More Fun, More Fun, Gotta Have More Fun!

One thing that I love about Island Park is that the scenery never gets old. One morning, Ted took me on a Dry Ridge Outfitters Ride through Harriman State Park. It was such a blast! There are great horses you can ride throughout the park, and it is incredibly beautiful the whole time. At every turn there is a new view to enjoy.

Ted is on Tex, and I am on Lomoni. Funny story, Lomoni is a mustang, converted trail horse, and he has a mind of his own. The whole ride he kept pinning his ears at Tex, who was behind us, and kept trying to kick him. He almost succeeded once. We tried to switch up the order of horses and put Ted and Tex in front of us, so we could be in the back, but Lomoni took the bit away from me and almost attacked Tex. It was pretty crazy! Oh well, guess Tex and Lomoni don't get along too well.

Ted on Tex at Dry Ridge Outfitters Harriman State Park Ride. For once, Ted isn't riding a draft horse.

Ted loves riding horses. I keep trying to convince him we should buy Tex, but he likes someone else taking care of the horse for him. He is more of a rent-the-horse, instead of own-the-horse, type of guy.

Ted and Tex enjoying the morning ride. It was perfect weather, and we saw a mama moose and her baby. Incredibly beautiful.

The view from our trail ride. The tetons were actually clear enough to see that morning.

On Sundays, Ted takes the day off, and after church, we enjoy some fun activities for free, like going to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. It was awesome! I've never been that close to a bear, alive anyway, and it was a cool feeling.

Big grizzly bear looking for food.

With the exhibit, they rotate out different bears at different times, and they change the landscape of the exhibit every time they switch bears. They hide the food under logs and rocks so the bears have to forage for their food. It is a great way to keep the bears' wild instincts to search for food. They also test out garbage and recycle bins at the discovery center. The bears go to town on the bins, and some of them are pretty destroyed after they are done with them. So, when you see a bear-proof bin, it really is bear proof, tested in good old West Yellowstone.

This bear had quite the personality. It reminded us of our dog Tippy. It came up and posed on a rock for all of us with cameras.

The wolves are like long-legged mangy dogs. It is strange to see how similar they are to our dogs.

All of them have a distinct personality and pecking order. It was fun to see who was in charge by their body language.

These four wolves were brought into the discovery center as pups, and they are all brothers and sister.

We got a picture with this huge stuffed bear in the gift shop. It was actually very comfy.

There is a very nice restaurant off the HWY between West Yellowstone and Island Park that we've heard about and finally checked out. It is called the Bar N Ranch, and there is some really nice photo ops.

Cows on the way to Bar N Ranch. It was funny, we were leaving the Bar N, and there was a yearling bull in the road. Ted drove up to it until we were about a yard away. The bull trotted a couple yards down the road and then turned to face up with us. We kept idling down the road until the bull was about a foot away, and then he turned and ran away. We are glad that the Mustang is blue instead of red, so we didn't get charged.

Huckleberry Lemonade at Bar N Ranch

Ted's mom came up and visited us for a couple days. It was so much fun! We got Ted to stay home for a day, which was great! And, we kept a Garling Tradition of going to the Mack's Inn Playhouse.

Ted and me at the Playhouse. I love Ted's grimace.

We were lucky enough to go on a Harriman Horse Ride by Dry Ridge Outfitters again. Ted rode Tex for a second time, I got to ride Princess (who was a perfect angel), and Karleen rode Paris. It was a beautiful ride, and at 74 degrees and sunny, who can complain?

Karleen and Paris back at the barn.

Ted on Tex, giving me his favorite peace sign

We had six people on the ride with us this time, and we took a loop by Silver Lake. So many wildflowers and birds.

Silver Lake

Birds on Silver Lake. If you enlarge, you can see them more clearly. We saw some cranes. They are so tall, and have a loud, annoying squawk when they talk.

I spent the first day with the Garlings in West Yellowstone. Jake and Lissa came up too for Monday's adventures, and we found some cool geysers and a beautiful waterfall.

Norris Geysers. The color of the geysers are like the sky.

Elisabeth and Karleen. Thanks to Ted, they were warm in his sweatshirts.

Jake, Elisabeth, and Karleen by the Upper Falls.

We saw some elk on our way out of the park.

A shot of the falls. The water was so loud, it roared. And, the water was a sea green color. Very beautiful.

Right before the water falls off the ledge.

Here is a Yellowstone Traffic Jam. This big guy knew how to stay on the side of the road though.

More Elk on the way out of the park.

So, as you can see, we have been having more fun! It was great to have Karleen with us for a couple days, and we wish that Jake and Lissa could've stayed too, but sometimes life is too busy to get away. We had wonderful conversations, and movie nights, along with good food and entertainment. We are truly blessed to live so close to our families.

Every day brings a new adventure in Yellowstone! We love living in Island Park, only 15 miles away. We only have about a month left here, and it is making me sad to think we will be leaving all this beauty soon. I have never lived in such a breathtaking place as Island Park. It has been such a blessing to slow down and actually enjoy what God has created for us. Inside Yellowstone, there is a healing rythym, like the earth is breathing life back into you. I can't describe it, but the feeling is incredible. If you haven't been to Yellowstone, I highly recommend it! You will come out amazed by your surroundings!

Hope your summer has been as incredible as ours. It is about to end for me, as I start grain harvest this next week, and will be busy working until we leave in September. But, as school starts, and cooler temperatures return, the work must start up again. Thanks for reading!