2008 Yellowstone Cabin Vacation

We just got back from our yearly vacation to our cabin just outside West Yellowstone. We had a lot of fun this year.

The weather was so much cooler than Salt Lake City. I love the cool evening breezes blowing through the window while you sleep. Salt Lake City has been way too hot for my liking. The mosquitoes were really bad this year though. It has been a very wet year up there.

Genie had a lot of fun hanging out the entire week at the cabin and her favorite thing was just relaxing. I’m too restless for that so I spent the week riding the horses and my 4-wheeler in the mountains, boating on the lake, fishing Hebgen lake and the Madison River, picking huckleberries, watching the wildlife, shooting guns, hiking, catching frogs, playing with the kids, exercising myself and my dog (we are trying to get ready for our 28 mile hike next month to go Ptarmigan hunting), and then a little relaxing and playing the Wii in the evening. We also went to the Bear and Wolf discovery center which was awesome to watch the behaviors of those powerful animals. The boys lost interest pretty quick but Genie and I loved it. Next year I think Genie and I will go by ourselves so we can spend a lot more time just watching the animals.

Fishing was a little slow for me this year. I did manage to catch one really nice Brook trout though on our private lake at the cabin. There is a big natural spring on our property that flows into a lake. I’ve caught Brook trout in there over 24” but they are the toughest buggers to catch.

One of the days we went hiking to Mystic Falls. It was 2 miles round trip. Mason hiked the entire way and was very proud of it. I carried Caleb on my shoulders most of the way and Genie struggled to haul Cody in our little stroller. We realized we should have brought the Kelty kid carrier to carry Cody in. O well, next year. The falls were really pretty.

In Yellowstone we didn’t see much wildlife. We saw a bunch of Elk and a couple Bald Eagles.

When Mason and I were out riding the 4-wheeler one day we ran into a really nice 4 point buck and a doe on the trail. We saw a lot of Elk sign but no bear. Genie’s aunt was up at their cabin just down the road and they ran into a bear while up huckleberry picking the day after we went.

Mason had a lot of fun just playing with a bunch of his cousins that were up there. They all went to town and bought Bionicals and he has fallen in love with them. He told all his cousins and grandparents that they can buy him Bionicals for his birthday and Christmas if they want to. Grandma Ann made a bunch of Jedi capes and Mason ran around most of the week wearing his Jedi outfit and playing with his lightsabre. Mason loved fishing and riding the 4-wheeler as well.

Caleb loved picking huckleberries and when I took him fishing all he wanted to do was go back up and pick more huckleberries. Him and Mason were both big helpers picking the berries. The berries were huge this year. A couple times I had to double check that we were picking the right berry. They looked too big. We got quite a few and ate them on our ice cream and pancakes the rest of the week.

Cody just played, slept, ate, cried, and laughed.

We had a super heroes night that the boys absolutely loved. Caleb dressed in a black Spiderman costume most of the week. Genie dressed like Zorro and I dressed like a Pirate.

Mocha, our dog, always loves going to the cabin since she is free to just run and enjoy herself all week. We really wore her out with the horseback rides and the 4-wheeler rides. When we went fishing she just laid in the boat and Caleb used her as a pillow so he could lay down.

Here’s a few pictures from the week:

Cody, Genie, and Matt dressed up for Super Hero Day

Mason dressed as a Jedi and Caleb as the Black Spiderman

The beautiful scenery in Montana - Looking out from the deck on the cabin

Mocha - Our Hunting Dog

The cabin

Mr. Cody playing with his toys

On our hike in Yellowstone National Park

Matt, Mason, and Caleb sitting below Mystic Falls

Wildflowers

Wildman Cody

Caleb

Caleb and Mocha - They love to hang out. Mocha will just stand there while Caleb lays his head on her back and gives her hugs.

This was as it was getting dark on the Madison River. I was fishing just below 3 Dollar Bridge. I really wish I would have had a tripod with the way the moon rose up over the mountains.