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The Amazing Whitsett Family Adventure

Howdy!!!

Today was mostly a travel day. We left our hotel today in Missoula, Montana and have arrived in Gardiner, Montana. 

I decided that I was feeling good enough to spend some time in the back seat giving Kelley a break and some time to talk with her dad on this trip. It was fun! Korey and I watched some movies on the DVD. I will have to confess that I found myself getting very sleepy and I had to take a nap. Kevin took some of these pictures from the car -- as it was moving down the highway. I took most of them though.

We stopped outside of Bozeman, Montana. Here we refueled and got ready for the rest of the trip. It is hot again. I was glad that I wore my shorts! Kelley and I both feel like we got sunburned through the windows in the car. I don't know how long the good weather is going to last. We have seen rain clouds in the distance most of the day.

We are in a town that is at the gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Tonight we are staying at a nice hotel on the river. There is a balcony where you can see people float down the river. I think we will leave the window open tonight so we can hear the rapids below us. The snow-capped
mountains aren't so far off in the distance. They say that this is the moose capital of the US. We haven't seen any yet, but I am sure tomorrow will prove to bring some fantastic pictures.

The pictures that you are receiving just don't do the scenery justice. The mountains are gorgeous, and so majestic. I have taken lots of pictures, but none of them can show you the depth or the grandeur of them. It still amazes me at the beauty that God created. He is so awesome!! I'm so glad
that we have this opportunity to enjoy His creation.

Thanks again for praying. We miss you all. We'll see you next week :-) (Don't worry, I'll get on tomorrow and let you know what day one of Yellowstone was like!)

Lots of love,

~Cindy (and KSWx3)

I think today is Friday. It is kind of hard to tell what day of the week it is on this vacation. It's all so good. I added a picture of Safeco Field from yesterday. I don't know how in all the pictures that were taken that we missed any actually at the ball field. Oh well.

We slept in a little bit this morning. I know it was after 8:00 a.m. when I rolled out of bed, and the kids were gone to the world. It felt so good. We ate breakfast at the hotel, packed and were on the road again. 

Our first stop was another favorite spot of mine. Snoqualmie Falls is only about 40 minutes from Bellevue. It is just beautiful here. There is a large lodge (and now spa!) that overlooks the falls. The river was very low. I hadn't seen such low river levels all over Washington before. It was still gorgeous. The falls have such power and beauty at the same time. The town of Snoqualmie is no longer a sleepy little town. There are condos almost everywhere -- except for at the falls. 

We left the falls and went back out on Highway 90. Soon, I fell asleep. I understand the kids fell asleep too. Kevin said it was a good thing I woke up when I did, as he was getting heavy-eyed. Western Washington reminds me a lot of Arizona -- dry and brown. There is a lot of farm land, but it has to be irrigated. We saw quite a few dust devils. Actually, that is what was keeping us awake; looking for dust devils. Some were small and transparent, and others reminded me more of a tornado. 

We arrived in Spokane just in time for rush hour. It took us awhile to get through the traffic. Then, we were on our way across the state line and into Idaho. We stopped at a rest stop and Kevin took a great picture of the kids on a rock. They have been so great throughout this trip. They are still playing games with each other and laughing together. Today they were watching movies together for a long time, and listening to music. They are wonderful.

In Idaho we saw Coeur d' Alene. This is a large recreational lake. There is a nice golf course on the edge, but we were unable to get pictures of this. Most of the pictures taken are at 75 MPH down the highway -- not bad, eh? The smell of pine was very strong around Idaho and on into Montana. We canceled our reservations in Kellogg, ID (can you believe it!), and we decided to travel on into Montana. We played 20 questions, and sang silly songs. The kids have learned that I have quite a repertoire of silly songs (thanks Mom & Dad!) Kevin just rolls his eyes at me. The kids laugh, so it's all good.

We crossed back over a time line in Montana. The mountains are gorgeous. We are staying in Missoula, MT. We only have about three or four hours until Yellowstone tomorrow, then we will start exploring Yellowstone for a couple of days. Missoula is a surprisingly large town with a big airport. It was difficult finding a room here, but we finally prevailed. We ate at a 4-B's restaurant that is famous for tomato soup. Kevin had that with a grilled cheese for supper. I think Korey has had enough hamburgers to last him a lifetime! Kelley is doing well, and still melts my heart with her smile.

We are so thankful for all of you and your prayers. I'm glad we can share this vacation with you!!! (Thanks again, Rick!)

With lots of love,

~Cindy (and KSWx3)