WanderWest with the Puryears

Panguitch Perfection and Bryce Canyon Dreams Today we landed in Panguitch, Utah —just 30 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park—and OH. MY. GOODNESS. This Airbnb is the cutest one yet! Tucked away on a working farm, it has animals to pet, wide-open skies, and mountain views that go on forever. It's peaceful, charming, and already one of our favorite spots of the trip. This afternoon, we headed into Bryce to check out the park and figure out how to rent bikes for tomorrow. Fun fact: Dan and I never made it here on our big road trip 17 years ago, so this is our first visit—and it’s living up to the hype. We were all surprised by how quiet the park felt. Compared to the crowds at Yellowstone, Bryce tonight was shockingly chill. No traffic jams, no jostling for photo ops… just golden light and plenty of space to breathe. We had planned to grab dinner at a pizza place inside the park, but—plot twist—they were closed for the day while swapping out their pizza ovens. (Of course!) Than...

  Day 9- From Cold Nights to Unexpected Beauty Night two of camping was a whole new ballgame—nearly 20 degrees warmer than our frigid first night. We actually slept! Well… sort of. The cots still have opinions about comfort, but we’ll take progress where we can. The morning kicked off with another tasty camp breakfast—nothing beats a hot meal in the woods. Then came the teardown. And here’s where the parenting win comes in: the girls crushed it . What once took hours now only took 45 minutes. Tent down, gear packed, car repacked ( again )—we’re basically a traveling roadshow at this point. Everyone chipped in, and dare I say… we made it look easy? With camp behind us, we made our way to the Old Faithful area. We lucked out—only a 35-minute wait until the next eruption! The girls were impressed, though not exactly transformed. "It was cool, but not like, life-changing .” Thanks, Gen Z. 🤣  Then came the real twist of the day. We made a game-time decision to veer south thro...

  Day 8:  Falls, Fumes, and Family Feels   Rise and shine from Yellowstone! Day 8 started with a camp breakfast that was chef’s kiss : eggs-in-a-bag (surprisingly fun and tasty!), pancakes, and sausage. Nothing says mountain morning like flipping flapjacks over a camp stove with the pine trees as your kitchen walls. Fueled up, we laced up our hiking boots and set off for one of my favorite places in the park—the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River . On the way to Upper Falls, our hike turned into a wildlife encounter! First up: a ridiculously cute yellow-bellied marmot popped out to say hello. Not long after, things got a little more... intense. A lone bison —yes, a full-grown buffalo beast —came strolling straight toward us on the trail. Cue slow-motion movie moment. We stayed calm (and tried not to squeal), slowly backed off, and he continued on into the forest like it was no big deal. Wild The falls themselves? Absolutely stunning. Mist curling through the...

  Day 7: Beartooth Highway into Yellowstone & Night One Camping Beartooth Highway!  We said goodbye to Montana this morning, still buzzing from the fireworks over the Beartooth Mountains. I mean, watching explosions of color light up the sky and reflect off snow-capped peaks? It was basically a postcard come to life. As we packed up and hit the road, we followed what had become the most popular piece of advice from fellow wanderers: Take the Beartooth Highway into Yellowstone. And let me just say—those people deserve a medal. Because WOW. That drive wasn’t just scenic, it was next-level, jaw-dropping, can-you-even-believe-this-is-real-life stunning. What should have been a three-hour drive turned into a five-hour epic because we couldn’t not stop. The road climbed and climbed until we were practically driving through the clouds—literally. We hit 10,947 feet in elevation and felt every single inch of it. The views? Indescribable. The switchbacks? Nerve-wracking and gl...