Jackson for the 4th

What better place to be than Jackson Hole for the 4th of July. Matt and I want to make this our family tradition to go every 4th of July. This such a fun and special spot for us. This is where Matt and I spent a lot of time together before we were married. After we were married we moved up here and worked on the river for a summer. We loved telling Amber and Parker a bunch of crazy stories from our fun times there. It's fun to have them be at an age where they slightly understand what we're talking about.

It wouldn't be Jackson if we didn't see a little wildlife.
We attempted to hike to Hidden Falls, but we came unprepared for the rain (these rain poncho's are property of the Jenny Lake boats darn it all) so we had to turn around about half way there. This weather was very unusual for Jackson in July. It was never above 70, and it was pretty rainy. We still had a blast though.



This is our new friend we met at the park before the fireworks started. He thought Amber and Parker were hilarious would laugh at any thing they did, especially when they fell down. This was one of the many poses he struck while waiting for the fireworks. If you can't tell by the picture, that's his brown bag of boos and I believe his blanket he likes to call home. We actually felt quite bad for the guy. He obviously knew what a great show Jackson puts on for fireworks, but he was too wasted to really enjoy them, and in fact he passed out cold before the show began. As everyone was leaving, he was still there, sacked out for the night.


The fireworks were the anticipated event for the kids for our entire trip. Amber kept asking "when are we going to see the fireworks!!!!" and after we responded she'd say "that is a long time!" Jackson really does put on the best fireworks. I don't know if I've seen a better firework display in my life! They're amazing and last forever! You keep thinking you've seen the finale but they just keep going.
Parker would NOT wake up for the life of him for the fireworks. I was so sad he missed it, and so was he. He kept asking the next day "where are the fireworks?" We told him we'll have to wait for the 24th. Poor kid!
One last look at camp before we headed home. A huge thank you to Matt's parents for letting us use their tent trailer. It rained every night, so we stayed nice and dry, and plenty warm. Thank you!!! Until next year!!

Oh, and one side note, Matt and I took the kids down to lunch counter to watch all the rafts go through the rapid. On Saturday we saw a guy get tossed out of the raft and he didn't surface for at least a minute or later. His life jacket somehow poped off, so he's lucky to be alive. It made me grateful I wasn't the guide, and brought back the scary feelings you have as a guide and being responsible for your party. It was quite a scary moment. Glad all turned out ok!