Now that we've been home for two weeks, I thought I'd poll the family for their reviews of our vacation...
What was your favorite national park/monument/historic site?
M: Yellowstone National Park, because of all of the wildlife
R: Arches National Park, for the rock formations and hiking
J: It's too hard to pick!
Me: Yellowstone National Park, awesome thermal features and wildlife
Where would you like to visit again?
Me: Bryce Canyon National Park - we didn't get to hike down to the hoodoos this time
R: Grand Teton National Park - it was relaxing
J: Buffalo Bill Historical Center - the firearms museum was cool!
M: Mount Rushmore - so many souvenirs!
Where do you NOT want to go back to again?
J: The dining room at Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone
M / R: Effigy Mounds - at least in the summertime... it was hot and humid, and the mosquitos were terrible
Me: The road construction between Beloit, WI and Elgin, IL on I-90
Which place did you find to be surprisingly or unexpectedly interesting?
R: Pipestone National Monument and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
A: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site - I had no idea that there were so many silos in the Great Plains, some of them a stone's throw from I-90.
Boys: SPAM Museum
Which Jr. Ranger booklet was the hardest to finish? Easiest? Coolest looking badge/patch?
Boys: Hardest - Yellowstone; easiest - Minuteman Missile; coolest - Mount Rushmore
Which ranger program did you enjoy?
M: Fiery Furnace guided hike in Arches National Park
J: Astronomy ranger talk at Bryce Canyon National Park
R / Me: Historic Lantern Tour at Jewel Cave National Monument
Of the animals that we saw, which one was your favorite?
J: Bison, especially the calf that kept hitting its mother with its head so that it could keep nursing
R: The lone bison we saw along the Snake River, the beaver in the Yellowstone River, and seeing the eagle snatch a fish out of the Firehole River
M: Bison
Me: Bison, the grizzly bear in Yellowstone, and prairie dogs
Where was the best place we ate?
M: Steak 'n Shake
J: Bobo's in Topeka, KS and Angie's in Logan, UT
R: Ribeye steak at Ruby's Inn, Bryce Canyon, UT
Me: Biscuits and gravy at Angie's and prime rib at Ruby's Inn
Who had the best ice cream?
J: Lappert's in Las Vegas, NV
M: Oberweis Dairy in Lincolnwood, IL
Me: The general store in Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone
R: Gelato from Moab Brewery in Moab, UT
Where was the best hotel we stayed in? Worst?
Me: Best - Old Faithful Inn (Yellowstone); worst - Frisco, CO (not that bad, just not as good as the others; needed renovation)
R: Best - Aarchway Inn (Moab, UT); worst - Frisco, CO
M: Best - Old Faithful Inn; worst - Frisco, CO (the pool was freezing!)
J: Best - Fairfield Inn Gillette, WY (indoor water park); worst - Old Faithful Inn (no bathroom, no TV, no wi-fi, bad restaurant)
What was the most memorable moment?
Boys: The tour-ons (tourist morons) who almost got gored by the bison at Old Faithful
Me: Flash flood in Capitol Reef National Park
R: The evening lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore National Memorial
What is one thing you learned?
M: Packrats preserve what they collect in their middens by peeing on it.
J: Mount Rushmore was never completed, according to the original sculptor's design.
R: Bryce Canyon isn't really a "canyon" because it wasn't formed by water (glacier or river).
Me: You can estimate the temperature of a hot spring/pool based on the color of the thermophiles living in it.
What was your favorite thing we did?
J: The hike to Hidden Falls in Grand Teton National Park
M: Fiery Furnace hike in Arches National Park
R: Fiery Furnace, and trying to spot wildlife in Yellowstone
Me: Wild & Scenic Float Trip down the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park
3 comments:
I want to go on the next Saiki-Delic roadtrip!!! *drool*
Matthew and Jonathan both thought the SPAM Museum was surprising and unexpectedly interesting. Did they eat SPAM before the trip, and if not, do they eat it now? SPAM musubi rocks!
Already thinking about the next one, Mike! You are always welcome to tag along!
Left this comment on my FB link in reply to yours... They hadn't tried SPAM before, but liked the free samples at the museum. Matthew found a recipe there for mac n cheese with SPAM, so he's willing to try that. Still working on getting them to try SPAM musubi -- maybe when we're back in Vegas next month.
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