Day 19 Homeward Bound

Friday, July 14

As we were leaving Big Mountain this morning, it was evident preparations were underway for a weekend festival. They don't have Best Pots there, but we met a truck bringing in some "PeeWees".


We drove a little over 700 miles in our dented car today, and not one kid complained about being in the car so long. I was concerned that the Camry might be too small and cramped for such a long trip, but Will was the only one who felt it. Fortunately, he has no tolerance for wimps, whiners and crybabies, so I didn't know how uncomfortable he has been until today when he said he wouldn't take a long trip again in a car that was too small for him. After all this time, we know that Eric and Will do not fit well on the same seat in a restaurant booth, and they also should not sit directly across from each other due to competition for foot room.

It is wonderful thing to be back in the Pacific Northwest. The flowers here are bigger and more beautiful, and the public toilets are equipped with paper seat protectors. I was shocked as we traveled to find these were non-existent in the other states. The national parks, Washington and Oregon were the only places where these could be found. I am truly blessed to live in such a civilized state.

As we shared our last meal out before arriving home, I asked everyone what their favorite part of the trip was. Eric and Nick really liked Bear Country, and Nick especially enjoyed the zip line and Will's part in the auction at the reunion. Will said he like leaving and coming back. They forgot to ask me my favorite part, but I told them anyway. Staying with my Aunt Jeannine and Uncle Lester and hearing their stories, and being with Aunt Lela and Uncle Gary were highlights for me. And how could I forget Uncle Kenny and his fabulous wood creations and historic photos. Eric and Nick spent the night at my cousin Sharon's when we were at Jeannine's. She also has three boys, with only one left at home. Eric said she and her family were "more hospitable than you can imagine", telling them to help themselves to drinks and make themselves at home, showing them all their video game systems and letting them play as late as they wished.

We pulled in our driveway about 10:15 p.m., having travelled a record breaking 705 miles in one day. Our trip meter read 5,075. Michael and Terri were out in front of their house and they all came out to greet us,so we got to see them and Brittany, Shorty and Jeremy right away. Eric had no time for pleasantries with them, he had to unload and head out to see his friends. Since he has been growing his beard the past three weeks, Molly really needed to see it. She approved.

I discovered Eric had a picture that should have been shared, so I leave you with one of my funniest memories of this trip. But my window is still smudgy!

Our kids probably, actually for sure, saw more mountains than they ever wanted to see, but I hope they remember all the good times we had together. This road trip is over, but we will continue to travel on appreciating the beautiful world God has created, laughing easily at all the funny things that come our way, and not whining about the discomforts we encounter!

Day 18 Glacier National Park

Thursday, July 13

After breakfasting in the dining room here overlooking the valley far below, we drove down the mountain to Glacier National Park. It was a beautiful day, but many fluffy clouds overhead. Since we were planning to take a cruise on McDonald Lake, Will was concerned for my well being since I had forgotten to pack a jacket of any kind. We stopped in Whitefish and went into a likely looking store. I was appalled to see price tags of over $100 on the first several racks of jackets. But I soon found the clearance rack. I found a lovely periwinkle blue fleece jacket for 70% off, a mere $21! I was quite pleased. As we walked back down the street to the car, we passed by a couple of old geezers sitting out in front of a saloon. Noticing Will’s hat, one of them said, “I’ve never seen a Mariner that big!” Another one said, “What’s this pretty little lady doing with all of you big ugly guys?” Will had a witty comeback, but what was it? I had opportunity to wear my new jacket as we cruised the lake. We met some very nice people from Wisconsin and enjoyed conversing with them. They took a picture of us, unfortunately with the burned area in the background. We enjoyed the awesome mountain views of Glacier and wished we had more time to spend there hiking. Someday we’ll return.

Eric has taken many pictures during the past several weeks, more than 700. His camera was set to bark when focused, and meow when the picture was taken. After hearing it so many times, I finally quit being startled. Today he changed it to a less noticable sound.

Subway had the family’s favorite sandwich on special today. We got some to go for dinner when we returned to Whitefish. We found a picnic spot halfway up the mountain on our way to our hotel and enjoyed the view of the lake below and the mountains beyond as we ate. We are in the same room tonight as last night, so are basking in the luxury of not having to move in and out of a room tonight. There are many comfortable seating areas in a loft above the main entrance, so Will and the boys are up there watching a DVD now.

Tomorrow we begin the journey home!

Day 17 Travelling

Wednesday, July 12

As we headed toward the north entrance of Yellowstone, we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs and walked around to see the sights. There was much climbing stairs involved in this trek. I made sure I was always behind Nick when descending stairs.
The rest of the day was a travel day as we made our way toward Glacier National Park, through Missoula, planning to stay in the Kalispell area. Road construction as well as heavy rain and winds slowed us down a bit. We enjoyed the views of the enormous Flat Head Lake as we drove through Polson and Lakeside. I had not been able to find any Montana guides that show motel listings, so we were not able to call ahead for lodging,

We are spontaneous travelers, not making lodging arrangements too far in advance in order to be free to see and do whatever we come across at the moment. Who would have thought that every motel in Kalispell would be booked? The first one said there was one motel with vacancy back in Lakeside, 10 miles or so. “We are a destination, and many people come during the week to avoid the weekend.” The clerk at the next one said there were not likely to be any rooms between Kalispell and Missoula, and of course there were no rooms available between Kalispell and Glacier. I refused to believe it. I picked up a motel guide and made a few calls in Kalispell. They all confirmed full. So I started calling in Whitefish, 17 miles farther toward Glacier. The first one listed was Alpenglow Inn. The cheerful woman who answered said yes, they had rooms available. The price came down as we chatted, I booked the room, and she told me it was seven miles off the main road up the mountain at a ski resort. Way better than a Super 8 or Motel 6!

We stopped for dinner at IHOP where we had an interesting dinner, a waiter who smiled so much Eric said they’d never let him work the grill at McDonalds (Eric’s preference) because they’d want him in front all the time, an incident with Will’s pocketknife disabling Nick’s annoying two straws hooked together to make one long straw, and a narrow avoidance of a collision between Will’s backside and a four-year-old running full speed to his table. To thank us for coming in, our waiter surprised us with a free dessert, apple pie with caramel sauce, which we shared. Delicious.

In Whitefish, we turned off on Big Mountain road which wove up through several switchbacks, ending up at the Big Mountain resort and our lodging. We had a wonderful view room with a queen and two bunkbeds, making the boys very happy because they still have been taking turns sleeping on the floor. The view from the restaurant deck overlooking the valley’s twinkling lights at night was awesome, although the height of the deck made certain people a little nervous. A woman brought her laptop to a table out there. I was tempted to do the same, but it was easier to do it in the room.

Day 16 Yellowstone National Park

Tuesday, July 11

After breakfast this morning, we walked around the Old Faithful geyser area and settled down on a bench to wait for the eruption predicted to start at 9:50, give or take 10 minutes. At 10:16, it finally erupted. Well worth the wait.

We drove down to Grand Teton National Park and had lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge. Absolutely gorgeous. We were entertained by eavesdropping on a conversation nearby between the waiter and diners. All the staff wear name badges that have their name and home state on them. If I were college age again, I think I would go work at a national park for a summer. But not as housekeeping staff.

So the day was spent pleasantly and uneventfully driving and walking around the beautiful sights of our national parks. We didn’t see as much wildlife today, but I get as excited about all the gorgeous varieties and abundance of wildflowers as most people do about wildlife.

More Eric and Will car talk: After conversing about past history of battles to take over someone else’s territory, from Napoleon to Indian wars, Eric said, “No one has tried to take over the world for a long time – since Hitler. Why is that?” Will replied, “Because the Sheriff won’t let me. I have a plan in place, starting with…” But I dare not divulge this confidential information. They discussed these plans and made some improvements on them.

We are staying at Canyon Lodge tonight. Another beautiful rustic room with log furniture. Here’s Eric relaxing with his guitar in front of our lodge (Dunraven).

Trip Day 15: Collision in Cody

Monday, July 10

Happy Birthday to my brother Mark. Are you really 51?

What a day. After the worst “complimentary” breakfast ever at a motel, (packaged pastries and muffins, orange juice and coffee), we prepared to depart. As Nick was going downstairs, he tripped. Fortunately for him, Will was in front of him and broke his fall as he plunged down the stairs. He dropped the laptop, but it seems to still work. He seems ok other than a sore back. After we got in the car, Will thought we should check and see if there is a National Registry for Oafs in Cody. Maybe if we got Nick signed up, we could get some free gifts and discounts in the membership package. Gracefulness is not one of Nick’s primary attributes right now.

My men allowed me a little time in a fabulous scrapbook store there in Cody while they went to some outdoor store. I have never been in a store with such an incredible array of paper, stickers and other supplies. That was worth the trip alone.

As we were headed out of town, we spotted a Wal-Mart, the first one we’d seen since Nebraska. Eric needed socks and guitar picks (no luck there) and Will wanted a Sudoku puzzle book and a compass for the dash of the car. So we made a quick stop. As we were about to pull onto the highway, there was a sudden crash behind us. A city bus had rear ended us. The damage was fairly minor, a dent to the bumper, but the driver had to call the police, and soon two policeman arrived, followed by a city supervisor, then a public works supervisor. About 45 minutes later after all the reports were filled out and pictures taken, we were on our way.

Eric and Nick had become bored with the proceedings and got permission to take a walk “to see what we can see” down the street in the direction we were heading. We drove a little way and didn’t spot them, so pulled over to call them. When Eric answered the phone, he said, “How did you know we were here?” I looked around. “Know you were where?” Then I saw them coming out of the Cody Fireworks store next to where we were parked. Should have known.

When we entered Yellowstone, we spent the first half hour driving slowly in road construction. But we saw six or seven bighorn sheep up the hill near the end of it. I exclaimed on our good fortune to see them so soon, Will remarked that they were tethered up there. We talked to a man later that day who said he’d been in the park looking for some for three days.

The rest of the day was pleasantly uneventful as we drove and walked around sightseeing. It is so beautiful, and we saw many animals, including elk, antelope, deer, coyotes, and of course bison everywhere. Even spotted a bear down a slope briefly before it disappeared. Mysteriously,our new compass showed that we were going west or northwest all the time. It's now in the trunk.

We are spending the night at the Bear Lodge at Old Faithful. It is a gorgeous room with character. It even had soap shaped like a bear. I opened the bathroom door and squealed with delight. “It has two white bathrobes!” When Will came in the door, I repeated it to him. He said, “I know, I could hear you clear down the hall.” Oops. But how luxurious. The lodging here in the park does not have internet, TV or air conditioning, so that we can enjoy our wilderness experience to the fullest. There is a fan in the room but we didn’t need it – we kept the window open. This place has nothing in common with a Super 8 – including the price!

Day 14 Cody

We went to Grandma's Ice Cream Parlor for breakfast this morning. That's where the fabulous Super 8's continental breakfast was served! No ice cream was on the menu this morning though.

So we headed down the highway through the ever changing landscape. Our windshield has been bugging us because it was a little foggy on the inside. I had some handy dandy Rainex wipes for that purpose, so when we stopped at a view point, we cleaned it. As we headed down the road, we realized it was even smearier looking than before. We pulled over at the next viewpoint and Will said he would get something to polish it. He got back in the car with a pair of his folded underwear. He did his side and handed it to me to wipe down my side. I got to laughing so hard I could hardly do the job. I couldn't believe I was sitting by the side of the road in the Bighorn Mountains wiping my windshield with underwear. (He promised it was clean.)


We had lunch at a city park in Cody where the boys were able to indulge their inner child. Will tried to climb it but he said his feet were too big. Then we went through the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which houses five separate museums. It is huge. We took a drink break out in the beautifully landscaped garden, and I asked everyone what their favorite part was. Mine was the gallery of western art, Nick's was the firearms museum, Eric's was the Plains Indian museum, and Will said his was the one we hadn't seen yet - the museum of natural history. We spent many hours in there. The gift shop was pretty cool too, but we resisted Nick's request for a peace pipe as a souvenir.

Motels in Cody are expensive, and after checking around, we reluctantly returned to the Super 8, where I had to return to the front desk to ask for soap and toilet paper. Then we gathered up our laundry and took a family expedition to the laundromat. When we returned to the motel, Will told the boys it was time they learned the McAnulty way, not the mommy way, to pack, and they sorted, folded, rolled and packed away the clothes with a minimum of rough housing.

Day 13 Buffalo

Saturday, July 8

We went right to Custer State Park, where Will got quite excited after being told we would see burros among the wildlife at the park. (We had seen some the day before also.) He said, “We’re putting our place up for sale when we get home. I want a place where I can have a burro!” You heard it here first.

I requested a stop to photograph wildflowers, and became aware of some commotion behind me in the car. No one seemed to want me to know what happened, but apparently Eric, who was in the front, managed to knock my coffee out of the cupholder as he reached back . (I assume he was trying to give his brother a loving pat.) They did a good job of cleaning it off my seat and the floor. We had a little more excitement when Will sent a hornet out the front window to the back where I sat, but I managed to back hand it out the window.

We had a wonderful lunch buffet at the State Game Lodge, a historic building that Calvin Coolidge called his summer White House. The buffalo stew was delicious, and there was even berry and apple pie for dessert.

We saw beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife again, but we were about to leave the park and still hadn’t seen any burros. I wasn’t sure Will would allow us to leave with that desire unfulfilled, but fortunately, they showed up near the end. There were two babies that were very cute. I had to dash back to the car and roll up the window because one wanted to get a bit too friendly with me. My guys thought that was funny. I have a picture of the boys with the burros, but I can't get it to load.

Eric drove most of the day, and Nick and I chuckle and look at each other and shake our heads as we listen to their conversations. Although I did learn a lot about the difference between mules, donkeys, and horses. I also learned about DNA when Eric said, “This road is much windier than the map showed – perhaps a bit like DNA – but not really.” So I had to ask what he meant. Then they were talking about the power of the mind over the body, and regurgitation was mentioned. Will said he hadn’t done it since he was 14. Eric said, “I got you beat.” Will looked at him, speechless for a moment. “How?” “I haven’t done it since I was 11!”

We ended up in Buffalo for the night. The desk clerk was exceptionally bright. I told her we had two adults and two teenagers, and she said, "So they're both over 12?" Here's your sign. As we finished getting registered, a gentleman came up and asked for clean sheets. He had pulled them back and it was obvious they were dirty. I was afraid I was going to be sick. We went to our room, turned on the lights, pulled back the sheets, and were satisfied that they were crisp and clean. Gotta love these motels.