sabbatical :: july

In early July we said a teary good-bye to HoneyRock (northern Wisconsin) and embarked on a three-week drive westward.

Here are some of the highlights.  (I'd love to show you about 3000 more pictures, and I know you'd love to see them if you just had time, but...)


The Badlands in South Dakota.  Isaiah loved this place.  Something like 85% of the dinosaur bones found the the US were found here.  But we didn't find any.

In Wyoming we refreshed ourselves in the beautiful, ice-cold, and best-named-creek in the country: Crazy Woman Creek.  

No sight of the crazy woman.  

We reached Yellowstone National Park where we camped for 4 or 5 days.  The "park" was massive and breath-taking.  These shots are of Yellowstone River.  

Carm and the big kids getting soaked by the Pink Cone geyser.  

We ate, slept, and escaped from wildly aggressive mosquitos here.

 

We spent a wonderful afternoon swimming in the Fire Hole River - still in Yellowstone.  Then we made peanut better sandwiches and laughed while Matthias identified each passing vehicle: "Bi-eek"(motorcycle),  "Broom- Broom" (car), (lower voice) "Biiiig Broom-Broom...Whoa!" (truck/motorhome).

It's the simple memories of times like these that we cherish the most.

 Here's Matthy in Montana.

One of my favorite moments of the whole summer was driving through South-Eastern Montana, in the early morning, along the Madison River which was just full of fly fishermen.  I wish I could have captured it with a picture.  It was such a wide and expansive scene.

Carmen in Bandon, OR.

Best camping spot: Cape Blanco, OR.

The kids loved the road trip.  But they really missed their friends and cousins.  They were excited to join the annual Oates family Beach Week in Santa Cruz at month's end.










[Next: August in Nicaragua!]