July–Greg Cottrell Family

		JULY 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We had a busy July we left for Yellowstone a few days before Mom and Dad via Scottsbluff, NE so we could go see Chimney Rock. We stayed the night in Torrington, Wyoming. Before making our way towards Worland Wyoming to stay with Lindsey’s sister, Candace and family. for the night Around lunchtime in Casper we decide to make about an hour and half detour and visit Independence Rock, Devils Gate, and Martins Cove. The kids were pretty amazed by this size of Independence Rock and were determined to climb to the top it. We started on one side and went across the entire top and down, not as easy as it may look. We weren’t able to do a whole lot at Martin’s Cove, but we did see a little video with a brief history and the kids were able to try and pull the handcarts around a little loop. We would like to go back someday and do the longer trek and go down into the cove. We past by the Sixth Crossing on our way to Worland but didn’t stop. That night we spent with Candace and the next day meet up with Mom and Dad Cottrell for our Yellowstone Trip. Mom already wrote about Yellowstone so I won’t repent to much.  Adam and Lindsey got some nasty bug bites in Burlington, which we annoying and hurt, from that point on we smelled like bug spray, so help prevent anymore nasty bits. Sarah would get nervous every time we came to close an animal and roll down our windows  to look at them. She was doing better towards the end the week. Some highlights are Lower Falls, Grand Canyon, Steamboat, Grand Prismatic, Old Faithful, picnics,  play string games, grizzly up so close, buffalo at our first stop, a buffalo at that liked to hang around the Canyon Cabins, and our last night blocked our path from the parking spot to our cabin, and of course being with Mom and Dad. They took good care of us and we all had wonderful time. As mom mentioned Lindsey and the kids were dropped off in Star Valley and the took Greg down to Salt Lake to fly home and work for the week. The next day all of Lindsey siblings ran a half marathon and the whole family went  cheer them on. They are trying to get her to run it with them next year…..It rained that afternoon so we all hang out and the kids watched a movie. We spent week relaxing mostly. We went the park a few times, out to lunch, eating the snow cones, swimming, playing with kittens, jumping on their trampoline, playing with cousins, and tubing in the slough (a fresh water spring that forms that makes a stream). The kids were having great time until we moved up river little. Isaac decided he had enough so Lindsey waited on the banks with him while Grandma Jane and Sarah one tube and Adam on another decided to float down a little.  Adam was really enjoying it, but Sarah decided she was done and so Grandma Jane put her up on the bank and told her to walk back to me (Lindsey) only problem it was the other side. Sarah was fine until she decided to cut across on want she thought was land but ended to be the most swampy part and worst place to cross. She freaked out, and I wasn’t about to go and get her. I kept yelling for her just run across she kept getting stuck and lost both of her crocs, which made it worse. Once she was across she jumped in a one the deepest parts kicking and screaming, and quickly grab her. She would have been fine if she would have walked up the bank more and straight across from were I was standing, but she was in hurry and afraid. It was a little crazy, we were both not happy. Grandma Jane felt bad and we only found one of her crocs.  Sarah ended up getting new croc like shoes at Children’s place and flip flops (which she has always wanted) from Grandma Jane since we lost her other ones.  We left on Friday and Salt Lake and did little shopping at the Park City Outlets and stayed they night with Uncle Taylor (Lindsey’s Mom’s brother). The next morning Lindsey and the kids went to Wheeler Farm with a good friend from Omaha.  Then they went to go and visit Lindsey Grandma Rose in a rehabilitation center were she was staying after she had fallen and broken her back. She is 91 years old, her health is good, but she is becoming very frail and needs care 24 hours. Then they went the hotel pool to go swimming before picking up Greg at the Airport. The next morning we went and visited Temple Square for a few hours and then back to visit Grandma Rose before heading to Star Valley again. On the they way home we stopped and visited with Aunt Louis in Evanston since she has never met Lindsey or the kids. We also stopped in Almy Cemetery just outside of Evanston to see were some Lindsey’s ancestors are buried.  On Monday we hiked to intermittent springs it is any easy trail. We made the bottom the falls and you are able to go the top but it was to slippery from snow melt this year. On Tuesday we went of to Rexburg and having lunch at Big Jud's on the way. Our family of 5  couldn’t finish the 1 lb. hamburger. We enjoyed visiting campus and seeing the changes made there, it has grown a lot in 10 years. We were planning to go spelunking at the civil defense caves but Greg and Adam needed to get ready for their big hike the next day and get to bed earlier so we headed back to Star Valley. Wed Adam and Greg planned on hiking to Surprise Lake in the Tetons, but they turned around about half way there. About five minutes from the trail head the first hiker headed down and he said that there was bear, they had bear mace so they kept hiking. Some of the other hikers they passed said they saw it some said they didn’t. About .3 miles later Greg was leading the way around the corner and was like “WOW that’s a big bear.” So they slowly  backed up and head back down the trail. They then meet up with an older couple and decided it safe to head back up with them, this time they didn’t see the bear. They hiked another 2 miles eating lunch along the way. before turning around. On the way down again hikers warned them of the bear with cubs. They met up with group of people that seen the bear and cubs that was within .1 miles, they didn’t want to cross between the mom and cubs. By this time there 6-8 people in the group, so they decided to risk going through and  making  a lot of noise. Greg got his bear spray out ready to fire just in case. They did see one cub climbing a tree, and another on on log. A few minutes later they did see the mama bear and the last cub. They tried to take picture but they couldn’t see it well. They made safely to car  and always enjoyed Colter Bay and Wendy’s. While they were hiking Lindsey, Isaac and Sarah spent the afternoon at her brother Robert’s house were the kids enjoyed playing the dirt, ditch, and mud. The next day we headed back up the Teton’s to do another hike, picnic and swimming. We went across Jenny Lake on the ferry and hiked 2 miles round trip to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. They kids did great, Hidden Falls is good little hike and the Inspiration Point is little more difficult but they all did it. We spent Friday mostly getting ready to come home and taking some family pictures. We headed home on Saturday and stopped in Laramie for the night. It was fun trip.