Everest flight, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur

We saw the tallest mountain in the world. Totally crazy to think about and it really hasn't sunken in yet. We had a perfectly clear day once we got above the smog in Kathmandu valley. Speaking of the valley, two words to best describe it: abject poverty. Crowded, insane traffic, dirty kids begging for money then lush green hills in the distance and the tallest mountains in the world not far behind. Wild...

Surviving the streets of Kathmandu

Our flight was uneventful, but long. We breezed thru customs since we were not smuggling any illegal "Beefs" (see picture below). The ride from the airport was the scariest and most exciting thing I've ever participated in. Children digging thru garbage kind of poverty, cows in the streets, monkeys on fences and no apparent traffic laws. Traditional dinner at the tour operators house tonite was awesome. We're safe and looking forward to our Everest flight and Kathmandu tour tomorrow. Love to everyone.

We made it to Asia!

We're in Seoul right now and then to Kathmandu in the AM. We've already learned that the beer sucks, but it's ok to belch in public. Korean Air was nice and most people seem to speak some English. I haven't had to kill anyone yet so that's a bonus. They're probably scared of the "White Giant". We'll try to email soon.

Love
Brian and Em

We're going to Nepal!!!!!!

Geysers, Mudpots, Angry Bison, Shorn Mustaches, etc.

Since Tim was the newest brother-in-law, we were required to bring him along on our yearly guys' trip.  He's probably my second-worst brother-in-law since Paul takes the prize as the worst by a long shot.  In any case, Tim certainly increased the level of laughter on the trip to Yellowstone.  As a crew we checked out multiple waterfalls, geysers, boiling mud pots, crazy bison, stupid tourists and various other spectacles.

The morning after finding my hotel room in complete disarray upon check-in, I made a quick beer-run to Bozeman an then picked up Tim, Paul and Erv at the airport.  We enjoyed lunch together and caught up then proceeded to West Yellowstone where we checked in a bit early to Rainbow Point cabin.  The cabin was nicely appointed all in all, but they missed a few details such as screens and curtains.

Let the drinking begin!  We had a few and then ate a below average dinner at some tourist-trap restaurant in West Yellowstone.  No matter, it was soon forgotten as we delved into the large selection of quality beer that night at the cabin - thus depleting most of our stock.  Good conversation and much laughter ensued.

In the morning (a bit bleary-eyed) we hiked the Sheepeater Canyon trail to Osprey falls.

 After a good workout on the trail, we drove a few miles north to see Mammoth Hot Springs and the unusual formations created from hot, mineral-laden water seeping from this volcanically active area.

 After returning to the cabin, we were fortunate enough to avoid the food in West Yellowstone by cooking dinner for ourselves.  More beer and laughter by the outdoor firepit.

We took our time in the morning with the idea that we would explore some of the more touristy areas and take some shorter, more leisurely hikes.  The scenery on the drive into Upper Geyser Basin was very unique with its multitude of steaming vents dotting the landscape.

 Fountain Paint Pots provided an interesting diversion on  the way to Old Faithful.

 I was glad to see Old Faithful - I really was - though my awe was tempered by sharing the experience with my 1500 closest friends on benches set up for geyser viewing.  I just have trouble getting excited about something that has become such a production.  Oddly, a high percentage of decent-looking girls took the opportunity to talk with Paul and ask him intriguing questions such as "What's the name of that geyser?", but what he heard was "Would you like to take your clothes off and..." well, I won't go into all the details.

 Though similarly crowded, I did find the area in and around Grand Prismatic Spring amazing in the variety and intensity of color produced by the earth.  We stretched our legs on a short, but rewarding hike to Mystic Falls and I managed a cool shot of some flowers on the way.

 In the morning, the alarm went off while it was still dark so we could make the 3 hour drive to Grand Teton National Park.  It seemed like a sin not to visit when we were in such relative proximity.  No one was disappointed as we relished the crisp, cool, clear weather and views of the Tetons across Jackson and Jenny Lakes.  We shuttled across Jenny lake and hiked to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point and through Cascade Canyon.

 On the long drive home, we were treated to some close encounters with bison - oblivious to the future where we'd have some REALLY, UNCOMFORTABLY close encounters.

 On arriving in West Yellowstone travel-weary and starving, we enjoyed the single highlight of the local culinary experience - Beartooth BBQ.  Delicious smokiness and tangy sauciness.  I had the "platter of death" - a coronary-inducing meat heap of brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken with a side of beans.  After a day of hiking, I'm helpless against the power of BBQ.

Another fairly long drive in the morning to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River where we took short hikes in intermittent rain, but generally had agreeable weather.  We definitely grabbed some low-hanging fruit with easy views from Artist and Lookout points of Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls as well as a bit longer hike to views of Silver Cord Cascade.

After returning from the hike, slugging back a couple of beers and filling our bellies with fajitas, a certain recurrent topic of our trips arose - the topic of Erv's unwillingness to part with his facial hair.  While I can understand his hesitancy considering he's had that mustache longer than he's known my mother, c'mon man, it's just hair!  At that point the notarized permission slip was produced urging Erv to rid himself of the mustache.  In fact, it stated that he didn't "have a hair on his ass" if he would not shave it.  Then the unthinkable happened, Erv put Paul's manhood to the test by agreeing to shave the mustache if Paul could stomach the leftover super-hot chili peppers in a single bite.  The bet was made and Paul stewed over the decision: undo 42 years of mustache or admit that he, himself, the creator of the phrase, didn't "have a hair on his ass".  What to do, what to do?  Eventually, Paul took the peppers down while Tim, Erv and I watched in amusement over his agony.  Once Paul had managed an hour after consumption without vomiting, Erv had to follow through.  We readied our cameras and watched in disbelief as the mustache came off.  Would I even recognize this new man as my father?  Yes - oddly enough, he didn't look that different.  It was a memorable night that will be a glowing highlight in the guy-trip history books.

 We spent the following day dodging raindrops and seeing a few sites around West Thumb, Lake Village and Fishing Bridge including Dragon's Mouth Spring pictured below.  Continuing north later in the day we passed through Hayden Valley, where the buffalo (bison) roam.

 Our final day turned out to be exciting and fulfilling with lots of mileage, sights and scenery.  The hike started in Lower Geyser Basin continued through Sentinel Meadows where we saw multiple bison and steaming vents.  Onward we marched toward Imperial Geyser when a stubborn bison kept crossing our path.  As we tried and tried to avoid him, he became more and more aggressive and persistent in following us.  At one point, I assume in a show of dominance and aggression, he essentially destroyed a pine sapling by thrashing it with his head and horns.  I'm pretty sure Paul pooped his pants.

 Ojo Caliente

 At one point, Tim put this bison skull in front of his face until he realized there was a bit of stinky jerky on the back side of it which lead to much heaving and drama.  Highly comical.

 The angry bison.

After escaping the bison's wrath, but with the adrenaline still pumping, we kept a slightly faster pace.  Despite the clouds, we had a nice lunch alongside continuously erupting Imperial Geyser.  Further down the path Spray Geyser was little more than some sputtering hot water pouring out of the ground, but interesting nonetheless.  Fairy Falls, a tall thin ribbon of water pouring from the top of the cliff into a shaded hollow was the most distant point of our hike.  We took some time to rest and shoot some photos, then hiked on to Feather Lake, Goose Lake and some pretty meadows.  When we reached the car, we had covered about 12 miles and taken in some pretty sweet scenery.

 Imperial Geyser

The only thing left to do was enjoy our final beers and companionship in front of the fire.  Well...not exactly.  We still had a day to drive back to Bozeman and check out a few final unexplored corners of the park including Lamar Canyon, Tower-Roosevelt and the very dramatic Petrified Tree and Lost Creek Falls.  Maybe anticlimactic is a better word than dramatic.  We cleaned up and packed up in the hotel room then consumed a delicious dinner and many excellent beers at Montana Ale Works in downtown Bozeman.  As always, we had tons of fun and I can't wait to do it next year.  The only question is...WHERE?