Road Trip Day 16

Home again!  It was an incredible vacation in every way.  Many photos to sort through and lots to catch up on.  Again, thanks for riding along with us.  Stay tuned for more adventures. :-)

Road Trip Day 15

More driving!  But one night closer to home.

Road Trip Day 14

600+ miles on the road, not much else to say.  Pizza delivery for dinner. Getting ready for more driving tomorrow.

Road Trip Day 13

Today was our last day of being tourists. The next few days will be all driving as we head home.

First stop was Devils Tower, Wyoming. Didn't spend a great deal of time there but it was interesting. Then we drove through Wyoming into South Dakota. A nice drive with some fall color here and there.

Next up was Deadwood, the town of 10% history, 90% casinos and tourist traps. We did have lunch at Diamond Lil's, which is obviously but unknown to us, owned by Kevin Costner. Costumes and photos from many of his movies.

Since we were close, we made a drive through Sturgis, then headed to Mount Rushmore. What a great way to end the day – very impressive!

The hotel clerks suggested a local restaurant, Firehouse Brewing, for dinner. It was another good local place, which was one of our goals of this trip. Rapid City has a nice downtown, lots of open stores and restaurants and many people out and about.

What a wonderful trip this has been. We've covered a lot of ground but at a manageable pace. Thanks for following along!

A few pics from the day:

Devils Tower

Deadwood

Current site of an empty store

Sturgis

Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore

Road Trip Day 12

Time to say good bye to Yellowstone and start heading back east. After a hot breakfast at the Mammoth dining room, we were on our way. There was only one elk in the area this morning, quite different than the herd that was camped out last night.

We headed to Tower-Roosevelt, then to the northeast entrance to leave the park. In the Lamar Valley, we ran into our only bison road jam of the trip. There were 50+ moving from one side of the road to the other. A ranger was following behind them. They probably went ¼ mile or so before finding a spot they liked on the other side of the road.

Exiting the park, we took the Beartooth Highway. Amazing scenery! It did make me very thankful for guard rails and wide turnouts. Elevation is 10,000+ feet so it was a lot of climbing then a lot of going down. Saw some lingering snow on a few mountain tops. Glad we drove it.

Our only other stop for the day was at Little Bighorn Battlefield. We spent about and hour and a half there doing the driving tour and some walking. I didn't know that there is also a national cemetery there.

Heading back down into Wyoming, we found our way to our planned stop for the evening...only to discover that our reservation was missing in action. “I didn't write down your phone number so I couldn't call to tell you that you didn't have a room.” Oh well, nothing to do but head back to Gillette and find a room. Which we did. And got a good night's sleep.

A few pics from the day:

Yellowstone sunrise

On the move

Safely on the other side

Red Lodge, Montana

Fall color

Beartooth Highway

Beartooth Highway

Road Trip Day 11

Our last full day in Yellowstone and we covered a lot of territory. After a quick breakfast at the grill, we drove towards Tower-Roosevelt. We stopped at Undine Falls then a bit farther up the road, we took an unpaved side road, Blacktail Plateau Drive, which was one of the original roads into the park. It turned out to be a good choice because about midway through, we found a car stopped in the road. They had spotted a black bear up on the side of the hill. We watched for a while with only 3 other cars backed up behind us. No way could you do that on the main roads! Also saw a couple of deer cross in front of us – much like we see at home.

We did a drive-by of the Petrified Tree then headed on to Canyon. After a stop for road construction, we went to see Tower Fall, (no “s”, the only waterfall in the park without one). Love the waterfalls! Drove past Mt. Washburn through Dunraven Pass, lots of beautiful (and steep) scenic views.

Since we hadn't made many stops, we decided to head down into Hayden Valley. The bison were out in full force! We also saw a coyote at a convenient location to pull off the road and watch. It was a good wildlife day for sure.

After a quick stop at the Mud Volcano area, it was time for lunch and we found a beautiful picnic area beside the Yellowstone River. If we had more time, it would have been an ideal spot to just sit and watch the river for a while.

At this point, it was time to turn back to Mammoth. Once there, we decided to ride out to the northern entrance to see the Roosevelt Arch. “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people” - words from the Act of Congress that set aside Yellowstone as a protected place. Heading back into the park, we stopped to watch sheep (one taking a stroll in the road) in the edge of the river.

For our last evening in Yellowstone, we had dinner at the hotel dining room then watched the elk for a while. A good ending to a great few days.

Yellowstone is an amazing place. You can drive through a geyser basin, then a pine forest, then you're on the side of a mountain, then a sagebrush plain. The rivers, the animals, the history, it surrounds you at all times. And we only scratched the surface. Hopefully, we will return!

A few pics from the day:

Bison in Hayden Valley

Coyote in Hayden Valley

Roosevelt Arch

Pardon me, coming through

Yellowstone River picnic

Undine Falls

Black Bear



Road Trip Day 10

Time to say goodbye to Old Faithful Inn and head towards Mammoth Hot Springs for the next two nights. It was such a treat to stay there.

First stop of the day was Midway Geyser Basin for more geysers. The “star” feature there, Grand Prismatic Spring, was so steamy that it was hard to see, but it was a nice walk around the basin.

Heading on, we took a look at Gibbon Falls, then we stopped at Norris Geyser Basin and walked the Porcelain Basin loop. Easy to see how it was named as the entire area is a milky white color. Lots of steam vents and bubbling pools. Next trip, we'll try the Back Basin loop.

Along the way, we saw several bison, one of which was sitting about 20 yards from the side of the road.

We made a couple more stops, at Obsidian Cliff, then at Sheepeater Cliffs for a picnic lunch. Once we got closer to Mammoth, we drove through the Upper Terrace drive, then checked in to our cabin. After all the driving from the past few days, it was nice to sit on the porch and relax for a while. A couple of rows over was a large elk bull relaxing on the grass. He would later move to another group of cabins and make himself at home there. The housekeeper said he'd been bugling all day but no one would respond to him. Later in the evening, we saw a dozen or more elk on the hills behind the cabins.

A few pics from the day:

Midway Geyser Basin

Gibbon Falls

Roadside Bison

Colloidal Pool, Norris Geyser Basin

Angel Terrace

Approaching Mammoth Hot Springs

Elk on the hill



Road Trip Day 9

Happy anniversary to us – 35 years. :-) We started with a hot breakfast at the Old Faithful dining room instead of the usual bagel and fruit we'd had for the past few days. Then we headed out towards the West Thumb area. We walked the geyser basin there which is located on the edge of Yellowstone Lake.

Next stop was Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where we drove the south rim road first. Viewed the lower falls and upper falls and enjoyed the views from Artist Point. Next was the north rim road, ending at Inspiration Point. Stunning views!

Leaving the Canyon area, we headed west towards Norris. Since we'd be back this way the next day, we bypassed any stops there. At Madison, we headed back towards Old Faithful. First detour was the Firehole Canyon drive where we saw the Firehole Falls. The entire section of that river was beautiful, we made many stops to look at it. Also drove the Firehole Lake Drive and caught White Dome geyser erupting, a nice surprise.

We headed back to Old Faithful, took some photos of the inn and watched Old Faithful erupt from the roof top porch of the inn. Later, we had our anniversary dinner at the Old Faithful Inn dining room. It was another good day!

A few pics from the day:

Artist Point

Firehole River

Firehole Falls

Fishing Cone geyser

Inspiration Point

White Dome geyser

Yellowstone River



Road Trip Day 8

This day started with a bang...as in the back hatch of the car against my head. We've only had this car for 8 years, you'd think I'd know better. Luckily, my glasses survived the fall to the pavement, and I'm sporting a lovely knot and probable bruise above my left eye. Not all adventure is fun.

After spending a few minutes with an ice pack, we finished loading everything up and headed to the lodge to check out. Again, the smoke made it hard to see the mountains. We had breakfast again at the Pioneer Grill. I really enjoyed our meals there and our stay at Jackson Lake Lodge.

Except for some road construction in Grand Teton, the drive to Yellowstone was smooth and easy. After stopping for a photo at the Yellowstone sign, we headed into the park. The first stop was to take a look at Lewis River and the steep canyon it has carved, then at Lewis Falls. Next stop was at Kepler Cascades.

We briefly stopped at the Grant visitor center (yeah, another passport stamp!) then made our way to Old Faithful Inn. After checking in, we decided to walk out to see Old Faithful. Perfect timing, as it erupted within 5 minutes. Awesome! By this time, hunger was setting in so we walked to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for lunch.

Now it was time for some serious geyser viewing. The Upper Geyser Basin is unlike anything I've ever seen. Geysers of all shapes and sizes, colorful pools, the beautiful Firehole River. We walked for a couple of hours. Had hoped to see Grand geyser erupt but it started earlier than the predicted time we'd seen at the visitors center. Saw it from a distance though and it looked grand indeed.

Feet tired and rain threatening, we headed back to the inn and moved our things into our room. We're in the west wing, added to the original inn in the 1930's. The room is smaller than our “modern” hotel rooms but it is comfortable and charming. Staying here has been a dream of mine for many years.

A few pics from the day:

We made it!

Lewis River

Lewis Falls

Kepler Cascades

Old Faithful

Castle Geyser

Morning Glory Pool



Road Trip Day 7

We got up this morning hoping to see the sun rise on the mountains behind the lodge. Still too smoky but we did see a few elk grazing. Again, the smoke cleared somewhat during the day, and it was a sunny warm day.

After breakfast, we drove south through the park and into Jackson (we were told Jackson is the name of the town, Jackson Hole is the name of the valley).. Walked through the town square (with the antler arches at each corner) where there was a nice farmers market going on. Browsed through a few stores then walked over to Snake River Brewery for lunch. It was an enjoyable visit.

Later in the afternoon, we drove down Moose Road, near the southern entrance of the park, for a bit. True to its name, we saw two moose! One was conveniently located at a pullout area, the other by the side of the road so people were pulling onto the shoulder or stopping in the road to try to see her. At different places, we also saw trumpeter swans and Canadian geese.

The highlight of the day was a ten mile float trip on the Snake River. We met our guide and the rest of the floaters at 4:30, then drove up river and launched. While on the float, we saw bald eagles, osprey, a moose, and a couple of mule deer. It was such a peaceful feeling, floating along in the afternoon sun and watching the mountains.

Back at the lodge, we were hungry so returned to the Pioneer Grill for some chili and a cheese quesadilla. We've enjoyed our meals there and also enjoyed talking to a lot of the young people who work there.

Tomorrow, we move on to Yellowstone!

A few pics from the day:

Antler arch at Jackson



Trumpeter swans

We were there!

Moose

Bald Eagle



Floating on the Snake River



Road Trip Day 6

After 5 days and many miles, we decided to sleep in! Our room at Jackson Lake Lodge is quiet and comfortable so it was easy to sleep. The patio outside the room overlooks a lovely stand of aspen trees, a nice place for a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the afternoon.

We started the day with breakfast at the Pioneer Grill, then set out to explore the park. There is quite a bit of smoke lingering but it seemed to lift a bit as the day wore on. Cool morning (in the 30's) that turned into a sunny warm day (upper 70's).

Our first stop was Jenny Lake. Normally, there is a boat that goes across the lake but it has already closed for the season due to low water levels. Between the smoky air, altitude adjustment and not being the best of shape, we decided not to go the full 3 miles to Inspiration Point so we hiked for about a mile in then back out. The lake is beautiful and in spite of the smoke, we could see some reflection of the mountains in the water. I would love to come back one day and hike farther.

Driving south, we stopped at the Chapel of the Transfiguration. Very peaceful standing inside looking out at the mountains. We made a stop at the Craig Thomas visitor center. There are markers inside that line up with each of the mountains. (but I still can't tell you which one is which...)

Since we hadn't replenised the picnic supplies, we started looking for some lunch and wound up at Dornans, just south of the park gate, for buffalo burgers. Good enough and we enjoyed sitting outside watching the mountains while we ate.

Next stop was Mormon Row, where a group of families once lived. Some of the barns still remain and there is a herd of buffalo there as well.

Driving back north, we stopped at a few of the turnouts then drove the Signal Mountain Summit road for a view of Jackson Lake and the valley. Came down from the mountain, crossed back over the Jackson Lake Dam, and headed back to the lodge.

Dinner was at the Mural Room and we had a window table with a lovely view of the sunset. Our meal was a nice ending to a wonderful day.

A few pics from the day:

Aspens at Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake

Mormon Row

Mormon Row

Mormon Row

View from Signal Mountain summit

Chapel of the Transfiguration