Sunday, July 11, 2010

Yellowstone and Idaho!

I went on a sweet roadtrip with my roommates and friends to Yellowstone! We arrived around 11PM and realized that all of the campgrounds were full. The hotel prices were outrageously expensive so eventually we decided to pull off to the side of the road and pitch our tent on the asphalt (Afriendly sign said we would be fined $500 if we slept on the grass). My roommate began blowing up his nice little air mattress while I jealously look on in envy. Next, there began to be 'tornado like' winds collapsing the tent on top of us! My roommate and I exploded in laughter because of the adventurous night we were experiencing. Then, it started raining on us. By this time it was about 1 or 2 AM. We attempted to put on the rain fly, but some of the straps were broken, which only covered half of the tent. It was memorable, to say the least!  
On top of a little mountain overlooking Yellowstone Lake. 
The Grand Prismatic Basin.
Something? cascades.
What's a Yellowstone trip without seeing Old Faithful?!
Brandon, Erin, Megan, and me! (Not Pictured: Eric)
This had to be at least 40 feet off the ground! Maybe 50, okay, maybe only 3 feet, but still...we acted pretty brave and proud of ourselves for balancing on this log!
After hanging out in Yellowstone for a day or so, we journeyed to Idaho Falls. There, we enjoyed the most amazing fireworks I have ever seen. We met Bryce Hurst and his family at a Jack in the Box! The Hurst family will go down in the Book of Life as the nicest family EVER! I got to eat the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger! Random tangential thought; this burger brought back tons of memories of meeting up with my dad in Payson, AZ every other weekend growing up as a kid! It is so greasy, big, delicious and unhealthy, but ultimately amazing!  That was the thought... Anyway, Bryce and Brandon (my roommate) knew each other from their mission.
So, obviously this picture didn't quite capture the quality of the firework show we saw. It is the best firework show known to man!
The Hurst family was extremely kind and hospitable! They let us stay at their home for a couple of days. They fed us steak and potatoes( of course), and pancakes with the most delicious buttermilk syrup. We also roasted mallows and made s'mores. "Wanna s'more? How can I have more of something, if I haven't had anything yet....You're killing me smalls!" Anyway, I felt obligated to randomly interject a Sandlot quote, just for the love of the game! They also let us ride their horses!
This was a fantastic road trip. I was able to make some great friends, see some cool sites, and thoroughly enjoy Independence Day weekend. I'll forever cherish my new Idaho friends!