Bear Lake State Park and Salt Lake City

Sunday June 22

We left Grand Teton National Park this morning without knowing where we'd end up.  Pete once again set off on his bike ahead of us and we picked him up at the south entrance of the park.  We followed our noses a bit and then decided to check out a lake the Toshs had mentioned to us when they were in the area a few years back.  It meant crossing the border into Idaho which the kids were very excited about (the more states the better!).  It was the best decision we ever made.  We discovered Bear Lake State Park and found a campsite with full lake and beach access.  We set up our site and then went to splash around in the water.  

Bear Lake at sunset.

Looking back toward our trailer from the beach (ours is in the middle of the picture, closest to the water).

Monday June 23

Today was unanimously voted as the best day ever by all 5 of us.  Pete went for a bike ride this morning while the kids and I set ourselves up on the beach.  We'd been playing for about an hour when we heard a jetski on the water and noticed it heading straight towards us.  We then saw it was Dad aboard!!!  WHAT??   Pete surprised us all and had rented it for the day.  We had SOOO much fun taking turns exploring the lake, doing tricks and cruising the water.  

Checking out the jetski.

Ethan and Pete setting off on the first ride.

Tuesday June 24

Today wasn't nearly as fun as yesterday.  We left Bear Lake in the morning and picked Pete up an hour or so down the road.  We again were just following our noses south as we made our way into Utah.  We ended up in a construction zone just east of Salt Lake City and started going up a hill with barriers on both sides of us.  Suddenly the truck started to lose power and the check engine light came on.  Not a fun experience with no exit lane!!  We limped to the next exit and stopped at a gas station.  To make a long story short, we had to call for roadside assistance and both the truck and trailer were towed the 20+ miles into Salt Lake City.  The tow truck driver was a great guy and made a pit stop at the Salt Lake City KOA to drop off our trailer before dropping the Beast off at a nearby Toyota dealership.  The kids and I took a cab and met Pete at the KOA.  We ended the day with a swim in the KOA pool so the kids weren't too phased by the experience.  

Swimming in the KOA pool.

Wednesday June 25

Grrr… we were supposed to be on our way to Bryce Canyon today.  Instead we found out the Beast needs a new fuel pump and we have to wait until tomorrow for the part.  We had no choice but to make the best of it and took advantage of the free shuttle option from the KOA to the Temple downtown and went to learn all about the Mormons and the Church of Latter Day Saints.  We saw the Tabernacle, rode the elevator to the top floor of the highest building to get a bird's eye view of the city, and visited the Geneology Centre and found pictures of Pete's paternal grandparents and great grandparents!  We then hung out at the pool in the afternoon.

A bird's eye view of the Temple with the Tabernacle behind it.

  

Thursday June 26

A new fuel pump turned into a new filter and a complete flush of our system.  Apparently we’d filled up with bad gas somewhere along the way and there was a ton of sediment in the system.  $1300 later and we finally set off on our way around 6pm.  The trip to Bryce was pretty uneventful and we finally pulled in around 11:30 pm.  What a long day.

Saying goodbye to Daisy, who is supposedly the world's most famous pig (whom we had the "pleasure" of camping beside at the KOA).