We Came on Vacation to Have Fun! (Part 1)

"And we're going to have fun, whether you want to or not!" I emphatically told my teenagers as I informed them that i-pods were not allowed on the trip and that we would be getting up early to travel. I found out fairly quickly that "fun" is in the eye of the beholder! But teenagers are resilient and can adapt, if they choose to. Luckily, Bryant and Jaret adapted wonderfully to my idea of fun and decided to make our family vacation a trip to remember.

We started out on Wednesday, July 22, by traveling to Idaho for one night with Grandma and Grandpa Yancey. We enjoyed visiting with them and helping with the first picking of green beans. The next morning we got up and going early for a 5 hour drive to Missoula, Montana.

Smiles for the camera. . . bright and early!

Sleeping on the way. . .
Jaret thought this building in Idaho was interesting. We didn't have time to stop in Blackfoot for the Taters for Out-of-Staters though.

Welcome to Montana!
Lunch at a rest stop in Montana. . .
We stayed in the Red Lion Inn in Missoula. I was excited that we made our reservations on Priceline and named our own price ($50 for a $149 room!). The kids loved the pool and eating at a few new restaurants.


Interesting vending machine choices at the hotel. . .
We highly recommend MacKenzie River Pizza Company! These are the Lodgepole appetizers with marinara and ranch. Mmmm, mmmmm, good!
Look closely to see Spiderman in the lodgepole pines at the pizza place. . .

Gas was once inexpensive, and here's proof:

We had an early morning the next day to make a 1-hour drive to Seeley to go canoeing. Canoeing was really fun, except for the MOUS's (mosquitoes of unusual size!).


The effects of MOUS's. . .

Sunscreen and bugspray in the eyes. . . not good!