Family Mellmann

Enjoying beautiful views, amazing scenery, and some very workable weather.

As we drove out of the Tetons National Park we stopped at one of the pull outs for our annual group photo. This loop took us onto the Beartooth Highway (and pass), Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, Yellowstone, Cody Wyoming, Jackson Hole Wyoming, and the Tetons National Park.  We saw rain, sun, clouds, hot and cold.  We even drove through a large cloud on the Chief Joseph pass.  What a thrill!  The bottom picture shows Patrick in the clouds.  We had pulled over and I snapped this picture to show how, rather than the view of the valley, we could only see a wall of white clouds.

Our new family picture on Beartooth Pass.

We went to the Livingston Roundup (rodeo) but our seats were so bad I couldn't get any pictures.  However, I was able to get a couple of shots of the fireworks after. It was a nice evening despite the threatening weather (and we stayed dry for the entire evening).

Sun and Rain Every time we visit Montana we get to see at least one rainbow and almost always get to see a double rainbow.   I couldn't capture the double, but the colors of the single were so intense!

The gang is all here and our adventure party is now complete!   Our two working men flew in late Friday night and Saturday afternoon and vacation has officially started for them. We have an agenda, but there is absolutely nothing on it!   Maybe a motorcycle ride, maybe a day on the porch rocking, maybe some motorcycle tinkering. Ahhh, life on vacation.

We have enjoyed a couple of days of unwinding, visiting with Grandma and Grandpa,  and relaxing here in Livingston. I have managed to wash all the stinky camping laundry  and emptied the ice chest,  we have dried out and aired out tents and sleeping bags, and have taken in a few sites along the way.   We even got the motorcycles out to rinse off the road dust.  Today Patrick and I got our bikes out and checked out some local roads and enjoyed some fresh air and big bugs. 

We made it all the way to Livingston Montana.  And check out the welcome we received!

Last night we camped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.  We unloaded the bikes and took an afternoon ride through the park and decided we had to go back for a sunset cruise. As we wrapped up our cruise and sunset pictures we came around a corner to find a small heard of bison on the road...OUR road, the only road back to camp.  We let some time pass by turning around and riding some more (I know, what a sacrifice) hoping they'd clear the road by the time we came back around. They didn't, but we returned with reinforcements in the form of a car.  We tailed this car through the herds and enjoyed observing the bison from a bit of a distance.  One guy (bison guy) ran along with us for a short time.  That's Patrick tailing the car as he paces a bison. It was such an awesome sunset ride!