The Wild Midwest

2020 what weird weird year it has been. We didn't originally plan on making the trip to the midwest with my parents but I am so thankful we did. I apologize in advance for the number of pictures but I want to remember everything. 

Covid ended up derailing all of our travel plans for this year and continues to impact our travel. We were supposed to leave for our company trip in June only to find out the day before our trip that my passport expired back in February, le sigh 2020 just won't quit. So we ended up also having to reschedule our company trip and our family vacation to Turks & Caicos which is once again closed due to covid. I am hopeful we will be able to travel again soon! 

Mama & Daddy set out on June 12 to make the long trek from Florida to Victor, Idaho. They were gracious enough to take Austin's partner's camper out west for them. What a great adventure for them to experience! 

Campbell and I flew out of Greenville on Sunday June 14. We flew Delta and I've got to say I was impressed with the precautions and cleanliness of the plane. We landed in Salt Lake City and stayed the night in Provo. Austin thought that would be a good stop for us to see the BYU campus. Interesting enough my paternal grandma is actually from Utah and my granddaddy ended up being stationed there hence how they met. Provo was absolutely beautiful, the pictures don't do it justice at all. Of course the campus was near bare because of summer & #covid. We were able to catch a bit of the girls soccer practice which Campbell loved and of course we had to hit up the BYU store to grab some merchandise before we made the trek to Moab. We met my parents in Moab and began the camping life. 

First order of business was kayaking down the Colorado River. The water was COLD! My partner didn't help much with paddling but she sure is cute! She insisted on getting into the water with it being a warm 66 degrees. We had a great time and it was a great experience and I was able to stay in my kayak the entire time most importantly! 

Tuesday we were up and ready to see all the sights Moab has to offer. We visited Moab National Park and visited Dead Horse Park. It was truly breathtaking. My parents had actually been to Utah summer of 2019 and when they knew we were meeting them on the trip Daddy insisted we stop in Moab. I am so glad we took the time to visit Moab. I really hate that Austin didn't make the trip with us but we were anticipating being gone for two weeks before passport gate of 2020. We will definitely go back next time with Austin in tow. 

Wednesday we made the (8 hour) drive to Victor, Idaho which was the final resting place for the camper. The weather was cold and rainy and a nice escape from the South Carolina heat. 

Thursday we visited the much anticipated Yellowstone. This was Campbell's first trip to Yellowstone but definitely won't be our last. I feel like you could spend weeks at Yellowstone and still not see all it has to offer. The last time I was in Yellowstone was roughly 24 years ago and this time I was more enthusiastic about our trip. We got to see Old Faithful erupt and many geysers which were just breathtaking. We stopped in Jackson Hole for dinner and what a cute town. 

Friday we spent the day in Jackson Hole and ended up riding horses. We also drove up to Jackson Hole Mountain resort to ride the gondolas to the top of the mountain. I would love to go back when there is snow on the ground and the resort is open. Saturday we took it easy with the anticipation of our drive back to Salt Lake City while Mama and Daddy visited Grand Teton National Park. 

Sunday we headed back to Salt Lake. We made stops in Idaho Falls for brunch and stopped in Salt Lake. We had anticipated swimming there but Salt Lake was not a lake that Campbell nor I felt comfortable swimming in :-) Monday we were up bright and early heading home to Austin and Marley. Had we known our other trips were to be cancelled we certainly would have stayed longer. 

If you made it this far you deserve a medal because this was lengthy! I hope Campbell always has a love for travel and she realizes the world is so much bigger than South Carolina. We knocked Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming off of Campbell's states she has visited. I love love love these special times with my girl and my parents. Thanks for reading.