Island Park

This is a huge Tanner family tradition on Martin luther king weekend they go up and stay at yurts at island park. WE were so excited to go and we headed up to Island park in my car and we were followed by nate and katherine. Paul and joann would be up later in the evening so we stayed at a cabin that nate catherine ,Liz and rex rented. It was such a cute place and the kids were loving the loft. David was really sweet he and Dj went and hauled our gear into the yurts while me and Evia stayed warm at the cabin when they got back we hung out until paul and joann gave us a call to tell us  to meet them at the yurt parking lot. We left the cabin around 8:30 as we passed the last chance gas station we crossed the river and it all of a sudden got really foggy. David was going about 45 mph. one minute I was talking and looking at david as he drove the next minute I looked through the windsheild to see a dark brown huge figure of a moose emerge from the fog. David swerved as we clipped the front legs of the moose as it hit it broke the windsheild and busted my passenger side window and dented in Evias back door. It all happened so quick I was first shocked then it hit me literaly how close i came from being seperated from Evia and david.I started to cry as adrenaline coursed through my limbs i have never felt  so afraid yet so awake. Every sense was heightened and  I could not seem to catch my breath. David did not seem phased at all he kept his cool and put his arm around my shoulder as we drove the five minutes to the yurt parking lot.I felt my hand bleeding and worried how bad it was but my biggest concern was david and my sweet little girl. When we came to the parking lot paul and joann were waiting . As I got out of the car I saw moose hair all on my clothes and hair was jammed in between the door frame and the windsheild.  Covered in glass I went into the ranger station to  shake off my clothes david followed with the baby and as I dressed he tried to calm me down  and hugged me as I cried.

 

 

 

After i got out of the bathroom  I sat down and the park ranger came in she shrunk down and told me how lucky we were to be alive. So many things were going through my head, what would have happened to david and evia ?  How lucky and blessed were were to be alive. We sure had heavenly father and my two sisters watching over us. When a cop arrived he really was not nice he said since we moved from the scene we could not have an accident report but only an incident report. This made paul angry and and he stood up for us. He evenwent back to the scene to take picrures of the moose. When he went back he saw the female moose by the side of the road with my passenger side mirror in between the legs and glass around it. The moose was dead and the park service said it  died from internal injuries. Meanwhile the cop left and the ranger took me and Evia on her snowmoblie to the yurt I have never been  so greatful for a ride. I was still stunned as I took Evia out of her car seat I held onto her as I sobbed I could not beleive she had slept through this whole ordeal. I had come so close to losing all that I hold dear. it was miraculous  that all  I had was  a few scratches on my wrists from trying to deflect glass from the windsheild. Soon david joined me and as I saw him I lost it we held onto each other and  fell down and thanked heavenly father for saving our lives. In that moment I truly felt closer to david then I ever have before I felt if he let go of me that he would disapear. Life truly is short and I have learned every second and minute is sacred and it can only be that long before your life is gone. I valued life before but now I  know I will never just sit around and watch the world pass by me I want to live every one of those seconds to the fullest. Soon we were all so tired we went to bed exhausted  I was never so excited to sleep in a futon. I just was hoping that my first time up at island park would be better  when I woke up in the morning.

 

Here was our home sweet  home for the weekend  it was actually quite cozy and stayed warm during the night. We woke up the next morning around nine and david made hashbrowns and eggs it was very tasty I was still feeling tired but excited  for a new activity I haven't done for a long long time. Evia hated her snow suit but as time wore on she got more and more used to it. We headed out around 10 and were greeted by Catherine and nate and thier boys and liz and Rexes family.

We headed out  rex, nate and katherine were towing their kids in sleds and david had pauls cool dogsled with evia in the back. While catherine was towin neil he was dragging behind her and the reason why was he was leaning off the side of the sled licking the snow as he went along.

 

 

DJ is working this outfit I think he should be in a mountaineering magazine

 We were  headed to the henry forks river where there were some cabins   that overlooked the swan refuge of harriman park. here are some beautiful pictures I took  along the way.

 

When we got to the river we had lunch then headed up to the lodge to let the kids warm up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday we went to the island park ward it was packed the primary room and releif society room were filled to maximum capacity then we headed to the cabin to hang out and have navajo tacos.

We then found out that catherine is expecting !!! She had just found out a little bit ago and she stuffed a pillow in her shirt and posed next to liz for a cute prego picture.

Then that night they came over for ghost stories and smores at the yurts

 

 The next day everyone left but me david and paul and joann we went  out again but this time the long way to the lodges it was so quiet and still it was such a nice  ski.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had such a good time and I can't wait to go back it will be a fun family tradition.