Camping ... for a week

We have had this trip in our calendar for years.  Lewis started talking about the complete solar eclipse and going to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks with the boys probably before David was born.  We had to go this summer. On a very specific date.  Because obviously total solar eclipse's aren't something that happen all over the place.

And this is one of the few years the totality will be visible from the above absolutely gorgeous national parks that I happen to never have been to.

I've been to Yosemite and the Red Wood forest.  I've seen a few others on the East coast but we did a lot of camping at Yosemite and I realize now ... that's not something a lot of people can say.

Lewis has it on his parenting bucket list to take the kids to the major National Parks.  A few years ago he bought vintage national park posters and I framed them and put them in the kids play room.  They are Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Acadia and Sequoia.  The idea is we will take a family picture at each and put it inside the frame with the poster.  And when we've hit those ... we'll add more.

We're actually going to Boston, too, this summer but it's still a further 6 hours to Acadia ... and he has a specific date in mind he wants to be there too.

And yes, he wants to camp.  And yes, I have to go too.  Now I'm a camper.  I camp.  For a couple of days.  But camping with a two year old for a week?  I've had better ideas.

But these are the trips where the memories are made.  These are the ones where you talk at Thanksgiving ... hey dad, remember that trip to Yellowstone when Julia was a baby when she walked off and mom thought she'd gotten eaten by a bear?

Getting to this part of the country is not that easy.  We fly pretty frequently because Lewis has a lot of points on Southwest but flights into Jackson Hole are seasonal and I don't think SW flies there anyway.  So the options were Boise, ID and a 6hr drive and pricey flight; Salt Lake City and a 7hr drive and a pricey flight; or Denver, CO and an 8hr drive and a cheap/cheap sale flight.

So we choose the latter.

G is going to be all ... wait, we flew.  why do we have to drive??

And this trip is not a convenient time.  It's the first day of school.  So I've weighed it, I've talked to others.  I've talked to people that have seen total eclipses (one guy in South America) and he said he saw one when he was 8 years old and it was the most amazing experience in his life.

So that conversation was pretty convincing.

I'll try to talk to the school that week before we go, see if maybe he can come up to the school and meet his teacher before we leave.  But maybe not.  But Lewis says it's not a big deal and others have said it's not a big deal but to me in my mind the first day of school is a very big deal.  G, for his part, does not seem to care.

I have it all booked.  SW had the fares down wicked low yesterday so I got all of our tickets for less than I had to pay for one ticket to go to Chicago.  The rental care is pricey and I had to book that yesterday too, which was a shock.  I had hoped to wait.  But apparently word is getting out about this event.  Everything in the area is booked.  And it's been booked since January when I started looking.  But mom has friends in Driggs, ID with land and they are going to let us camp on their land that weekend.  I did get us one night camping reservations at Grand Teton and Yellowstone, and our hope is that we can get up super early and get a first come, first served spot at Yellowstone that Friday.  Than meet my parents in Driggs on Sunday.  Yellowstone has like 15 parks and 7 of them are first come first serve.

But Stacy ... how are you going to bring your camping gear?

We're just going to.  With five airline tickets (you read that right) I can bring 10 bags for free on Southwest.  I'll probably only need three.

Mostly what I'm excited about ... mostly what makes me so happy ... is that we're doing it.  So often we have plans and dreams that we can't make come true.  And while missing the first day of school and camping for a week are not my ideal ... it's been on my husband's list forever.  There was no way we couldn't do this.  I had to make it happen.  

I am not thinking about how my back is going to feel.  Or how hard sleeping arrangements are going to be.  I've gone without sleep for months.  I can manage a week.

Right?  ;)