Sean put in for a lottery for unguided access to Yellowstone in February and he actually got it! I guess it there is only one permit issued per day per entrance to the park so he was really lucky. He could have up to 10 people join him, but it ended up just being Sean, Jackson, and our brother-in-law, Dave. We decided to make a family trip to the cabin out of it so the Heinhold boys and our family and my parents all met in Island Park. Emily and Hayley were in California for a dance competition.
The guys said their time in the park was amazing. They rented snowmobiles, which have apparently come a long way since the days I remember riding them in the winter as a kid. They were double seaters with heated seats and handlebars (even in the back!). I was worried about them being cold or uncomfortable and that didn't end up being the case at all. Yellowstone has gotten so crowded in the warmer months, Sean said it was really crazy being in the park and feeling like they had it to themselves. They saw lots of wildlife, including two coyotes that ran right by their snowmobiles and tons of buffalo. I'm glad they got to have this experience. I told Sean if he ever wins the lottery again, I am for sure joining next time!
While Sean, Jackson, and Dave were in the park, the rest of us hung out at the cabin. The kids had fun playing in the giant piles of snow and we ended up going sledding in the afternoon. The snow was really deep and it was a pretty big work out hiking up the giant hill, but the kids loved it and did it over and over again!
The second part of our trip was going skiing the next day at Big Sky. Our kids have heard Sean and I talk about Big Sky and how much we love it for forever and we were all really excited to go. Our kids had never been, and Sean and I hadn't been there since we were newly married. Some of my very favorite childhood memories include family ski trips to Big Sky. We had such an awesome day! The snow was great and it was just as amazing as we'd remembered. The kids loved skiing with their cousins, and we were all amazed by the new chairlift that can hold 8 people, had heated seats, and a giant visor. My parents were awesome and hung out with Davis and Molly for most of the day in the lodge. We took Davis out skiing after lunch and he did so well! We had such a fun day, we decided we really want to try to make it an annual trip!
We ended our night with dinner at the Three Bears in West Yellowstone. Such an awesome trip. I can't wait til next year!
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