Day 12 - Big Sky down to Yellowstone - the end of Cannonball run!!!

Day 12 - Big Sky down to Yellowstone

Wow! Waking up to the rising sun peaking over the mountain tops is one to remember. I have been regularly going to bed with the sunset and getting up with the sunrise. It’s not as bad as it may sound. Albeit, I may be a little tired, but it’s sure worth it.

So, Beth and I were the first ones up and we got to catch up a little while the rest of the house slept. After a quick cup of coffee, the two of us headed down the mountain to this wonderful bakery to get some fresh baked muffins, scones and egg sandwiches. We also stocked up on some giant homemade cookies for the ride into Yellowstone thanks to Beth’s thoughtfulness. After eating breakfast and taking our last shower for 5 days we packed up the car and said our good-byes.

We were so excited to get to Yellowstone and setup camp, but we had to stop and stock up on food. One minor error in our plans though. We left Big Sky and headed directly towards the park, 42 miles to the North Entrance. We figured there must be a town before the park to stop and get groceries, but we figured wrong. Instead, we entered the park and there is a little town just inside the North Entrance where you can get anything you need like gas, souvenirs, restaurants and groceries. But, it all comes at a premium price. So, we called Mark & Rich and who happened to be in the Idaho City Walmart. Did our grocery shopping simultaneously with the boys…we are so resourceful!

Well, until we entered the park we really did not have a good perspective on the size of this park. It is absolutely enormous. We had to drive 38 miles to get to the campgrounds. Oh yeah, that means it’s 38 miles back to the grocery store. Hope we didn’t forget anything.

We arrived at the campsite just after 3pm and soon found out that we were the first family to arrive. Yeah, we won!!!!!! Ok, I’ll  stop gloating now. As we were getting back in the car the Leemings pull up and 30 seconds behind them come the Brennans! Half the group has arrived; now the fun begins!

The campsites are tucked far in the back of the park. Wonder how they knew that was a good place to put this busy/loud crew of 29. The campgrounds are rustic. Sizable sites, but the bathrooms are few and far between with only running cold water. At least the toilets flush this time. The Rangers were very specific about what to do and what not to do. The bears are plentiful and we need to be very aware.

The Piersons arrived just after 5 and the Obars pulled in just before 6. The group is almost complete. Mark and Rich are among the missing, but nobody was really surprised. We got the campsites setup and Suzy started dinner. The sites are inundated with mosquitoes. We used a whole can of bug spray in one night. The sunny sites are less affected, but the reality is at 87+ degrees hanging out in the sun isn’t as appealing.

When dinner was complete, Stuart sat all the kids down and gave them a brief talk educating them on what to do if they encounter a bear. For some of the kids it was funny, but for many of them they were spooked enough to pay attention. The reality is that the places we are going, the hikes we plan to do and the sites we plan to see are very tourist filled and the mere masses will scare away the bears. But, it’s better to be prepared and educated.

Once dinner was over and the kids were properly washed up we got them all to bed. It was almost 10 pm already and we know that we have a lot planned for the days ahead. The parents stayed up and planned out the coming days because not everyone is planning to stay the whole time. Many beers and laughs later we were able to put together a plan. Keep in mind, we are planning for 29 people starting at age 7…the plans aren’t always going to work out, but at least we have each other.

It is really great seeing the Piersons again. Hard to believe it’s been a year!