Yellowstone!

Earlier this month...Samuel headed over to his new school for a quick orientation. He picked up his Chromebook, got his school photo taken, practiced opening his new locker...

And then he and Granddaddy Rob grabbed their bags and were off to Yellowstone for a week of camping! They'd been planning this much-anticipated trip (a celebration of Samuel turning 10) for over a year!

Day 1: After a bumpy start (8 hours in O'Hare, followed by spending the night in a Chicago hotel). they made it to Wyoming and hit the ground running with seeing Old Faithful!

Sam caught the eruption on video!

Even though the camping trip was largely off the grid (it's an understatement to say that they had poor cell service), Samuel still managed to have fun on Granddaddy Rob's phone!

That evening, they set up camp and enjoyed lasagna, fresh bread, salad and dessert...all cooked by campfire. When they announced the menu, Samuel declared, "Well, I'm Italian, so I'm going to love this!" 😍

They slept great in their tent, ate breakfast burritos on a cool 40-degree temperature morning with new buddies (here are George and Samuel) and then...

Day 2: A 3.6-mile hike--and they were the first to finish! Bison!

Samuel at the Mud Flats.

Visiting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Sam and Granddad saw lots of rainbows by the falls! AND spotted a grizzly bear eating a dead bison!! The humans, on the other hand, had hamburgers and corn for dinner!

Day 3: A VERY long bike ride!! The verdict from the adults was that it was too steep for those who don't bike all the time...and too dangerous for kids (along a major highway)!

They survived!

Day 4: Rock climbing! Samuel was least excited about this activity, but it ended up being his favorite. Gotta love that! The kids really bonded over the week. For sure, Samuel thought the trip was extra fun with kids his age to hang out with. (Apparently, Granddad biked 26 miles that day! Yikes!)

Day 5: Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast! And then a 14.4 mile bike ride! Sam was extremely proud of himself for hanging in there!

The entire group!

Highlights included seeing a pronghorn antelope, blue skies for 70 miles and sunshine on the Teton Mountains. Then they biked 8 more miles back into Jackson Hole. The reward was a BBQ and cole slaw lunch at a park.

Even though they were on cots in a tent, the active days meant good sleeping (9-10 hours straight!) each night. Samuel and his friends played lots of games and made silly memes and funny videos, as you can see.

Samuel's still telling exciting stories about climbing under boulders like bunkers! They did a lot!

On the last evening of their trip, Samuel and Granddaddy Rob explored downtown Jackson Hole. They found elk antler art...

Horse-drawn carriages...

A tribute to Lewis and Clark...

And then had dinner with family friends the Hochheisers...all before coming home early the next morning. What a special trip for both Granddad and Samuel. Both felt lucky to have the time together while enjoying nature...and the opportunity to be challenged and feel the reward of trying and accomplishing something new. 💙

P.S. Granddaddy Rob gave Samuel a journal before they left.

Here's what Samuel wrote: