Our first foray overseas as a family was in 2005 when we went to the U.S.A & briefly into Canada for just over 3 weeks before a relaxing 4 nights in Tahiti.

Our trip started with a 29 hour journey to Jackson Hole where we stayed on our first night before driving just under 100km to Yellowstone National Park.

On our first morning we were greeted by blue skies and surrounded by large hills with many ski runs which are well patronised in the winter.

As she doesn’t drink coffee Belinda realised at breakfast on the first morning that ordering white tea in the states was a task that needed to be mastered (see below).

YELLOWSTONE

As we drew closer to Yellowstone the magnificent Grand Tetons dominated the landscape. It was literally the first true “mountain range” we had ever seen.

Yellowstone was better than we could have hoped for.

We spent four nights in Yellowstone but it made such an impact, you just know you will go back.

With the number & variety of animals roaming free throughout the park, it was a matter of where to look next.

The weather was great the people that worked there, mostly volunteers from around the country of every age, were so friendly and welcoming.

It was our last afternoon and we were heading back to our accommodation at Grant Village and we hadn’t seen a grizzly, which whilst not the end of the Earth, slightly disappointing. A bit like going on safari in Africa and not seeing a lion.

Our luck was to change as about a mile from Grant Village a mother grizzly & her cub decided to run across the road right in front of us. Unfortunately no time for photos as she wasn’t hanging around for us tourists.

Equally fascinating is the volcanic activity throughout the park.

From Morning Glory Pool to Old Faithful to Mammoth Hot Springs, Thunder Mountain and an endless list of amazing geothermal features it is eye opening when you understand that you are standing inside a super volcano with a caldera 50 miles wide.

Added to all this was the stunning scenery that Yellowstone had to offer.

As I said before – we’ll be back………………!

CANADA

Not originally planning to go to Canada but our trip coincided with Matthew & Sam’s wedding which happened to be in Sam’s home town of St. Catherines just 20 minutes north of Niagara Falls.

We met up with the rest of the family that travelled there for the wedding the two nights before the wedding. They made themselves well known or at least well remembered in a short time, particularly in Sam’s local bar where she used to work.

The wedding went off without a hitch and all seemed to have a good time.

The day following the wedding we headed to Niagara with Greg who got to St. Catherines a day before the wedding like us.

Strangely it’s fair to say that Niagara impressed us more than we expected. We were expecting it to be fairly commercialised and while there was that aspect to it the tacky tourist shops have been kept well back from the falls.

The power and volume of the falls was something to see first hand.

LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas was a mixture of amusement park, zoo, food hall and street theatre and enough going on to keep you looking in every direction.

While we were in Las Vegas we took the opportunity to go to Bryce Canyon & the Grand Canyon. We were picked up at 4:30am and flew to Bryce Canyon, 415km away for breakfast before a trip to the canyon. Seeing the pinnacles and other rock formations was a unique experience. After this it was back on to the plane to shoot off to the Grand Canyon.

Before landing we literally flew in the canyon which was an experience.

The Grand Canyon was as spectacular as you would expect. While we were there a brief rain storm came through which changed the scenery & colours from the initially sun drenched view.

We arrived back in Vegas at about 7pm which made for a long but worthwhile day.

HOLLYWOOD 

Hollywood was not the glitz & glamour you naturally associate with it.

Hollywood boulevard, which has the stars in the pavement, is a bit grungy a hundred metres off the centre.

Universal Studios was a lot of fun, albeit on a day that reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit by 11am.

Did a really interesting day tour which took in Rodeo Drive, some of the homes of the stars, the famous Hollywood sign as well as Beverley Hills including the Beverley Hills Hotel, the inspiration of the Eagles song Hotel California.

DISNEYLAND

We had arranged to meet up with Alan & Dianne Hee at the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland. With military precision we arrived approximately 5 minutes before they did and were still signing in at reception when they walked in.

The next 5 days were so much fun as adults can throw off the inhibitions and become kids again enjoying the rides, the night shows, the fireworks every night and just the special something that Disneyland brings as well as reviving memories of Sunday nights at 6:30pm when Disneyland was on TV.

TAHITI

With all the travelling we had done over the past 3 1/2 weeks we needed a holiday from the holiday – enter Tahiti.

We stayed at the Le Meridian on the main island Pape’ete in an over the water bungalow.

It was as beautiful as it looks in the photos below. Relaxing on our balcony, watching the sunset or watching an octopus scramble across the coral, changing colour all the while to blend in to its surrounds as it moves from one species of coral to the next.

We spent a very relaxing four days and will go back one day.