2018 Sept. Yellowstone: with Angie, Josh, and Layla

2018 Yellowstone: with Angie, Josh, and Layla:


13 months of advance planning!  Why so long?  I booked a week at the Worldmark West Yellowstone.  Like Kihei, you have to be online ready to book the resort right at 13 months out as soon as the reservation system comes on line.  Thus, after trying a few days, I ended up with Thursday, Sept. 6th -  Thursday, Sept. 13th, 2018.

As soon as I told Angie and Josh that I booked a 2 bedroom unit at the Worldmark in West Yellowstone, Josh said without hesitation that they were coming with us (which turned out to be "me").  Neither he, nor Angie had ever been there and Josh had always wanted to.  So I was excited about another vacation with some of the kids.  I had extended the invite to Tim and Faith, too, but they declined.

A lot happened in the 13 month wait time!!!  Most notably Angie and Josh adopted a baby (Layla, who was 9.5 months old by the time the vacation rolled around); and Ken developed char-cots foot and a bone infection and spent 7 weeks getting antibiotic IV infusions that ended about 2 weeks before the trip.  I was in limbo for the last couple months as to whether or not I'd get to go.  But Ken got well enough to stay on his own and even dog sit while we were gone.

Next came the debate on whether to fly directly into West Yellowstone or into Jackson Hole.  After waiting a bit too long to get tickets, Jackson Hole ended up being a couple hundred dollars cheaper per person (still about $550 rt), so our decision was made.  I wasn't too upset, I'd always wanted to see the Grand Tetons.  Ended up not being any cheaper since we ended up spending about $600 in hotels to stay in Jackson the night we got there and the night before flying back home.  We hadn't planned to leave West Yellowstone a day early, but wasn't looking forward to another long day of confining Layla to a car seat on the 13th knowing we wouldn't get into Perry, Ga.until about midnight.  So we decided to spend the night of the 12th in Jackson, too.  I'm not sorry we did.  The ride through the Tetons on the 6th, and the ride along the back side of the Tetons on the 12th were amazing!

As for Yellowstone---it didn't disappoint, either!  Weather was spectacular!  Views were more spectacular!!  Company was the most spectacular!!!!

Sept 5, 2018---travel day

Jackson Hole Lodge---accommodations in Jackson

Sept. 6, 2018--- to West Yellowstone by way of The Grand Tetons

Worldmark West Yellowstone---accommodations in West Yellowstone

Sept. 7, 2018---Mammoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley

Sept. 8, 2018---Hayden Valley, Mud Volcano Area, and Canyon Area 

Sept. 9, 2018---Norris Geyser Basin 

Sept. 10, 2018---Midway Geyser Basin and Old Faithful Historic District 

Sept. 11, 2018---Hayden, West Thumb, and Biscuit Basin 

Sept.  12, 2018---back to Jackson

Sept. 13, 2018---Mormon Row Historic District and back to Georgia


It was another vacation I will cherish forever!  Loved spending the time with the kids and getting to see so many spectacular things.

For my blog from 2002 with some different areas of Yellowstone, click HERE

2018 Savannah-Edisto trip

2018-May 31- June 3   Savannah-Edisto long weekend with Angie, Josh and Layla:

Time to use some more of our Wyndham points and hit the beach!

5-31-2018 to Savannah

6-1-2018  Savannah and on to Edisto

6-2-2018  Edisto Beach

6-3-2018 Botany Bay

Wyndham Ocean Ridge: The Village; 674A&B (2 bedroom lockoff)

Only 3 nights, but we all had a great time!  Been way too long since we've been to the beach!

2018 March Knoxville, St. Louis trip

Time to head back to St. Louis, by way of Knoxville.  Time to dog and cat sit for the kids for the weekend, then continue to St. Louis to pick up our tax papers so Ken can get our taxes filed.   

 

 3-8-2018  heading up to Knoxville

 

3-9-2018  ride up into the Smoky's to Cades Cove: 

 

3-12-2018  Knoxville - St. Louis in a snow storm: 

 

3-13-2018 a disappointing trip to the Social Security Office! 

 

 3-15-2018  dinner and dominoes with the Wilkes:

 

 3-17-2018  STL - Knoxville:  St. Patty's day!

 

3-18-18  a walk through Carl Cowen park with Tim and Faith and Jesse: 

 

 3-19-2018  a rainy cold drive back to Atlanta.

 

All in all, we had a good time.  I do enjoy St. Louis a lot more now that we don't live there!  But I don't want to move back.   

2018 Jan. 25-Feb. 22 Maui --- 28 night vacation: (Fischers)

2018-1-25  through 2-22  Maui trip:

4 weeks in Maui!!!!  

Longest we've ever vacationed in one spot.  I'm so anxious, I'm starting my blog a couple days early.  I'll get all the mundane stuff stuff out of the way:

Flights:  ATL-OGG

We're using award miles again.  This time we're using Alaska Airlines for our flights to OGG and AA for our flights back.  I booked the flights about 300 days out, knowing there would probably be changes before Jan. 25.  First one came while we were on vacation in S. Florida in May.  AA decided to eliminate our red eye flight out of OGG to LAX.  So they moved us up to a 2:30pm flight and changed our LAX - ATL flight to LAX - Charlotte (CLT) - ATL.  With an 8 hour layover in CLT!  I had to call twice before I got someone who could or would change the CLT flight to one with "just" a 1 1/2 hour layover.  Then in Nov.---while on an 11 night Caribbean cruise---our Alaska Airlines flight ATL - SEA got eliminated and we got an email telling us to call them.   So I called and they put us on a flight to SEA a day earlier and said they'll put us up in a hotel that night.  Then we would take our 10:30am SEA - OGG flight on the 25th.  So our really LONG travel day becomes 2 long travel days, but at least we don't have to get to the Atlanta airport by 4am!  As always, I kept checking our flights for better itineraries and/or seats.  On Jan. 20 AA put their non-stop LAX-ATL red eye on mile-saver award travel, so I was able to called and got us switched to that flight instead of LAX-CLT-ATL.  Now we'll get back into ATL about 7:30 am instead of noonish----just in time for the lovely Atlantic rush hour traffic!  As we're driving through the city to get to the north side I'll just keep reminding myself it's better then sitting in the Charlotte airport waiting for another flight!

Accommodations --- Kahana Villas Resort and Worldmark Kihei

Car rental --- Nissan Pathfinder

Cameras this trip: 

 My Canon 60D DSLR with a Tamron 17-300mm zoom lens and a Tamron 150-600zoom lens; and a TG-4 Olympus underwater camera. 

For our day to day fun, click on the links:

1-24-2018  Day -1 --- off to Seattle:

1-25-2-18  Day 2---SEA - OGG and settling in: 

1-26-2018  Day 3---snorkel Kahekili and Lahaina for sunset: 

1-27-2018  Day 4---snorkel Kapalua and Lahaina for sunset

1-28-2018  Day 5---Sea House breakfast, Napili bay, Kapalua snorkel, Kahana sunset, Lahaina 

1-29-2018  Day 6---the Fischers arrive!

1-30-2018  Day 7---trip up to the North/West side and the Super Blue Blood Moon:

1-31-2018  Day 8---snorkeling Kapalua with newbies

2-1-2018  Day 9---whale watching tour out of Lahaina 

2-2-2018  Day 10---move to the South side by way of Haleakala: 

2-3-2018  Day 11---checking out the high surf on the South side

2-4-2018  Day 12---half the road to Hana

2-5-2018  Day 13---RAIN and Fischers leave

2-6-2018  Day 14---Oneuli whale watching and walking the Hoapili trail

2-7-2018  Day 15---a walk along the Wailea Walking Path 

2-8-2018  Day 16---snorkeling!  Kapalua and MM14

2-9-2018  Day 17---snorkeling Makena Landing 

2-10-2018 Day 18---snorkeling Ahihi and a walk along the path by Maluaka

2-11-2018 Day 19---snorkeling MM14 and sunset at Kam 1-2 

2-12-2018 Day 20---snorkeling Kam 3 and Po'olenalena

2-13-2018  Day 21---snorkeling Po'olenalena and The Dumps!

2-14-2018  Day 22---Valentine's Day Trilogy whale watching tour 

2-15-2018  Day 23---A rainy day, but a great sunset  

2-16-2018  Day 24---Kula Gardens, Hookipa turtles, Kam 1 sunset 

2-17-2018 Day 25---Snorkel Honolua!!!  and Kapalua, then off to Lahaina 

2-18-2018 Day 26---Water spout!  walking north of Kam 1 

2-19-2018 Day 27---Walk along the Kam beaches and disappearing ring

2-20-2018 Day 28---Snorkel Maluaka and Wailea

2-21-2018  Day 29---last day!!! So sad!

2-22 and 23-2018---heading home to ATL

Highlights and lowlights of this trip:  

The biggest highlight was sharing vacation time with good friends for a week.  Biggest lowlight is apparently having my wedding ring stolen!  Another lowlight is my glasses disappearing in the ocean and having to get new ones made at LensCrafters.  Speaking of things disappearing---so did my hat!  Definitely too many lowlights!  Our trip ended with another highlight!---finding my assumed "stolen" ring!