The Big Kahuna:
Summer Vacation 2008
I'm not really sure what a Kahuna is, but since I figure this travel log could run a little long, I thought the Big Kahuna sounded about right. Besides, the name will tie in later. Just read on.
If you read the last post, then you know all about our camping out in Wyoming and the rest of our trip out to Salt Lake City. As it turned out, we were glad to have seen my brother Marc play the afternoon we arrived, since those were the only games we were able to see. But anyway, here's a day by day breakdown of our trip. If you get too bored, feel free to leave and come back to the day you left off at.
Monday, July 21, 2008: Monday was our shopping day, and Marc was nice enough to hang out with us all day. Whenever we go to Salt Lake there is a list of restaurants we need to patronize as well as a few retail stores we have to visit. We started marking off our list when we had Cafe Rio for lunch on Saturday, just after arriving in the valley. Monday we lunched at Zupas on 123rd. During lunch we both declared Zupas as our most favorite eating establishment. If you like Panera Bread or Paradise Cafe, give Zupas a try, and you'll probably be converted too.
Oh, I almost forgot. On the way out to Zupas, a rock the size of Rhode Island hit the very top of the windshield on our new xB. As if that wasn't enough to ruin our day, we immediately noticed the resulting crack was spreading rapidly. We pulled off at the next exit and found a Jiffy Lube, where they charged us 20 bucks for crack repair. So, after that Zupas was a more than a welcome diversion.
Very near to Zupas is DownEast Outfitters, a retail clearance store where I can afford to buy Lucky jeans for Brookie. After lunch we checked out their selection, but didn't find anything. So, next on our list was IKEA, the greatest store in all the world (though, it would gain a whole heap of points if they'd build in the Kansas City area). We'd paid our annual dues to the Swedish Furniture Gurus, and made our way back home for dinner with some new household goodies.
After dinner, just when we thought we had nothing to do, Weston and Missy brought our niece Ellie to play. It was so much fun to see her for the first time, though not as much fun as it will be the next time we see her, since I'm sure she'll interact with us more by then. Luckily it would not be the last time we saw Ellie (oh, and her parents too).
Tuesday, July 22, 2008: Tuesday we took some time to see my Grandmas in Salt Lake. We first went to visit Grandma Jones who told a great joke: What do you do with a dog that has a fever? Put some ketchup and mustard on it, that's always good on hot dogs... Get it? Yeah, me neither.
After Grandma Jones' we went to see Grandma Reynolds. We caught her in her curlers again, but she was glad to see us and wouldn't take no for an answer when she asked us out to lunch. The three of us went to Paradise Cafe and had some good food. Brooke and I had been there before, but this was by far the most we'd liked it.
That night we went with Marc, Cameron, and his girlfriend Michelle to see Kung-Fu Panda. Almost funnier the second time around, but I enjoy being surprised by the gags the first time rather than laughing in anticipation of them the second.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008: I'm sure we did something Wednesday morning, probably something that involved more shopping, and probably something with Marc, but I can't really remember. The thing I do remember about Wednesday is our double-date with our friend Raul and his girlfriend Judith. We met them at the California Pizza Kitchen at the Gateway -- not a restaurant on our list, but still really good. After dinner we walked across the street to the Energy Solutions Arena for the Days of '47 Rodeo. I had my straw Royals cowboy hat that they had given out at a game a few weeks ago. We saw some bare-back bronco riding, as well as some saddle-back riding. We also saw team roping, cattle wrestling, bull riding, and Brooke's favorite, barrel racing.
After the Rodeo Raul called his brother Ammon and our other friend Nate, and we all met up at Leatherby's for some ice cream and more laughs than should be legal. Brooke and I also picked Marc up and brought him along too. As is usually the case, we were the loudest and probably most annoying table in the place. When we all get together it's just one funny story after another, especially if Ammon is doing the narrating.
Thursday, July 24, 2008: Pioneer Day. You know what that means. Yeah. Get out of bed before the rooster crows, grab a couple of lawn chairs, and head downtown to find a spot for the annual parade. The only problem with this is that there is nothing to do for three hours before the parade starts. There is the 10K and 5K runners passing by, and they're fun to watch, but that only lasts for about 45 minutes. After that, we were glad to discover that the gang of hoodlums one group to our left was actually a gang of breakdancers. We instantly gained more respect for those kids once we learned they had a hobby. They kept the entire street entertained for the final hour before the parade.
If you've seen one, you've seen them all. That's not to say that it wasn't a good parade, because it was. They don't do anything even close to this in Kansas City. But, by and large, the Pioneer Day parade hasn't changed since I was little. The police motorcycles were at the start, as usual, followed by lots of floats, local politicians, and pageant royalty. The highlight for me was one of those clowns (no, I'm not referring to a politician; this was an actual clown) on an oversized, custom-built bike fell off his perch. He walked over to me and asked for a favor. In hind-sight, it probably wasn't such a great idea to agree so quickly to a favor asked by a clown in a parade, but as it turned out, he was asking for help to mount his bike again. So we ran out to where his bike lay in the road and I braced it while he climbed up and onto the seat and started pedaling. I hurried back to my seat, and the crowd cheered, but it was probably for the clown.
The funniest thing that happened at the parade came at the very end. We had been keeping our eyes open for the ice cream man to come back so that we could buy a cold novelty. We finally saw him and I bought three huge watermelon favored popsicles, one for Brooke, one for me, and one for Marc, our welcome sidekick for the week. I was surprised by how cold they were, and Brooke's tongue was even sticking to the top when she tried to lick hers. Marc, of course, was undeterred and shoved his pop about four inches into his mouth, but once he sealed his lips around the icy treat, he couldn't unseal them. Remember that famous scene in the Christmas Story when Ralph's friend licks the flag pole? Yeah, it was kind of like that, only Marc had an enormous popsicle stuck in his mouth.
After our naps that afternoon, the whole family went to Weston and Missy's house for a barbecue. Weston cooked up some good burgers and brats for us and Missy's family. The food was great, and it was fun to see little Ellie again too. Of course, her Grandma Reynolds is an Ellie-hog, but I guess that's okay.
Friday, July 25, 2008: Friday we were pretty productive. We had breakfast and went up to the Health Care Credit Union to refinance the xB we had purchased the week before. While the loan officer was preparing the paperwork, we went out to lunch at another restaurant on our list of places we love that aren't in Kansas City: The Training Table - a Utah Original. I usually get one or two Bleu Bacon Burgers a year, and its always a treat. And no one does cheese fries quite like the Training Table. So, after lunch we signed the loan paperwork and did some other stuff, none of it really note worthy.
Friday night we went to a Salt Lake Bees game at Franklin Covey Field. We've always enjoyed going to those games, and we were really looking forward to a sno-cone. The weather was nice and the Bees won easily, so it was a great night. I was a little surprised that the cheap seats were slightly more than the cheap seats for the Royals, but when we got in the stadium, I remembered that every seat there has a great view, and you're never too far away from the action. Similar views at Kauffman Stadium usually run about three-times the cost. But, it was nice for some minor-league ball for a change.
Saturday, July 26, 2008: First thing Saturday morning, we drove down to Provo to visit the campus of Brigham Young University. The grounds are always so well kept and beautiful. Driving up the hill to the Wilkinson Center makes us wish we were still there every time. Not sure why anyone would want to go anywhere else. We went to the Bookstore and picked up some new t-shirts and hats, as well as a sticker for the rear window of our new car. We're ready for the 2008 football season now.
After BYU we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Pyrah, and Aunt Jennie and her five-year-old daughter Reva. It's always fun to spend time with them, and they're always excited to see us. Reva kept me busy, asking for drawings of horsies and signs for Saturday night's Bees game, which we were going to with Reva, Jennie, and Grandpa. We had a great pulled-pork sandwich dinner, and the five of us headed up to Salt Lake for the game. It was another nice night and another win for the Bees. As a bonus, they had fireworks that we stayed to watch, capping a fun night of baseball with family (and, of course, another sno-cone).
Sunday, July 27, 2008: Sunday we slept in because we went to church later with my Aunt and Uncle since our cousins Andrew and Emily and their three kids were in town from Boise. When we all lived in Provo we used to visit them all the time, but then they moved to Pleasant Grove, so our visits were slightly less frequent. Then, of course, we moved to Kansas City, which put a little more distance between us. And they recently moved up to Boise, which makes it even harder to see them, so we were glad the timing worked out for this trip. We had dinner at my Aunt and Uncle's, which gave us all plenty of time for catching up.
Monday, July 28, 2008: Monday we packed up and left early for a trip up to Yellowstone with Brooke's parents and her little brothers: Bryce (14), Brady (12), and Brennen (4). They were up at Grammie's condo in South Ogden, so we met them there. They finished packing Grammie's motorhome, and we hit the road. By the time we reached Pocatello, everyone was ready for lunch, so I called my old mission companion from the area, Mark Martin, and asked directions to Goodies, home of the pizza bomb. It's basically a calzone, but man, are they good.
We arrived in West Yellowstone that afternoon and walked around all of the shops before heading into the Park and registering at our campsites. We had just enough time to set up our tent and have dinner before heading over to the Ranger-run fireside, where we learned about some of the native animals of the Park. After that it was really dark and time for bed.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008: Tuesday was our full-day in Yellowstone. I hadn't been there since I was too young to appreciate anything, so this was a really great trip. It was so nice to drive around the Park in the comfort of a motorhome. We took a lot of pictures of springs and hot pots, rivers, mountains, and waterfalls. We took a few little hikes, and pretty much just enjoyed the day.
That night we cooked tin foil dinners over the fire, and had s'mores for dessert. I was able to convince my brother-in-law Bryce that Red Vines are really good roasted like marshmallows. He was too trusting of me. I guess he'll be more careful in the future. Needless to say, the licorice charred and didn't taste very good.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008: Wednesday we went to see good Ol'e Faithful and drove through the south side of the Park on our way to Jackson Hole for the Miller Family Reunion. The geyser was Faithful, as usual, but the best part about it were the showers available for a small fee at the Lodge. By Wednesday we were feeling pretty dirty, so the shower was so welcome.
Brooke and I stopped for some more window shopping in Jackson Hole. It was my first time there. It reminded me a lot of Park City. I was looking for a nice, little hoodie to commemorate our trip, but what I found instead was retail collusion. Every store was selling hoodies for $50. Maybe they'd never heard of capitalism. You'd think that someone would figure out that if they sold their hoodies for less, they'd sell more, and before long, everyone would know that the good hoodie deals were at that store. And eventually, other retailers would have to compete or lose business. Oh well. I guess the rules of capitalism vary in tourist trap towns.
We left Jackson Hole and traveled North-West for a bit to get to the cabin for the family reunion. The family that owned the cabin were generous enough to let the 27 of us (give or take) use their summer residence free of charge. It was a pretty nice place, with plenty of rooms. We played a rousing game of Yatzee before heading off to bed that night.
Thursday, July 31, 2008: Thursday was the big day. The one we'd been waiting for. Not only did the Parry family let us use their cabin, but they also took us white-water rafting down the Snake River twice on Thursday, also free of charge.
I'd never been rafting before. But I was really excited. The water was cold, but the weather was really nice, so the water wasn't a problem. Each run lasted about two hours. We went through a few little rapids in the first half of the run, just to get acclimated to the idea of running rapids. Then we came to the first of the two big white water areas on the river that day: Big Kahuna. We just barely missed it, but the ride was still really fun. Next was Lunch Counter, and it was a wild ride that almost threw us into the rock wall to our right, but we were able to correct our route. I sat in front and got really wet. Brooke was just behind me, and I was so proud that she did this. It's not really something she would normally do.
The second run was even more fun. We switched boats and guides. We hit every rapid dead on, and it was obvious. The ride was wet and bumpy, but it was so much fun. The other boat in our party had a "yard sale" on Big Kahuna, meaning everything was up for grabs -- sunglasses, hats, oars, shoes, and yes, people, were all thrown out of the boat. More than half of the riders, including their guide, took a dive. We went through Lunch Counter and found some calm water to wait for them. They skirted around Lunch Counter because they had just gotten everyone back in the boat. They paddled over to us and a water fight broke out, adding to the fun of the second run. Both boats also water fought with a boat of Utah kids. It was a blast.
Then, nearing the end of our second run, our guide decided to take a line into some unnamed rapids. Again, we hit them directly, but this time, Bryce took a dive and few out of the raft. We recovered him quickly and finished out the run. It was probably the most adventurous thing we've ever done on vacation.
Friday, August 1, 2008: Friday we did some service around the cabin to repay the Parry's for their kindness. We did some weeding, some spring cleaning, and put in some horse shoe pits. Digging out parts of the hill where the pits were asked to be placed was hard work, but it was fun working with Brooke's uncles, her brothers, and her father.
After working and after lunch, everyone headed down to Jackson Hole. We did some more window shopping and broke down and bought some hoodies. We were able to find a store that was having a sale on one style that I liked, so we didn't pay the normal $50, but still.
The plan was to meet at the local Albertson's before we all headed over to the Bar J Chuckwagon for dinner. They served a huge cowboy-style dinner with beans, baked potatoes, beef and chicken, biscuits, apple sauce, spice cake, and some lemonade. Then, after dinner, some of the ranchers put on a tremendous show with music and a lot of comedy. Everyone had a great time.
The Trip Home: Saturday was the first of two straight days of travel on our way back to Kansas City. Nothing really of note here. It was raining in Cheyenne, so we got a hotel room in Kimball, NE instead of camping again on the way back. We finished listening to book four in the Harry Potter series and started book five. Listening to the books was really fun, and made the four days of driving a pleasant part of our summer vacation.
We got back at about 7:30pm Sunday, and quickly turned on the air conditioning. Vacations are great, but it's always good to be home.
If you read the last post, then you know all about our camping out in Wyoming and the rest of our trip out to Salt Lake City. As it turned out, we were glad to have seen my brother Marc play the afternoon we arrived, since those were the only games we were able to see. But anyway, here's a day by day breakdown of our trip. If you get too bored, feel free to leave and come back to the day you left off at.
Monday, July 21, 2008: Monday was our shopping day, and Marc was nice enough to hang out with us all day. Whenever we go to Salt Lake there is a list of restaurants we need to patronize as well as a few retail stores we have to visit. We started marking off our list when we had Cafe Rio for lunch on Saturday, just after arriving in the valley. Monday we lunched at Zupas on 123rd. During lunch we both declared Zupas as our most favorite eating establishment. If you like Panera Bread or Paradise Cafe, give Zupas a try, and you'll probably be converted too.
Oh, I almost forgot. On the way out to Zupas, a rock the size of Rhode Island hit the very top of the windshield on our new xB. As if that wasn't enough to ruin our day, we immediately noticed the resulting crack was spreading rapidly. We pulled off at the next exit and found a Jiffy Lube, where they charged us 20 bucks for crack repair. So, after that Zupas was a more than a welcome diversion.
Very near to Zupas is DownEast Outfitters, a retail clearance store where I can afford to buy Lucky jeans for Brookie. After lunch we checked out their selection, but didn't find anything. So, next on our list was IKEA, the greatest store in all the world (though, it would gain a whole heap of points if they'd build in the Kansas City area). We'd paid our annual dues to the Swedish Furniture Gurus, and made our way back home for dinner with some new household goodies.
After dinner, just when we thought we had nothing to do, Weston and Missy brought our niece Ellie to play. It was so much fun to see her for the first time, though not as much fun as it will be the next time we see her, since I'm sure she'll interact with us more by then. Luckily it would not be the last time we saw Ellie (oh, and her parents too).
Tuesday, July 22, 2008: Tuesday we took some time to see my Grandmas in Salt Lake. We first went to visit Grandma Jones who told a great joke: What do you do with a dog that has a fever? Put some ketchup and mustard on it, that's always good on hot dogs... Get it? Yeah, me neither.
After Grandma Jones' we went to see Grandma Reynolds. We caught her in her curlers again, but she was glad to see us and wouldn't take no for an answer when she asked us out to lunch. The three of us went to Paradise Cafe and had some good food. Brooke and I had been there before, but this was by far the most we'd liked it.
That night we went with Marc, Cameron, and his girlfriend Michelle to see Kung-Fu Panda. Almost funnier the second time around, but I enjoy being surprised by the gags the first time rather than laughing in anticipation of them the second.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008: I'm sure we did something Wednesday morning, probably something that involved more shopping, and probably something with Marc, but I can't really remember. The thing I do remember about Wednesday is our double-date with our friend Raul and his girlfriend Judith. We met them at the California Pizza Kitchen at the Gateway -- not a restaurant on our list, but still really good. After dinner we walked across the street to the Energy Solutions Arena for the Days of '47 Rodeo. I had my straw Royals cowboy hat that they had given out at a game a few weeks ago. We saw some bare-back bronco riding, as well as some saddle-back riding. We also saw team roping, cattle wrestling, bull riding, and Brooke's favorite, barrel racing.
After the Rodeo Raul called his brother Ammon and our other friend Nate, and we all met up at Leatherby's for some ice cream and more laughs than should be legal. Brooke and I also picked Marc up and brought him along too. As is usually the case, we were the loudest and probably most annoying table in the place. When we all get together it's just one funny story after another, especially if Ammon is doing the narrating.
Thursday, July 24, 2008: Pioneer Day. You know what that means. Yeah. Get out of bed before the rooster crows, grab a couple of lawn chairs, and head downtown to find a spot for the annual parade. The only problem with this is that there is nothing to do for three hours before the parade starts. There is the 10K and 5K runners passing by, and they're fun to watch, but that only lasts for about 45 minutes. After that, we were glad to discover that the gang of hoodlums one group to our left was actually a gang of breakdancers. We instantly gained more respect for those kids once we learned they had a hobby. They kept the entire street entertained for the final hour before the parade.
If you've seen one, you've seen them all. That's not to say that it wasn't a good parade, because it was. They don't do anything even close to this in Kansas City. But, by and large, the Pioneer Day parade hasn't changed since I was little. The police motorcycles were at the start, as usual, followed by lots of floats, local politicians, and pageant royalty. The highlight for me was one of those clowns (no, I'm not referring to a politician; this was an actual clown) on an oversized, custom-built bike fell off his perch. He walked over to me and asked for a favor. In hind-sight, it probably wasn't such a great idea to agree so quickly to a favor asked by a clown in a parade, but as it turned out, he was asking for help to mount his bike again. So we ran out to where his bike lay in the road and I braced it while he climbed up and onto the seat and started pedaling. I hurried back to my seat, and the crowd cheered, but it was probably for the clown.
The funniest thing that happened at the parade came at the very end. We had been keeping our eyes open for the ice cream man to come back so that we could buy a cold novelty. We finally saw him and I bought three huge watermelon favored popsicles, one for Brooke, one for me, and one for Marc, our welcome sidekick for the week. I was surprised by how cold they were, and Brooke's tongue was even sticking to the top when she tried to lick hers. Marc, of course, was undeterred and shoved his pop about four inches into his mouth, but once he sealed his lips around the icy treat, he couldn't unseal them. Remember that famous scene in the Christmas Story when Ralph's friend licks the flag pole? Yeah, it was kind of like that, only Marc had an enormous popsicle stuck in his mouth.
After our naps that afternoon, the whole family went to Weston and Missy's house for a barbecue. Weston cooked up some good burgers and brats for us and Missy's family. The food was great, and it was fun to see little Ellie again too. Of course, her Grandma Reynolds is an Ellie-hog, but I guess that's okay.
Friday, July 25, 2008: Friday we were pretty productive. We had breakfast and went up to the Health Care Credit Union to refinance the xB we had purchased the week before. While the loan officer was preparing the paperwork, we went out to lunch at another restaurant on our list of places we love that aren't in Kansas City: The Training Table - a Utah Original. I usually get one or two Bleu Bacon Burgers a year, and its always a treat. And no one does cheese fries quite like the Training Table. So, after lunch we signed the loan paperwork and did some other stuff, none of it really note worthy.
Friday night we went to a Salt Lake Bees game at Franklin Covey Field. We've always enjoyed going to those games, and we were really looking forward to a sno-cone. The weather was nice and the Bees won easily, so it was a great night. I was a little surprised that the cheap seats were slightly more than the cheap seats for the Royals, but when we got in the stadium, I remembered that every seat there has a great view, and you're never too far away from the action. Similar views at Kauffman Stadium usually run about three-times the cost. But, it was nice for some minor-league ball for a change.
Saturday, July 26, 2008: First thing Saturday morning, we drove down to Provo to visit the campus of Brigham Young University. The grounds are always so well kept and beautiful. Driving up the hill to the Wilkinson Center makes us wish we were still there every time. Not sure why anyone would want to go anywhere else. We went to the Bookstore and picked up some new t-shirts and hats, as well as a sticker for the rear window of our new car. We're ready for the 2008 football season now.
After BYU we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Pyrah, and Aunt Jennie and her five-year-old daughter Reva. It's always fun to spend time with them, and they're always excited to see us. Reva kept me busy, asking for drawings of horsies and signs for Saturday night's Bees game, which we were going to with Reva, Jennie, and Grandpa. We had a great pulled-pork sandwich dinner, and the five of us headed up to Salt Lake for the game. It was another nice night and another win for the Bees. As a bonus, they had fireworks that we stayed to watch, capping a fun night of baseball with family (and, of course, another sno-cone).
Sunday, July 27, 2008: Sunday we slept in because we went to church later with my Aunt and Uncle since our cousins Andrew and Emily and their three kids were in town from Boise. When we all lived in Provo we used to visit them all the time, but then they moved to Pleasant Grove, so our visits were slightly less frequent. Then, of course, we moved to Kansas City, which put a little more distance between us. And they recently moved up to Boise, which makes it even harder to see them, so we were glad the timing worked out for this trip. We had dinner at my Aunt and Uncle's, which gave us all plenty of time for catching up.
Monday, July 28, 2008: Monday we packed up and left early for a trip up to Yellowstone with Brooke's parents and her little brothers: Bryce (14), Brady (12), and Brennen (4). They were up at Grammie's condo in South Ogden, so we met them there. They finished packing Grammie's motorhome, and we hit the road. By the time we reached Pocatello, everyone was ready for lunch, so I called my old mission companion from the area, Mark Martin, and asked directions to Goodies, home of the pizza bomb. It's basically a calzone, but man, are they good.
We arrived in West Yellowstone that afternoon and walked around all of the shops before heading into the Park and registering at our campsites. We had just enough time to set up our tent and have dinner before heading over to the Ranger-run fireside, where we learned about some of the native animals of the Park. After that it was really dark and time for bed.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008: Tuesday was our full-day in Yellowstone. I hadn't been there since I was too young to appreciate anything, so this was a really great trip. It was so nice to drive around the Park in the comfort of a motorhome. We took a lot of pictures of springs and hot pots, rivers, mountains, and waterfalls. We took a few little hikes, and pretty much just enjoyed the day.
That night we cooked tin foil dinners over the fire, and had s'mores for dessert. I was able to convince my brother-in-law Bryce that Red Vines are really good roasted like marshmallows. He was too trusting of me. I guess he'll be more careful in the future. Needless to say, the licorice charred and didn't taste very good.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008: Wednesday we went to see good Ol'e Faithful and drove through the south side of the Park on our way to Jackson Hole for the Miller Family Reunion. The geyser was Faithful, as usual, but the best part about it were the showers available for a small fee at the Lodge. By Wednesday we were feeling pretty dirty, so the shower was so welcome.
Brooke and I stopped for some more window shopping in Jackson Hole. It was my first time there. It reminded me a lot of Park City. I was looking for a nice, little hoodie to commemorate our trip, but what I found instead was retail collusion. Every store was selling hoodies for $50. Maybe they'd never heard of capitalism. You'd think that someone would figure out that if they sold their hoodies for less, they'd sell more, and before long, everyone would know that the good hoodie deals were at that store. And eventually, other retailers would have to compete or lose business. Oh well. I guess the rules of capitalism vary in tourist trap towns.
We left Jackson Hole and traveled North-West for a bit to get to the cabin for the family reunion. The family that owned the cabin were generous enough to let the 27 of us (give or take) use their summer residence free of charge. It was a pretty nice place, with plenty of rooms. We played a rousing game of Yatzee before heading off to bed that night.
Thursday, July 31, 2008: Thursday was the big day. The one we'd been waiting for. Not only did the Parry family let us use their cabin, but they also took us white-water rafting down the Snake River twice on Thursday, also free of charge.
I'd never been rafting before. But I was really excited. The water was cold, but the weather was really nice, so the water wasn't a problem. Each run lasted about two hours. We went through a few little rapids in the first half of the run, just to get acclimated to the idea of running rapids. Then we came to the first of the two big white water areas on the river that day: Big Kahuna. We just barely missed it, but the ride was still really fun. Next was Lunch Counter, and it was a wild ride that almost threw us into the rock wall to our right, but we were able to correct our route. I sat in front and got really wet. Brooke was just behind me, and I was so proud that she did this. It's not really something she would normally do.
The second run was even more fun. We switched boats and guides. We hit every rapid dead on, and it was obvious. The ride was wet and bumpy, but it was so much fun. The other boat in our party had a "yard sale" on Big Kahuna, meaning everything was up for grabs -- sunglasses, hats, oars, shoes, and yes, people, were all thrown out of the boat. More than half of the riders, including their guide, took a dive. We went through Lunch Counter and found some calm water to wait for them. They skirted around Lunch Counter because they had just gotten everyone back in the boat. They paddled over to us and a water fight broke out, adding to the fun of the second run. Both boats also water fought with a boat of Utah kids. It was a blast.
Then, nearing the end of our second run, our guide decided to take a line into some unnamed rapids. Again, we hit them directly, but this time, Bryce took a dive and few out of the raft. We recovered him quickly and finished out the run. It was probably the most adventurous thing we've ever done on vacation.
Friday, August 1, 2008: Friday we did some service around the cabin to repay the Parry's for their kindness. We did some weeding, some spring cleaning, and put in some horse shoe pits. Digging out parts of the hill where the pits were asked to be placed was hard work, but it was fun working with Brooke's uncles, her brothers, and her father.
After working and after lunch, everyone headed down to Jackson Hole. We did some more window shopping and broke down and bought some hoodies. We were able to find a store that was having a sale on one style that I liked, so we didn't pay the normal $50, but still.
The plan was to meet at the local Albertson's before we all headed over to the Bar J Chuckwagon for dinner. They served a huge cowboy-style dinner with beans, baked potatoes, beef and chicken, biscuits, apple sauce, spice cake, and some lemonade. Then, after dinner, some of the ranchers put on a tremendous show with music and a lot of comedy. Everyone had a great time.
The Trip Home: Saturday was the first of two straight days of travel on our way back to Kansas City. Nothing really of note here. It was raining in Cheyenne, so we got a hotel room in Kimball, NE instead of camping again on the way back. We finished listening to book four in the Harry Potter series and started book five. Listening to the books was really fun, and made the four days of driving a pleasant part of our summer vacation.
We got back at about 7:30pm Sunday, and quickly turned on the air conditioning. Vacations are great, but it's always good to be home.
I'm glad you guys had fun and made it back safe ... the "roasted red vine" was a riot. :D
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