Do you know where you are in your journey?

Well hello there, friends! Man. A lot has happened since I posted last... I will try to catch y'all up on The Grand Adventure's happenings for the last few days and have a few key moments to highlight. Get excited! [get get excited!]

From South Dakota Lez and I hit up Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Mt. Rushmore was worth seeing but not worth describing (4 faces on a rock and $10 to park to see it) but Crazy Horse was super super cool. If you ever make it to South Dakota, please go there and support the ongoing project! It's privately funded and honors the struggles of the Sioux tribe with English settlers, immortalized by Crazy Horse's words, "My lands are where my dead lie buried."

After the monuments, Lez and I settled into the luxury of a Best Western: took 9 hour showers and slept in an actual bed. GLORIOUS. Then of course I had to hit up the hot breakfast bar and stuff my face (and pockets) with cream cheese danishes and Kashi cereal. mmmmHM.

Ok now on to Yellowstone. Before I say anything - let me just preface my experience with the assumption that Yellowstone was the absolutely most wonderful, beautiful, exotic, scenic, magical, unique place in the entire world... where Grizzlies give high fives and buffalo really do roam all over your space.

Yeah, it really wasn't quite like that.

It was overcast. Cold. Rainy. And believe it or not, it was really just a big park with mountains and trees. Who knew??? I mean, it was beautiful but that first day we were there I was not sold on the place. THEN to top off a day of mild disappointment, Leslie and I bonded over the worst night sleep of our entire lives. Firstly, you should know that when we camp, we share a queen sized sleeping bag. Which is usually fine. Except that I'm a cuddler and Lez isn't and I tend to take over whatever space is alloted to me while I'm sleeping. Now, not only were there spacial issues, where I found myself sleeping completely diagonally across the sleeping bag (assigning Lez to one corner of the sleeping bag) but Yellowstone National Parks provided us with a luxuriously comfortable BED OF ROCKS to sleep on in the campground. Now when I say rocks, I mean actual rocks... not pebbles or sandy debris that blends together to cushion the blow of joints on the earth in the middle of the night. I maybe slept an hour that night and spent the rest of the night nursing my massive bruises from the rock war and wondering how it was possible that 5 layers of clothing was not quite enough to keep me warm. I woke up the next morning, gave Leslie the vulture (which means, the death look) and said - "that was the worst night of my life, and I know I was hellacious to sleep with." We laughed. And that is why Leslie and I are friends and travel well together.

ANYWAYS. the next day at Yellowstone was much better. The sun came out. The geysers were freaking sweet and we saw (about 25 yards away) a momma Grizzly bear and her 2 cubs!!! Leslie took about 200 pictures and all I could do was restrain myself from going to hug that sweet lil mini bear, knowing that the momma could gouge me to death with one swipe. Other Yellowstone highlights: Elk, Buffalo, big horned sheep everywhere! The general consensus is -- the park is probably awesome almost all of the time. We happened to go the 1 day of out the last 30 that wasn't 70 and sunny, and we'd need to go back and do some backcountry hiking/exploring to really get the full effect.

Yesterday we made our way into Montana, but not until we had stopped at the Boiling River hot springs in Yellowstone. Okay seriously. Hot springs were on my bucket list of things to do in my lifetime so I was stoked and they did not disappoint. We stayed in Bozeman last night with a friend of a friend named Keith who took us out around the town last night and provided some fabulous couches for us to crash on. One of the best things about this trip is networking and connecting with people that we know and living off of the extended community that God has blessed us with. If any of you end up in Oregon, we will return the favor ten fold! :)

We are heading to Glacier National Park today, which is at the very top of the USA, almost in Canada, and we are camping again tonight. dun dun dunnnnnn. Sike. Camping is great and tomorrow we have a cute little mountain cabin with an outdoor hot tub that has our names written ALLLL over it. WOOT!

So yes. That is the update. I am not going to re-read it for typo's so deal. Also, I will say it again, but you should ask Leslie Priddy to be your friend on FB so you can see pictures.. (they are set to private so you can only see them if you are friends with her).

On the next post: The much anticipated segment entitled "This Neckulous Life: Chronicling My Double Chin Across America" - once again I say.... get get excited!!!

Love to all. I may lose cell service again for the next few days but I'll try to catch up on phone calls today on the road.

Peace and blessings. PEACE AND BLESSINGS.

~Stace