On our last full family day, we went bowling first in the morning. Everyone had a lot of fun!

Then we went to the Museum of Idaho. The exhibit was about guitars, and there was a section about the West.

I was just scrolling through my newsfeed, and then I found an album that Jerry uploaded of Harriman! So guess what? Blog updates! 

Before that, though, our students went to Art in the Park, an art festival on the Snake River. Then they went home and played Mario. 

After that, we got to Harriman, and did dutch oven dinner followed by night games and exploring!

Kazuki, Hiroko and Joan pose in front of a lake near our cabins!

Dutch oven dinner is a must when in the wilderness!

Everyone loves their meal!

Yesterday was a great day for everyone. First, we went to the PizzaPie Cafe, formerly Craigo's, where students made their own pizzas. No pictures there from me, sorry. But after that I was much better about pictures. Three host families got together for family time and decorated cakes! 

Mina concentrates on making the perfect frosting flower!

Chihiro's cake, where the main feature is fondant animals!

Riya and her cake!

Atsuko and her cake!

After that, we went to a barbecue where I realized that my camera has a video function for a reason! Then I realized that despite that fact, I can't upload videos here. Sad. Anyway, dancers came and showed our group some authentic tribal dances!

Then came a rodeo, where we got a backstage tour and saw everything from mutton busting to motocross! 

Again, most of what I took was videos I can't upload. Sorry everyone! Anyway, I can't believe we only have three more days with our students! I'll miss them!

Wednesday we took a bus to Lagoon for the day! We managed to get some of the Japanese (and my mother and I) our of their comfort zones with rides like Wicked and Colossus. Again, I didn't get a lot of pictures, but Luke did. Lots of thanks to him!

First of all, sorry for no updates for a while. This is the first morning our girls could sleep in and I hadn't gone to bed at midnight. Anyway, no pictures from me from Harriman--too busy having fun with everyone!Anyway, on Tuesday we left Harriman, and went to Mack's Inn for a float trip. And I personally didn't get pictures from the raft...but Luke was brave enough to bring his mobile phone and got a good picture of a few of us for Facebook.

From left to right: Chris, Rachel, Riya, A'maurie, Aoi, and Jerry.

Next we went to a Chukar's game, and again, these pictures are courtesy of Luke (and Peter, for one). Thanks guys!

Thanks for your patience regarding my updates!

This is a picture before we started the rafting trip.  It was a beautiful day on the river,  I was afraid to bring my camera on the trip, but I will try to get additional pictures.  We saw a mother and baby moose along the river during the trip.

We went to a baseball game this evening.  Our team lost, but we had a good time.  I'll try to get some picture from the game too, but I need to get to sleep.  We will leave for Lagoon Amusement park early in the morning and won't get back until late tomorrow night.  We should have some time to post pictures on Thursday.

On the 29th, we toured Yellowstone National Park.  This picture was taken at Midway Geyser Basin

The students enjoyed shopping near Old Faithful.

I will try to collect pictures from other members of the group.  We have a couple of nice group pictures to add soon.

We have had a busy couple of days.  On July 28th and 29th, we stayed in cabins at Harriman State Park (http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/harriman) in Island Park, Idaho.  The internet access is very limited in the area, and we were unable to update the blog.  I (Melinda) will try to make some quick updates with more pictures to come. Rachel can add more pictures when she has time.

The first night we had a meal cooked in Dutch ovens.  I hope to find a picture of the Dutch oven cooking to post here soon.  This is a picture of the dining area near the cabins.

After dinner, we roasted marshmallows over the camp fire and made s'mores. A s'more is a roasted marshmallow with a piece of chocolate candy bar sandwiched in between 2 graham crackers.

Today, we had nothing scheduled for the morning, giving us ample opportunity for an individual adventure, just with our students. We went to Yellowstone Bear World after letting our girls sleep in and having brunch.

We were able to go with the Duckwitz family on a guided tour of Bear World, where the tour vehicle would stop at intervals and allow all the passengers to feed the bears and other animals bread and grass pellets from the safety of the large tour truck. 
Top: (left to right) Rachel, Noel, Cathy, Melinda, Nicholas, Peter
Bottom: Atsuko, Chihiro, Riya, Miku, A'maurie, Tristan

Then we toured the petting zoo. Our students enjoyed the 'Kawaii' animals!

It was fun for everyone involved! I'm excited for Harriman and Yellowstone!

Rachel

It's been a very busy second day with our students! We were all excited and happy to be in Idaho.

We got to see the office of Idaho's mayor, Mayor Fuhrman! 

Top row, left to right: A'maurie, Bryna, Riya, Nanako, Miku, and Chihiro.
Bottom: Mina

I'm not sure of the first on the bottom--I don't want to say it's the wrong person.

Then, we walked from the Mayor's office to the police station, just a few blocks away. It gave the delegates a chance to enjoy the unique architecture of downtown Idaho.

At the police office, officers showed us everything from ordinary desks to the fingerprinting lab. Rei even got his fingerprints taken!

From there, we went outside and saw the police officer's different gear, from flashbangs to uniforms. Some of our students were able to try on a police vest and helmet, and some were able to try out wearing handcuffs. Afterward, a woman from Local News Eight interviewed us and wrote an article on the exchange. Here's the link:http://www.localnews8.com/news/japanese-students-visit-idaho-falls-for-sister-city-exchange/-/308662/21199722/-/47lxid/-/index.html

Next are the vertical pictures (they won't stay vertical in the slideshow).

Riya tries on handcuffs!

Some of the Japanese delegates work together to lift a heavy tool at the fire station. Teamwork!

Hiroko tries on a fireman's boots and pants! 

Kensuke gets in on the fun as well!

Alison tries on a fireman's helmet. It takes coordination to keep on!

After that, our students went to Wal-Mart. Everything there was novel to them, even things that might just seem mundane to us. They had a wonderful time and came back with souvenirs for them and their families.

After that, we went to a welcome party at Lilac Circle in Tautphaus Park! It had lots of slack-lining, sports, and human foosball all around! Speeches were given by Luke, Gai and Alison.

Sorry for the small pictures, that happens with our other camera.

Everything was wonderful, and I can't wait for tomorrow!
--Rachel