I am finally getting around to blogging the end of our RV trip! We traveled out of Yellowstone and went into Grand Teton National Park, only we didn't really ever realize that we were in the national park, so we really kind of flew by it and missed it. Not really, I mean you couldn't miss beautiful mountains like these:
I just mean we were all the way through the park before we realized we were in it, and we were in Jackson where there weren't really any picnic areas or anything. Todd stopped to buy me a christmas ornament at one of the stores, and we ate lunch. We were planning on camping overnight, but the RV had started to leak transmission fluid pretty heavily, and we decided to try to make it back to my sisters just in case we had to get it fixed before we could go home. We needed to be home by Monday so the girls wouldn't miss their registration for Highland Jr. High. We made it to just outside Logan, Utah when the RV completely gave out on us! Todd got out to look at the transmission, and there was just this huge puddle where it had leaked out all over the place. There was none left! So here we are, stranded on the side of the road, with 10 kids and no cell phone service--of course. Todd said a few choice words, then I started to pray--and within a few minutes a highway patrol officer stopped to offer assistance. We were so grateful to see him (although we were trying to keep the kids from coming out so he didn't see how many people we had packed into this RV with 4 seatbelts!). He called my sister, who was just grateful we were alive when the dispatcher called her--she thought we had an accident or something! She brought us some transmission fluid, and we were able to get it into town to a trucking shop to get looked at. When Todd and I finally got to Wendy's house, it was almost midnight! The people told us that they wouldn't be able to get to the RV until Monday to look at it--so we were pretty much stuck!
We decided to rent a car so we could get home for registration--since the girls were starting a new school, we would feel bad if they missed it--so we got on our way on Sunday morning and made the LONG drive back--13 hours! Ugh... They wouldn't do a one-way rental either, so Todd and I left on Tuesday morning to go and pick up the RV and bring it home--13 more hours Ugghh! We turned right around that night and drove a few hours so that we could be back on Wednesday, which was Emie and Erin's open house at the school. The RV worked great--thank goodness, but it was even slower going on the way back--15 hours. UUGH! If I never drive to Utah again it will be TOO SOON! What a terrible drive--although I have to tell you it was MUCH better with no kids! :) All in all, I would say that traveling in the motorhome was a great way to travel, we are already thinking about doing it again next year--we are just praying that it will make it with no problems! It was a very fun trip though, and tons of memories for my kids and their cousins! We had a blast!
This was the Whirlygig geyser--
This big guy was in our campground when we got there--just one space over. My kids had a hard time with the advice to stay away! They wanted to go and pet him!
My girls slept in a tent that night--I worried about them all night because it was FREEZING! I kept waking up, and wondering if I should go out and get them. In fact several kids who were in the RV were cold and woke up that night. It got below 30 degrees! When we got up in the morning I asked the girls if they were cold and they were like--NO--we had to take off our jackets because we were sweating! I guess I could've slept easier!...
We picked up Shelly's two kids in Montana--if we can handle 8 then why not 10 huh? Well, we quickly realized that we would have to have some guidelines when we were hiking--or someone was going to fall off a cliff! The falls were beautiful--but they didn't really have much of a barrier--only rocks that were about waist high. Well, the little kids wanted a better look--so they were climbing up on them, and Todd and I were freaking out! They just don't understand that you can actually DIE if you fall down a canyon! Then, we hiked to the bottom of the falls, and the older kids were messing around and pushing each other, and sliding down in the gravel for fun. I was yelling at them the whole time, not like we didn't look like a freak show anyway with all those kids! The hike back up was too funny, the kids were like running down--then when they actually had to hike back up they were all dying! When we got back to the RV I was like, "Okay--time for a little pow wow!" I told them that if they wanted to see the park on foot, and not from the motorhome window they were gonna have to follow some simple rules. We paired them up, older kids with the younger ones, and they did great the rest of the time! We also hiked Yellowstone Falls--and Artist Canyon, which were beautiful as well.
We were kinda disappointed that all we saw the first day was a lone buffalo, and a herd of elk in town. We see more wildlife than that in AZ! It was still fun. 
The kids haven't seen eachother in years, and really enjoyed getting to catch up. It was a little bit of a challenge at bedtime trying to fit everyone in that small space, (and then to actually sleep with all those people breathing and snoring) but that was sort of the fun of it! We all actually did sleep most of the night--and thank goodness no one got sick yet! 
