horses, buffalos and bears, oh my!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011



I'm so behind on blogging the Graham family happenings, we have had an eventful few months, but I haven't had a chance to share until now. (are you ready?)  Let's go waaaay back, how about to October?  Chris' family came into town from Toronto, Canada and we agreed it was about time for them to see Yellowstone national park.  We have lived all over the country and enjoyed most of the sites those states had to offer, but for some insane reason, we hadn't taken the opportunity to get his parents to Yellowstone.  They were in speechless and in awe.  We started the trip at the fabulous Rand Creek Ranch, check it out here, we were there the last weekend of the season and had the place all to ourselves.  They were the most hospitable, gracious hosts, the log cabins were spotless and comfy, the horses were kind and the little fishing pond stocked with fish, much to Taylor's delight.  Despite the freezing wind Hailey insisted on exploring the entire place with Mimi.  We definitely will be staying with them again, hopefully in the summer so we can take advantage of the campfires, bbqs, and other great things they have to offer.  When making plans for this summer if you are looking into staying just outside of the park near Cody, this is the place, call them and book it!  You will have a blast!  One downside of traveling during the off season is the lack of restaurants, I'm so glad that the ranch was fabulous because the local dining down the road was a nightmare!  Have you ever had a meal and service that was so bad, I mean, scary bad that all you can do is laugh?  All of our dinners were frightening.  This happened to be the only place in town that was open, so other weary travelers were crowding in with looks of horror on their face.  It actually turned out to be a highlight because it was so ridiculous and gave us something to laugh about for the rest of the trip. All I can say is good thing we had a couple of bags of Doritos in the car to sustain us that night.  The Rand Creek Ranch is amazing!  We try to get to Yellowstone a few times a year and this was the best trip by far, once we got over 4 adults and 3 kids stuffed into the minivan we were golden.  I have never seen so much wildlife!  We stopped on the side of the road and watched moose play, a dad, mom and baby!  It was incredible!  I have never seen a bear just hanging out so close to the road.  I was kicking myself that I didn't bring my "good" lenses, I always bring my back up camera and so-so lenses because I don't want to risk my, "work equipment" getting damaged, but when you see wildlife this close and can only photograph them at a wide angle it makes you want to cry.  Great trip, good times, and it's virtually in our backyard. How lucky are we?!?!?

3 responses to “horses, buffalos and bears, oh my!”

  1. Tiffany says:

    Wow! What wonderful pictures, even if they were not taken with the good camera! 🙂 You are amazing and have a beautiful family!

  2. Katie Hatzell says:

    Love the one of the back of the horse!!! And of course, the worms gross me out. But fabulous photos. It’s nice to read and see a blog about you for once!

  3. Michelle Moser says:

    Just saw your post on your son! Very cute. Little boys are the greatest! I just wanted to let you know every time Jerrick goes to the doctor at the West End he yells “it’s me mamma.” He is quite certain that the pic. of your son in the super hero costume is him! Quite hilarious.