hi I'm Mike we all need a break whether you realize it or not often times it's
Aaron who realizes that we need to want more than anything and each year she
gets together with our neighbors and friends Nick and Stephanie and plans to
get away from the wrench now it may last only a few days but it's our only
vacation from our Wyoming life
welcome back and thanks for coming along as we get a chance to leave the ranch
and it's a very rare thing when you live and and work in the same place there's
there's really no escape and it's easy to get used to it and that lack of
separation well it's eventually gonna get to you
and that's where I can depend on Aaron to know that that time is coming luckily
our neighbors and some of our best friends have the same trouble they can
Stephanie have their own electrical company here in town and Nick will be
the first to tell you that you have to get away for him it really is a question
of sanity although some would argue that he doesn't have a whole lot left anyway
so this year Aaron and Stephanie have planned a trip for us to head out west
over the Rocky Mountains and eventually to Idaho Falls Idaho a place that we've
never been but one that will definitely not be the ranch the kids are coming
along along with Nick and Stephanie's daughter Lanie and we're off on our
family vacation of 2019 and I almost left my purse
this year we're taking the mother-in-law's RV
she was happy enough to let us travel in it and it makes all the difference when
traveling with kids and Nick Idaho Falls is 500 miles away about nine hours up
and over the Rocky Mountains now driving is something you get used to in Wyoming
where the average distance between towns of five thousand or more people is right
around 100 miles in fact in the entire state of Wyoming there are only 11
Walmart's and two Sam's Clubs so we're used to driving but that trip up and
over the mountains is still something you have to get used to as we pass
almost ten thousand feet and we encounter something we haven't seen in
days snow
it's not it's know that it's back down the other side and up again until we
arrive almost six hours later at what some say is the most beautiful site in
Wyoming the Tetons and the Grand Teton at an elevation of almost 14,000 feet
the Tetons span over 40 miles an hour 12 miles wide on the edge of Jackson Hole
these mountains have been the setting of many westerns including the big trail
and the Western classic chained in 1953 today it's a stop for us and a reminder
of the almost surrealistic beauty of Wyoming
I sometimes picture Buffalo wandering this Prairie hundreds of years ago and I
can only feel humbled and very lucky to be a part of this and to be standing
here today these are the scenes that make our past and I can't help but
wonder over the eyes that have set sight here before or those that first came
through this valley to be stopped in awe and wonder to have something like this
come out in front of you unexpected these are the moments that you never
forget and I and I think that's how it is even for kids who may not quite
fathom what they see but everything for them is the first time and everything is
amazing as we hit the road again I'm also reminded to see the world as a kid
and to be amazed because it can be amazing so here's a little secret about
Wyoming if you don't live in Jackson you don't really think of it as part of
Wyoming it's its own little bubble a tourist destination surrounded by those
that can't afford to live there and as we drive through that's what it is and
on Abee with traffic about 10 hours after leaving home we
arrive in Idaho Falls and head straight for our home away from home a small
house on the outskirts of town where we will call our base of operations as we
venture out and explore the area for a few days I don't earn the kinsey and I'm
gonna be giving you a tour of the house that we're gonna be staying in this is
the kitchen doing our baking and where everybody's moving in their lives in the
kitchen this is the living room only and Gracie will be staying we have a bed
right here so next we have for mommy and daddy and Lincoln on this day and you
hope you want to do just downstairs is the bedroom area where crazy Lincoln or
hanging out and then we have another bathroom right here and that's just a
closet
then we have another this room I will look lady is saying in this one pretty
sure he epic Lanie Nick and Stephanie are in here and that's pretty much the
rest that's pretty much all the house
hey Dad yeah do you want to start a cooking Sean our wyoming life
I'm sure okay so you gotta explain to us what we're doing here I got one steak
from the ranch and put it on the grill
one steak for everybody
are they all gonna fit we're gonna make them fit
little little pepper
little salt
little more salt pepper different flavors and we got some vegetables going
it's intense oil not 100% sure what touch the moon and we're just gonna
close this up let it cook for a little bit keep drinking this and we'll see
what happens yes so after we've had one refill of
this we have flip the steaks and now this is on the opposite side what are
you putting on their little girl exalt
nothing and then we open that one
now find out why you have to flip these well if you cook them on one side will
be totally black and raw on the other side hence flipping a steak okay I'm
sure there's a science and everybody does it different we're all hungry and
this is the girl we have to work on so we're gonna eat soon okay so what'd you
make apparently we made some broccoli onions
carrot medley it'll be fabulous do you smell that
it smells delish but it's not until after dinner
and the next day when we get our vacation really started where we've been
invited to come check this place out tool and then there's sharks there's
fish there's losers there's Turtles and all kinds of cool stuff that the kids
are going to love and we might find shocking as
this is Rufus he's an African porcupine and hangs out here at the East Idaho
aquarium you can come visit him anytime he's friendly and he loves to be petted
he's a welcome surprise as we get a chance to explore what we rarely get to
see from rescue parents to stingrays and
even the electric eel
check this out so if you touch these two things make it you can turn
that's a shock but it's like a blow like a buzz good ORF icees
we found the aquarium to be one of the highlights our trip the kids loved it
and we encourage you to stop by if you're ever in the area and say hi to
Rufus also our days on vacation are mostly spent just finding adventure when
aaron spots a dairy farm beside the road we get a chance to stop by and explore
meet some of their animals well because you never can escape the power of the
cow each day on vacation we head out if one day visiting a zoo the next of
flight museum but always making sure it's about seeing what we don't get
exposed to at home we take to the road again heading into
Montana visiting the Museum of the Rockies and celebrating next birthday on
the road as well all right Micah wish well I'm a big kid okay ready clean you
fool them out with your telekinetic powers
another wonderful surprise that happened on the way home was that grace hit a
milestone in her life on the trip she lost her first tooth
Peggy smile she's okay she's a little shy right now okay
let's go sit down okay but after four days it is time to get home where life
is waiting for us back on the ranch
so we're back home and now it's time to get everything unpacked and out of the
RV maybe start a little laundry and its back so after four days away I'm
actually I'm ready to be home it's hard not to be and you eventually start
thinking about all the things that need done and as nice as it would be to
travel the countryside and have birthdays and lose teeth together the
kids and then someday me eventually you have to come back to real life hanging
begins in just days we're waiting for a few days to roll by so we can get to
nice weather to actually get rolling you can imagine how frustrating it can be to
just start out and then get rained out so while we wait a bit for the rain to
pass well then it's time to go go go and we hope that you can be with us as we
start harvest cutting breaking and bailing hundreds of acres for the cows
to eat all winter long but that's next time until then have a great week and
thanks for joining us in our Wilding life
you