so we soon set out on our first adventure of the day. For such a short hike, it was quite challenging as the steep climbs and altitude of the area really take your wind away quickly. We played the famous person name game to pass the time and snapped pictures at scenic spots.

From end of the trail we went back, ate lunch and then headed over for our horseback riding adventure. Now, to provide a little background, horseback riding was Mikah's "must do" activity for the trip. Rogan didn't show much interest in it initially, but seemed excited once we got there. Jen had never ridden a horse so she was really excited. My experiences with horses wasn't vast, but what I did have wasn't good. My dad had taken us on a horseback ride like this when I had gone out west years ago. I always seemed to have a knack for getting the rambunctious horse. My brother would get a horse named "Snowball" while I got "Diablo". When I rode a horse at Camp Storer as a counselor, I got "General", the biggest freakin' horse in the stable. In both cases, they were always wild and didn't seemed to care which way I wanted them to go. So, I wasn't super excited to do this, but I was up for the challenge.

When we were assigned our horses, Jen's was named "Billy", Rogan's was "Trix", Mikah's was "Ralif", and mine was "Popeye." Being the largest one in our riding group, I of course got one of the largest horses in the stable. However, contrary to my previous experiences, Popeye was pretty well-mannered. Mikah's horse, on the other hand, was quite cantankerous. Ralif was always trying to stop for a snack anytime we stopped, and several times Mikah had to jerk his head up with the reins. I was really impressed with how well she handled him, and she seemed quite proud of herself as well. Rogan's horse apparently stayed on the trail most of the time while only biting at the horse in front of him on occasion.

My previous horseback riding experiences were nothing like this one. They were boring, flat trails. This ride took us through the woods, into a river valley, across a small river, up several steep climbs into the mountains, and back down many steep hills. The views from several points were distractingly beautiful, almost causing you to forget you were riding such a powerful animal. That is, until your butt started reminding you of what cowboys call being "saddle sore." The ride ended just as our butts were ready to cry "uncle," and we posed for a picture together in the stable. Rogan said this was the best thing we'd done and wanted to go again the next day. My tush vetoed that idea.

We finished the day by driving 30 miles south to Hot Springs, SD. We were surprised to discover that this route was loaded with animals to see. We saw many, many herds of buffalo - many right beside the road. We also saw a coyote, white-tailed deer, elk, and prong horn deer (Nature geek note, the prong horn deer is the fastest land animal in North America.) It was like one of those jeep safari experiences you pay for.

Many of the buffalo had babies like this one.

In Hot Springs, we stopped in the visitor's center where they recommended a few places to eat. The entire town seems centered around this flowing stream that flows from a hot spring, hence the name Hot Springs. The water in the stream is 90 degrees and is supposedly very drinkable mineral water.

We followed the stream through the town and ate at All Star Grill and Pub, a sports-themed restaurant. The food was okay but nothing special. After dinner we stopped at a gazebo where you could fill your water bottles from the spring. We filled every empty bottle we had and then left.

All of this tinkering around the town meant that it was getting later and later. By the time we left, it was coming on 9:00 with a 45 minute drive home through the wild kingdom we had passed through earlier. As we moved through the winding roads, many of the more nocturnal animals were everywhere, especially the elk. At one point, three elk stood in the middle of the road just staring at our van's headlights. I honked my horn and two of them leapt away. The other stood there staring at the van as if to say, "You lookin' at me?" I moved the van ahead and fortunately the elk ran away.

These animals are really big!

I was feeling a little nervous driving in the dark like this. I was worried we were going to run over something, but we took it slow and made it home okay. Once again, it was very late when we settled in to bed. We had packed in another busy day.

West Trip Day 4: Digging, Prairie Dogs, Badlands, and our first night of camping

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Day 4: Digging, Prairie Dogs, Badlands, and our first night of camping

After getting up around 9:00, we ate our continental breakfast, packed up our stuff and hit the road. We wanted to visit the Prehistoric Indian Museum in Mitchell before we left. The museum was part exhibit and part a real archaeology dig. We studied the museum portion for awhile and then walked the path toward the archaeodome, an indoor facility where scientists are digging for indian artifacts. On the path, they had a sample dig area where the kids could dig for a plastic arrowhead that they could trade in for a real arrowhead. Rogan, a digger at heart, loved this and found seven of the hidden prizes.

While the skies and road were relatively clear, it was extremely windy today. It was so windy that I drove with two hands on the wheel at all times as the wind would gust strongly and push us sideways. The drive on I-90 across South Dakota is long, straight, and steep, but has many scenic views. As we chatted about the last time we had been in South Dakota, Jen hinted that she would like to stop by a giant concrete statue of a prairie dog that she had taken a picture by on her first trip to the area.

Scott, Craig, & Jen circa 1988

We pulled off the Giant Prairie Dog exit and filled up on gas. We posed for some pictures there and then went into the gift shop. Jen immediately made friends with a smiling young man running the counter who gave us some advice about things to see in the area. He told us that if we continued down the road, we would travel through the scenic road through Badlands State Park and end up in Wall just the same.

The kids bought some peanuts and fed the prairie dogs. They were hilarious animals to watch. They were pretty tame and would almost eat right out of your hand. There were scores of holes scattered throughout the property.

From this stop we continued on into the Badland National Park. The rock structures of eroded mountains in the Badlands were really incredible. While there, we saw mountain goats and big horn sheep climbing the rock bluffs along with jaw dropping views of the unique geology of the area. We tried to climb up one of the small mountains, but the gusts of wind were so strong you could barely keep your balance, and we didn't feel like it was very safe. We instead settled on so pictures from less windy spots.

Here's where things got interesting, in a bad way. As we were beginning to leave the Badlands Park, I read what I thought was a sign for the town of Wall to the left. As I turned I almost immediately realized that I had turned at the wrong place. The problem was that with the pop-up behind me on this narrow road, I didn’t have room to pull a u-turn anywhere. I decided in my boldness that I would attempt to reverse the camper back into the road and then we could continue on our way. The problem is that our camper is extremely short which makes it very tricky to manuever. On top of that, I’m just not very good at it. As I backed up, I started very well and then Jen told me there was a car coming the other way. I looked up briefly, and in a rush to get out ahead of that car I backed up a little too fast and....Wham! Jackknife!

Still, being out in the middle of the road, I quickly pulled ahead as I felt the camper was pulling okay. The first opportunity to pull off, we stopped to survey the damage. On first examination, everything looked fine. I was most concerned with the hitch and tires and everything there looked okay. It was actually Mikah who noticed a dent in the the rear quarter panel right by the back left tire of the van where the corner of the camper had hit it. It was nothing major, but it was noticeable. Rogan also noticed some small damage where the hitch had slid under the plastic underside of the bumper. I was mad at myself, but it was one of those, "oh well" moments.

From there we tried to forget about what happened and continued on to Wall where we did the expected touristy things. We took cheesy pictures with the plastic statues. We shopped for souvenirs. Rogan got fudge, an airplane made from metal scrap objects, and a bookmark. Mikah bought fudge, rabbit fur, a necklace, a bookmark, and the rock, mica. We ate dinner at a place on the main strip that had nasty water and a subpar buffet - very forgettable.

Tom and I both have a way with the ladies.

Then we drove the hour and a half to Custer State Park. Because of our detour through the Badlands, we were much later than we originally planned which meant we had to drive through the park at dusk. We did a self check-in at the ranger station and began driving the winding road through the park. In the dim light I saw what I thought was a large dark stump. Jen looked at the same thing and said, “That’s a buffalo!” We went on to see several buffalo as they would be grazing and moving right by the road, sometimes even in the road.

This is a picture of the road though the park on another day but it gives you an idea of the buffalo's lack of interest in passing cars.

At one point Jen spotted and shouted, "Deer!" as a couple deer leaped right toward us. I slammed the brakes as the deer's hindquarters kicked up just in front of our front bumper as they crossed the road. My heart was really beating now!

We finally arrived at Stockade Lake North and set out immediately for site 17E. There was very little light as it was approaching 9:30 and we did not want to set up camp in the dark. Jen was confused by the campsite directions and there was almost no signage to point you where to go. We passed by site 17 which had a vehicle in it and circled around to the camp host area. The hosts were out so we asked someone and they let us know that site 17 and 17E were the same, the E just stood for electric. As I talked to the helpful camper, I noticed the temperature had dropped considerably, I'd guess down to about 40 degrees - not too comfortable for me in my t-shirt and shorts.

So, we circled back around to site 17 which had a family of 6 tent camping. I could tell that they were in their tents getting ready for bed. I called to someone inside the tent and a man came out, and I asked if he had reserved site 17. He said he had, but they had left their paperwork and had to confirm with the rangers where they were supposed to be. I immediately assumed that either they or the ranger had a made a mistake. The only other option was that Jen made a mistake, and I didn't believe that could be possible. He asked me if we were supposed to be at Stockade Lake South, so I said no, as I had almost pulled into that campground first before Jen directed me to this one.

They were very nice people and seemed concerned that they had made a mistake and taken our campsite. I wasn't upset or anything, but I asked if we could share the site for the night and then sort it all out in the morning. Since they were tent camping and weren’t even using the pad, they kindly moved their vehicle over so we would have room to park and set-up the pop-up.

The kids pitched in as we frantically started setting up the pop-up. We were delayed a bit as I had to physically straighten the lock on the hitch that had bent in our earlier mishap in the Badlands. The rest of the set-up went pretty well and as soon as everything was ready we went to bed, probably around 11:00. It was another busy day, and we were all exhausted. In the chilly South Dakota night, we all fell asleep.

For more on the resolution of the campsite mix-up, read my next blog entry.

West Trip - Day 3: Travel day to Mitchell, SD

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

We knew that today was going to be a big travel day for us. We would try to cover over 500 miles from Jim's in Davenport, Iowa to Mitchell, South Dakota. Along that journey we decided to make a stop at the famed Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. This is the actual farmhouse and field upon which the 1988 baseball movie Field of Dreams was filmed. The drive to Dyersville was just long enough for the kids to watch the movie in the van to offer them some background on the location. As we approached the Field of Dreams we saw this: corn, corn, corn, corn, barn on a hill, corn, corn, corn, tractor in road, corn, corn, corn .... well, you get the idea. In all seriousness, the view was actually very pretty. Iowa has a lot more rolling hills than you would think. Otherwise, it looks a lot like rural Ohio. The final roads leading to the house were loose dirt and location very remote - thank goodness we had the GPS.

As we pulled into the site, it really looked pretty - much like movie set with the exception of a souvenir booth. The field was there to enjoy so Rogan, Mikah, and I all played catch on it. Rogan stood on the mound and pitched a few as well, even testing out the "ok" change-up that Jim had taught him yesterday. The kids and Jen and I all stood out in the field and listened for voices. All I could hear was, Ease his pain. I think this meant for me to find a bathroom so I used the Port-o-potty of Dreams and felt much better.

From there came a large chunk of driving. We passed by a lot of interesting sites and cities including the town which featured a 60 foot tall Jolly Green Giant. We passed interestingly named towns of Welcome, Zwingle, and Blue Planet. We were also amazed at the hundreds of windmills turning throughout the countryside. Way to go green, Midwest!

We stopped for a late lunch in Iowa at a Culver's and then pressed on again. We drove for a good bit in Minnesota. As is our tradition, as we see the sign for entrance into the state approaching, we begin chanting "We...Are...In... Minnnesota...Riiiiiiiight....Now!" So far we have done this for Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and now South Dakota. As we crossed into South Dakota, we began seeing the signs for Wall Drug and providing a little competition, the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

Arriving in Mitchell and with some daylight still left, we decided to go visit the free Corn Palace in the downtown area. I had mistakenly thought that it was a palace made from corn when in reality it is more or less adorned with corn designs. Interestingly, it had been in existence for over 100 years and each year, they decorate the exterior with different artistic patterns. We learned from a video inside that its original purpose was to draw tourism by competing with another city’s “grain palace” and to make it known that South Dakota was a good place to grow corn. Inside, the corn palace was part museum and part amphitheater/gymnasium. In the area where the basketball courts are, there was a large market selling books and knick-knacks related to the area. We bought a few things and then decided to go eat.

It was almost 8:00 Central time so by this point we were starving. We went to a place called Pizza Ranch near the hotel which was great food, service, and very inexpensive. We stayed the night at a Super 8 right near I-90 which had a small room, but a nice continental breakfast, wifi, and indoor pool. Despite being exhausted the kids went swimming for about half an hour. We had a small panic when Mikah couldn’t find her glasses for a bit, but things settled after Jen found them on the floor by the bed. Jen and the kids showered and went to bed around 11:00 and the three of them were asleep by 11:02. I stayed up and wrote some e-mails and worked on writing this blog until about midnight. I then laid down and was asleep by 12:01.

West Trip - Day 2 Day in Davenport

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

We had a great day here in Davenport. We slept in a bit and woke to the delicious smell of cinnamon rolls from chef Grace. Gathered around the breakfast table, we made plans for the day. We considered Shrek in 3D at the local iMax, bowling, and going to the zoo as options. The kids first choice was to bowl, so we did just that. We went to nearby Miller Time bowling only to discover they were closed on Tuesdays. We were directed to Leisure Lanes. When we arrived they were open, but all the lights were off, and we were the only ones there. It was neat because we had the entire bowling alley to ourselves. We had fun bowling two or three games and then decided to head to the mall for lunch.

We decided to eat at the North Park Mall food court where we would have several options. We ate lunch and then strolled the mall a bit. Jim wanted to buy Rogan a pack of baseball cards. Rogan found a pack that was all 2009 Tigers stars. Mikah got herself a headband for softball. Both of the kids then bought 3/4 of a pound of candy which they soon devoured.

Back at Jim's, Rogan and I played some catch in the street while Jim gave him some professional pitching advice. He showed Rogan how to throw a change-up and measured Rogan's pitch speed with his radar gun. Rogan topped out at 38 mph. Rogan was really encouraged by his improvement and received a lot of praise from Jim. Rogan is gaining a lot of confidence in himself as a baseball player.

In the evening, we planned a trip to Modern Woodmen stadium to watch the River Bandits play against the Kane County Cougars. We enjoyed the game and the stadium a lot. The stadium overlooks the Mississippi River and has an outstanding view. Jim told us that unique feature of the field is that they grow corn over by the home bullpen, and when the corn is tall enough, the players run out of it as they are introduced ala Field of Dreams.

Watching the game itself was fun as Rogan and I got to help Jim with his scouting a little. Rogan got to hold the radar gun, and he helped by measuring how long the batters took to get to first base with his stopwatch. The River Bandits won 6 to 1. The highlight of night was me using my free "Bandits buck" to buy a $1 Howard Dean bobble head. What can I say except: We're going to go to Minnesota, and South Dakota, and Wyoming, then we're going to go to Montana, and North Dakota and we're going to come all the way Waterville and take back our house! "Yaaaaaaah"

West Trip - Day 1: Departure

Monday, June 14, 2010
Our day began at 7:00 as Jen and I finished packing the van and hooked up the camper. The kids got up and had breakfast as Jen and I got a shower. We gathered last minute things and reviewed our checklist to be sure we had the essntials. After taking a picture to mark our departure, we managed to pull away at 8:40. As we pulled around the block, Jen asked me if I had put the recycling bin back in the garage, which of course I hadn't. I asked if she'd checked to be sure all of the doors were locked, which she hadn't. So we circled around the block back to our house. New departure time, 8:48.

We arrived at Jim and Grace's in Davenport, IA at 3:45. Grace suggested for us to go to America's Incredible Pizza for dinner. It was a great choice. This place was awesome for the kids. It had a huge buffet, an indoor putt-putt course, bumper cars, laser tag, and video games. The kids loved all of the food choices and had a great time playing air hockey, bowling, ski ball and laser tag. It was a great start to the trip!

Teton Hike from Hell - Summer 1988

My favorite picture from the trip out west in 1988 is the one included here. Pictured are my Uncle Jim, my brother Brett (in acid washed jeans), and me with an ill fitting baseball hat. In the background are the magnificent Teton Mountains and a sign for Paintbrush Divide, elevation of 10,700 feet. This picture marks what had to be the most memorable experience of the entire trip.

If I remember correctly, my dad had consulted with some guy at work who told him about this amazing hike that he took in the Teton Mountains. While my dad's work friend had completed this hike in two days including an overnight camp at Jenny Lake, he assured my dad that it could be done in one day if you got an early start and kept a good pace. Here's a description of the hike from Backpacker Magazine.

Set aside a weekend for this ultra-scenic, 21.7-mile loop in Grand Teton National Park. From the String Lake Trailhead, head southwest briefly to connect Jenny Lake and String Lake, then turn right at the Y-junction. The trail wraps around the base of Rockchuck Peak and enters Paintbrush Canyon. Keep your camera handy as you hike past alpine lakes and scree fields, with stunning views of the jagged Tetons. After 7.3 miles, the route crests the exposed and rocky Paintbrush Divide at 10,720 feet, then drops into Cascade Canyon. Finish off the first day with a tour of Lake Solitude before setting up camp in the North Fork Cascade camping area (you'll fall asleep to the sounds of Cascade Creek). The next day, turn around and retrace your route back to the trailhead.

We started the hike in the very early morning just as the sun was starting to rise. The early portion of the hike did not disappoint. The sunrise over the mountains was breathtaking. The mountains themselves were awe-inspiring. As we worked our way up the rocky trail we paused to view herds of elk and deer through our binoculars. We sipped from our water canteens and played word games to pass the time. We'd laugh and count how many times each of us would stumble over the rocky terrain (which we termed a "stub"). From time to time, we would pause to catch our breath and eat an oatmeal cream pie. Resting was pretty necessary because the altitude of the mountains made you surprisingly short of breath. My brother and I were in the peak of our physical health as we were both accustomed to running up and down a basketball court all day. My dad was in great shape himself as he had started running. My uncle was probably in the best shape of us all as he ran about 20 miles a week.

As we neared the peak of the mountain, we were tired, but energized to get to the top. My uncle and I hurried ahead and found a small patch of snow. As my brother and dad appeared on the trail below us, my uncle and I pelted them with snowballs. A snowball fight in July....awesome.

The four of us met at the top and stopped to take in the amazing view. I remember that clouds were floating by at the same level as us. I felt like we were on top of the world. My dad grabbed his camera and snapped this picture of three-fourths of us.

While everything was literally downhill from here, this was where the hike became considerably less fun. Figuring we had the hardest part of the hike behind us, we set down the path to the later portion of the hike. The steepness of the trail caused you put a lot of energy into slowing your legs down. It also caused a lot of stress on your joints, particularly your back. We could see a good sized lake down below us. While we could see it clearly and it looked close, it really wasn't. The mountain was steep so the hiking trail formed switchbacks that brought you down to the level of the lake very slowly after a lot of walking. The result of this was that you would walk and walk and walk and the lake would seem be close but never nearer. You felt like you were walking the wrong way down the up escalator.

When we did finally arrive at the lake, I was feeling tired, but I also felt a great sense of accomplishment. We had hiked up and down a mountain. We finished up our water and food as we rested on the grass around Jenny Lake. Many other hikers had gathered to rest or set up camp for the night in this beautiful spot.

It was late afternoon at this point, and we were under the impression that we had just a short hike left to get us back to the parking lot, so we set off to finish the hike. As we continued on, many hikers were heading toward the lake in the opposite direction. We'd ask them how much further it was to the parking lot, and they would energetically suggest that it was "just around the corner." Mile after mile we'd continue on, and each hiker would again tell us that it was not much further. All four of us were running on empty. I would walk about 30 steps and take a break. My brother and I bickered over who would have to hold the empty canteen that couldn't have weighed more than a few ounces. My dad's back was tightening and causing him pain. We were all dehydrated, and we had finished all of our water. Finally, one passing hiker told us that if we didn't hurry we would miss the 5:00 ferry, the last one of the day. If we missed it, we'd be forced to hike even further around the Jenny Lake to the parking lot. Exhausted, we became determined to make that ferry. In the last half hour of the hike we passed a nearby moose feeding in a stream and barely even turned our heads. Screw the moose, we need to make it to that ferry!

We did manage to make the 5:00 ferry, just as it was about to depart. We squeezed into the last open seats. In the 5 minute ride I managed to fall asleep leaning on some stranger. When we arrived at the other side, my dad paid for the toll. This part of the story works best with audio effects. Remember the scene of National Lampoon's Vacation where Chevy Chase wanders through the desert looking for help for his family. When reunited he is overjoyed seeing his family and asks them in a dehydrated voice, "Hey, kids, you thirsty?" Well, seeing a Pepsi machine on the other side of the turnstile, my dad asked the cashier, "Could I have four quarters, please? " in a Chevy-esque voice.

As we stepped off the ferry, we discovered to our horror that the parking lot was still another couple miles away. We all looked at each other, and my Uncle Jim said, "I'll get it." He grabbed my dad's keys and perkily jogged away. While we waited, my brother and I layed in the lawn of the ranger's office and again drifted into sleep. That night, we went out to dinner and gorged ourselves to replace the calories burned on the hike.

Trip west summer 1988

The summer of 1988, before my junior year of high school my dad had planned a road trip out west. In true National Lampoon's Family Vacation style, my dad had planned a drive through Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Wyoming. In reflecting back on this trip, I decided to look through some of my old pictures and found this awesome picture. I remember taking this picture very well. We were driving through the curving highways that take you through the Teton Mountains. Every so often there would be a pull off area to take a picture of the amazing scenery or cool your vehicle's brakes. With no civilization in sight, my dad decided to use one of the pull offs for a pee break. As he did, I popped out of the side of the van and said, "Hey, Dad!" just before snapping this shot. When we had it developed I was so excited to see that I had captured my dad's grin in mid stream and that it was perfectly angled to be only G-rated.