Each miracle writes for us in small letters something that God has already written, or will write, in letters almost too large to be noticed, across the whole canvas of Nature.

~ C.S. Lewis

This year our family embarked on what has become a summer tradition: a trip to Wyoming. Each summer, we all look forward to seeing GiGi, PaPa, and MaMa (my grandmother), spending time in nature, hanging out with old friends, and just basically relaxing. Besides, it's a great escape from the heat in Texas! This year was going to be extra special because we were spending a week in Jackson. We hyped this up for the boys for weeks, reading books about Yellowstone, the Tetons, bison, and other experiences you can only have in Jackson Hole. Our efforts paid off because Sam and Nate told just about everyone they encountered about their upcoming trip.

The day finally arrived for us to depart, and Gina dropped the 3 boys off at the airport. She was traveling to a conference in North Carolina, then planned on meeting us in Jackson a few days later. The boys were excellent travelers and our whole trip from DFW to Denver to Casper was without incident. We arrived in Casper just in time for dinner, and we were all pretty tired from the busy day. The boys also got to see their new bikes GiGi and PaPa got for them to ride while they were in Wyoming! Now that they are both skilled bike riders, they were very eager to test out their new wheels.

After a couple of days of biking, hiking, and getting ready for the drive to Jackson, we finally packed up all of our gear and started the next leg of the journey. The first part of the trip is pretty brutal, with a lot of flat land and dirt, but after Shoshoni it gets much better. The boys watched two movies and even slept a little, making this one of the easier road trips I have ever taken with them. As usual, the drive from Dubois into Jackson Hole is still one of the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen. We arrived in Jackson, checked into the condo, and got unpacked just in time for dinner.

 We picked up Gina the next morning and started out adventures. There is honestly too much to write about here. I mean, I could tell every detail, but the pictures do a pretty job of handling the narrative load for me. The link is at the end of the post.

The trip, of course, was not without some mishaps. There were a few bike crashes on the gravel parking lot, a couple of Pete Rose-style face plants on dirt roads, and Nate's glasses mysteriously vanished along the trail around the pools and geysers at Old Faithful. By the way, if you see this bison roaming around Yellowstone, kindly remove those glasses and mail them back to us.

After seven glorious days in Jackson spent canoeing, biking, hiking, and looking at God's wonderful creation, we headed back to Casper for a few days before flying back to Fort Worth. You can see the pictures from our trip in our photo album.

The boys are already asking if there is another trip to Jackson in our future. They loved everything about it, and I can attest that the mysteries surrounding this place never get old. You would think after a couple dozen trips to the same place, it would get old. But the opposite is actually true. I find myself yearning for those familiar vistas even more, and I passed this addiction on to Sam and Nate. Gina and I look forward to many trips to Jackson and the wonders that make it so special.