Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
After the Trees of Mystery, we went to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. They have a program called Redwood EdVenture Quest, where kids can take a pamphlet, follow the clues along a trail and receive a patch for finding the clue at the end. The kids were really into it; they are the perfect age for this type of activity.
Looking for clues.
It really felt like we were on set for Return of the Jedi with all of the ferns on the forest floor and the towering trees above.
We also saw some elk as we were leaving the parking lot.
Trees of Mystery
Klamath is home to a roadside attraction called Trees of Mystery. It is difficult to miss, as a gigantic and Paul Bunyun and Babe the Ox are sure to attract attention from all passers by.
It is kitschy to the max, but definitely fun for the kids.
The kids were into taking pictures with their toy action cams. I think we should upgrade them to real cameras in the near future.
The kids counted how many steps it took them to walk around the trunk…50!
The main attraction that you pay admission for is the gondola ride among the redwood trees.
The kids were in an especially good mood during the ride, so that was fun.
There was an observation deck, but the fog obscured the view. I played around with some filters.
The path between the gondola and the gift shop is quite nice.
It is not everyday that you can see such strange tree growths, like this candelabra tree.
n pretending to be a statue.
Klamath Holiday Inn
We continued heading south towards Klamath, California. We stayed at a newish Holiday Inn, and it was quite nice. (There are not too many lodging options near the Redwoods).
There was a cozy, modern lobby with free coffee and hot chocolate.
In the morning, there was complimentary breakfast. We had never seen a pancake machine before. It was mesmerizing.
They had a nice spread. I would recommend staying here if you are in the area. It was kind of interesting that the hotel is adjacent to an American Indian casino and across from an American Indian community center.
We were fueled up and rested for the next leg of our journey!
Jedediah Smith State Park
The land which includes the Coastal Redwoods in Northern California is a confusing overlap of various state parks and Redwood National Park. We drove through the Avenue of the Giants, and through what seemed like endless twists and turns.
The kids were pretty content in the car, although at one point, they did think that we were just going in circles because all of the trees and signs looked the same. I am also pretty sure they are not prone to car sickness like me, as they were able to read and do other activities, no problem.
Before we left, k wrote out this schedule for the car, which cracked me up! I like #1!!
Also important: “Fit snacks wherever”!
We drove through Eureka, to Aracata, and stopped at Hole in the Wall Sandwiches.
The Brio French bread was good, and the sandwiches were quite large. We split a roast beef and a pastrami.
Next we stopped in at the Visitor Center, watched a short video and picked up the junior ranger booklets.
We then drove past Crescent City and paid for parking at Jedediah State Park.
We were thinking that we might camp there, but since rain was in the forecast, we held onto our hotel reservation instead.
The hike along Smith River was beautiful, although a bit confusing.
We consulted the signage, but the trail seemed to dead end!
Tree Huggers
The Smith River is such a pretty color.
Wherever there is a river and rocks, rock skipping is sure to ensue.
Look at how small our CX-5 appears next to the Redwoods!
Teton Village/Jackson Hole
n was so tired after our hike he fell asleep with food in his mouth. Guess who took it out with her fingers while trying not to wake him up to ensure that he did not choke? #MomLife.
We tried to check into The Hostel in Teton Village, but it was too early.
The kids killed some time by playing with the horseshoe pit.
We had a private room with four twin beds, including one bunk. Although it was nothing fancy, it was nice to take a hot shower after two nights of camping.
Afterward we rode the gondola, which offers free rides in the evenings during summer.
The Deck is a popular dining destination. We skipped it, but had some of the free ice water. Hehe.
On the way down, we watched some mountain bikers on the course.
Next we took a short walk to dinner, and passed some animals along the way…
After eating too many sandwiches and bad Xanterra food, Teton Thai was a welcome treat!
Too bad that I believe we left n’s beloved Captain America sweatshirt there.
After dinner, we took a stroll around Jackson Hole.
Unfortunately, this was the closest we got to a moose sighting.
The kids let off some steam at the upscale playground. It will be a sad day when they are not interested in playgrounds anymore.
We let the kids have Jolly Rancher popsicles. Only on vacation!
Next we went to the basement of The Hostel and played several rounds of ping pong.
This was the kids’ first time playing ping pong, and they did not want to stop. It must be their Chinese side. 
Grand Tetons
Goodbye Yellowstone…Hello Grand Tetons!
I love how the mountains appear to just sit on the water.
We saw this book in all of the visitor centers, and the kids laughed every time!
Our first stop in Grand Tetons was Colter Bay Village. We walked part of the Lakeshore Trail.
Rock-throwing ensued.
I really wish we had stopped the car to get a better shot from this vantage point!
Next, we took a boat shuttle from the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. It only took about ten minutes.
After we disembarked from the boat, we hiked to Inspiration Point. This was a real hike, as opposed to the strolls along the boardwalks of Yellowstone. The incline up the mountain was pretty constant, and quite challenging!
We made it!!
Amazingly, n did not complain and claimed that he was not tired. k claimed she had about “10% battery life left”, but she did well overall too. I probably complained the most!
We bought a round trip boat ticket. It was refreshing when the driver maneuvered the boat so that we were sprayed with water from the lake after our hot hike.
Yellowstone: Grant Village
For our last night in Yellowstone, we stayed at the Grant Village campground. When we checked in, the ranger told us there was a bear in the campground, but thankfully, we never encountered it.
After setting up camp, we went to the Visitors Center. We listened to talk about bear safety.
There was a small audience, so D ended up having to volunteer to play the bear.
For dinner, we ate at the Lakehouse restaurant. Let’s just say that the food here is a travesty.
The view was nice, though.
We tried the grill, and ended up with these pale, undercooked fries. Xanterra, you need to step up your game!
Still unsatisfied, we ended up buying huckleberry yogurt and apple slices at the general store and eating some more of our stash of cup o’noodles. I was excited to see that there were actual huckleberries listed as one of the ingredients this time!
Yellowstone: West Thumb
West Thumb is known as moose territory, so we were keeping our fingers crossed for a sighting. We didn’t come across any, but we did see numerous elk.
Again, such gorgeous scenery!
Yay—a picture with all four of us! We saw tons of people with selfie sticks. D received one at work just a week after we returned from our vacation. It would have come in handy, although I would have felt really silly.
The guidebooks I read did not really seem to hype up the West Thumb area, so my expectations were not too high. However, it definitely ended up being one of the highlights!
Yellowstone: Old Faithful
The parking lot for Old Faithful is massive. We were not sure where we should go, but then we saw a large crowd, and Old Faithful was erupting right as we arrived!
Afterward we went to the Visitor Center.
The kids earned their Junior Ranger Badges. There is a different badge for each age category.
The next eruption was due at 12:02 so we had a little time to kill. (We wanted to see it again, from the beginning.) We watched the movie in the visitor center theater.
D graciously offered to buy us sandwiches at the General Store while the kids and I saved our viewing spot. There are benches all around Old Faithful, and there are no bad seats!
The eruption starts off slow…It really is amazing how accurate its timing is.
Massage time.
D offered some comedic relief to everyone around us by counting down from ten seconds at the predicted time, and adding, “3 and a half…3…2 and a half…” etc. when there was still no eruption.
But, about five minutes after the predicted time, Old Faithful did her thing.
Won’t that be a sad day if/when Old Faithful stops being so faithful?
Afterward, we walked along the boardwalk to see the neighboring sights.
Our next stop was the Old Faithful Lodge, where we sampled Huckleberry and Mango ice cream.
The double scoop was quite large, more like four scoops, which all four of us shared. The family in front of me ordered six double scoops, one for each member in their family, which included small children. Is that normal, or are we the weird ones?
The second story of the lodge had a nice seating area, and provided us with some much-needed shady respite.
Yellowstone: Gibbon Falls; Lower Geyser Basin; Midway Geyser Basin
The overnight low was in the high 30’s, but we had enough blankets, sleeping bags and clothing to keep warm. We packed up our campsite since we had another reservation in a different part of the park the next day. After eating our oatmeal, fruit and granola bars, we drove to Gibbon Falls. It was nice to be pretty close to the waterfall without hiking!
Our next stop was Lower Geyser Basin, along Firehole Lake Drive, which we could see off to the distance during our drive.
Next on the itinerary was Midway Geyser Basin. Before the trip, I downloaded a Yellowstone app on my phone. We listened to a brief overview of the sights we were going to see along the way. I thought it was well worth $3. (There are much more extensive and expensive audio tours available for rent, but given our kids’ short attention span, the app was the way to go for us).
I was really excited to see the Grand Prismatic Spring.
The light blue steam was so cool, especially in contrast to the orange basin.
Up next: Old Faithful!