Noah's Creations

Today was heading home day. You think we just got breakfast and left? Nope. We had arrived so late we couldn’t go in the pool, which we did now. The pool was nice, had a way bigger hot tub then the other hotels, and included a wading pool.

After we left, we had to figure out what we’d get for lunch. Minneapolis came up fast, but we weren’t going to get through the nightmare traffic of that. We stopped at an A & W in a different city.

We all got root beers, except for Zoe, who protested she wanted chocolate milk. She got her milk, and a hot dog, and we all ate. One of our friends met up with us for a bit, since he was in Minneapolis, and chatted with us for a bit.

The drive was quick from here, only 3 hours. They went by quick, but Zoe wanted to play at Marathon Park (1 hour away from home) for 10 minutes. Yes, she got her wish. And we got home very soon after that.

Basically, when we arrived at home, we said hi to the cats, unpacked, and hung around. Given at one point today our fridge was totally empty, we used leftover PBJ stuff to make sandwiches for dinner.

We had dinner in front of the TV, watching the Simpsons, petting any passing cats. It had been a long 3 days of heading home, so now we could relax, stretch out, and enjoy being home.

Today, if you read yesterday’s blog, is the day the twist comes in. We woke up, had breakfast, and left for St. Cloud, MN. This was segment 2/3 (+ twist).

We wanted to drive on the Enchanted Highway, a road that has some stops with gigantic metal sculptures dotting the pathway. This was also my first Ingress mission

I started the mission once we arrived at stop #1: Giant Deer Replica. Here we took a family picture, we kids went through a cattle gate maze, and I made my first stop of many on the mission.

The next stop, a couple kilometers away, was giant grasshoppers and giant cattails. We took a pic, looked for a geocache (and failed), and I aborted my first Ingress mission.

Here’s how it happened: (Nice fact: The cattails had giant, sharp, metal prongs). 1 – A cattail had previously bent downwards, prongs almost parallel with the ground. 2 – Zoe was walking around, not looking where she was going. 3 – All of a sudden (B saw what happened, or at least claims he did), Zoe was on the ground, crying, with blood on her face.

I’ve never been to an ER before, and I think it’s for the best. Even though Zoe’s cut had been cleaned, it was deep (whereas my knee had been just the skin came off). Of course I sat and waited, Z went in for stitches, I sat and waited. Pretty boring, sitting there. At least my sister wasn’t the character in my book, alone in the wild.

Daddy suggested we go to McDonald’s, despite no Zoe. We just pretend we drove around for a bit. At McDonald’s, Mommy texted a picture of her holding “Tigee” and crying, waiting for stitches.

We drove back to the hospital, waited a bit, and Zoe and Mommy came out. The stitches looked ok, but now Zoe was the queen of the car ride. We got Twizzlers and Starbursts for her, and B and I each got some Twizzlers.

We did not go back to the Enchanted Highway, and just kept driving to St. Cloud. We got iPads earlier than usual here, probably because of Zoe. Eventually we arrived at St. Cloud and, noticing the time was almost 11 p.m., went straight to bed.

 I awoke at around half past eight, so I changed earlier and went out to our table. Daddy was sitting there, next to a closed box of donuts. B and Z soon got up, and we all got breakfast. Yes, we also had donuts. Today was drive segment 1/3 for going home, Bozeman to Dickinson.

At the car, I had to sit in the middle, so Zoe and I got switched. This was done so B and Z could not fight constantly. Despite that, I easily got settled in, and the drive continued.

Nothing too memorable happened. We just drove, stopped at a restaurant, and got ou… oh… did we have lunch? All I (we) know is we had a late breakfast and may not have had lunch. And when did we get iPads? Writing from home has pros and cons. Pro: you know what happened, so preparing the readers for something is not difficult. The tough con: Who on Earth remembers the itty bitty details?

Following the Pro: there is a huge twist thrown in on Segment 2/3 of going back home. But today is mostly like the day we get back. Well, same structure, different building blocks.

You caught on? If you didn’t, you know I’m just filling up today because I don’t remember a lot. If you like twists, read tomorrow’s record. If you want to.

We arrived in Dickinson not too late, having dinner (microwave macaroni and cheese) and watching tv (Garfield). The room had a full kitchen, with an oven (!!!), and a nice little table, all in view of a tv surrounded by furniture.

Sooner or later we went to the pool, played with toy footballs (not used in this manner before), and went up to bed. Today B and I had a regular bed, not a pullout, which Zoe got. I read comics and did some mazes until the time yelled at me “It’s ten! Go to bed!” I listened to it and was soon asleep.

 Today I woke up around 8, and once everybody was awake, we changed. At the hotel breakfast, I mostly ate the same as yesterday. After breakfast, we went back to our room and relaxed. Today we were going rafting down a river with our friends.

But soon we changed and got in the car. Very soon we arrived at our friends’ house. B, Z, and I played with Brayden and Dani while the adults packed. But soon we left for the river. We had to coordinate the vehicles, because otherwise we would get stuck.

Sooner or later we were all in the raft, and the ride was amazing. I started in the front, but we could move from one side to the other. Fortunately, we got in before a bus full of people and hauling a bunch of tubes could set sail.

Along the river we went, exchanging food and soda, taking turns at rowing the raft. The only challenge that distracted me was simultaneously pumping my arms. The hills stayed the same, covered in vegetation, even though the trees weren’t so alive.

Continuing rafting, we all finished taking turns and lunch was done. Mommy saw a rock with a “T for Treasure”. It ended up being a shadow (even though we actually stopped and checked it out), so we continued towards the landing, now visible.

At the landing we got out and played in the water while the vehicles were rounded up. Someone had built a nice dam, with a rush of water going nearby. I was able to go into these “rapids” and move a few big rocks, in an attempt to change the flow of water over them.

Sooner or later we left in our cars and went to Brayden and Dani’s house. There we arranged for who owns what, played for a bit, and took a picture. We drove back to our hotel and Brayden and Dani ate dinner and went to swimming lessons.

At the hotel we had hot dogs and pizza for dinner, then played in the pool. All of a sudden Mommy got a text. Brayden got a leech on his foot in swimming lessons. Later when he came at the pool I saw a bandage on his foot.
When he did come to the pool with Dani, we hung out for a while. We actually were in the pool so long Zoe got tired and left, B got tired and left, and our parents pulled us out at ten. Anyways, we said our goodbyes, Brayden and Dani left, and I soon went to bed along with B and Z.

Today we woke up at 8. We quickly got dressed and went to the hotel’s breakfast course. I had 2 bagels, a pancake, a yogurt, some sausage, and apple juice. After the overwhelming breakfast we got in the car to got to some museums.

The first museum was the computer and robots museum. There were multiple amazing exhibits, and a real Apple I. I saw some shows on quantum computing, stuff about the ENIAC, and a huge circular disc that stored only 8 megabytes. It was phenomenal, so we donated a $20 bill to keep this up and running.

The next museum was the Museum of the Rockies. There was a huge guitar exhibit, housing a world record-breaking electric guitar. Who here has seen a 43 ft. tall guitar? Probably not. Another exhibition was dinosaurs, with numerous fossils. After lunch we explored a historic house, and tried at some old games. Then we got stuff at the gift shop.

When we got back to the hotel we played in the pool for a while. At first it was just us, then more people came. They stayed for a little bit but left afterwards. All of a sudden it turned into B and Z (and me, partially) vs. Daddy. We tried catching him, and when he got defeated, we went into the hot tub for a bit, then went back to our hotel room. Daddy and I stayed in one of the hot tubs in the “courtyard” and soon came back to the room.

We stayed in the hotel for a bit, watching tv and relaxing. But today we were going to a cookout with some friends who live nearby. Sooner or later we hopped in the car.

The drive was quick, so it was only a couple minutes. When we got there we did our greetings and got down to business. While the adults were chatting and cooking, the four of us kids played laser tag infinity war for a little while. The game started out as teams, but it quickly switched to a free-for-all.

At dinner time we went inside and had hot dogs, corn on the cob, burgers, and soda. After that it started getting a bit late. But despite the time, we still played more laser tag, ghosts in the graveyard, and laser tag in the front yard. We eventually stopped because we were starting to lose interest.

We woke up around seven. Today we were driving to a hotel in Bozeman. I packed up my stuff while B and Z were watching tv, and I was easily packed up. Mommy spotted something across the river. It looked like the treasure chest, (Forest Fenn) in a drainpipe.

For timing, we were on the road before 9:30, but our first stop was that hill. It was right across from our cabin, but it took a little bit to get there. Oh, wait, scratch that. We went to a car wash first. It was the type where you have the sprayer and you spray off the car.

Mommy and Daddy suspected the treasure was nearby, so we went to there next. We actually drove around for a bit. Well, no, we did not go there. We just kept driving to Bozeman. ??? We kept going after a little while.

We stopped at Livingston for lunch, and played at a nearby playground. I pulled up my digital map and realized that it was half an hour until the hotel. This drive was only 1 and a half hours, Gardener to Bozeman.

To pass the remaining time, Mommy put on a play with Zoe’s stuffed animals. Wolf kept slipping on lotion. It seemed amusing, despite the lack of variety exposed by a simultaneously simple plot.

Soon, very soon indeed, we arrived in Bozeman. We parked at the C’mon Inn, a very large inn. There was a large central area, dotted with hot tubs surrounding a big waterfall. The pool was just as grand. It occupied most of a large room, with a breathtaking arrangement of floor to ceiling windows.

We stayed at the pool for a while, then went back to our room and showered. For dinner we had pizza, sausage and cheese. After that we settled in, watched tv, and hopped into bed.

I awoke around 7:30 today, and B woke up at around 8. This was surprisingly late, because we usually leave for our sightseeing stuff around 7. But when B went out to Mommy and Daddy, he returned with the iPads. Turns out we can have iPads for a little while.

So much for betting on a “little while”.  We got dressed at 1 PM. (What the…). My request for visiting the Old Faithful geyser has been approved. It took a while to get there, but it was worth it.

At the site of Old Faithful, we steered around tourist crowds, got ice cream, and sat down to see Old Faithful erupt. The eruption was amazing. Boiling water shot up to 100 feet in the air.

Water paraded out of the geyser, blasting up simultaneously. The crowds watching it had stretched far to each side. Water kept coming, for about ten minutes. The view was definitely worth it.

After the eruption, the time was 5 PM mountain time. We went to an outdoor restaurant and had dinner. We had foot-long hot hot dogs and piles of fries. Sooner or later we went back to the cabin and went to bed.

Welcome to Week 2!!!

We woke up before 7 AM, had a quick breakfast, and hopped in the car. It takes an hour and a half to drive to the hot springs, so we didn’t want to arrive at a full parking lot. From Mommy and Daddy (identified as the car fairy for Braden and Zoe) I got a word search book, B got a Maze book, and Zoe got some Shimmer and Shine stuff.

The drive continued, and we stopped to take a picture by the Yellowstone Arch, saw some baby antelope, and looked at passing hot springs. There were some bison along the road.

Finally we arrived to a parking space near the hot springs, and got out. We applied bug spray and started hiking in the direction of the springs. They were nearby, but required a bit of walking to get there.

The hot springs were amazing. There was trickling water, colored springs, and steam everywhere. I took plenty of good pictures. Don’t think the walkway wasn’t crowded. There were tourists everywhere.

Aside from crowds of tourists, we got to see some hats that have blown into the hot water. We usually do this “hat hunt” just for fun. Some park rangers were on the walkway, picking up trash.

After the hot springs we drove to an observation deck to see the hot springs from a distance. The trail was wide, but a tad bit steep. The observation deck was glorious, so we took a family photo there. The hike down was fun for me, but only for a few seconds.

I was just jogging down the slope when all of a sudden…WHAM!!!!! Oh wait, my mistake. WHAMM!!!!!!!! Much better. My knee had gotten badly injured (again). I’ve had 3 other knee-related injuries that I remember, and know I’ve had 2 injuries per knee so far.

The wound hurt like a nightmare. But I still could walk. The only thing that made me feel better was Mommy talking about horrendously extreme injuries from her childhood. Soon we arrived at our car and the dramatically painful wound had been cleaned and bandaged. The only reason it hurt (on a smaller scale of course) was because it was on my knee, so the bandage had to become flexible.

Sooner or later we approached a lunch stop at a nearby campground. We had the usual sandwiches and used the restrooms. We drove to look for ice cream afterwards.

We stopped at Yellowstone General Stores for ice cream. I got a root beer float with vanilla ice cream, Daddy got a huckleberry float, B got a root beer float with peach ice cream, Zoe got a double scoop mint sundae, and Mommy got a scoop of Moose Tracks.

After we enjoyed our treat, we set off for more hot springs. These springs were even more beautiful than the others. There were pools and pools of boiling colored water. We hiked around the walkways, gazing at these wonderful waters.

Soon we arrived at the car. We started driving to the cabin, with numerous sightseeing stops along the way. We got back to the cabin, had Macaroni and cheese for dinner, and settled in for the night.

We woke up at around eight o’clock. We went into the living room and started watching tv. Daddy soon came out and said we could have breakfast. We got some food and ate.

Our goal today is to take a hike in the Petrified Forest. We got dressed and went outside. In the car we had our car fairy gifts. We hopped in the car and started driving to the Petrified Forest.

We went to get bear spray because we didn’t have any, and then kept driving to the Petrified Forest. On the way there we saw the Devil’s Slide, a steep rock formation that was red.

We arrived at the trailhead, talked to some people about bears, used the restrooms, and started hiking. The trail was haphazardly steep and curvy. It continued into the Petrified Forest. We had to take caution as the trail got drier, crumblier, and rockier.

There were some small caves and big overhangs dotting the trail as we climbed around a big rock. We climbed to a big overhang and sat down to rest. The interpretive trail was 2 miles, and (hopefully) we were near the end of the trail and were going to hike down.

This paragraph is informative, so if you know about the billionaire Forrest Fenn, you can skip to the next paragraph. Forrest Fenn, a 70-year old billionaire who had cancer, hid a small treasure chest full of gold nuggets and jewelry in the Rocky Mountains. The only clue he offered was a poem containing nine or ten hidden clues. The way Mommy and Daddy deciphered it led us here.

Daddy went to peek in a few caves, out of curiosity and to look for the chest. We sat around the bottom of the overhang, and some other friendly hikers told us that around the corner the trail had completely washed away. Thanks for the tip, that probably saved our lives. Looks like the trail ends here.

We really had to take extreme caution as we descended the constantly switching trail. Lots of painstakingly small turns and dry, crumbly rocks. Finally the trail evened out more reasonably flat. We could walk straight instead of walking sideways, and we focused more on getting back then taking too much caution.

There was a dried out creek bed, so we could collect some petrified wood. We could only collect 20 cubic centimeters a calendar year, but that was fine by my standards. We collected a couple pieces of the wood and headed back to the trailhead.

We approached a family who was asking about the hike, and we realized it was past 2! We had been gone about 3 hours! We also totally missed lunch, but for a good reason. The drive started back to the cabin.

When we arrived at the cabin, we had an evening of relaxing and a dinner of hot dogs and couscous. I read Mommy’s and Daddy’s blog. I learned that one of the reasons they went to the petrified forest was to look for the treasure. It said from the blog “We convinced the kids that collecting petrified wood would be cool”. Collecting the wood was cool, but I didn’t expect something of this scale from that.

I showered and hopped into bed. B was exhausted and acting tired, so Daddy had to sleep with him, and I went to Mommy’s and Daddy’s bedroom to read a bit. I soon came back to bed and fell asleep.

   This morning we all woke up around 7. We all changed reasonably fast, but we were going to get the hotel’s breakfast course, so that wasn’t unexpected. Daddy, Braden, and Zoe went down first, because I needed to trim my fingernails and Mommy needed to curl her hair.

The breakfast course was phenomenal. There were eggs, juices, waffles, yogurts, and other breakfast delicacies. I got a mini cinnamon bun, apple slices, a yogurt, and some apple juice. After we were done eating we went back to our room and started packing up. This drive was going to be a little shorter then yesterday’s; almost a whole hour shorter.

We hopped in the car and headed for our cabin in Northern Yellowstone National Park. We stopped at a few sightseeing places along the way, and we stopped for lunch in Grand Teton National Park. Along the way we also saw wildlife such as baby antelopes.

We neared the entrance of Yellowstone, but there was a huge line. After the line we were able to use the restrooms, apply bug spray (for mosquitoes), and see Jackson Lake. There were mountains everywhere. We hopped back in the car and continued.

After my iPad was close to dying, we approached a sign telling us that our cabin was 26 miles away. This meant our 5 and a half hour drive (lengthened to about 6 hours) was coming to an end. We would stay 3 nights at the cabin and keep on going to Bozeman, MT.

Apparently, the drive was not going to end so soon. We hit a construction area that we had to wait in for about 20 minutes. Once we got out, we only kept going for about five more minutes until traffic slowed. We didn’t stop, we just slowed to a different pace.

Sooner or later we arrived at the cabin. We quickly unloaded the car and settled in. We had pizza for dinner, watched tv for a bit, and turned in for the night. Finally we had arrived at the cabin, ready for tomorrow.