Adventures in Yellowstone

Sometimes, Nature calls. No, not in that way. I mean, sometimes my skin starts to long for the sun, my muscles ache to move and my spirit needs some beautiful refreshment. Memorial Day Weekend was one of those times that I simply could not bear the thought of spending time inside my house at all. After some deliberation and calculating, the four adventurers, Hailey, Dana, Susan, and I decided to make our way to Yellowstone. The deciding factor for these very (non)outdoorsy girls was the fact that Hailey's parents have a cabin up there, and it was free.

After hours in the car with luckily no traffic (!) we arrived at this beautiful cabin by Henry's Lake in Idaho, just 10 short miles from Yellowstone. Our timing really was impeccable the entire weekend-- we somehow had a knack for always arriving just in time for food (these are girls after my own heart-- we LOVE food!). By the way, hailey's parents are super nice and sooo kind for letting three strange girls come with their daughter to crash their family weekend. The best part is, Hailey has a cousin named Merlin! Shoot, i didn't get a picture of him, but he is a killer 4 year old.

To see pictures of our Yellowstone adventures, go here:http://flickr.com/photos/8288091@N02/
In summary-- mangy bison, moose, dead elk, beautiful hiking, and hotsprings which were denied to us. All in all, a lovely time.

I'll post the theme song for the trip "The Outdoor Type" by the Lemonheads once I figure out how to do that.

Sunday morning we all (except for the heathen ;) attended church in a log church building with 1200 other people, and then managed to be incredibly productive reading, napping, and just looking at the beautiful lake right off of the back porch. You know, there is something so incredible about being somewhere totally quiet and beautiful and in nature. It makes me feel so peaceful What on earth am i going to do when i go to New York and can't escape as easily? Anyway, we decided to finally motivate ourselves to take a leisurely hike along the lake and had a lovely time leaping over sagebrush. I saw a fallen tree propped up just so-- ideal for a sitting-spot. So we climbed it and horsed around a bit, and then decided to go back to the cabin. Susan down safely. Dana down safely. Suvi down safely. Hailey... well, Hailey just went down. Onto her elbow. With a pop. Luckily, she is a very brave girl, and we had our wits about us enough to flag down a passing boat to take her and Susan (voted most useful in outdoor emergencies) back to the cabin, and off to the ER. The diagnosis-- a dislocated elbow, possible fracture not broken at least. She has a wicked bruise and super swollen arm. What a tough chick.

So, needless to say, we were glad Monday driving home was rather uneventful, with a relaxing soak in Lava Hot Springs. they were hot and springy, but no lava.