Day 16- Jackson Hole, Teatons, Yellowstone

SATURDAY JUNE 30TH, 2007

TWB DAY 16 We enjoyed finding out today that Old Faithful is actually very faithful. After an early wakeup call we awoke to a gourmet breakfast of generic cereals. We then were on our way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We arrived in this quaint western town and were able to shop for an hour and a half. Everybody loved the antler arch featured in the center of the town. Most everybody returned with a souvenir of some sort. Today we also got to ride through the Grand Tetons and since it was Sunday we made a side trip to the Chapel of Transfiguration. Next we made our way to Yellowstone/Jellystone National Park to see Old Faithful. As always, the geyser was prompt, and we saw it at 6:30. In the wilderness was much wildlife, including elk and bison. After that we went to the Fountain Painted Mud Pots, where we were greeted by our very experienced park ranger, Ranger Bob. He showed us the bubbling, malodorous geysers and mud pits. This time everybody made sure not to upset the resident ranger by staying on the paths, not throwing objects, etc. Even further into the park we saw the Little Grand Canyon of Yellowstone at sunset. We were relieved to hear that we would NOT have to hike this hole in the ground, and only took pictures before returning to the road. Before loading the buses, a few of us joined in an impromptu game of Comet. (It makes your mouth turn green!) Finally we arrived at Ponderosa campgrounds where we bedded down for the night. We need to be well rested for our early morning rafting trip! P.S. We know you will be devastated to hear that today is the last day of Grumpy blogging. We hope you enjoyed our commentary of the last few days. Love ya! Note from G-rant- What a great trip we are having. I cannot explain what a great caliber of young people we are traveling with. They seem to amaze me more and more everyday. This by far is my favorite day of the trip. We get to go through my two favorite national parks and get to wander around the unique town of Jackson Hole, WY. It was a perfect day to travel too. Even though it was a brisk morning, it warmed up about lunch time to make shopping and park discovering ideal. I personally got excited to see the Tetons, since I will be hiking them later this year. Flippin' Sweet Armband Competition Update: We have had some very foul play in the armband competition today. Grant and I awoke this morning with armband control. It wasn't until Jackson Hole, Wyoming where we were faced with trouble. Bob and I were leisurely shopping for t-shirts when I was a victim of trickery. I thought my dear friend Bob simply wanted a hug from his best friend L-dub, I was mistaken. While going in for the hug, he stripped my armband off without any remorse. He took advantage of our friendship to obtain control of the Flippin' Sweet armband, just wrong! Grant encountered a scare at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, when Bob planned a sneak attack to steal the 2nd armband. Bob failed. For now, Grant and Bob have possession of the armbands, but I'm certain it will not be for long. Til next time! Check us out at the Grand Tetons. Aren't they just beautiful! Here we are watching Old Faithful. Wow! There is our new found friend, Billy the Bison. We then headed over to the Painted Mud Pots. They smelled so great, it reminded me of the bathrooms at Yosemite. We were so relieved when Grant told us that we didn't have to hike the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Sleeping picture of the day winner is- Meg Crumpton

Day 15-SLC & Bear Lake

FRIDAY JUNE 29TH, 2007

TWB DAY 15 Nothing like being at our favorite truck stop at 1 am!!! The famous Flying J's! After driving all night long, attempting to sleep, we finally arrived at the Mormon's Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. We were given a tour of the temple by the unsuspecting Mormons, and even got a little singing performance. After the tour, we walked about four blocks to Union Pacific Mall because the mall we were supposed to go to (the biggest mall in Utah) has been demolished. We gave the cooks a break and bought our own lunch. Some of the counselors and participants enjoyed an indoor rock-climbing wall at Dick's Sporting Goods, while many of the girls enjoyed the TWO STORY Forever 21 and various other clothing stores. We hopped on the bus and made our way to a local grocery store to buy dinner. The manager, Rob, was generous enough to give us a bunch of free stuff, including watermelons, cookies, brownies, and a cake especially for Wheatboy Bob. We then headed over to our campsite where we enjoyed a gourmet meal of chicken tenders and (edible) macaroni and cheese. After dinner, we had a full-blown water balloon contest and a swim in Bear Lake. Swimming bare is fun. ;) After our swim, many of the participants enjoyed their first hot showers since Tuesday night. (You can just imagine how the bus smelled.) Tonight we will rest lakeside at Rendezvous Beach. Due to the strictly enforced 10:00pm curfew, this may be the first night that we will have no complaints from fellow campers or park rangers. If all goes well, we will be well-rested for our busy day tomorrow as we head towards Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  A Note from Jackie: So much has happened in the last twenty four hours it is hard to put in words. It started with cool crisp air in our lungs this morning after a clear moonlit night of rest. Then a beautiful drive through Tuolumne Meadows consisted of driving up, over and down a mountain with an unbelievable view. Then it strikes you just how much the Lord has blessed this country. I cannot tell you how much joy it is to be able to see this wonderful creation with who I believe to be some of the best young men and women in America. I know that they will never forget this experience, but I feel that I have received more from this trip than anyone. We finished our long day, or should I say evening/ morning, with a drive and a sunset that was simply breathtaking. We drove all night under a moon and starry sky, through a desert that looked as if it was pure snow. We are all very tired but spirits are full of energy. We are looking forward to a quick dip in Bare Lake and then a great nights rest to wake up and do America again. What an awesome experience! Flippin' Sweet Armband Competition Update: Tag team back again, check it, wreck it, let's begin, party on party people, let's jump for joy--whoop there it is, whoop armbands stolen again. Over-cocky Bob has been relinquished of his dual armband responsibilities. How you may ask? Simple. Lauren and I are stronger than his feeble body. We tag teamed him by pulling his arms in opposite directions. Bob's defense mechanism was split in half by a carefully plotted demise. He was unable to fend off either Grant or Lauren. Moral of the story: Two is not for you, LITTLE Bob! Check out the strong pose now. Sleeping picture of the day winner is- Ashely Gibbings! The grumpy group as they tour the Mormon Temple Square. This is a brief glimpse of the inside of the temple. Check out those hats in this picture with Rob the Albertson's Manager. The Sneezy group prepared a fantastic meal of chicken tenders and mac n cheese. It was just like a 5 star restaurant. Oh I love the water balloon contest or also known as "The Wet T-shirt Contest." THe finals of the water balloon contest. Check out that distance. Pics from the Flippin� Sweet Armband Competition This is Bob sporting both of the armbands. The new masters of the armbands, Grant and Lauren.

Day 14- Driving into Salt Lake City!

THURSDAY JUNE 28TH, 2007

TWB DAY 14 Great Googely Moogely that is a lot of mail. Somebody must reallllly love us! Kitch made us play ring around the rosies, pocket full of posies in order to get our mail. Dixie Crystal Drew...You've Got Mail! In fact, more than anyone else. For examples: new shoes, 5 boxes of candy, "better pillow," and a rubber snake. The ladies sharing their mail with each other. Today we took a break from the TWB norm and slept late. We awoke to the smell of pancakes on the grill and the sound of well-rested campers. Although the night was cold, we slept bear and raccoon free. We spent most of the morning and afternoon taking cold, make shift showers in the water spout and hanging out around the campsite. At 3:00 we loaded up the buses and vans and headed to Lee Vining, California to receive our mail. We would like to thank all the parents and friends who sent us mail. We love and miss you! After we received our packages, we prepared to drive all night long to Salt Lake City, Utah. GOODBYE CALIFORNIA!! A note from Lauren and Bob: We enjoyed a relaxing morning in Yosemite to prepare for our long overnight drive. We too would like to thank all those who sent cards and packages to participants and staff. The participants were touched by all the kindness and the staff was humbled by the experience. To top off our wonderful day, we were blessed by a breath-taking sunset. We have a long night ahead of us but we are looking forward to spending the day in Salt Lake City, Utah. Much Love, Lauren and Bob Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Katie Howard, Happy Birthday to you! (Lauren, Katie, Kitch) A glimpse at what we viewed this evening while driving across America. Take a second glimpse at this beauty. Does it get any better than this???

  

Day 13-Yosemite

TWB DAY 13 The Grumpy's at Inspiration Point. We celebrated Kristen Bailey's birthday today. It was so much fun!!! Today consisted of a long bus ride. We left City College and rode all the way to Yosemite National Park. All 89 of us fit on a shuttle and rode to see the great Sequoia's talk about BIG trees! We hiked about 1 mile to see the Big Grizzly itself. After taking some pictures and buying souvenirs, we shuttled back to the bus and rode to Inspiration Point and Bridal Veil Falls. We didn't think we would get to see the water falls because of the controlled burning of the forest, but we still did!! Yeaahh! It was beautiful and a bunch of us climbed up the rocks to get a better view. Our campsite was an hour and half drive among windy roads. The drive included car sickness (literally), a bear sighting, and many photo opportunities. When we reached the campsite, it was dark and 35 degrees. Burrrrr! We really appreciated the hot soup and sandwiches cooked for us. We had to lock up all of our food in bear boxes so the wildlife wouldn't bother us at night. We hope there won't be any bears hanging around with us tonight! Note From Counselor Wheatboy (Bob): I woke up this morning a little nervous because I knew that today one of my lifelong dreams might come true: dance with a bear. Unfortunately, I will have to wait for another day. At least I got to see a brown bear on the side of the road. Yosemite National Park is full of amazing sights to see. The Sequoia trees make me feel so trivial in comparison to their great size. Inspiration Point was one full of smoke rather than a waterfall. However, this did not stop us from driving down to Bridal Veil Falls to get a clear view of the waterfall and glimmering rainbow. All day long the participants were complaining how hot it was and how the counselors lied to them about Yosemite being cold. You can only imagine their surprise when the temperature dropped to a cool 34 degrees. Oh how I love being right! Today was full of sickness for several individuals, including myself. A little upset stomach won't hold back Trip 1 though. We kept pushing on and are looking forward to getting mail. I hope someone sent me a new training bra. Flippin' Sweet Armband Competition Update: I became the man today through complete armband domination. At Bridal Veil Falls, Grant was going to take a picture and was holding his very valuable camera in his left hand. This proved to be an extremely fortunate event for me. I quickly slipped the armband off his right hand and ran away before he could react. Grant stole my Burt's Bees chap stick in a shameful attempt to trade an armband for chap stick. Luckily, I am just as good at stealing chap stick as armbands so his attempt was futile. Later at Bridal Veil Falls, Lauren was trying to show off her new handshake with Josh Kramer. I quickly slipped the armband off her arm, in the middle of the handshake, and ran away. Grant and Lauren tried to trap me in an intense game of hide and seek but of no avail. I now have both armbands around my legs so that they could not steal them from me while sleeping. Sadly, Kitch has decided to resign from the counselor armband competition because she feels the competition has become too aggressive and brutal. After sneakily obtaining the armband, Kitch was viciously fought off by Grant, in which she lost it once again. Kitch says after being physically injured (hyperextended elbow, many bruises, etc) and emotionally heartbroken, it would be best to quit. Grant, Lauren, and I see that as a weak excuse but are thankful that we have one less person to worry about. We'll see how long her absence from the competition will last.  The sleeping picture of the day winners are- Owen Bruner and Vince Novesel. How cute! We had to take a shuttle up to the trails to the Giant Sequoias. We fit a little tighter on here than our bus. Check out those hot girls at the Giant Grizzly! Look at those stud muffins hanging out with Giant Grizzly! Is that a fire in the Valley! Oh wait, that is supposed to be there. Look at the troll below the bridge...no wait, that is Jackie!!! Watch out ya'll! Wow, look at the amazing rainbow formed by the waterfall. Those guys are looking cool in the mist of the falls. Jonathan Jenkins thought the best bear protection was inside the bear box. Is he crazy or what?

Day 12-San Francisco

TWB DAY 12

The Sneezy's working on their last blog post.

The glorious Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco!




Everyone woke up well-rested thanks to the extra hour of sleep the counselors gave us. We loaded up on the vehicles and headed to the Twin Peaks for a gorgeous view overlooking San Francisco and the Cliff House for a view of the Pacific coast. Afterwards, we went to Fisherman's Wharf and enjoyed a delicious bread bowl of clam chowder. Next, we all split up and explored the crowded streets of San Francisco. Some sites included: Ghirardelli square, Hard Rock Cafe, Fairmont Hotel, Little Italy, and Chinatown. At 4 o'clock we met up at the Four Seas Restaurant for a Chinese buffet paid for by the counselors. Afterwards, everyone split up to shop more and struggled to meet up at our meeting time and place. At 6 o'clock we traveled to the Golden Gate Bridge. Everyone journeyed across the mile and a half scenic walkway. The view was amazing.


A note from Lauren:

Greetings from San Francisco! Although we have had our coldest day thus far on TWB, we have had a fabulous day in this beautiful city. San Fran is one of my top 5 favorite places we visit on TWB. I love it! A few highlights of the day and reasons why I love San Francisco so much: Sourdough Bread (Sorry Bob), endless souvenir shops, the famous Bush Man who startles innocent pedestrians, Grant squeezing the van into parking decks, roads like roller coasters, Chinatown, TWB horns almost stolen from the front of the van in Chinatown Cody saved the day (He is our hero!), driving by Haight and Ashbury Street (not enough time to get out), and walking/running/skipping/riding piggy back across the Golden Gate Bridge. We also have clean clothes this evening thanks to our friends in Chinatown. What a wonderful day! Our TWB love for each other grows more and more each day!

Much Love,
Lauren

Counselor Flippin' Sweet armband competition update:

Last update given, Lauren and Grant had possession of the armbands. Currently, Lauren and Grant STILL hold possession of the Flippin' Sweet armbands. Grant has had no threats or close calls of losing the armband in the last 48 hours; he guards his armband very closely. I, on the other hand, am a different story. After only having five hours of rest, I absent-mindedly left the armband unsupervised while packing my bag into the trailer. In the meantime the armband fell to ground; Bob swiped it up and mocked me for not guarding it more closely. Later in the day, Bob received an armband farmer's tan, I think he deserved it. Today in San Fran, Bob made the mistake of telling me his armband was in the pocket of his jacket. While leaving his jacket unattended, I went in for the grab. Grant and I are the Flippin' Sweet counselors of the day. Stay tuned for more updates!

We started the morning out with a view of the city from Twin Peaks. We ended up being in the middle of a cloud.




Then, we headed out to the famous Cliff House on the bay and posed in front of the largest camera in San Francisco.




Next, we arrived at Fisherman's Wharf to eat lunch and check out the view of Alcatraz.




Yummm! We enjoyed delicious clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls at Fisherman's Wharf.

Meg Crumpton and Caroline Ladd lookin' good in their hot San Fran nightgowns!





Chinese dinner at Four Seasons in Chinatown.




The two most beautiful, brightest, friendliest, smartest, coolest, wittiest, greatest female counselors on TWB EVER, Kitch and Lauren!

Day 11- Highway 1

TWB DAY 11

The Sneezy's blogged on the back of the bus.

 
The half-way point of our experience together started at El Capitan Campground, where we spent the night right on the beach. When we woke up we were covered in sea mist. The group was tired and was running a little slow, but eventually we caught up to schedule. We drove on the famous Highway 1 in California. The vast sea to the left and the beautiful
mountains to the right were both breath-taking sights. Soon we stopped at the Ragged Point Inn for a quick bathroom break. The price of regular gas was $4.29 a gallon! WOW! After everyone used the restroom, we gathered around the Ragged Point's cliff for a photo op. The ocean view was B-E-A-utiful. We stopped right before our traveling lunch for a memorable and special sing-along on the Pacific Ocean. Afterwards, everyone jumped back on the bus for a long drive to Monterey, California. About 2 hours later, we arrived at Cannery Row in Monterey, California. This is where the basis of John Steinbeck's novel, Cannery Row, was created. Everyone got out of the bus and breathed in the seafood-filled town. The quaint town was filled with little shops and restaurants by the sea. Many souvenirs were bought, and even more memories were instilled. This day was filled with friendship and bonding that could only be created on TWB. As we write this blog we are on the way to City College of San Francisco. We are soooo excited about our fun day in San Francisco tomorrow.
Signing out, The Sneezy's

Jibber jabbers from Dennis...We have lowered the walls and friendships are growing soooo strong. Yes, we are taking advantage of each and every minute and our bodies are feeling the exhaustion (but we are sooo young). All of your thoughts and prayers are surely being answered because we are having the time of our lives. Stay tuned for more fun pictures and exciting stories tomorrow from San Francisco.


The sleeping picture of the day winner is the whole bus. This morning I looked back and everybody had gone to sleep. It was so, so quiet.



Hanging out at Ragged Point, CA



I love group pictures!!!



Gas at Ragged Point, CA was $4.29!!! Wow!!!



We stopped for a sing along on Hwy 1.




We found two unique fishermen in Monterey, CA.



We decided to take a group picture with the CRAZY fishermen!



Nothing is like a great cup of coffee on a cool day in Monterey.



Are you cold girls?