Trick or Treat ?

 

Mom and Dad spent many years Square Dancing.

This looks like it might be near Halloween!?!

Of course, Halloween isn't complete without Jack-O-Lanterns!

Dan'l Boone and Pocahontas?!?!!

We're all growing up so fast... soon we won't be trick or treating!

(Sorry these photos are so dark)

Mission City Travelers

There was always something going on 

when we traveled with this bunch .... 

this looks like a version of the Washer Game

along with the ever popular Lawn Darts.

Great shot, Dad!!

On December 19, 1988, CPSC banned the sale 

of all lawn darts in the United States.

Dad and David on the waterslide .... wheeeee!!

Pumpkins!

Kind of blurry, but this is the house across the street.

When I was growing up it was the Jones' house.

(Weird that no matter how old I get, that's how I think of it....)

Lori, Donna Martin, David, don't recall the girl in pink

Seven pumpkins all in a row .....

sounds like the start of a nursery rhyme!

Lori, David and Buffy

I wonder why we had seven pumpkins?

Was this the year David came home with a "bean seed" from school

and we got pumpkins???

Yellowstone, Pt 7

More Yellowstone wildlife

We found a place to take a dip fed by a hot spring! 

Julie and David .... to kids, it's just swimming!

Gowans

Great smile, Dad!  Looks like you're enjoying this!

Yellowstone Family Reunion, Pt 6

The Fam:  Dorothy, Lori, Oliver, David, Linda.

We're testing out this tent trailer, pulled it with the Ambassador.

Jim, Jerry, Margie, Julie, Jim, Jeff -- The Gowans

Grandma and Grandpa Pape

Margie and Julie

Typical campground:  a pad to park on, a table that doesn't move

I'm sure there's a fire pit here somewhere as well!

And always a "hike" to the bathroom facilities!

Yellowstone Family Reunion Pt 5

 

Yellowstone Falls consist of two major waterfalls on the Yellowstone River.

As the Yellowstone river flows north from Yellowstone Lake, 

it leaves the Hayden Valley and plunges first over Upper Yellowstone Falls 

and then a quarter mile downstream over Lower Yellowstone Falls

 It's a dark photo, but it's Grandpa Pape, David, 

Linda, Lori and Grandma Pape.

 

Every now and then as you're driving through Yellowstone,

the bears come out along the road, people stop,

I'm guessing over time the bears have learned people will share food!

Yellowstone, Pt 4

Jeff, Jerry and Jim .... 

I wonder if they're waiting to start something?

or just finished with something?

As with every campout, or family gathering,

there's always good eats!

To be this close, to feel such a part of nature ... 

Growing up more "city" than country, I found all this

breathtaking and amazing!

 (I have to admit, I was also full of that teenage angst 

and am sure the amazement came after I grew out of that!)

Yellowstone Reunion, Pt 3

They call these Paint Pots ... they bubble and are full of different color shades.

The Fountain Paint Pot is named for the reds, yellows and browns 

of the mud in this area. The differing colors are derived from 

oxidation states of the iron in the mud.  As with all hot springs, 

the heat in the caldera forces pressurized water up 

through the ground, which is expelled here.

This area is very beautiful.  

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to stay there

and explore for a week or two?

Yellowstone Park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, 

especially Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular features.

Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Yellowstone National Park. 

It was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition 

and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name.  

It is a highly predictable geothermal feature, 

and has erupted every 44 to 125 minutes since 2000.

The average height of an eruption is 145 feet

Intervals between eruptions can range from 35 to 120 minutes, 

averaging 66.5 minutes in 1939, 

slowly increasing to an average of 90 minutes apart today.

Yellowstone National Park, pt 2

Cousin Julie loved to take Buffy on walk after walk!

The scenery was so beautiful ... hiya Grandpa, Dorothy and Grandma Pape!

To catch a glimpse of such majestic wildlife going about his day  

We weren't the only camera buffs shooting photos! 

Yellowstone National Park is located in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. 

It was established by the U.S. Congress and 

signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872.

It spans an area of 3,468 square miles,

comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges.

More Manteca

 Here's Lori, we're back at the Manteca Waterslides

one last camping trip in the fall before it's too cold to slide.

You can see that in just a few months' time,

it became really popular!  There was some kind of contest.... but I don't recall. 

Participation flags??

Time to go tubin'

You can see where the waterslide lands in the lake in the distance.

Reunion At Yellowstone

Here we are at Yellowstone National Park

for a family reunion!

Here's Dorothy ... is she stirring eggs?  or pancake batter?

Good morning, Lori!

Coffee Time:  Uncle Jim, Grandpa Pape, and Dorothy.

Our campground was full of trees!

And even though it's summer, it could get chilly in the mountains.

Someone's friendly enough to snoop out the leftovers! 

I laughed when I noticed the coffee pot sitting on a shovel as a trivet!

What a vacation this was!

Oakwood Lake

Let the Summer Begin!!

Here's our new tent trailer -- a better alternative

to actually sleeping on the ground in a tent!

Note Buffy's backside as she snoops!!

After a few trips out, we had it down to a science to set up

and break down camp - we all had our jobs, which made it so simple!

Our "inaugural trip" was to Manteca Waterslides!  

Also known as Oakwood Lake, it opened in 1974.

Backwards or forwards, oh what fun to slide in the water!

Oh the many hours we spent sliding,

or just floating on an innertube in the lake.

We enjoyed this place a lot!

(As you'll see from more and more photos.... lol)