Well we survived the night at our Motel and were all very anxious to head home. We left Cody around 9 a.m. and drove 3 hours 35 minutes to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
On day 5 we were still smiles in the morning!!!
Smiths Mansion
Along the way to Jackson we drove through Wapiti Valley and got to see the Smith Mansion!!! Francis Lee Smith was an engineer and built the house with his own two hands. He originally started out building a home for his family and had no blueprints to follow, then it began to take on a life of it's own. He started adding on and continued adding on balconies and rooms until he fell from one from one of the balconies untethered and died.
Unfortunately we took the wrong route and ended up driving partially through Yellowstone National Park. Not that, that is a terrible thing but we entered through the South entrance and left through the West so we only saw 2 Elk and that was it. However, we did get to see lots of water falls and some beautiful scenery. We also ended up going through the Grand Teton National Park. We didn't pack lunches this day because we planned on eating in Jackson. Because of our detour we did have to stop at Fishing Bridge Station to get a snack and to stretch for a bit.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Some of the kids thought Ripley's was a bit creepy! Kabree once again loved the mirror part where you walk down a walk way and the room turns around you. She said it was one of her top 3 favorite things of the trip.
This is made from match sticks!!!!
We played a dirty trick on Keagan and told her to open the box...
a rattle snake is in the box and it makes a loud rattler sound.
Octopus made of electrical wire
Shawns in luck!!! Shay said this is going to be her wedding dress ; )
Doesn't this underwear look comfy!?!
Kabree loved this part!!!!
Kabree thought the upside down room was "CRAZY!"
Ouch! Poor bear!
The newest addition to Ripley's a Vampire section
Better have your Vampire Slaying Kid ready
This was carved out of wood and the detail was amazing!
This buffalo is made out of nails!
After Ripley's we went for a walk through the main park and then headed to the "musts" of Jackson's. Heather, my parents and I came to Jackson Hole pretty much every summer after the boys moved out (we did go a few times with all of the boys). Then it was just my parents and I until I got married. First up was the Antler Arches.
Yep, I'm a genius and forgot to reset my camera settings
Grandma JoAnn, Heather, Justice, Zach, Keagan, Kabree, Hanna, Shay, Chase and Libby
The second must of Jackson Hole:
The girls thought this place was pretty great!
They closed down our favorite Old Fashioned Drugstore so the last 15 years this has been our ice cream stop!
Keagan wanted to give Grammy JoAnn lots of loves while she ate her sherbet cone.
"I nuggle you Grammy"
Can you tell I was tired by this point
and really didn't care about the settings on the camera anymore
and really didn't care about the settings on the camera anymore
After ice cream we drove the rest of the 2 hours and 35 minutes home!
Keagan was struggling the last stretch of the drive home so Grandma JoAnn started drawing her pictures. Keagan told Grandma "I miss Pooper and Organ" (Kooper and Morgan). She was so excited when Grandma drew this picture of Kabree, Kooper, Keagan adn Morgan together.
Here is a list of every ones favorite memories from the trip:
JoAnn - The first sight of Crazy Horse, when all of us finally saw it from the road, Mount Rushmore and the kids playing Alligator in the hotel pool after Reptile Gardens. Loved how well everyone did on such a long trip.
Heather - Loved the exploring.
Zach - Mount Rushmore Presidential trail, how excited Keagan was for the hotels and swimming every night, Peters Cafe and Devils Tower.
Jessi - Mount Rushmore Presidential trail, Mount Rushmore isle of flags, Storybook Island, how Kabree had tears running down her face during Crystal Caverns but still wanted to finish it, Peters Cafe and Devils Tower.
Libby -
Shay - Picking George's nose!
Chase - The drive home.
Hanna - Crystal Caverns, Ripleys Believe It Or Not and the Shootout show.
Kabree - The Snake Dance, Crystal Caverns and the twisty hall at Ripleys.
Justice - The Grass dancer at Crazy Horse.
Keagan - Hotel, swimming!
Here is what we learned from this road trip:
- Having an awesome neighbor dog sit and your niece take care of your mail and lawn are priceless because we didn't stress a single bit about any of it! -Thank you so MUCH Jan and Whitney!-
- Prizes wrapped in brown paper bags are life savers!
- Heather is the road trip Queen!!!
- She taught us all how to pack lighter and what to pack!
- That you pack an envelope of cash for each kid for their souvenirs and that way you don't over spend.
- Gold Fish flavor blast crackers are AWESOME!
- Blankets are a must on road trips!
- There will be a war over the over the seat organizer and Mom (Grandma JoAnn) will win!
- Shot gun is the prime seat!
- Wal-Mart hoagies and chips make the cheapest, quickest and best lunches.
- Hotels must have pools and continental breakfast!
- Cold, dark, narrow caves will cause a majority of the group a LOT of stress!
- Caffeinated drinks are a necessity for 3 of the 4 adults and I bet you guess wrong who doesn't need it! ; )
- Siri doesn't always know the best route!!!
- Day 5 is the hardest, LONGEST day of all!!! ; )
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