On our first weekend we took Binyamin to his first car show at Three Forks, MT. It wasn't too big of a show and unfortunately he doesn't remember it since he slept through it all. Apparently bright shinny objects didn't appeal to him. Once we got done seeing all the neat cars, we took a short drive to the Lewis & Clark Caverns where we entered as far as the visitor center and decided to leave the adventure for another day. Instead it was unanimously decided to head east towards North Dakota because we were bored. Actually, since the family farm has been in the process of being sold, we thought it would be great to visit and enjoy Traci's mom stopping grounds. During our stay there, we visited the old Fort Union Trading Post and at the same time set foot into North Dakota. We also had a chance to visit the Richey Historical Museum which has collected a huge amount of items from various donors that have lived in the area. There were even several items from Traci's grandparents, pretty neat.
Upon returning to Bozeman, we enjoyed our days by being lazy and seeing a few sights around Gallatin County. On our second weekend we visited West Yellowstone for the annual car show and took Binyamin to his first National Park visit at Yellowstone while celebrating his 1 month Birthday. We caught up with Traci's uncle Alden near Lake Village then caravan to Isa Lake, the neatest place on the continental divide.
I had to drive back to Walla Walla the following week due to work, so I spent my first 3 days without seeing Binyamin. That Friday on August 9, I saw Binyamin smile at me for first time as we greeted each other. Or was it that I looked funny that morning from the lack of sleep? Whatever the case may be, he smiled when he saw me which was the neatest thing ever... and I have seen plenty of neat things in my life time.
It's been pretty nice for Traci's folks to live close to Yellowstone National Park. The ability to drive there for the afternoon and head back home to Bozeman is something I am quite jealous of. Which is the reason why we generally make several trips there during our stay in Montana. On our third and last weekend, we visited the northern part of Yellowstone by entering through Gardiner and exit the park through Cody, Mt. and then towards Red Lodge. The Beartooth Highway wiggles it's way along Beartooth pass and it's one of the most scenic drives I've ever experience. It reaches an elevation of almost 11,000 feet and well above the tree line, so we could see for miles. I highly recommend this drive.
After spending 3 weekends in Montana we headed back home and stopped acting like we don't have responsibilities. Our trip back to Walla Walla was relatively quick with a few pit stops and Binyamin slept most of the way. We wanted to take the back road home by Spangle and Colfax but it turns out that we missed our exit at Spokane so we took the following exit. As we zig zagged our way back towards highway 195 we came to a halt as a large moose decided it wasn't going to look both way before crossing the street. Aah... Wild America. It's exciting to get lost. We ended up enjoying a very pretty sunset on our way back home as we crossed the snake river.
Switching Topics: While Ben was 1 week old, we traveled to Pendleton with Traci's folks to see where her great grandparents had lived. That means he had traveled to two states. Our Trip to Montana included driving through Idaho, of course Montana and barely setting foot into North Dakota. Yellowstone is in Wyoming so with counting the state of Washington, That means he had seen 6 states by the time was 6 weeks old. It's great. Traveling with a child: No excuses, just results.
Josue , Tracy and little Ben!
ReplyDeleteLove to read about your travels and adventures, getting lost and dealing with wild animals :) I laugh when I read, cause I imagine myself been there and listening to your stories.
Great pictures, and your baby is perfect, xoxo for the baby and hugs for the parents! Love you guys!
Next time make plans to come to Colorado!
your cousin... Jackie