Summer vacation trip to Idaho! Here we are on the shuttle at the airport: 
We had planned to rent a car downtown (and save $1000) but then Delta changed our flights and the downtown rental place was closed so we had to stay overnight in SLC. But it was still cheaper than an airport rental!
On the way up, we stopped at Red Rock Pass, which is where Lake Bonneville broke through to flood thousands of years ago. Fascinating to see the evidences still in the rocks!!
We arrived at the Peers' house and made friends with their new pet, a cockatiel named Buckbeak. He was a big hit with our kids. Aunt Lorien has taught him to whistle the R2D2 noise from Star Wars, and she's working on the Imperial March with him.
We went up to Big Jud's for a belated birthday party for Nut Brown. We had promised him the enormous hamburger last December so we were finally able to come through on that! It was a truly enormous hamburger! Neither he nor Mr. Brown were able to eat the whole thing in one sitting, although Mr. Brown came close.
We went back to Lava Hot Springs! We swam at the small water park/pool there for the afternoon and then we went on to the hot springs. Mr. Brown struck up a conversation with a British ex-pat who works seasonally in Jackson Hole. The hot springs were wonderfully hot and we really enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we rejoined the Peers for dinner downtown with a guitarist who played Pearl Jam for Mr. Brown and Aunt Lorien.
Then we were off to Minnetonka Caves over by Bear Lake, which was pretty neat but SO MANY STEPS. The drive up the mountain to get to the cave was so beautiful! I walked the mile up the mountain from the ticket place to the cave entrance, and it took me an hour. But it was a beautiful walk!
We stayed overnight in Bear Lake, ate raspberry shakes (yum) and the next day we went to the Bear Lake beach in Idaho. The beach was really nice but the water was very cold!
We hung out in Pocatello too, did some local hiking and drove around the city looking at neighborhoods, and of course we stayed up late talking! One night a water gun fight broke out on the front lawn with lots of shrieking and shooting. One of the adults quietly suggested turning on the sprinklers, and that added extra volume to the shrieks! We spent a lot of time outside, enjoying the fact that we didn't roast or suffocate from allergies.
