Denorme Family

8/21/13

7/7/13

6/22/13

6/20/13

Our new pet

The last few days we have had a young deer hanging around. This deer is so tame that the boys were able to get 2 feet from it. Can't wait to see the plant damage our new friend will create.

6/16/13

Day 16 - Home

We finally made it home from our 16 day Out West Vacation. Here are some fun stats:

Drove 5,671 miles
Spent 106 hours in the van
Averaged 54 miles per hour
Highest elevation driving 11,200 feet
Went to 13 states
Visited 6 National Parks and 2 State Parks
Saw a lot of wild life: Elk, Bison, Grizzly Bear, Fox, Lizard, Rabbit, Ground Squirrel, Pika
Swam in 50 degree water
Climbed red rocks in a jeep
Ate Bison, Elk, Rattlesnake, and Cactus

Overall, it was a great trip and we highly recommend it!

6/15/13

Today we took the train to downtown Chicago. We were a sight to be seen with six kids, four adults, a stroller, and umbrellas! Once we got into town the kids informed us they were hungry. We found a great pizza place that opened up their downstairs to seat all of us. Once the troops had been fed, we headed to Millennium Park where we visited the famous "bean". From there we made our way to Navy Pier where we got on a boat for an Architectural River Tour. What a great way to see the city! We finished our day at one of our favorite Chicago restaurants, Heaven on Seven. We had a great visit with wonderful friends.

6/14/13

Day 14 - South Dakota to Chicago

Today was a travel day from Sioux Falls to Chicago. On the way, we stopped at Rochester, Minnesota for lunch. We went to Oneills Pizza Pub which was my mom's favorite when she had to go visit the Mayo Clinic. Once we hit the Wisconsin border the traffic picked up. Then we got into Chicago and it got ridiculous! I fully understand how road rage can occur under these circumstances. We finally made it to the Shorrocks an hour behind schedule due to the traffic. The kids enjoyed getting out of the car and hanging out with the Shorrock kids. We finished the night with a relaxing BBQ and are now planning our trip to downtown for tomorrow.

Sorry, no pictures today. I promise some tomorrow.

6/13/13

Day 13 - Mount Rushmore

This morning we started a marathon drive from Cody, Wyoming to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The GPS said it would be over 700 miles. We also decided to swing by Mount Rushmore since we were in the neighborhood. The beginning part of the day dealt with climbing through the Wyoming mountains up to 9000 feet and then coming over the pass to see clouds below us over the Wyoming plains. An amazing view! Later in the afternoon we swung by the Mount Rushmore National Monument.

Note from Jennifer: A shout out to Chief Drives-A-Lot- Gwenn has driven over 95% of this trip. He may not want me to be in driver's seat but I must say it has been nice being the passenger. Thanks Gwenn!

So far, 4600 miles is 13 days!

6/12/13

Day 12 - Rodeo

Today we left Jackson, Wyoming and drove through Yellowstone National Park to Cody, Wyoming. Cody holds a rodeo every night during the summer so we decided we should go to one. Caleb decided to participate in the calf chase. They have all the kids in the arena chase two calves that have a ribbon tied to their tail. The kid that gets the ribbon wins the prize. Caleb gave it his all but still ended up empty handed. He did down a large box of popcorn.

Good-bye Grand Teton

6/11/13

Day 11 - Yellowstone National Park

This morning we got up at the crack of dawn to visit Yellowstone. The southern park entrance is 55 miles from our hotel. Once in Yellowstone, we visited Old Faithful, other geysers, Mammoth Springs, and the falls. In the afternoon, we headed into Montana through the Roosevelt Arch (the original park entrance) to go horseback riding. This time all five of us went riding: Caleb on Soda Pop, Noah on Little Britches, Chloe on Little Chief, Jen on Rex, and Gwenn on Maverick. During the day we were able to see bison, pronghorn antelopes, mule deer, and elk. On our way back we had the surprise to see a grizzly bear and her cub in a field digging for roots. We finally made it back to the hotel around midnight barely missing a bison on the dark roads of Yellowstone.