Bozeman

We enjoyed slowing down in Bozeman for a few days. Bozeman is similar to Austin, although much smaller.

As we rolled into town, we lunched at The Farmer’s Daughter restaurant. I ordered the kiddos grilled cheese sandwiches off the kids menu and they came out with huge salads. Jack willingly ate some of the salad but the other two were not impressed. I made promises of ice cream as we finished up, and then we headed to the Museum of the Rocky Mountains.

The museum is home to many impressive fossils, including a full Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. There was also a reptile exhibit and planetarium.

Our home was conveniently located and had a park across the street. Evie and Jack enjoyed spending time at the park “by themselves” (while momma watched out the window).

We also visited Dinosaur Park…

And we found a tree house in the woods.

My third cousin, Eric Oden, moved to Livingston (a town near Bozeman) several years ago with his wife and they have since started a family. We enjoyed joining them for dinner and meeting Nelson and Scarlett. Our children really enjoyed playing with their new-discovered cousins.

We also visited Lewis and Clark Caverns, which were never actually explored by Lewis and Clark. In fact, it is likely that no human ever explored the caves until 1895. Although the tour was shortened due to Covid, we were able to spend time in the Paradise Room, even several minutes in total darkness. We heard a story about a man who was stuck in the caves without any light for 50 hours and, by the time he was rescued, he was completely out of his mind. While learning about how limestone is formed, James tenaciously searched for and found a stone with a fossil imprint. 👍

We look forward to meeting up with Jim’s parents again and visiting Yellowstone National Park next.