1. 18 and 16 year old teenagers don’t necessarily want to spend 17 days with mom and dad, full time. Even if it is mostly likely the last big family vacation before they both go their own ways.
2. Mom and dad don’t necessarily want to spend 17 days with the teenagers, full time. I have not seen this level of moodiness from them before...or maybe it was the fact there was no internet/ cell service for 7 of those days since we were in the mountains...
3. Mining for sapphires at the mine outside Philipsburg, MT is much more fun than “mining” at the store. Just have to remember the mine is only open Wednesday - Saturday and not plan to be there Sunday and monday
4. Yellowstone has turned into a bigger parking lot than it was even 3 years ago. I still love it there, but holy cow!
5. Grizzly RV Park is still my favorite in West Yellowstone. But you have to laugh at yourself when there are 3 Tiffin Phaetons parked all around you. We were laughing that we were the poor stepchild parked there.
6. The Tetons are pretty mountains, would love to explore more there. Jackson Hole is not our style. Too crowded and no place to park a dually. Not what I remember from 40 years ago...(of course!)
7. You cannot imagine the sheer amount of pine pollen that can be produced in Yellowstone and the Tetons! We stayed at Flagg Ranch headwaters campground, and everything was covered in a thick layer of yellow. Daughter was VERY happy she was on allergy shots for the past 18 months, so the pollen didn’t affect her much. I hosed off the slide roofs before bringing them in to leave otherwise I think we would have had pollen all over in the camper. Did I mention it was thick everywhere???
8. If you want to see wildlife and go fishing, go to the Big Horns. One night up there we saw 12 moose (and one cute baby), well over 200 elk (I love listening to them), and 1 big black bear. Just be aware, if fly fishing in the creeks, the moose love the willows and you need to be careful so you don’t end up face to face with them.
