We took an impromptu trip to Idaho Falls this week. Scott had to go there for a business meeting. He couldn’t arrange flights that would work with his schedule, so he decided to drive. He planned to drive alone late at night. I thought it sounded like the perfect trip for the family to tag along. Scott wouldn’t have to drive up alone, and we could get to spend some family time together.

We drove up late Wednesday night. We rolled into Idaho Falls about 2:00am, exhausted. We got checked into our room and we all just crashed.

Scott got up early the next morning and went to his meetings at the hospital. I looked out the window of our hotel, and right in our backyard was a beautiful river with a walking path, complete with ducks and geese. I decided to take the kids out for a walk and to feel the ducks. It ended up being so much fun. The kids really enjoyed feeding the ducks. Emma and Ian were a little scared of the geese. Nora wasn’t until she got bit by one of the baby geese as she tried to feed it. It shocked her more than anything, but she was back to feeding them in no time.

After that we went back to the room and let Nora take a nap. While she napped I read the local paper and looked for something fun to do for the afternoon. I had heard of a place called Yellowstone Bear World. I read about it on a friend’s blog and I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. I found out that we were only about 20 miles away and I thought it sounded like the perfect afternoon activity.

At Yellowstone Bear World you drive your car through a park of free roaming wild animals. We started out seeing Elk, Bison, and Deer. But the highlight of the drive was the bear park. We saw Grizzlies and Black Bears. There were all ages, from 6 months on up. We had the best time watching the one year old Black Bears. They were so incredibly playful. They chased each other around and jumped and bit each other. They reminded me of puppies. The kids were laughing out loud as they watched. We just pulled over and sat in our car watching for a good half hour.

After the drive they had a petting zoo and some kiddie rides. I am so glad that we took the time to go. We all had such a great time and it was totally worth the cost.

The whole trip to Idaho ended up being a lot of fun. The kids were thrilled that we went and we all enjoyed spending the time together.