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.