The Munce Family: July 2023

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Summer Scenes, the in between things.

We were back in Sioux Falls for a handful of days, and the kids are up to their usual shenanigans.

The kids finally wore us down and got Crocs, I’m less than thrilled about it and hope the obsession runs it’s course quickly. This is a good parenting lesson for me… never say never! They were so excited to show me their ability to be in chill mode and how quickly you can activate sport mode, omg.

Sully has been golfing a lot this summer, like, a lot. He has been my dad’s golfing buddy, always up for a game, or a practice with him, I love to see them hang. He and Isaac have also had regular games, Isaac understands I expect him to be a good leader for Sully, dress in the proper attire and follow the rules. Sully is making great progress, even scoring a few bogies and hitting it over the water on his challenging holes. Keep up the good work! Oh, and we found time to get a couples golf date on the calendar with Mag and Jeff, win win!

The least anticipated event of the summer is dental/ortho visits. As we prepare for braces for all three, Piper was the one who drew the short straw this time and needed to have 4 teeth pulled. Poor girl. She was a trooper and was so brave, our neighbor/friend is our dentist and she took the best care of Piper, but when I came back to greet her, she fell apart in my arms. It's so hard, but we all survived.

Golf with Mag and Jeff.

Piper before.

Piper after!

Greta helped Piper with her tooth fairy note.

Crocs, terrible with or without sox. ;)

Friday, July 21, 2023

Munstream.adventures: Chadron State Park

We chose Chadron State Park as our halfway spot on our way home from the Tetons and it was just right. The distance was manageable and the park had all sorts of amenities, including a pool- whoop! We arrived just before dinner and right as a predicted storm was expected. We parked and unloaded as fast as we could and went into town for dinner. We ate at a Wilds Bar and Grill where a rodeo was on TV. This was a first for the kids and every time a calf was lassoed, they would all empathize with the calf, loud. The bartenders (who likely had been past rodeo participants) got a kick out of their tender hearts. We returned for a campfire fail and early bedtime.

The following day was hot, we explored the campground and its pool with a double diving board(!!!). We went on a scenic drive to a sunset hike that overlooked the Badlands from the Nebraska side. Sunsets never fail to take our breath away. We went back to the campsite for a late dinner followed by a campfire and s’mores lasagna (???) our kids come up with the most random things. They had fun with the creation but it was definitely a fail.

Our final full day was cloudy and cool and rainy so we opted to check out some local scenes. We went to Fort Robinson State Park for a brief history lesson and lunch and then attempted to go to Toadstool Geologic Park but on the 20 minute journey, the truck started fishtailing in the mud. It was unpredictable in the worst way, so we turned around and made our way to Carhenge instead (ha!). Piper ranked it as her favorite hike of the entire trip. We went back to the campsite expecting one final campfire and cookout but the weather called for 100% chance of rain so we rearranged, again, and went for Mexican instead, mom win ;). The irony is that it didn’t rain a drop, oh well. We packed things up for an early return the next morning.

It was an awesome adventure. we had so much fun exploring and spending time as a family. Special mention goes to the HOURS of Taylor Swift we listened to, the Campground Kids book series and The Who Was book series, they provided load of entertainment on our good old fashioned road trip.

The set up.

Downtown Chadron, change of scenery.

Campfire attempt with bad wood.

Afternoon swim.

Another sunset, another hike.

Wildflowers

Silhouettes

S'mores lasagna.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Munstream.adventures: Tetons part 2

The adventure continues…

We returned to Jackson on Friday to explore the town a little more, we found lunch lunch at Jackson Drug where we had Mulberry Lemonade and fantastic nachos. This is where the kid’s croc obsession really began and we actively started looking for them, much to my dismay. The Croc hunt in Jackson was (fortunately) unsuccessful in Jackson (no surprise ;)). We did, however, find a candy store for the girls. I challenged them to stick to a budget of $10 each and they promised they would be able to do it… major fail, I should have known. They were desperately trying to explain what happened when their receipt showed they had spent $50! We made our way back to Colter Bay in time for sunset pizza and a swim, definitely a much needed slowdown day.

On Saturday, we went on a Snake River float trip which we arranged with The Grand Teton Lodge Company. We enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the river (so beautiful) prepared for us by the crew and then a 4 hour float with Allie, the weather was incredible. We saw juvenile bald eagles and otters and failed at the trivia game, but had fun trying. The kids each had a chance to float the boat as the tour ended and all realized just how hard Allie worked to keep us safe. It was a slow and relaxing pace. We made our way home and to dinner again at Jackson Lake Lodge bar called the Blue Heron for more patio vibes and ice cream and snacks and fun.

We made our way back to Yellowstone on Sunday for a day of hiking. We did a ‘quick’ 3 mile hike along the lower rim of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon, (when the hiking got hard, we sang ’99 Bottles of Coke on the Wall,’ everyone joined in, giggles and all) then went for lunch at Canyon Fountain and Grill in Canyon Village, everyone loved the scenes and the food, Sully even ordered an entire additional meal and finished every last bite. We hiked the North Rim Trail after lunch and that one was bit more of a challenge as the kids (Piper) started getting tired. We used every trick in the book from Starbursts to piggy back rides, the winner was Taylor Swift, again. Taylor has a song for every mood just the right ones to flip a bad mood to a good mood, thank goodness for her. We spotted Buffalo on our way home and had pizza and meatballs at Dornan’s in the Tetons, and then ran into an antelope traffic jam on our way back to Colter Bay. It was a really full day, but a great day.

We woke up on Monday looking for ways to extend our stay. To think we had toyed with the idea of trimming a day or two off of the Tetons, ha! We explored the areas of the park we hadn’t yet been to, starting with the old historic barns followed by a search for a huge beaver damn Allie had told us about at Schwabacher’s Landing, and finally to String Lake for a picnic followed by a hike/swim. This was an unexpected gem. The trail was flat and follows the shore of String Lake, a lovely and still mountain lake near Jenny Lake. The kids started out complaining but were instantly impressed with the cool clear water which was relatively shallow for a couple hundred yards or so. They made friends with some others swim/hikers and followed their noses. We did eventually complete the mile out hike and were met with a rocky stream and long low bridge. We all took the time to put our feet in and to enjoy the scenery. We finished the day off at Jackson Lake Lodge (again ;)) at their diner called the Pioneer Grill and watched our final sunset - a cotton candy one this time. We weren’t able to score the extended stay so packed up most of our items in hopes of an early departure the following morning.

Grand Teton National Park was so much more than we were expecting. It is a relatively small National Park which made it feel manageable and many of the roads were familiar after only a day or two. We loved the family friendly feel everywhere we went. It was a treat to explore and experience it with the kids. I’m hopeful we are lucky enough to go back someday.

Jackson Town Square

The scene of the candy store fail.

Trash pandas in Jackson.

Jackson Drug lunch stop.

We spotted an elk with her baby in the stream.

Back home for a sunset swim.

And take out from the Colter Bay pizza shop.

Picnic lunch with a view.

Family float.

Yellowstone: Lower rim lookout.

Yellowstone: Lower rim hike, check out the tree
roots from the erosion.

Yellowstone: Upper rim hike- we did it!

Yellowstone: Resting rock.

Pizza on the patio at Dornan's.

Teton traffic jam.

Historic Barnes on Mormon's Row.

We spotted the dam!

Picnic hike swim with Dave as our pack mule.

String Lake swim.

The last sunset was a memorable one.

One last look...

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Munstream.adventures: Grand Teton National Park (and Yellowstone NP) part 1

We've arrived!

I'm going to back up a bit and share the journey to land campsites in the Tetons. We really wanted to stay in the park as we knew it would cut back on driving time and traffic stress, and it would give us an opportunity to linger longer in the evenings and not feel like we had to rush back because of a long drive ahead. (Think sunsets, late evening swims, lingering happy hours, ice cream with a view.) Our main option was Colter Bay where there was water access, laundry, a general store, and a couple of restaurants, the hang up: rumor has it, full hook-up campsites are nearly impossible to get. I'll save the boring details, but we strategized and landed the campsite... for 9 nights. We didn't think we would need it nearly that long and intended to modify, but in the end, it wasn't long enough! We loved every single second of our stay in GTNP, it was a dream summer adventure.

We arrived later in the evening on Sunday, July 9th after a pretty seamless day, I'd say the only real hang-up was our lunch attempt at Stinker Stores Travel Stop where the only option was a warm gas station burger. We did our best, Dave doused his in prepackaged onions and mustard and was happy as a clam. We were so excited to arrive at the park entrance and our minds were blown at the beauty of the Tetons and the way they just shoot up out of the flat surface. Our campsite was perfect, located on an end giving us plenty of space for our hammocks and to spread out. We found pizza asap and then a beach for a sunset swim. We had no idea what was in store for us as we turned the corner for the beach. The sun setting behind the mountain range lit up the sky behind them in the most incredible way. The kids swam/giggled in the frigid water and Dave and I cheersed to pulling it off.

We stayed in Colter Bay on Monday and jammed in as much as possible. We started out the morning with a 'HEY BEAR' hike around the Lakefront Trail where the girls were simultaneously nervous about bears and embarrassed by Dave's "HEY BEAR!" approach to keep us safe. The kids hiked in their swimsuits and took advantage of every swim access point they saw. We followed it up with a kayak/canoe outing which was much easier said than done, the wind is no joke and we had a very dramatic experience. We finished the day with dinner and and a showstopper sunset at Signal Mountain Lodge, it was a great day.

Tuesday was a top day for me. We got up bright and early in order to catch the peaceful views at Schwabacher's Landing. It's a tucked in lookout, the water is like glass and it catches the most incredible reflection of the Tetons. We followed that with a picturesque 4 mile bike ride to Jenny Lake for a general store lunch and then a ferry over to the Inspiration Hike Trail. It was a relatively short (1.5 mile in and out) but steep hike up to the 7 thousand feet lookout. There was some iffy terrain and the kids were nervous, I loved how they looked out for each other. We biked back, uphill and in the wind, Sully lead the way like a champ and Piper and I held up the back end while we jammed to T. Swift to pass the time/distract us from the challenge. We made our way home and had an easy dinner close to the campsite. It was a really great day.

We ventured to Yellowstone on Wednesday. The drive was beautiful with wildlife and scenery, but slow at times. We made our way to Old Faithful Inn for lunch and memorable lobby vibes. We walked the boardwalk and observed the many geysers before making our way back to Old Faithful where she was adorned by hundreds of fans who beat us to the good sitting spots, we arrived just in time to watch her blow. We were impressed with the natural phenomenon. We hustled back for ice cream and a glass of wine before driving back the Tetons and for pizza at Leeks Marina, a great spot not too far from Colter Bay, right on water. The kids had so much fun playing around on the dock while we were waiting for Dave to order food and the weather was perfect. It was another great day of exploring.

We went into Jackson for Sky King Mountain fun on Thursday and it was a highlight for the kids. They did a ropes course and were way above ground and loved the challenge. Greta pushed every limit, running just a bit too fast, depending on the harness to save her life every chance she got. The kids mastered the course in no time and loved the adventure. We came back mid afternoon to shower up and catch the one and only dinner reservation of the week at the Mural Room at Jackson Lake Lodge. The meal was fancy and fun, but the lobby views were out-of-this-world breathtaking. We snuck out during our meal for a sunset photo and knew where we would be going immediately after dinner. We loved the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the patio while the kids played on the trails nearby, but the real treat was when we made our way to the car... a hotel guest from California was playing the piano with some of his friends and was taking requests. On a whim, I requested Taylor Swift, and he knew Love Story...and so did Piper!! She sat down and sang with them. She had a shy but delighted expression when the pianist requested a shout out for Piper. The only one in the room who was prouder than Piper was Dave who willingly slipped the guy a generous tip. This was a trip highlight for all of us.