Travel: Where the Bison Roam
Disneyland
or Las Vegas may be popular for multigenerational family vacations, but this year,
our extended family of 16 (eight adults and eight kids ranging in age from 5 to
13 years old) headed farther west, to Yellowstone National Park. For almost a
week, our typically suburban family disconnected itself from Internet access,
cell phones and cable TV. In return, our senses were heightened and relationships
strengthened as we drove a total of 600 miles through varied terrain, scanned
the landscape for animal sightings, strolled geyser-side boardwalks and hiked
up scenic mountain trails.
Traveling with a group of kids also meant
absorbing their contagious excitement over the simplest things, like dandelions
to make wishes on, then blow away. Or squirrels willing to sit still for a photo
op. “It’s just a squirrel,” we heard a little boy say, as we snapped about a dozen
pictures. “We’re from Hawai’i,” my sister-in-law explained. Or the preponderance
of bison poop along a hiking trail. “Look at THAT! It’s the size of your head!”
We took a picture of that, too.
 |
Near
disappointment over gray clouds on our way to Old Faithful turned to excitement
as my husband announced, “I think it’s wanting to snow!” We pulled over to let
the kids catch snowflakes on their tongues and make tiny snowmen with the little
snow that had fallen on the ground.
It turned out to be good practice,
as our group hiked up Mount Washburn (elevation: 10,243 feet) a few days later.
I stayed one mile up the three-mile trail with my 6-year-old son and 5-year-old
nephew, high enough for snowballs and yet close enough to see alpine mountain
ranges.
While the three adults focused on reaching the summit, the kids
lingered at the halfway point, sliding on their chests down a hill of snow.
Because
the sun set close to 10 p.m., the kids happily played together outside while the
adults had nightly after-dinner meetings, which took on the flavor of laid-back
pau hana, as we sipped beer and discussed our plans for the next day. We may have
given up our modern conveniences for the week, but we communicated more with each
other, on more consecutive days, than we had in many years. Six days after we
arrived, we flew out of Jackson, Wyo. with heavy hearts, knowing that we couldn’t
come back soon enough.
Flying Getting What Where |
Source:
American Parks Network, www.TravelYellowstone.com Subscribe to Honolulu
 
From plantation towns to planned communities, Central O‘ahu has its share of secret spots, a bumper crop of bowling alleys and neighborhood eats. 
We celebrated National Take a Hike Day (Nov. 17), with a round up of our top picks for the best hikes on the Island. 
Not willing to change her identity to be part of the industry, Mahina Florence is at the height of her career because of her flawless Hawaiian complexion, strong athletic build, and friendly aloha spirit. 
These restaurants and cafés hold themselves to a higher eco-standard that make deciding where to eat for ocean-minded people an easy decision. Recent Articles |
