A Slew of Sanders in Salmon

We took advantage of the long weekend over Pioneer Day to attend the Sanders (Kylie's Mom's side) family reunion in Salmon, Idaho. We traveled to Rexburg Wednesday night, and the first thing we noticed is how nice it smells there! Sad to say we've gotten used to the hazy-smoggy-salty smell that exists in Salt Lake City. Kylie got her hair cut Thursday morning (thanks Tara!), and then we were off to Salmon with the family!

We made a stop at the Charcoal Kilns that were used for mining back in the 1800s. They were pretty fun to see. It was interesting to learn about the history of mining towns in Idaho. I guess I had never known there was much mining there. I must have slept through state history in the 4th grade! We also visited a little ghost town called Gilmore. I went a little crazy with the camera:

Adventure in a ghost town!

"Kapa" and Stella, learning how to hang loose.

Fun with depth of field.

Tin siding. There's no such thing as ghosts?Portrait 1.

Portrait 2 (my favorite).

Portrait 3 or Crazy Jane.

We will never know what this should have said. For now, we will bask in its hilarity.

Purple Thistle.

Ghosts in love. Hehe.Abby and Kylie. "The Gilmore Girls." Livin' the dream.A peek into the past.

Friday morning, we woke up bright and early to a delicious breakfast at the inn we stayed at. Then we were off for another, BIG, adventure! We went white-water rafting on the North Fork of the Salmon River. It was SO MUCH fun! We hadn't been rafting in such a long time. It made us remember one of the great things we love about Idaho: the outdoors! We wish we had pictures, but considering Landon's fall into the river and the few times that we went swimming, if we had taken our camera with us we probably wouldn't have ANY pictures of our trip! Luckily, we were able to get a few photos of the after-party.The River of No Return. Landon and Kyle, our adopted cousin. Three of the Sanders Sisters! Check these girls out! The parents made friends with their guide (We weren't in their boat, so I can't remember his name).

After all of the excitment Friday, we were ready for a relaxing Saturday. We went to the Sacajawea center (Salmon is a big-time landmark on the Lewis and Clark trail), where we were able to listen to a very interesting presentation about her journey from one of the world's experts. We also went on an unexpected hike around thier outdoor learning center. Unfortunately, we did not know that it was around a mile long with pretty rough terrain. We had fun, despite our shorts, sandals, lack of sunscreen or bugspray, and fear of ticks in the trees. Stella, on the other hand, decided that she does not like hikes without a stroller...maybe someday. We got to see a few fun sites along the way.

Me and Chelsea, forever at the kids table, because we will forever act like kids!

This was right after Landon informed me that he wanted to be the only Apache Indian living in Shoshone territory. He is out of control. But still cute.

Saturday afternoon we browsed the downtown area of Salmon, which wasn't very big, but we did find a fun antique store. That evening, we had an intense Scrabble marathon. The Sanders family is quite competitive. Landon and Kylie won the first round, and Chelsea and Kyle dominated the second (which may or may not have been because Kylie slept through most of the second round).

As a side effect of the trip, Stella made a new friend: Kapa Jack! She followed him around and kept asking where he was when he wasn't in our car. I think they both enjoyed the attention.

Sunday morning, we got up fairly early and started our journey home. We were fortunate to be able to stop for a visit with our Burgener family Sunday afternoon. They just got back from South Dakota (Kylie was SO jealous), and we got to see pictures of their trip and they even got us some fun souvenirs: a snow globe for Kylie and a book for Landon!

It was so fun to see everyone this weekend! If only Kylie hadn't gotten sick the last day, it would have been perfect. Thanks Mom, for inviting us and helping us be able to come. Thanks Abby and Stella, for sharing gas and a very cramped car with us. Thanks Chelsea, Kyle and Ben for entertaining us. Thanks Lynnel, for providing allergy medication. We love our Sanders family!