Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and Durtschi Family Reunion

 It was awesome we got to get together with both sides of our family in one summer.  After the Johnson reunion we drove out to Driggs Idaho for the Durtschi family reunion.  All of the siblings were able to make it to the reunion but my boys and Sam Doxey were the only grandchildren that could come.  We had a wonderful time with Hyrum's family.  Lots of hiking and yummy food and we watched old videos from when they were all little kiddo's...so fun!

We drove through Yellowstone National Park on our way to Driggs, Idaho.  This was our first bison sighting!

Hot springs are cool to look at but they are sure STINKY!!

A bison hanging out by the hot springs

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River in the "Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone.  This place was so pretty! 

It's hard to capture the beauty of this canyon, waterfall and river.

This little geyser was putting on quite the show for us!

The mud pots were cool to watch because the mud bubbles would grow bigger and bigger until they popped and they made a real gross sound when they popped 😆

The colors in some of the thermal baths were quite beautiful!

Family photo in front of Old Faithful

The old lodge at Yellowstone National Park, built in 1904!

Inside the lodge

After leaving Yellowstone National Park we stayed at a cute little cabin for the night.  The next day we drove in Grand Teton National Park to meet the Durtschi family at Jenny lake for a hike around the lake.

Hiking around Jenny Lake.  Everyone was certain we would see bears but all we saw were some ducks and some bugs...

...and a cute little moose cooling off in a pool of water!

The whole group hiking around Jenny Lake

Swimming in Jenny lake after the hike to cool off!!

A cool old barn with the beautiful Teton mountains in the distance

We made a stop in Jackson, Wyoming for a little ice cream treat and the touristy photo in front of the elk horns on the main square!

Went for a hike the next day on Teton Creek trail with Andrea, Oma, Katrina and Steve Doxey

The view of the Teton mountains from the top of our hike...so pretty!!

While we were hiking this very cute and easy(ish) trail, Hyrum was hiking up Table Mountain with some of his brothers.

The wildflowers were still out even though it was late July!

The view from Table Mountain!  Those Tetons seem close enough to reach out and touch:)

We took the boys swimming at Green Canyon Hot Springs.  Hyrum remembered going here as a kid when he was in Driggs for family reunions...he said it hasn't changed much in 30 years!!

The pool was filled with freezing cold water.  The boys challenged themselves to stay in the water for 2 minutes!!

It was a great place to swim, hopefully we can come back in 30 years and see if it's changed at all!

We toured around some old barns in Driggs that Hyrum's grandfather, Fredrick Durtschi, helped to design and build.  It was neat to be able to connect with a piece of family history that is still around.

Townsend and I peeking out a barn window

I loved this old house with the Durtschi name above the door:)

The Durtschi family reunion group in front of one of Fredrick Durtschi's barns

At the Pratt Cemetery in Alta, Wyoming where Hyrum's Dad is buried.  This is Oma with all 6 of her kids:)

Another group photo in Pratt Cemetery with the Teton Mountains in the background

On our last day all together we took a ski lift up Grand Targhee for some amazing views!  This is another shot of Oma with all her kids.  She was so happy everyone made time to come together for this short reunion.

The boys getting ready to hop off the chairlift at the top of the mountain

What a beautiful day to be on top of the world!

The Durtschi boys!!

Oma and Emmett heading back down the mountain on the chair lift...I love Oma's face in this photo:)

Playing games with the family

We introduced everyone to the game of Kubb:)

A beautiful sunset on our last night in Driggs, Idaho

Townsend watching the sunrise on our way out of town the next morning. I'm so happy the boys all came on this family reunion.  It's so important to feel connected to your history and your past and to be able to spend time in a place your ancestors lived in...what a treat!