Lazy Day

Day 8

Today was a total lazy day, which we all really needed. It has been go, go, go, since we left Illinois, so a lazy day was a necessity. We actually got to sleep in! Well, we kind of got to sleep in, when you wake up everyday for a week before 7:30, you tend to wake up early whether you like it or not. I actually got to take my time getting ready this morning, which was such a luxury! After finishing my catch up on the blog this morning, my mom, Colin, Charlie, and I walked to downtown Gardiner, Montana. We explored the gift shops and then later met up with Dad and Chandler for lunch. After lunch, Dad took the two little boys to get the car washed while Mom, Chandler, and I picked up some much needed groceries. Once back, Chandler and I decided to ride our bikes back to town to check out a book store we saw on the way back to the RV. It wasn't very exciting, so we left and rode around town for a little while longer. I HATE RIDING MY BIKE UP HILLS. Chandler knows that, so being the wonderful brother that he is, he made me ride up a hill, not just any hill, a loose gravel hill. Gotta love brothers... Karma got him on the way back to the RV though; on our way up the hill leading to the Rocky Mountain RV Park, his gears on his bike got stuck and he ended up having to walk his bike up the hill. HA! KARMA!

-Carmen

Yellowstone National Park

6/14/15
Day 7

Did you know that Yellowstone National Park was the United States' first national park? I didn't and was very intrigued by that fact while spending the entire day driving through the park. Yellowstone is beautiful, though the smell is unpleasant due to the sulfur in the air (Sulfur smells like rotten eggs or fart, when you live with boys fart is definitely the best definition of the stench), the view made up for it. The Rocky Mountains, valleys, animals. waterfalls, springs, and basins were totally stunning. The drive was long and if you are afraid of heights like my mom, it could be quite frightening. This is a great place to go if you enjoy nature photography or painting/sketching. If you cannot walk for long periods of time going up and down stairs I wouldn't recommend this place. If you have kids or siblings as whiney as my brothers, I really wouldn't recommend it unless you could handle the constant, "Another hike, seriously?" "When are we going back home?" "It all looks the same!" We saw a few elk and lots of buffalo, but unfortunately, there were no bears in sight. Overall, Yellowstone is a beautiful place!

-Carmen

Adios South Dakota

6/13/15

Day 6

"We have to wake up really early, like 4 a.m. We have a long drive tomorrow and we need to get to Montana early tomorrow!" -Dad 6/12/15

"EVERYBODY GET YOUR BUTTS UP! WE ARE SO LATE!" -Dad 8:00 a.m. 6/13/15

Like I mentioned in my first post, we Voss' tend to not leave on time. We all bustled around trying to clean up our beds and get on the road as fast as possible. Thirty minutes, called it record time for a family of six to all get ready, I really helped with this- by not getting ready until we were on the road. Let's just say I am now a pro at getting ready in a moving vehicle. May I remind you we were driving through the mountains, so I was falling all over the place trying to get ready. We were driving for hours and hours with beautiful scenery, but with nothing to do but stare at each other, which after spending the previous five days doing everything together isn't as pleasant as one may think, especially in such a confined area. Wyoming was gorgeous; there were beautiful hills and the Rocky Mountains in the distance. When we crossed to boarder into Montana, my dad saw the sign for The Battle of Little Bighorn battlefield. We made a quick stop and got to see a bit of the battlefield, as well as the graves of many soldiers, wives, civilians, and children that died in there and in other wars. There were about 4,950 graves with 50 more reserved for still living veterans. It was a very touching memorial. We ended up making it to the Rocky Mountain RV Park on time and after setting up the RV, us kids went mini golfing while Mom and Dad got dinner ready (but mainly Mom). The people at this camp are very friendly, which has made this place enjoyable so far.

-Carmen