Living in Italy, you’d imagine that our summer vacation plans are to travel Europe. Viva Italia! Well, not this year. This year we will venture through mountains, rivers, and forests! Yep, back to my old stomping grounds for a fun filled camping adventure!
Since our marriage, we’ve only had one chance to visit the United States together. The first time being our wedding ceremony in the LDS Temple of Rexburg, ID. And now that we’ve added an extra to our posse, I’m confident my mother will kill me having not yet met her newest granddaughter if we don’t make a visit this year. At least it won’t be as cold as it was that November.
So what kind of adventures are on the menu? I’ve spent the last few months pondering and have planned out the perfect trip for some first-time campers. You heard right! Ela has never been camping before. It’s not really surprising however. Having lived in Milan for some years now she is truly a ‘fashionista.’ Also, funny story, on my first birthday here in Italy I was really excited to share my love of camping with her, we bought a tent, a flashlight, and in planning the trip I discovered something terrible…. The only camping zones nearby have swimming pools! You may ask, “Why are you complaining?” But growing up in Idaho with all the raw nature close to home, it’s just not the same. End of the story, I set the tent up in the living room for a night. (First time camping on tile floor haha.)
Below you will find a descriptive Itinerary of our plans for a 20 day vacation in Southeast Idaho.
If you have any advice on other good ideas, leave a message in the comments!
Day 1
Travel
Vacations are fun! So why does it have to start with such energy draining activities?
- Preparing the luggage
- Arriving to the airport early
- Making it through the lines.
I know I’m not the only one wishing for a teleporter right now. At least a flight from Italy to Utah from 9 AM to 3 PM doesn’t sound too bad right? Ohhh wait a second. Those tricky time zone changes. So 5 hours + 8 time zones. 13 hour trip. When you include arriving early and the drive to Rexburg, It will be just under 20 hours to reach our destination. The bright side is we can watch movies on the plane! Hopefully Little K. doesn’t cause too much trouble.
(Official) Week 1 –
Day 2
The best thing about a vacation is the ability to do nothing, simply because you can. A nice break from house projects. After a long day of traveling we’ve set aside a full day of relaxation, church, family, and fun! All I know is that I’m excited to eat a big family meal and play card games per family tradition.
Day 3
Picnics and Sand dunes
It’s hard to know how to start a vacation. I’ve got some milestones set up, but when it comes to the off days do you start heavy? Or light with the activities? When you think of Idaho, what do you think of? Potatoes, would be the common response, but how many people think of giant dunes of sand? North of home a some miles away you can find “10,000 acres of dunes rising to 400 feet.” A common hot spot for locals and university students alike, it’s a nice place to relax in the sun with feet in the water. Did I mention there is water? Egin lakes is a mini oasis amidst the mounds of sand. You can find people camping, riding atv’s, and horses as well.
Day 4 – 5
Alturas Lake/Redfish Lake (Milestone 1)
Let the camping begin! First some errands in town, and off to the west. When I was 21 years old, my uncle took myself and some scouts to Redfish Lake in the Sawtooth National Forest, found in the center of Idaho. Forests, mountains and lakes! That’s what I want for my family’s first camping experience together. There are multiple options for camping in that region. Whether you are the type to hike in. Or just want the ability to drive your camper near a lake. You can find it all. I didn’t even mention the fishing. Hopefully we remember to bring a pole or two. We’ll have to pick up a day fishing pass while we’re at it. I wonder if I still count as a resident?
Here’s hoping that we find good weather. I’ve planned out two days for a full camping experience. Maybe it’s just me, but who likes to get the campground late, set up the tent in the dark, and then wake up early just to pack up the tent? Two nights will be a perfect start to the perfect vacation.
Day 6
Hiking/Craters of the Moon
On the way back from Sawtooth, we will be stopping by a famous landmark in Idaho. Craters of the Moon, famous for being “the most recent example of a fissure eruption in this country.” I’ve visited before as a kid, and now I’ll take my own. Craters of the Moon stands as a testament of the marvels of nature. How can one state hold so many rich treasures? Idaho! Haha I feel like I should go into marketing.
Truthfully I don’t remember a lot from this experience so anything I say would just be what I read right now on their website. What I do remember is it was exciting to explore the different rock formations. If you like a hike you are in for a treat visiting this National Park.
Day 7 – 8
Yellowstone (Milestone 2)
To visit Yellowstone National Park actually requires more time than I’ve allotted on this vacation. Being just under 3.5 million square miles, I doubt if anyone could explore each unique zone in a lifetime. We will probably do the typical “main events” that can be found off the Grand loop Road. A few sites to see include:
- Old Faithful
- Yellowstone Lake
- The lookout points of the Upper and lower falls
- Tower Fall
- Mammoth Hot Springs
Estimated time for driving the Grand Loop is 5 hours. With stops, eating, and visitors centers. We’ll be lucky to make it in a day. At $30 per car for 1-7 days, the more time you can spend there in the week the better. After a full in the park, it is back to Island Park for a night in the old Family Cabin.
Although we’re planning a two day mini-trip, day 2 will be spent outside the park in a little paradise called Island Park. Island Park’s biggest claim to fame is ‘to have the longest “Main Street” in the world.’ We’re hoping to have family come meet us at the cabin, so that we can spend some time together in Island Park. This little town is a great getaway for those who live in Southeast Idaho, being only 1 hour drive north of Rexburg. Increasingly popular, it is best suited for those with boats and atv’s, but everyone can find a little piece of paradise, no matter what their lifestyle entails.
In years past I’ve spent many summers there with friends and family. Some of my favorite places
- Mack’s Inn (recently updated website)
- Big Springs
- Henry’s Lake
- Island Park Reservoir
- Last Chance
- Coffeepot Rapids
We plan to do a float trip from Big Springs, ending at Mack’s Inn. Not white water rapids, but a nice calm float where you can watch the fish jump and take in some sun.
Week 2 – Family Week
Day 9
After so much excitement it’ll be nice to take a nice break at home. Starting off Week 2 we have planned a day of rest. More family will be arriving in the coming days so rest assured we’ll find some more entertainment soon. If all goes well, we’ll convince a pilot to take us for a ride.
Day 10
Independence Day (Milestone 3)
Funny that the last thing I wrote about was our Financial Independence Day. Now comes the real deal!
One of my favorite days of the year. Seriously! In past years you would have found me playing the drums in the local parade, or at least following the students I taught making sure they didn’t pass out from the heat (and of course that they played well, but more the first part.) Summer is my favorite! The sun, the celebration, my birthday! But that’s a different story. For this year, if you haven’t seen the fireworks display put on by Melaleuca in Idaho Falls, you really need to come check it out. It’s a little bit difficult to find a spot, but no worries with the amount of cash they invest into the display every year, you can see the lights from every part of town. Better if you can get closer of course. Haha. My brother’s family will be meeting us there, I’m mostly just excited to see the reaction on my little girl’s face. Based on historic events she won’t have a problem staying awake.
Day 11
This is pretty much a free day set aside for family activities. As a family we are beginning the tradition of holding reunions. The last of which wasn’t exactly planned, it just came together somehow. It was in 2013 before Ela and I met each other. This will be the first time we have all my siblings together since then. One reunion every 3 years? Hopefully we can do better than that in the future, haha… Did I mention it’s my grandmother’s birthday? Yah! Cake!
Day 12
Warm River Camping (Milestone 4)
Continuing the festivities with those family members who make themselves available. My mom has reserved space near Warm River, Idaho. Found on the edge of the Targhee National Forest, Warm River is well known to locals for fish and tubing fun. Within a short drive you can also find Mesa Falls and Cave Falls which offer a scenic hike and picturesque view of cascading water. Similar to the beauty found in Jackson, whereas they share opposites sides of the same mountain range.
Day 13
Open/Relax
If all goes as planned we’ll be camping for two days in the Warm River region. But, if all else fails we’ll move on to plan B. Time to think of what we lack in Italy that we can find in abundance back home? Sure, Italy is green with many lakes and rivers. And we already have camping pretty well covered. If I had to pick one major difference it would be the access to wildlife. It’s hard imagining raising a child that has never been near a horse or cow besides on the dinner table.
Interesting side note. We were given some baby food from our friends who couldn’t use it. Maybe I’m just ignorant, but I don’t think I ate this as a child.
Farm animals are around, but not so common as to have access to them without breaking the bank. So I will consider this trip a success if Ela and little K. get to ride a horse.
Plan C – If we find the time/feel adventurous enough to drive a few hours down to Ogden, UT, there is a big Drum Corps International show at the University. Truthfully this would be my Plan A, but we aren’t headed down to Utah until later in the trip so I’m trying to be economic in our spending.
Day 14
After a few days camping it’s always nice to refresh at home. Luckily we have access to a local hotel where we can take a quick dip in the hot tub, while the kids get some energy out in the pool. Not like we haven’t already been in the water. To date I count 6 swim trips. I have to try to compete with Italy somehow!
That evening, if we’re not already “camped-out” we will drive a few hours over to Palisades Reservoir near the Idaho Wyoming Border and set up tents for the last time this season. The goal!?! To be up early the next morning for our next trip milestone.
Day 15
Rafting (Milestone 5)
Probably our most exciting event planned is a rafting trip down the Hoback. A good friend has been a guide for many years now and has offered to take us down. I’ve been one time before, I remember we had so many people in the boat I didn’t have to paddle. I ended up riding the front of the boat like a bull. I don’t imagine I’ll be so lucky this time now that I’m all grown up. Makes you miss being a kid. Haha.. Good time to test the GoPro we just picked up on amazon.
I’ll say it again. If we haven’t exhausted ourselves, or maybe even if we have, we’ll take a quick drive over to Granite Hot Springs. Having checked their schedule it might just be a good option for those that don’t want to raft since they close at 6PM.
Week 3 – Fin
Day 16
Family Day
The conclusion of our trip. It’ll be nice to relax for a day yet again. I imagine this will be the day that we gather our things and say goodbye to family. It might be a year or two before we make it back to this part of the world. There’s a lot of world to discover! We still have a few more days (Days 17-20) of vacation in the US, but that is the end of the Idaho Chapter.
If you ever head to Yellowstone, wave to the left on your way by Rexburg. And if you give enough notice, maybe we’ll join you next time!
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