We love going on vacation with everyone. It means a lot to us since we don't get to see you guys as often as we'd like.
It's time to start planning the next one! The vacation would be next year. We're going to plan out a couple of possible vacations and then let everyone make comments and then hold a vote in a couple of weeks. Please express your opinions, make suggestions and tell us your concerns so that we can collectively make the best decision when we vote.
Option No. 1--Reliving Our Childhood In West Yellowstone
Activities:
1) Two-Days in the Park
2) Whitewater rafting trip
3) Canoes
4) Grizzly Bear Discovery Center
5) Smores
6) Fishing
Length: 3-5 Days
Cost: Dad is researching cost options so this may change
Hotel: $150 night/room (camping an option)
Park Entrance: $50
Whitewater Rafting: $150/person
Grizzly Bear Center: $30/person
Food:
Travel:
Fishing License: $30/person (more if we fish in Montana and Idaho)
When: Best in Summer
Option 2: Water Skiing At Lake Powell
Activities:
1) We would rent a 24' pontoon boat (holds 12) to use as a base for 3 days and then a water skiing boat for 2 days and a catamaran (like a big jet ski) for 2 days
2) Hang out on the beach (rock beach--don't get your hopes up)
3) Hiking in nearby canyons
4) Smores
5) Day trip to the Grand Canyon
6) Colorado City polygamous tour!!
7) Swimming
8) Fishing
Cost:
1) Boat rentals: about $350 per family
2) Lodging: $150/night per room (Camping an option)
3) Grand Canyon Trip: $75 per car
4) Polygamous Tour: your soul
5) Fishing: $30/fisher
6) Food:
7) Travel
Length: 3-5 days
When: Spring or Fall--Summers too hot
Notes: We looked into renting house boats and it was going to be $14,000 to rent enough for everyone.
Option 3: Doing Nothing On The Beach In Mexico
Activities:
1) Doing nothing on the beach in Mexico
2) Snorkeling
3) Deep Sea Fishing
4) Fireworks
5) Shopping on the Beach
6) Banana Boats
7) Horse riding on the beach
8) Smores--I'm eating some frickin' smores wherever we go!
Cost:
1) Beach House Rental for 5 days $170 per night per family
2) Snorkeling: Free
3) Deep Sea Fishing: $45 per person for 4 hours
4) Shopping on the Beach: $1000 for Lezlee!! Everyone else $15.
5) Banana Boats: $4 per kid per ride
6) Horses: $5 per kid per ride
7) Smores: Priceless
8) Food: Recommend fresh shrimp and guacamole and tortillas!!
9) Travel:
Length: 5 days/4 nights. Everyone says the last Mexico trip was too short.
When: Spring or Fall
Notes: As of today everyone needs a passport. It takes about a month for the paperwork and costs about $50. Or you can get a passport card, which is cheaper.
Other Options:
1) San Francisco
2) Seattle
3) Snowmobiling in West Yellowstone in December/January
4) Cruise
**If you have any interest in these options, please let us know and we'll work on an agenda and costs.
We need lots of comments on how long you want the vacation.
Finally, its been suggested that we also start coming up with ideas for the one after that. Please make suggestions (trip to Washington DC? Hawaii? Magna?) Also how often do you want to do this--every other year, every three years, never again.
Posts
Major Milestone!!! Camden lost his first tooth!
11 years ago
12 comments:
While to formal "Thank You's" will come in the mail, I wanted to thank you all for the beautiful table and chair set for Jocelyn. Visit my blog to see some pictures of it. :)
Our first choice would be Mexico and then Yellowstone. Jen and Ken and Kids
Thanks for responding Jen - Hopefully we'll get some additional comments.
The older I get the more longing I have to return to Yellowstone. I would live a Yellowstine trip. But our family went there last summer and then again in January and Brennan and I are going again in the fall. So I'm good if we go there or don't. I am a little worried that we'll spend most of that trip in seperate cars driving through the park instead of together.
I love Mexico and would never turn down the chance to go again.
Lake Powell would probably be my last choice but it's the last of 3 great choices so I'd still like to go there too.
I suggest everyone do what Jenny did--rank in order of preference.
Our vote is
1. Mexico
2. Lake Powell
3. Yellowstone
The farther we have to travel, the longer we'd like to stay.
A house on a great beach or a beautiful lake somewhere would be nice. Cruises are fun.
I like leisurely vacations, Kyle is a little more of a "goer" and of course, he'd like anything that included fishing. I like someplace I don't have to stress about what my kids are doing. Neither of us likes to rough-it too much these days.
We need time to save money for the more expensive vacations, so every three years would work better for us (unless we win the lottery at some point and then we'll be at all of your doorsteps at least once a year!)
Heard another fun thing to do in Mexico. You can take a boat out to an island that is home to a colony of seals. It takes most of the day and they provide lunch and snorkel gear and you get to swim with the seals who will come up and play with you. Our friends that just did it said its one of the funnest things they've ever done. It cost $75 per person.
Got your message Kirk, sorry we missed your call. Four to five days sounds great.
I think that 4-5 days is key. I agree that the Mexico trip was too short. I love Mexico because of the big house and we got to visit more. I think my number one pick would be Yellowstone. I don't know what kind of luck we would have in getting a huge cabin. I love the activities, I would perfer not doing activites on Sunday.
I am actually fine with all the trips. Eric's schedule in summer is usaully bad, so Mexico might be harder for us. Yellowstone or Lake Powell would be something I could do, and he could join us when he could.
For future vacations I would love to go see Jen and Ken. I think every 2 to 3 years would be great, especially with more expensive vacations.
My preference
1. Yellowstone
2. San Fran
3. Mexico
Thanks for putting this together.
Monika
I vote Mexico. Aaron and I live really close now, so we can just hop across the border and join you. Just kidding! Sounds like you will all have a fun time. I wish my family did more of this kind of stuff!
Kirk & Lezlee, thanks so much for the comments you leave on our blog, it has been insightful to hear your perspective on where to buy a home. Also, thanks for your phone number. We would love to work out something sometime. We definitely want to come to Phoenix one of these days. It would be great to be able to get to the temple sometime as well. We'll have to let you know when we can come up for a day or weekend or something. Please let us know what your availability is!
If we can get a vote from Troy's family and Wayne & Vicki, we can start making some decisions. If any of you talk to them, let them know we are waiting on their input.
This is my third try to post a coment. I can't see the other two so I guess they didn't go. We appreciate Kirk spearheading our next vacation in 2010. We would be happy anyplace with all of you except maybe Stalak 13. We do like the idea of rotating however. This time our vote in order is: Yellowstone, Lake Powell and Mexico. We finally had a non rainy day today, so we were able to get the final metal panal on the roof. Now another thousand screws and it will be done. The idea of metal was to never have to get on it again! I'm excited about the Lake Michigan trip. The fish will be biting! Love to all.
Hays Yellowstone, I’ve been thinking how we could really make the Yellowstone Basin and Yellowstone Park come alive when we go there next. The grandkids and I can be your guides. I would help them prepare. We’d bring the Mountain Men like John Colter to life. We’d tell the stories of War Chief Josef and Chief Twisted Hair and their ‘trail of tears’ in the 1870’s as they traveled from Oregon through Yellowstone chased by General Howard’s Army and show where the first Park Visitor was killed the Year after the Park was opened and the surprising way it happened. Brennan, Jordan, Nathan, Sarah, Hannah, Mat, Jessica, Ashley, Michael, Chase, Tori, Chandler and Nicole can explain why there are so many geysers, hot springs and other thermals in Yellowstone and why there are so few in other volcanic areas of the world. We’ll revel how the creek uncle Kirk took the canoe down towards Shoshone Lake got its bizarre name. And how a man escaped thirty days lost in Yellowstone with his life the year before it was made a park. When we get through you’ll know why the westward flowing Madison River ends up in the Mississippi River at New Orleans and why the Eastward flowing Snake River ends up in the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. Kirk, Kyle, Monika, Jennifer and Troy can tell us about fun times and adventures that they experienced as we go along. How about making a video of our Yellowstone adventure showing our junior and senior guides and adventures in action. We’ll go on an animal hunt to find bears, bison, antelope, wolfs, moose, yellowbelly marmots, elk, deer, big horns and white mountain goats and we’ll find them because we know the inside scoop of where they are. We can rent enough canoes for everyone to go down the Henrys Fork and spend a couple days on the shores of Hebgen Lake playing in the water. And do other things you want. Last night we had a father’s day dinner at the Riverhouse. We discussed how often we should have our Wayne and Vicki Hays summer reunions and the general feeling was every two to three years. Love Dad
Post a Comment