On Friday we drove our trailer up to Island Park for the first time. Seth had spent many, many hours beforehand getting it all ready to go (putting on extended mirrors on the pickup, greasing the trailer's hubs, checking for leaks, etc.). Everything went smoothly, and we parked it next to Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin. Our family slept in it while Kent's family, Rachel's family and Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis slept in the cabin.
Saturday morning we took it easy at the cabin and then went to Henry's Lake State Park after lunch. (Gwendolen stayed at the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa so she could take her nap.)
Analee showing her age on her actual birthday (not the day we celebrated it with family).
Rebekah wading in the lake and playing with the kiddie pole (it only had a bobber on it).
Miriam and Seth sitting by the lake.
Miriam wearing the sweatshirt we fashioned into pants after the pants she had been wearing got soaked.
After an entire afternoon of having no luck with the fish, we went back to the cabin for dinner and s'mores.
Bekah holding Winnie and Analee sitting next to Kelsey on the swing in the yard.
Kelsey and Ana on the swing.
Seth chopping wood for the fire.
Cooper and Miriam at the fire.
The next morning, we attended sacrament meeting in the dark since the whole area went without power from about 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The doors were all opened to let in as much light as possible and the speakers spoke as loudly as they could.
After coming home and changing, we took the kids to Big Springs.
Miriam looking at the springs.
Rebekah holding Winnie.
Emma, Kelsey and Winnie riding in the bike trailer/stroller. Rebekah pushed them the whole time we were on our nature walk.
Analee wearing a net on her head.
After lunch at the cabin (thank goodness for our trailer ... despite having the power off at the cabin, we still had a flushing toilet and a working stove in the trailer), we took our girls to Yellowstone for a few hours since we already had a season pass.
Miriam, Analee and Rebekah watching a geyser at the Artist Paint Pots.
Miriam with the "umbrella" she found while waiting for Old Faithful to erupt.
Seth sitting on a broken log waiting for Old Faithful. Funny story: Rather than elbowing for room on the boardwalk for a view of the geyser, we decided to sit on some of the fallen logs in the shade. Seth and I both sat on this particular log and had been on it for at least a good five minutes when it decided it had had enough. The snap was so loud that a big crowd of people on the boardwalk turned around to look at us sitting on the ground.
We had another night in the trailer, and on Monday morning we went back to Henry's for another failed attempt at fishing. This time we took Gwendolen along with us (she loved throwing rocks in the lake and petting the dog someone had brought with them), but I forgot the camera back at the cabin, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
After lunch and Winnie's nap at the cabin, we packed up and came home to find everything well here.
To see more pictures, start here.