Days 1 and 2: Getting There

*WARNING: this post may contain more details than you are looking for. You have been warned : ). For the quick version of the vacation, watch this video : ).

Before we left for this vacation, we did a few things. First, it was time for a new camera. So, while looking around for a camera to take to a place like Glacier National Park, where we'd be capturing large majestic scenic views, one with the ability to take panoramic shots seemed like a good choice. So, we did it. I'm so glad that we did. We had a lot of fun experimenting with this feature.

Another thing that we did was to prep the kids on the length of time it would actually take to get there. Having driven to many places for vacation, they were excited for the fact that we would be flying for this trip, but we didn't want them thinking it would be quick to get there. We went over the steps several times before actually taking them. Saturday morning, Dallin arrived home from EFY, and 2 1/2 hours and one laundry load later, we left the house for the 2 1/2 hour drive to O'Hare in Chicago. Before leaving the house, Rick decided to turn off the hot water heater, since he had noticed a small leak in it, and we didn't want to come home to a more major problem. When he shut off the water heater, another leak sprung up in the utility room. Worried we would be late for our flight, we decided to turn all the water off to the house. So, we filled as many pitchers of water as we could find and put them in the fridge so that Frodo could be given water each day (we had one of the YM in our ward coming over to take care of him), shut off the water, and left the house wondering what that would mean when we returned home. The plan WAS to arrive home LATE on the following Sunday evening and for Rick to go back to work the next day. He began thinking he'd have to use his last vacation day to fix the water issues in the house.

We made it to O'Hare in time to park in the Economy Long term parking lot, ride the shuttle to the train that we then rode to our terminal. We checked our one bag and booster seat and proceeded through security with all 7 of us plus our 7 carry-on bags and 7 personal items. Yeah, it was a production, but it went pretty smoothly every time. We took our flight from Chicago to Salt Lake City, where all we could do was wave to all the family members who lived so nearby...We then flew into the Spokane, Washington airport, which was considerably smaller and therefore easier and quicker to navigate through than O'Hare. We picked up our rental van for the week which had a dead battery. It might have only been 9 pm in Spokane, but to us, it was 11, and we were all very tired!! The next van worked just fine, and so we were once again traveling by land. We made a stop at Wal-Mart to pick up some food for the next day. Dallin, Dailie and I went in, and let's just say it was not one of my more efficient trips to Wal-Mart. We tried to be fast, but we were exhausted. Back to the van with our bags of goodies, and across town to check in to the hotel. We had adjoining rooms, and all welcomed the feel of the beds on our backs and pillows to our heads.

Next morning, we showered, ate our muffins and fruit and got ready for Church. We attended Sacrament meeting in a building just across the parking lot from the Spokane Temple. Dallin was amazed by the 11 Stake Youth Conference they were announcing (who am I kidding, I was amazed by it as well). Spokane seemed like a lovely place, and we all talked about living there. After Sacrament meeting, we went out and took a few pictures by the temple (the one of Rick and I at the top is one of them).

We jumped back in the car and drove East, quickly leaving the state of Washington and entering the panhandle of Idaho, where we experienced the beauty of Coeur d'Alene. It was very pretty, and we all decided we could live there. We entered Montana, and just after leaving I-90 we stopped at a Montana Visitor's Center where we changed our clothes and ate our picnic lunch. There were ponies outside, and it just seemed like a fine place to be.
We drove on North, passing through some country that was a little more boring, and we wondered where the kids would go to school if we lived there. We decided I'd be homeschooling if we did, and the kids continued to look for ranches for sale : ). We passed through Kalispell, as we climbed a little higher and began to experience the splendor that we would live in for the next week. A little farther, and we came to Great Northern Resort, and our cabin. It was perfect. A Swiss chalet with enough beds for all of us, a kitchen, and a pond and volleyball court out the front door.
And a chess set that Daniel played with any time we were at the cabin. The pieces became all sorts of things.
At one point we had thought of heading into the park that night for a quick hike, but we were really all too tired after the two day ordeal it took to arrive, so the kids got in jammies instead, found some cards and played.

Then they got a volleyball from the office and we all "played" a little sand volleyball. We were happy to ever actually volley the ball, but it was fun anyway.

This is the view out our front door. I never got tired of looking out the window and seeing this. Wow. I could live here (of course we were there during one of the three months of summer- the rest if the year is winter...)

We settled into bed, ready to start the week of adventures.