Murphy's Laws for Moms

As my children and I continued our 5,100-mile journey across the U.S, we decided to take a scenic break and drive from Bozeman, Montana down to West Yellowstone.  After all, it didn't look that far on the map! Thankfully, we did this the same day we visited the Museum of the Rockies, so my children were armed with their newly purchased binoculars and were on the hunt for buffalo. Big Sky, Montana The drive down to West Yellowstone ended up taking quite a bit longer than I anticipated - about 90 minutes - but was well worth our time.  The expedition to find buffalo began as we journeyed along the Gallatin River, witnessing numerous rafters and fly fishermen.  Big Sky was the perfect stopping point for a potty break and for my children to view this majestic mountain.  A quick photo stop during our buffalo expedition We continued on our journey looking for wildlife, but the day's rainfall must have kept them all hidden.  Despite the long journey do...

Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT I have to admit, when I first planned a stay in Bozeman, MT, I wasn't expecting much.  But, stopping here made sense for travel time in the car during our month-long, 5,100-mile journey.  Boy, was I completely taken back at all that Bozeman had to offer.  Our first stop in Bozeman was the Museum of the Rockies. T-Rex exhibit was a hit! The museum is easy to find, just off of I-90 and across from the university.  The kids and I enjoyed a picnic lunch in the parking lot underneath one of their many trees before we began our self-guided journey through the indoor dinosaur exhibits.  Because my children already love PBS's Dinosaur Train , they were familiar with many of the dinosaurs on exhibit.  The T-Rex in the center of the exhibits was by far their favorite, but they also enjoyed seeing the Triceratops "families" and other dinosaur exhibits. One of the many Triceratops exhibits As we journeyed through ...

As we continued eastward out of Spokane, the kids and I enjoyed the stunning beauty of Lake Coeur d'Alene as we traveled through North Idaho.  This is one place I wish we would have had the time to stop, and is a place we will definitely include in future adventures.  But, on this trip, we had to continue on. Day Two Journey  Unsure of exactly how far the kids and I would be able to travel, I didn't make any hotel reservations.  The plan had been to travel as far as Bozeman on this second day of our 5,100-mile journey.  We didn't quite make it that far.  The exhaustion of preparing for the journey and the multiple 30-minute minimum restroom stops made travel a bit slower than planned.  So, we pulled off the highway in Missoula, MT . Having never been to Montana before, I didn't know what to expect.  I found out I had essentially zero cell phone service and absolutely no data coverage.  So, looking up and booking hotels on my smartphon...