Boys over Christmas Break

With Joseph home, all three boys are back in the house. We did lots of fun things, including the Lucky Strike arcade (thanks Grandma Carol!), board games galore, and skiing at Crystal Mountain on a clear blue-sky day.

Another Settlers of Catan matchup

Joseph and Henry vying for high scores in the piano game

Jack and Henry at the arcade skiing game

Clear blue skies on Crystal - day after Jack turned 17 !

Christmas 2018

Once we returned from Montana, we celebrated Christmas a bit late. We began with Christmas Dinner first on Sunday December 30, and then woke up for Christmas morning the following day, December 31.

Big presents this year were a turntable for Dad to play his old vinyl records, an Echo Dot for Mary Jo, and the ski trip for the boys! Plus some new board games, including a Settlers of Catan expansion pack (Seafarers) and Dutch Blitz card game.

Wilson is interested in a new mouse !

Big Sky for Christmas 2018 !

After Dad and Joseph spent two days in Yellowstone, they met up with Mom, Jack, and Henry who had driven from Seattle to spend a week at a wonderful cabin at Big Sky. The cabin was down the block from the one we had rented two years ago, with easy access to skiing - just put skis on in the driveway, ski down the snow-covered street and down a small hill to a lift which takes us to the main ski area.

The first day was a beautiful blue-sky day, and the rest of the days a mix of clouds and fresh snow.

On the way home, Mary Jo flew back to Seattle while the rest of the boys drove back, stoppign in Idaho along the way to ski at Schweitzer, a ski area we hadn't been to yet. We all reunited Saturday night, December 29.

Drive in to Big Sky - "Lone Peak"

Riding the lift with the boys

Jack skiing off from the house

Recapping what ski runs were done 

LOTS of board games and card playing at night

MJ and John got a chance to go snowshoeing one day 

Our Christmas Cabin 

In Idaho on the drive back - we woke up to 4" of snow on the car

Dad & Joseph's Adventures in Yellowstone

Before Christmas break, with Joseph done at Michigan three days before the other boys were done, Dad and Joseph both flew to Montana, met at the Bozeman airport, and drove down to Yellowstone Park for two solid days of winter adventures.

We stayed in the gateway town of West Yellowstone, one of the coldest, snowiest towns in America, which was relatively deserted. The winter season had just started on December 15, which means the park roads have re-opened (after closing at the end of the summer season in October), but essentially only to tour guides leading snow coach and snowmobile trips. We did one of each trip in our two days, with a hike tagged on to the snowcoach day.

Our Snowcoach tour was the first day, to the Upper Geyser Basin, including Old Faithful. Joseph and I split off from the tour for a bit more than an hour to hike through the basin, which was amazing in winter, including seeing the Riverside Geyser go off while we went by! We also saw Swans, Bison, and Coyotes. We had a wonderful guide for our journey chugging through the park.

Day Two was Snowmobiling, and we went forty miles each direction to the Yellowstone Canyon area, seeing Lower Falls, Upper Falls, and the Rim. We saw Swans, Bison, and Coyotes again this day, as well as an Elk and an Eagle. It began snowing while we were snowmobiling through the higher elevations, adding to the atmosphere but also making it a bit more arduous.

Lots and lots of great photos - here are a few of the notable ones:

Outside our snowcoach at a rest stop. The tiny vehicle fits eight plus the guide.

Bison near Upper Geyser Basin

Joseph at Old Faithful

Riverside Geyser pre-eruption

Riverside Geyser erupting

Day Two: Gibbons Falls

Snowy Bison

Joseph driving his snowmobile

Both of us during a break from Snowmobiling