Visiting Friends and Family in NJ and NY

Annette went down to southern NJ in Friday to visit university friends and their kids. Lots of fun at the pool and playing with new friends. On Saturday, the weather was great and we spent a fantastic day at Yola and Shawn's house at their pool. The kids loved the diving board!

Day 7 - Grand Teton National Park

After breakfast, we met up with Liam’s friend, Duncan, who was also in town on their way to Yellowstone. It was a fun surprise and the kids had fun playing at the park. Today we set off to explore GTNP.  It certainly isn’t as big as Yellowstone and we were able to drive through and see the main sights that day. We really enjoyed exploring Jenny Lake. We took a boat ride across the lake to the trailhead for Hidden Falls. It was a challenging hike up the mountain through snow and some rocks. It was fun and the kids did great. The views at the topwere lovely and we could see the falls from a distance because the trail was closed. We had a fun time. We got down quickly and hit the road before a thunderstorm blew threw.We drove through the east side of the park and back to Jackson. We had some fantastic burgers at Local, walked around town and caught a few minutes of a live theater gun fight in the square. It was loud!

Day 6 - Jackson, Wyoming

We got an early start this morning to head out on our scenic rafting trip on the Snake River. It was a sunny but chilly morning. We went to the rafting place and they took us to the area near a ranch that let us out by the river. We put on our life jackets,and we were off!
The ride was very relaxing and the scenery pretty. The kids were chilly, but a fine ride! Next, we went to Jackson Hole ski resort and even though it was still off season, we were able to ride the sky tram. The mountain still had snow on it and we saw skiers come off the mountain. The views were great but it was cold. Thank goodness there was a warming hut.We then headed down the mountain and before we headed back to the hotel for a swim in the pool and dinner - Liam insisted we drive to Idaho.  Fortunately, it was only 14 miles away.   That night, More fun playing uno and a yummy chocolate lava cake dessert ; )

First stop NJ

We left Wednesday and we arrived safely after am easy flight from denver to Newark....and we're picked up successfully even though Everyone here mistakenly thought we arrived on Thursday...not Wednesday. (Amusing conversation on the way to the airport...Annette on the phone saying "what?...no, we arrive TODAY...really...it's today...we are in the car on our way to the airport right NOW!"

The moment of our departure...bye house!

Our last night in 2773 Pemberly!

Our last weekend in Colorado...for a while

Ross white water rafting trip on the Arkansas River

After 8 years of living in Colorado, we finally set out to just near Glenwood Springs to a beautiful spot at Hanging Lake. The hike was a little over a mile but all uphill and most of it very rocky and steep.
We took it slow, with multiple stops for snacks and water. We made it finally after some piggy backing of Lily and Luke, some rain - in just over an hour. It was worth it. Hanging Lake is beautiful and had a lovely waterfall that we could get right up to.There is no 
swimming allowed in the lake which helps keep it pristine. We were all happy to be there. The walk down was much faster and we beat another storm rolling through. We made it back to Keystone for the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. It was very busy and we didn’t stay too long, but we enjoyed some bacon smores, bacon mac n cheese and tater tots with cheese sprinkled with bacon bits. mmmmm...

No beds before the move.... sleeping together