WLM | adventure
FATHER’S DAY, A
AN UMBRELLA —
By Kati Hime
Images by Levi Hime
I
f you are the parent of teenagers (or kids in
general), there’s one word you’ll know – busy. We
get that for sure. We also own some businesses
– this publication you’re reading now (thank you!),
Laramie Dance & Arts Center, House of Pounce
Bounce Houses and LKH & Company Dance & Active
Retail. Levi works 50 hours a week as a geologist, and I
work as a sonographer two days a week and don’t have
back up. It’s a challenge to find time away in addition to
the kids’ activities. “Take a vacation!” we hear often.
Summer of 2018 was our turn to take that vacation.
We had just purchased a commercial building and were
in between closing and Levi’s mammoth renovation
looming over our summer. The dance recital was done,
summer WLM distribution was complete and school
was out. I dove into the obstacle course of our family’s
life (which is more like one of those mud courses)
and found a long weekend. We were going to Cody
and Yellowstone to celebrate Father’s Day with Levi’s
favorite hobby, photography. To split up the drive, we
made stops along the way.
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Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Summer 2019
First day – Laramie to Thermopolis. I love how
inexpensive the natural exploration is in Thermop. We
ambled through Hot Springs State Park, where Levi
and the kids were equally engrossed in taking pictures.
Our 15-year-old daughter braved the foot bridge
with me. Our 12-year-old son took great delight in
comparing the “eau de sulfur” smell to … well, he’s 12
… you know what he said! The platform walking trail
got us up close and personal to some fascinating birds
who scurried across the water surface with amazing
speed, plus beautiful colors. Take a groundwater
geologist to a hot spring and they’ll talk your ear off. All
we heard (between shutter clicks) was, “That water
is full of an astounding number of materials…” Yes,
Dear, we know. The kids wanted to stretch their legs, so
I joined them leaping, pirouetting and Irish jumping
(we are a dance family!) through the grass. As evening
closed in, our stomachs were grumbling. An impressive
thunderstorm struck up, so we moved our party indoors
to One Eyed Buffalo Brewing Company for burgers
before calling it a night. To do next time: Wyoming
Dinosaur Center. We ran out of time (darn it).