It was after midnight when we finally made it back to my Grandparents house. We stopped for dinner at McDonald's in West Yellowstone for dinner. It was not my ideal choice, but at the time we didn't have many options. All of our sandwiches were gone and the kids were starving you know! Just a heads up, if you ever stop there for whatever reason, they do not have a dollar menu!
Anyway, I was driving back pretty slow, much to Ryan's dismay, because it was EXTREMELY dark and I was worried about hitting a deer. I didn't think that going over 65 mph after a long day was a good idea so it took us about 30 minutes longer than the way there. Oh well we made it! We didn't bother unpacking the car, just went in, then pajamas, then bed!
The next morning we were in no rush to go anywhere, and it was Father's Day. We had originally planned on driving to Jackson Hole, WY and through Tetons National Park. I wasn't ready to get up at the crack of dawn again so I figured that trip wasn't going to happen. We started moving slowly not in a rush to do anything. Grandma made breakfast for us. I had a feeling that Ryan wanted to see Jackson, but the kids weren't excited and we had a long drive home the next day, so I didn't want to push them into another long car ride. My Grandparents offered to take them for the day so Ryan and I could drive to Jackson. They would take the kids to the sand dunes close by and let them run, they also would take them to the fish hatchery.
So the original plan was back on! I love, love, love Jackson Hole! I couldn't wait to get Ryan there to see it. I should have planned better and scheduled an ATV tour or rafting tour, but there is a reason to go back!
The backside of the Tetons - shot taken from the car as we were driving.
Our drive there was really pretty. We drove over Teton Pass, it's a really steep drive, both up and down, but just beautiful!View coming out of the pass - taken from the car
We arrived to Jackson Hole WY!
As I said earlier, I love this place. I remember my Mom bringing us here and staying the night when she took us through Yellowstone, so it's special to me for that reason.
We walked around for a little bit, bought the kids shirts, and Ryan and I $7 ice creams! Yikes! But they were good, but still, I am in the wrong line of business!
Picture of the Antler Arches in Jackson
Back in the car we took a little detour down Moose Wilson Road, it's more the back way into Teton National Park.
Photos from the road
I wanted to see a moose in Yellowstone and I wasn't able too, so I was hoping that this trip I would see one. As we continued down the road, a bunch of cars were stopped, and you know what that means, some kind of animal is near by. We were in the prime location for moose, by water with willow bushes. We stopped, got out and there it was, a sweet baby moose! 
I wanted to see a bull, but just the fact that I was this close to any kind of moose made me happy! I was kind of nervous because we didn't know where mom was and they can be very aggressive. We got our shots and moved on!
Once through the park entrance, we started the drive North to Jenny Lake.
The flag waving at the entrance with the Tetons in the background.
Ryan and I decided not to drive the entire park because we wanted to spend some time out of the car and with my Grandparents and the boys before going home. Some photos along the way.
Jenny Lake is gorgeous. It's backdrop is the Tetons and just an incredible view.
Jenny Lake and I
Ryan wasn't feeling photogenic that day so, no pics of him:(
We hung around the lake and little shops they have close by before turning around and heading back.
We weren't going to make it home in time for dinner, so we were making our way back into Jackson for dinner. We took a different route back just on the main road. Near the town of Moose, we noticed a bunch of cars stopped again along a bridge that crossed the Snake River. There is a island right in the middle of the river and we could see a baby moose standing right in the middle.
I got out while Ryan went to park. I got a few shots then we walked along side the river bank where everyone was standing watching a bull moose laying down in the trees.
A little farther down was a cow moose that was just grazing away.
We assumed that it was a family, but a ranger had walked down and explained that moose are not really the family type. Mom takes care of the babies and Dad leaves.
Here is the male in the trees
The ranger also said that we were not at a safe distance from the bull as he could easily walk across the river right to us. She said that she would rather as close as we were to a Grizzly than a Moose. The female was slowly making her way to where the male was laying down so we hoped that she would be able to get him up.
She is right in front of him!!!
He did get up, we got excited...
...then he laid back down again.
What a princess! The ranger said this male moose was the cause of a lot of car accidents over that bridge. I had to settle for the shots that I was able to get and we had to get back on the road.We saw one last animal before leaving the park.
Back in Jackson we stopped for gas and I saw these two signs and had to get pictures, they just summed up the day.
Now it was time to eat a...we came up with Taco Bell!?! For Father's Day isn't wasn't ideal, so I promised I would make it up to him with a great dinner back at home.
After our belly's were full we headed home.
Earlier on way to Jackson we saw a giant potato on the back of a truck. I had to stop on the way back and get pictures. Turns out there were potato people too, only in Idaho!
- Ahhh..the tourist trap!We made it home. The boys had a great day at the sand dunes and each had a ice cream bucket full of sand. They told us their stories and they really had a great day with Grandma and Grandpa.
They had made another "ride"...
and Ryan and I took turns with it, look at Tevin go!
My Grandma asked me if I would take some portraits of her and my Grandpa. We had perfect lighting and being in the country we had great scenery. I will post those pictures after they have seen them. Afterward I went on a walk with my camera and took shots of random things that I saw. Mainly fields, barns and the sunset.
We also had a fire in the backyard and made smores. My Grandma is a woman of recycling old junk and re-using it. She has a flower pot in her backyard that is made from an old satellite dish and her fire pit is an old washing machine drum! It was funny to see, but it worked really well and when it was completely dark outside, it was cool to see all the holes glowing. We relaxed outside for a bit and then went to bed for the night.
The next morning Grandma made breakfast again for us, hamburger patties turned into sausage with her "special seasonings". It honestly wasn't bad and the kids thought it was funny.
My Grandma has played the guitar since she was a little girl, so before we left she showed Keaton a new cord and gave him a few other tips. She even showed Tev how to strum and how to play a cord.
It was really sweet and I hated that we had to pull him away.
I also have an aunt that lives in Rigby, ID. This is my Mom's older sister, Becky. Her and my uncle Gary have a cute house with a massive amount of property. I haven't been to their house in years, so it was nice to see it again.
My cousin Wendy wasn't home at the time, she is mentally handicapped and she goes to school so she is able to interact with other people and learn skills at the same time. I missed seeing her, but I am happy that she is able to get out and enjoy herself!
This was our last stop on our trip. It was a wonderful 4 days. I can't wait to go back again!
I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are!
XoXo ")
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