Need a last minute advice.

[Karin Sue]

I last visited Yellowstone in the late 60s or early 70s as a child with my family. I remember waiting for Old Faithful to blow. Bears getting into food. And ice forming in our kettle overnight. We slept in a tent. This was summer vacation. I highly recommend warm sleeping bags if you will be sleeping outside and not at a lodge.

Also, I did not notice spare batteries and/or battery chargers on your equipment checklist. Not something you want to forget on a trip.

[hfgerena]

Great Link, the 4 hours sunset expedition looks promising.

Thanks

[Inspeqtor]

Originally Posted by hfgerena

Great Link, the 4 hours sunset expedition looks promising.

Thanks

You are most welcome!

We are doing the sunset expedition this Sunday night. Right now the weather prediction for Sunday in Jackson is high 62 deg with a few rain showers. The actual expedition photo safari is going somewhere in the Tetons. The weather prediction for the Tetons on Sunday is a high of 44 deg. with rain/snow showers. (I have no idea where in the Tetons this weather prediction is for... what altitude etc.)

It does not look like we will be seeing an actual sunset, we do not have control over the weather. I am SURE we will still have a great time and see lots of interesting sights we never dreamed of seeing
The animals will still be out there in the rain/snow!

I called Wildlife Expeditions Thursday with a couple of questions... and found out so far no one else is booked to go with us, so my wife and I may have a private guided tour! That would be awesome!

[WesternGuy]

hfgerena, one thought, based on what JAW has said - you can't see it all (and I am not a pessimist!!). When my wife and I travel, which is not as often as we would like, we often divide things into three categories, either implicitly or explicitly - must see, should see and could see. That way we are sure to get the things that are important to see (to us) first and then move to the number twos (should see) and often don't get to the could sees, but they become higher up the list on the next visit, assuming there is one.

My 0.02 ¢ worth. HTH.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[JAW]

Hello WesternGuy and twoaussies,

I concur with your thoughts. It's one thing to make a wish list of things to do and then there is the rational realization of actually doing or making those things come true within a small, limited time frame (10 days).

based on what JAW has said - you can't see it all (and I am not a pessimist!!)

and

Jim (JAW): I totally agree with your philosophy of travel. The World is not to be rushed through, but slowly savoured. When vacations were limited

I am so glad there are others out there that can also see the logic that I and other responders (members) have expressed here and the illogic of trying to do everything (as stated) within a ten day period - I applaud members on your ability to understand the obvious physical and mental stress involved when trying to do too much within too little time.

I (for one) take vacations to enjoy my surroundings and the time I have left on this earth without stress or the physical pressure of meeting set goals. Why take a vacation if you can't enjoy the time you have allowed yourself? Trying to do too many things in too little time is not a vacation, it's more like work.

Most people prioritize their activities while on vacation, therefore, they go home relaxed, refreshed, with a renewed outlook on life. I think that is the reason most of us take a vacation is to renew or rejuvenate our outlook on life!

WesternGuy, I admire your method or approach

we often divide things into three categories, either implicitly or explicitly - must see, should see and could see

in preparing for vacation trips. It sounds logical, straight forward, and a sound way of reaching family goals without feeling disappointed because all your goals were not completed or reached. Now, that is a very sensible approach to any vacation! I wouldn't call that a pessimist, more like a realist.

If I left out something, let me know!!!

[WesternGuy]

Jim, thanks for your kind comments. You know, it is the old adage of what works for you and having a "priority" list works for us, that way we are not rushing around trying to see everything. With the easy and inexpensive access to air travel and relatively inexpensive hotels, we tend to travel in the more out of season times of year because we can (retired folk we are) and try and plan enough time at our destinations so that we can see the must sees and some of the should sees. Very often there are not a lot of must sees and then some of the could sees end up on the list. We find that having a plan and a priority list works best for us and you know what we are finding out - sometimes the could sees are not all that important and even some of the should sees are not that important as well - thus the priority list...anyway, that is our philosophy/strategy for planning vacations...AND guess what folks, this way they/we are not rushed, thus lowering the stress levels and raising the enjoyment levels...surprise, surprise, surprise!!

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[Danudin]

This is an interesting but slightly strange thread. What I want to know is what happened to the pioneer spirit? I wonder if Lewis and Clark planned as much as you guys do. What is wrong with just going there and DOING IT. Life is a buzz to me and just waking up, an adventure, yeah I have got things to do from day to day but that is The HUMDRUM of life. The unexpected is the fruit and sweets that I relish, which was why a Husband coming back from his way into work and saying to his wife "Let's go camping instead" is such a triumph of life. I am awefully glad for my inability to forsee or control the future, I want Life - Bring it On! I will enjoy the S**T out of it. Hope that is what it means to be an Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oy Oy Oy!
Ron

[twoaussies]

Jim: I am honoured - I have never been quoted before.
Ron: The pioneer spirit must be an Aussie trait. As I said before - we spent three months back packing around S.E. Asia at 65 years of age. Got to Singapore with no definite plans, not even a hotel for the night; bought cheap airline tickets at STA and ended up in Brisbane, Northern Territory; Sabah, Sarawak, Sulawesi and Indonesia. We had a 'must see' list and let the rest fall into place. Jean

[Not4wood]

Hahahha, its so much fun hearing about what we all do to get away from the hohum of day to day life in our own ways, and how we treat our time away and out of our normal surroundings.

Put things in proper perspective for one moment, depending on where you live and WORK, how much vacation time do you GET???

Right now, I get 3 Weeks and within two years I will get another week added to top it off for 4 weeks. To me, thats great I can then take two, two week vacations and see the world twice a year. Rats, now I have to get a debit card with frequent flyer miles on it.

OK, we got confirmation, we are now officially booked on a Bus Tour of France for two full weeks. 5 Star Hotels, other people carrying our bags, not a care in the world and everything is taken care of us. All we have to do is sit back, pay attention and take as many pics as I can. When the crowd goes to the right, I go left, high to climb or low to get a shot that no one else seems to even see...............

[Danudin]

Good onya two(other)aussies, and Mark we all understand Duty and Obligation, I got out of the Army after twenty years service and recieved Pay-in-Lieu for six months long service leave plus 127 days accumulated Annual Recreational Leave, which was a loss because being a lump sum, I paid 62% Tax I also had to forego 101 days in lieu, for extra duty (No overtime in the services), I fulfilled my duties and Obligations. All I am saying though is that I was wrong, to have been so driven. If I had it all to do again, that is the one thing I would change. I now believe that it is far preferable to fail to climb Mount Everest than to have successfully scaled Mount Kosiosco (Australia's biggest hill).
When hfgerena first posted this he was told that he/she couldn't do it and it got me mad, when he responded a tad defiantly I cheered is all, but the naysayers just kept on coming, some subdued some rampant, but naysayers nonetheless. That isn't the America I grew up admiring for it's sense of adventure, heck the US went to the moon for goodness sake! Admittedly that spirit seems to have died, alas as that was going to be Mankind's salvation when the Big One strikes, we need space travel outta this solar system just to get all the eggs outta this one basket, now we have to look to someone else to do that as the U.S. of A. appears to have lost it, they have become over cautious! Gee I wonder if this will ellicit a response.

Have an interesting day! Ya all!

Rotten Ron.