Our first full night's sleep for the trip ... ahhh, bliss!! We made a pretty leisurely start to the day, so nice to not have to pack up all our gear into the car for a change. Even with a late start, we still managed to make it across to the Park before the main wave of tourists arrived.

We started at the Fountain Paint Pots, and were lucky enough to catch Fountain Geyser erupting. We gradually worked our way down to Old Faithful. Isobel had a ball bouncing around in her backpack, which made it a bit difficult at times for Andy to take photos with a wriggling baby on his back! We saw lots of geysers and mudpots, gorgeously coloured run-offs and springs, and walked through lots of steam ... such a bizarre landscape in amongst beautiful meadows and streams. We saw a few more bison and elk too - Andy managed to get some good shots, they seem surprisingly tame for wild animals.

By the time we made it to Midway Basin it was early afternoon, and we were going to make a last stop before heading in for lunch. We parked the car and started unloaded - Isobel gave a bit of a wave and fell asleep on the spot! Rather than risk getting her out of the car, I stayed behind and Andy headed for a lap of the boardwalks and took some photos. She was still out when we passed Black Sand Basin, so Andy ducked out for some more photos while I kept watch in the car.

After about an hour Isobel roused again, so we grabbed some lunch at the cafe near Old Faithful. We decided to head out around the boardwalk behind the geyser - we only stopped quickly yesterday, so didn't get much of a chance to explore the rest of the area. We ended up at the Beehive geyser a few minutes before it went off - quite lucky, as it only blows about twice a day. Unfortunately we were also downwind from the geyser, so once it started erupting we had to make a run back up the boardwalk to get out of the plume ... Andy and I were soaked, Isobel got a little wet but stayed mostly dry in her stroller. The poor Park Ranger stayed behind with one gent in his power chair, and got absolutely drenched ... above and beyond the call of duty! Needless to say Isobel was not impressed with this variation to the script - it was a bit of a surprise, and with lots of people around us also trying to get out of the plume things got a little noisy. Still, we consider ourselves pretty lucky - not only did we get to see Beehive Geyser erupt, we got caught in the downpour too!!

At this stage we decided to head back to the hotel for the day - we made a detour for an elk herd by the side of the road so Andy could get some photos, and Isobel had a bit of a walk up and down near the car while we waited. Once back at the hotel we did some washing, and had a chat with the front desk staff to get a recommendation for dinner. The hotel staff came through - we headed to Beartooth Barbeque, and had fantastic pulled chicken sandwiches - yum! They might get a return visit tomorrow night.

Isobel dropped off to sleep pretty quickly after a big dinner, and we had a look through our photos from today. We also did a bit of planning for tomorrow - we'll probably head down to the Canyon area for a look.

Isobel was up again last night - she decided she didn't want to go back to sleep in spite of my coaxing. Andy's magic touch worked again ... apparently she wanted to play for a little while, then gave a little giggle and fell asleep on his lap! He managed to put her back in the cot without protest, and she then slept through again til about 8am.

The drive today was only about three hours all up, so we had a pretty relaxed trip. We did a bit of a drive around the historic area in uptown Butte before heading out on the highway again - very quiet on a Sunday morning. Isobel had a bit of a nap in the morning, and we made it to West Yellowstone by early afternoon.

Check-in at the hotel wasn't until 4pm, so after a quick lunch we headed into Yellowstone to have a look around. We drove up to Old Faithful and caught a show without having to wait too long - Isobel giggled away once the water started to shoot up in the air. Andy received lots of compliments from random strangers on the backpack carrier - for some reason people seem to think Isobel's a boy, even when all decked out in pink!! We even managed to see a few bison and elk on the way out of the park, with a bit of luck Andy's photos have turned out - handholding a big lens in strong winds has a pretty high difficulty rating .

We found the hotel, and were pleasantly surprised to find we've been upgraded to an even nicer room - we just wanted a 2 bedroom suite so we could put Isobel in her own room, and we've ended up with a wet bar and a dining table for six!! Very nice indeed. An early night for us tonight, the driving is starting to catch up - at least my laptop can see the wifi hotspot from our room here, so we don't have to skulk out to the lobby to catch up on email .

We'll be spending the next couple of days here, and hope to get around to see a few of the geysers and waterfalls if the weather permits. The forecast looks good so far ... here's hoping!

(By the way, that's pronounced 'beaut', not 'butt'  ).

We managed to sneak back into our room last night without waking Isobel - she did wake around 1.30am, but went back to sleep pretty quickly and then didn't wake until after 8.30am! Enough time for Mum and Dad to get up and have a shower, for me to duck out and get some breakfast and for Andy to start packing ... she was in such a good mood! We consolidated a few bags and created a bit more space, so there aren't so many things in the back seat with Isobel now - mostly just her stuff now that we need ready access to when we stop.

The trip today was only about 300mi, so on the way out of Spokane we decided to make a stop over the border in Idaho at Coeur d'Alene. We did a quick scan of some tourist brochures and found the city had a couple of nice parks and beaches, as well as the "world's longest floating boardwalk" ... well, that had to be worth checking out!

We found a car park and loaded Isobel into the backpack carrier - gave up on the hat after losing it in the wind a couple of times, so put the sunshade over her head and she giggled away. She loves being outdoors with the wind in her hair - literally! The parks were really pretty - I had hoped to find a cache nearby to 'colour in' Idaho finally, but didn't see any nearby. There were lots of powerboats for sale lined up along the boardwalk - some worth  a decent house deposit, some less so. We did a lap of the boardwalk and back, then packed ourselves back into the car and continued east.

We stopped in Missoula for lunch - we'll be staying here on our way back, so we were able to quickly scout out the hotel and the nearby streets. As we continued towards Butte, the smoke haze got thicker and thicker - there have been lots of wildfires in the area recently, and we saw a helicopter with a water bucket make a couple of runs over a nearby outbreak. I wasn't quick enough with my camera, but we saw a billboard sign near Rock Creek for the local "Testicle Festival" ... unfortunately it's all over for 2007, so we've obviously missed out!!

We passed through the worst of the haze, and the scenery around here is beautiful - lots of granite escarpments, pine trees (I think - they could be firs?) and picturesque barns just aching to have their photographs taken! Especially with the enhanced evening light from all the smoke in the air. We found the hotel in Butte, and popped into a Quiznos for dinner (still scarred from last night, no way we're going there again!). Isobel checked out her new digs for the night, and we did our bath-bed-tiptoe-outside routine again - only a few cries tonight, and tomorrow night we have a 2 bedroom suite so we don't have to sneak away to the hotel lobby again!

Only a short trip to Yellowstone tomorrow - our schedule shows less than three hours, so we'll be able to take our time. We might even pop into the park tomorrow afternoon and have a look around, as we can't check into the hotel until 4pm. Time to sign off - I seem to be making a habit of loitering in hotel lobbies, and it's about time to sneak back into our room for the night.

Another year, another road trip - I've still got a few weeks to catch up on with the blog though. Felt a bit guilty when Andy's father rang during the week to check we were OK because I hadn't posted any photos for a while. I'll get those up progressively over the next few days, wifi connections willing - but the photos will have to wait until we're home again as they're on the network.

First task on the list for today was to bolt down to Puyallup - I did a couple of last minute touch-ups on my entries for this year, and then Andy drove me down to the fairgrounds to drop them off. Two entries this year - one called "Bargello Beauty" and another called "Hexagon Wheels". Both are far more intricate than I've attempted before, but there are still things I could have done a little better ... I'll be interested to see how things fare this year.

Our trip this year feels quite different with a nearly-12mo in tow! Mum & Dad were a bit stressed this morning as we packed out cases, our methods are a little more haphazard than theirs but we still managed to fit everything in the car. Just as well we've upgraded from the Jeep, I don't think we'd have managed to fit everything otherwise. Very strange to wave Mum & Dad goodbye as we drove away, instead of the other way around!

The drive through Snoqualmie Pass was a real contrast from our trip last year - instead of snow and ice, everything was brown and dry - even after our mild summer. We crossed over the Columbia River and saw a turnoff to a 'Wild Horse' Monument ... several metal sculptures of wild horses out on a hill overlooking the river. Andy grabbed the camera for a few photos, and Isobel had some afternoon tea after having a bit of a snooze over the pass. The temperature was a fair bit warmer than we've been used to in Seattle, especially after a couple of hours in an air conditioned car.

We arrived in Spokane and found the hotel - apparently we were lucky to get a room for tonight, the hotel is booked out so we must have found one of the last few rooms when we booked earlier in the week. We found a family restaurant in walking distance for dinner - let's just say Isobel had a nicer dinner when we did, and hers was cold out of the jar ;-) Very average food, and we're going to avoid that chain from now on! We gave Isobel a bath and put her to bed in her portacot - once she quietened down, we tiptoed out and popped down to the lobby to plug in the laptop for email. We've brought the baby monitor along with us, and I was amazed to discover it was able to still pick up the base station in our room on the third floor from the hotel lobby!

Many of the hotels here have a cute practice of putting out cookies and milk in the evenings, so Andy and I have grabbed a coffee and some bikkies while we catch up on emails. We seem to have survived our first day - assuming Isobel sleeps through reasonably well tonight (at least better than she did at Whistler over Easter!). Tomorrow we're off to Butte in Montana via Idaho - another five hours' drive or so. Hopefully Isobel will enjoy the ride tomorrow as much as she seemed to today.

Today was a busy day - we're off on another road trip out to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons tomorrow, so there is much preparation to be done. Add to the mix all the requirements for taking a baby along with us, and I have a funny feeling we'll need a Tardis to hold everything. Just as well we have a bigger car than our Jeep from the seven-state road trip last year ;-)

Today was also the opening day for the Evergreen State Fair - apparently Washington doesn't just have one 'state fair', but this one at least has 'state fair' in the name!! When I dropped off my entry last week, I was asked to come along today and sit at a demonstration table for a few hours - Andy was able to get some time off work, so we piled into the Mustang with Isobel and headed off.

Once at the fairgrounds, we found the crafts building - I'd been chatting with knittycent on Ravelry and quickly found her two entries, both with ribbons! Andy, however, was the first one to spot my afghan. His words? "Umm, Ali ... your afghan has a few ribbons on it!!"

Oh. My. Goodness.

Holy Cow.

Not only had I won a first place ribbon, there were two huge rosettes as well - Best in Show, and Grand Champion!! I felt like I'd won at the Royal Melbourne Show at home. Andy managed to eke out enough battery life from our little camera to take a quick photo. There were so many other beautiful crocheted pieces on display, I was so very proud to have been judged deserving of a win in such a high standard of competition. I then had to calm down a little and find the demonstration table I'd volunteered to work at for a few hours.

There was another lovely lady there already, working on a huge thread tablecloth that received lots of compliments from passers by. I laid out one of the strips for the afghan I'd started earlier in the week, and of course every school group of little kiddies that came past asked if I was making a scarf . Sigh.

Andy came past with Isobel a couple of times - once with a yummy Italian soda to keep me going, but Isobel was fed up by the second time and wanted out. I'd managed about 2 1/2 hrs of my four hour window, but another lady had shown up by then (hi Skosha!) and I felt reasonably comfortable that I wasn't abandoning my post ... not completely, anyway!

We wandered round for a little while longer - Isobel loved looking at the animals, and some of the 4H kids had some chickens out for petting ... they must have been very tame, Isobel screeched in delight and managed to touch the birds without grabbing handfuls of feathers. We headed home so I could call the mechanic and find out when the car would be ready - they'd managed to get most of the 'issues' fixed, but they charge like wounded bulls. Cars are very cheap to purchase here, because apparently the dealers get their money back in servicing charges. No wonder we see so many late-model cars broken down on the sides of freeways ... I guess a lot of people can't afford to keep them serviced regularly!!

The second big achievement for today? Isobel is officially walking. She'd taken a couple of short steps earlier this week, but today was the first day she managed to toddle about four feet along the carpet from Mummy to Daddy. We decided that was enough for her to 'qualify', so today will be duly marked in the baby book as Baby's First Steps.

Now we're really in trouble .