Day 34: Badlands

Friday July 15

Friday July 15 and it is time to move a little bit east.  We have a 2 hour ride to the Badlands ahead of us but we only have the one night in the area to explore both the park and Wall Drug (which we have heard is a must for the area).  It is amazing how quickly the scenery changes on our 2 hour ride.  Before long the hills and mountains are behind us and we are in farming country.  Again the city signs tell population and we are amazed at the small size of towns.  Interior, SD, where we are spending the night at Badlands KOA has a population of only 67!  Interior has a convenience store on the corner where we have to turn to go to the KOA and that is all the town offers.  We feel like we are heading nowhere on the 4 mile ride to the KOA but it is pretty, passing the White River.  The river is flooded and very light colored.  We arrive at the campground at noon, an hour before check in but they are able to let us check in.  We quickly unhook and drive to Wall. 

Badlands

Wall is a town in South Dakota that boasts the best drug store in the world.  Basically it is a large drug store with other stores connected.  We have lunch at the drug café which turns out to be a huge disappointment.  Expensive and not very tasty food.  Scott tried a bison hot dog and did not care for it.  We do a little shopping and then head to the “new” backyard area.  This area has small water fountains and areas to take pictures of the girls pretending to ride stage coach, jackalope, bison, etc.  The girls each get a bag of “sand” to sieve through and look for gemstones.  They each get to pick a stone to put in a necklace and they have a blast doing this.  Last time they did this, was at Polar Caves and after they finished sorting the gemstones out, they dumped everything back in together.  Thankfully they don’t do that this time.  Isabella is so excited to show Grampie her new rocks.

We catch a quick free ice water (which made Wall Drug famous back in the day) and an ice cream (which is the only thing reasonably priced in Wall, $10 for 4 ice creams) and head to Badlands National Park.  We had stopped at the Visitor’s Center on our way to Wall and knew where we wanted to go.  We pull off onto this dirt road and immediately spot what we assume to be mountain goats.  They look like goats and are living high in the plateau areas of Badlands.  They are very friendly and a few hang out near the road for our photo taking advantage.  Later we find out they are actually bighorn sheep.  The females do not have the curly horns but look just like what we saw.  At last we saw bighorn sheep (although it would have been cool to see a male).  We had seen mountain goats at Mt Rushmore the night before and they looked very different from these animals- very white and smaller.

We stop at the Pinnacles and walk around awhile.  It is hot and humid and nearing dinner time so we do not stay long.  The Badlands are almost just mountains of sand in some areas.  They were carved out by the ocean 37 million years ago and continue to erode at a rate of an inch a year.  Hard to believe that if I return to the area in my lifetime, the park would look noticeably different and eventually will not be there.  There are lots of signs warning about rattlesnakes and that really makes us stay on the paths.  But there are people heading into the high grass everywhere.  Badlands reminds me a lot of Bryce except there is green grass on the plateaus and valleys.  It got its name from the French people who were first crossing the area on horseback and how hard it was to get over the landscape. 

Day 33: Wind Cave

Thursday July 14

Thurs July 14 is going to be a hot day and we decided to stay cool by going to Wind Cave National Park.  It is about 1.5 hours south of the campground.  I had really wanted to do Jewel Cave National Park instead but several people had told us they were having elevator trouble.  At Jewel Cave there are tons of stalactites and stalagmites, which I have never seen.  But we don’t want to chance getting stuck in a cave so we head to Wind Cave NP.  We get there and booked our tour (Natural Entrance Tour) before we headed to a picnic area for lunch.  The cave is a constant 53 degrees so we all grab sweatshirts and the girls change into long pants.

Wind Cave

The cave tour begins at the natural entrance where the park ranger showed us the small hole that 16 year old Evan McDonald crawled through to begin exploring the cave.  It was a hole barely big enough for Isabella to crawl through.  It’s at this point that I start to panic about going into a cave.  I am claustrophobic and have to fight with myself to keep from leaving the group and waiting out the tour at the visitor’s center.  Bu then we make it to the opening of the cave now used by groups and we begin the descent.  There are some 300 stairs on this tour, mostly at the beginning.  The stairs are steep (I am thankful we don’t have to go up them!)) and narrow.  The air is immediately cooler and the cave is lit by lights along the path.  We are going 200 ft below the earth’s surface and I void all thoughts of cave ins or getting lost in these mostly unexplored caves.  We stop in the first room and notice how high the ceilings are (at some points on the path, we had to duck).  The caves used to be covered with an ocean and the limestone was partially dissolved by the water to form the boxwood- spiderlike protrusions from the walls and ceilings.   Because the cave is now dry, the boxwood can be preserved.  The ranger tells us that a few years ago they surveyed the caves and only 3 bats were found living inside. 

Custer State Park

He mentioned that the only other living things would be found at the beginning of the cave (where we had already passed) - a few snakes, rodents, etc.  Thankfully he didn’t tell us this before or I might have not passed by!

Isabella is in front of me and Alexandria and Scott right behind me.  Being surrounded by the family keeps me from panicking.  At one point, I even turn and insist Scott take a picture of me as proof that I actually made it into the cave.  At one point the ranger turns out all the lights and shows us how Evan McDonald would have seen the cave with only a candle in a box.  It is dark and you can not make out any outlines in front of you.  Our tour took us about a half mile through the cave and 200 ft below the surface but I am glad to take the elevator back to the surface. 

We decide to take a scenic road back to the campground through Custer State Park.  This road is full of wildlife and we soon see a few bison, pronghorn, prairie dogs and mule deer.  Once into Custer State Park, we watch a bison walking in the middle of the road.  A park ranger comes up behind him in his truck and tries to move him along since he is creating a traffic jam.  The bison does not like this but does continue to move off the road.  We are driving the Peter Norbeck Highway and we have to go through 3 tunnels and many switchbacks and some pigtail bridges.  It is really neat to see Mt Rushmore framed by these tunnels as you drive through. 

We get back to the campground for a nice dinner and then we head to the pool.  Unfortunately the pool is adult swim only and the girls are very disappointed.  So we have our first campfire of our trip!  Hard to believe we haven’t had another fire before this but we are so busy traveling, touring, spent a lot of time in the desert where fires were not permitted and some campgrounds just didn’t have any room for fires.  We play another game of Oh Hell.  Isabella loses by a lot but doesn’t complain too much and we are proud of her for this.

Day 32: Isabella's Birthday

Wednesday July 13

It is Isabella’s 9^th birthday today- Wed July 13.  We have a leisurely breakfast and head to Rapid City for Cars 2 movie.  The closet place to see a move is 25 miles away.  This is the one thing Isabella has requested for her day.  She would have loved to go swimming in a lake but it is cloudy. The campground concierge thought people might go swimming in Horse Thief Lake (which is only about 5 miles from the campground) but didn't look like our lakes back home.  When we drive by though the area looks more like a fishing area and I can’t see any sandy beach.  Just after Horse Thief Lake is Mt Rushmore.  We are amazed that we can see the carvings from the road. 

The Birthday Girl!  9 years old.

After the movie we have dinner at Isabella’s choice- Olive Garden.  She even asked if we could tell the waitress it was her birthday so everyone would sing to her.  I am shocked at this since she usually is too shy to do this.  We enjoy a nice meal and then head to a grocery store for a few things.  On the way back to the campground, Scott and I decided we should take in the Mt Rushmore evening ceremony.  Isabella wanted to go swimming in the pool but we headed to Mt. Rushmore instead. 

Mount Rushmore is a national memorial but they do not charge any admission (this was the wish of the sculptor) but do charge an $11 per car parking fee.  We parked in the bottom level of the garage all by ourselves (which later proved to be beneficial at a quick exit after the ceremony).  You can see the carvings immediately (and from the road) but the parade of flags is on the walkway to the carvings and Isabella immediately spotted New Hampshire’s flag.  It is 8:30 and just starting to get dark.  Scott looked back from the statues at the flags and noticed the full moon centered between state flags on either side of it.  It was a cool thing to see but minutes later the moon had moved just enough that it wasn’t the same. We spent a lot of time reading about the carvings.  Originally Jefferson was supposed to be carved to the left of George Washington and the workers has actually gotten a lot of the carving done, before Borglum decided the rock was not quality enough and made them move it (it now sits just to the right).  They had to dynamite out the part that had been started. 

Night ceremony at Mt Rushmore!

The ceremony began at 9pm with a talk by a park ranger.  Then we saw a movie that explained the monument.  Most people can understand why Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln were included in the carving.  Washington was the 1^st president and he set the course for our country to follow while fighting for freedom from Britain.  Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and also sent Lewis and Clarke off to explore the western US.  Lincoln was a strong advocate for freedom and wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slavery.  He also had to deal with the civil war and trying to keep our country united.  Theodore Roosevelt was the 26^th President and was included in the carving for his involvement in creating the National Parks.  Roosevelt felt strongly that land should be set aside for use by all the people.  The first National Park was Yellowstone and there is a Roosevelt Lodge in the northeast corner of the park in honor of Teddy.  

The ceremony was very patriotic and the park ranger ended the ceremony by asking us each to think about what our freedom means to us and how we can preserve it for the future.  The carvings were lit at 9:30 at the end of the ceremony and we sang the national anthem together.  I was happy we experienced the ceremony together.  All of this trip, I have been amazed at what this country looks like and now it felt right to honor the memory of those who made it possible for us to live and enjoy it.

Day 31: Devil's Tower National Park

Tuesday July 12

Tues July 12^th we wake up and look out the camper at Devil’s Tower.  We pack up quickly and head to the park but not before I make Scott drive the truck and camper so I can take a picture of “Vinnie and Tow” with the tower in the background.  The park entrance is right outside the campground and we are told we will have to unhook the camper and leave it at the bottom if we don’t see another large camper exiting the park.  Luckily we see a camper leaving and there is plenty of room for us to park near the tower.  We visit the Visitor’s Center and learn a little more about the tower and the legends about how it got its name.  One Indian Legend says that 2 sisters went out to play and at night as they were returning home, the land rose around them protecting them from a bear.  The columns were made by the bear clawing at the land trying to reach the girls.

Devil's Tower

We decide to walk the 1.5 mile trail around the base of the tower.  Almost immediately we spot climbers on the tower.  It is neat to watch their progress as they throw ropes up and down the tower.  The land is still held very sacred by the local Native Americans and we see many prayer blankets tied to trees.  Later I find out that each different color has its own meaning.  At one point on our trip, Scott tries to get the girls to sit and listen to the sounds of nature around us (when we are alone on the trail).  The girls really do not appreciate this but the two of us do.  We are ever so careful to walk on the trail and not on cracks on some of the rocks that Scott and the girls climb as there are warnings of Rattlesnake in the area- yuck.

Prairie Dog

We eat a quick lunch at the camper and head out of the park but not before stopping at Prairie Dog Town.  There are hundreds of prairie dogs by the side of the road and we stop to watch and photograph them.  Then we are on our way to the Black Hills of South Dakota.  It is almost comical once we are in South Dakota to see the town signs which state the population.  Scott sees one town that boasts of 10 people!  Hard to believe that the town of Keystone (which we pass by several times over the next few days has only 300 for a population but can run such a tourist town).  The Black Hills are pretty but none of us would call them black.  If anything they are very green with vegetation and dark brown rock formations.  We spot several spots along the way that warn of bighorn sheep crossing the road and get excited that we might see this elusive animal.  This is one of the only animals we have yet to spot on our trip and we very much want to see one. 

The thing that strikes us most about South Dakota and the Black Hills region is how focused on tourism the area is.  There are campgrounds all over the place and places to spend your money; animal farms, chuck wagon dinners, water slides, etc.  We arrive at the campground and can’t get over the size of it.  Right at the campground itself, there is a horse stable (riding and chuck wagon offered daily), ice cream and pizza, laundry, restaurant, etc.  The one thing lacking at this KOA are large campsites.  We can barely fit the camper and truck on the same site.  It is cloudy and a mild 60 degrees out so we have dinner and play a game before an early bedtime.  Isabella helps make her brownie for her birthday tomorrow while I am cooking dinner. 

Day 30: West Yellowstone, MT to Devil's Tower, WY

Monday July 11

Monday July 11 finds us on the road again.  We have not traveled in six days and it has been wonderful to be based out of one spot.  We are headed to Devil’s Tower, WY which is about 8.5 hours east.  I had a hard time finding a KOA along this route that would be half way between Yellowstone and Mt Rushmore but then I found Devils’ Tower.  It is a little further of a drive than we would like but we only have a 2.5 hour drive the next day.  Scott has done his research and decided we should not take the route I had plotted out (up through Montana to Billings and then south to Devil’s Tower) but rather through Yellowstone and Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.  We got up early and on the road by 8:30 in hopes of getting to Devil’s Tower early.  In fact we had pulled in the lawn chairs, rug and clothesline the night before so they wouldn’t get wet in rain and so they would be all packed.

Our rig on Chief Joseph Scenic Byway!

The drive through Yellowstone is gorgeous and we spotted several bison with their calves moving in the fields.  Stopped to look in the distance at what I thought might be wolves but turned out to be pronghorn running through the fields.  At that point a park ranger drove by and told us about the eagle flying overhead.  He flew overhead for awhile and then a hawk came and started to pester him so the eagle took off.  We drove through Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and arrived at Devi’s Tower KOA at 9:40pm.  We had called ahead and knew the office would be open until 10pm and stopped for McDonald’s dinner along the way. 

The roads took us through 2 mountain ranges (hence the longer driving time).  We drove to the summit of the Chief Joseph Memorial Highway and stopped for lunch at Dead Indian Point.  This is where it is believed that Chief Joseph left an Indian as a scapegoat and he was killed by the US Army.  It is beautiful scenery.  The other mountain pass is through the Bighorn Mountains.  This does not take us to the height in elevation of the earlier drive but does take a long time for all the switchbacks.  It is slow going and tedious driving but we spotted several deer and elk along the road.  There are tons of cattle and horses too- we watch some cowboys steering some cattle into fields from the road.

Day 29: Last of Yellowstone

Sunday July 10

Sun morning we head to the 10am IMAX show of Yellowstone.  We loved the Grand Canyon Imax and figured Yellowstone would be just as good.  It was disappointing.  I was hoping for more pictures of Yellowstone itself (and esp. the wildlife) but the movie focused on the exploration of the park.  We decide to come back and shop at the Yellowstone Trading Post (where the IMAX is) after a day at the park.  We head towards the park ranger station at Madison in the park to listen to a program for Isabella’s junior ranger program.  We get there in time to listen to the end of a program on bison.  They can live up to 13 years.  Our program is led by a young woman discussing animal communication.  We learn about the 3 ways animals communicate: vocally, body language and scents.  She plays some fun games where the kids have to act out an animal instinct or desire- such as hungry or needing Mom.  Then we play a game where we have to match the scents inside our film canister with another person; just like a baby and Mom would do.  I asked about the lone bison we see over the park and find out they are the males.  The females and babies (up to 2 years old) live in herds of about 50.  They are beginning to migrate to Hayden Valley for mating season.  In 1995, the park introduced 5 wolves back to the park and today there are 93 living in the park.  They have learned to stay within the park or they will get shot once they leave the park.

Old Faithful!

We continue on to Old Faithful, where Lexi wanted to go again.  We get there about 1:30 and the eruption is predicted for 1:48 +/- 10 minutes.  We park in the last row of the parking lot and book it to the geyser area.  We are almost there when Old Faithful erupts.  It is still beautiful the 2^nd time around.  I don’t think the eruption is as high this time around and it is about 12 minutes early- not so predictable.  I am amazed at how quickly people leave the area, even before she is done erupting.  We had front row seats before and this time we are standing in the back so I noticed this a lot more and it really bothered me.  We run into the visitor’s center so Lexi can buy something.  We head back up to Madison now; stopping at Firehole Lake Drive, where Scott wanted to go again.  We stop at several geysers along the way to take pictures.  There are people congregated around one geyser that does not have a predicted time to erupt today but I overheard the park ranger tell people that if they saw steam coming out of it, there was a 1-2 hour wait after that before it erupts.  We don’t feel like waiting for it so go onto Artist Paint Pots. 

A close encounter!

Artist Paint Pots is advertised as a .3 mile walk so we head on.  The walk is a lot longer than that and people along the way tell me “it’s not worth the walk” but we continue.  There are several geysers shooting steam up and once above the area, you notice all the colors and “holes” that truly do look a painter’s palette.  The most exciting part is on the boardwalk above where mud is boiling.  It is a very light color mud and keeps gurgling up.  You can see where it has jumped onto the boardwalk in several spots and left stains.

From there we continued on to the Norris Geyser area, the only other area of the park we have not been to.  A lady told us in the parking lot that Norris Geyser is erupting after no activity for 2 days so we are anxious to see it.  We later find out this is Ledge Geyser which has not had a major eruption since Aug 2009.  It spurted water for 20 minutes and then the steam will keep going for 24 hours.  We saw the steam and could hear the geyser!  We also walked up to Steamboat Geyser (the tallest in the park) and it was spraying water about 20 feet high.  The tall eruptions are infrequent but the smaller ones like what we saw are more frequent.  By now it is getting late and we return to West Yellowstone.  Along the way we see a herd of bison along the road with babies!  The babies are about the size of a calf and much lighter colored than their Moms.  It is so neat to be right next to them.  We also see 6-7 elk along the river.  We took a scenic drive by the river.

We have been on the road for 4 weeks now and seen so many new things.  The girls have begun to talk about going home more and seeing their friends.  I have told them they can spend Mon with their friends while I unpack and do laundry and they loved this idea.  We have traveled some 5300 miles.  So far Scott and I love Yellowstone the most and we’re glad we had so much time there to explore.  He is talking about making another trip and returning to the area so we can take a vehicle (not towing the camper) through Bear Tooth Pass in Montana and then going up to Glacier and over to Yosemite.  Not sure we will be able to get the kids enthused for another trip anytime soon.

Day 28: Hanging in West Yellowstone

Saturday July 9

Geysers!

On Saturday July 9^th, Ed and Cheryl leave us.  They are returning to Salt Lake City to catch their flight home Tues morning after exploring the area some more.  We are up early and run laundry before they go and enjoy a nice pancake breakfast.  Afterwards we use the indoor pool and then head to West Yellowstone to get groceries.  We cook a nice dinner at the camper and then Scott takes the girls to the rodeo.  This is the one thing I had really wanted to do but after returning form the grocery store, I am in the bathroom a lot with diarrhea so do not want to risk leaving the camper for the rodeo.  I spend the time cleaning up paperwork that had accumulated the past few days and writing some post cards.  It is so quiet at the campground and I am not inclined to use the TV.  It is so nice to say we have not watched a TV show all summer. 

I can’t wait to hear about the rodeo.  Scott called at intermission to tell me there had been a calf scramble.  Isabella did not want to try it but Lexi did. (Lexi entered the pig scramble at the Deerfield Fair last fall and won a pig so Scott calls at intermission to tell me she had done the calf scramble and implies she won- which she did not but it was enough to scare me!)  The girls are excited about the rodeo and calf scramble.  Scott has videotaped the program so we sit down to watch it.  The first part is watching cowboys try to ride wild horses.  At the end they do the same thing to the bulls.  One guy falls off and is stomped on several times by the bull.  They have a dog corralling the bulls back into the field after their “show” is done.  Tiny little dog amongst those bulls.  Lexi participated n the calf scramble.  There was one calf with a lot of kids chasing it.  The kid wins by pulling a ribbon off its tail.  The winner got the ribbon and a certificate while the losers all got a $1 gold coin.  There were some roping of calves too but Scott said they weren’t that good.

Waterfalls!

Day 27: Grand Tetons

Friday July 8

On Friday July 8^th we head to the Grand Teton National Park with Ed and Cheryl.  This is our third day of touring and we allow the girls to bring the DVD player in the van with them for the first time (they are not allowed to watch it during the parks) since it is an 80 mile ride just to get there, through Yellowstone.  They decide to sit in back together and watch their movie.  We stop in West Yellowstone for pre-made sandwiches and then head through Yellowstone down to West Thumb and out Yellowstone via the south entrance.  We hadn’t been out of Yellowstone much when we spot a beautiful water fall on the side of the road.  We stop and take a few pictures at Lewis Falls.  It is strange to enter a park but not have to stop at the entrance gate (we had already showed our pass at Yellowstone and the only way into this park this way is through Yellowstone so there is no fee).  We stop at the first visitor’s center and get the scoop on the park from the park ranger and the girls get their passports stamped. 

Elk in Yellowstone!

We proceed down to Jackson Lake.  We stop at the visitor’s center and I inquire about picnic areas nearby.  There are tables just down the road with a view so we head there.  It is the most beautiful spot I have ever had a picnic!  By now we are looking at the Grand Tetons and there is a lake in front of it that has a turquoise hue to it.  In front of the lake is an area of yellow wildflowers.  We hear thunder in the distance and can see it raining near the mountains but the rain holds off and we enjoy a nice picnic.

Jenny Lake

After lunch we drive up Signal Mountain and get a great view of the Teton peaks from the summit.  We continue down to Jenny Lake Loop Rd.  This is a much smaller lake but just gorgeous views of the mountain and the glaciers on Grand Teton and Moran Mountain.  We continue south to the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, passing over the Snake River several times.  The river is very flooded and we do not see any boat activity on it at all.  I later learn that an older man was killed while on a float trip while we were there.  At times, the road is right beside the river and it would not take much more rain before the road would be impassable.  I overheard a ranger saying they got 68-70 feet of snow over the winter and that is the reason that there is so much snow on the mountain in July.  I think the scenery is much more picturesque with the snow on the mountains and the wildflowers in blossom.  There are lupine everywhere in the park; mostly purple and pink.   The new discovery center is made out of huge lodge pole pine trees and absolutely gorgeous.  The lodge pole pine is preferred for its straight trunk and lack of branches so it can be used for building and furniture.

We spot what looks like deer in a field but it turns out to be pronghorn instead (our first sighting of these animals).  The pronghorn are in a field quite a distance from us but still we can make out their features.  Even more exciting is our return trip through Yellowstone where we watch two elk cross the road right in front of us.  They are so big and their horns are still velvety. Hard to imagine carrying all that weight on your head like the elk do.  What a great way to end the day.  But wait, it has rained in Yellowstone and we spot the occasional puddle.  This and the lower temperatures add steam to a lot of geothermal areas that we have already driven by but now look spectacular with the steam rising from them.  We stop at one such spot and can’t believe the constant geyser going on there; Sprouting Geyser. 

We return to West Yellowstone around 9pm and stop for the 3^rd night at the Wolf Pack Pub.  We have had good luck with them for dinner before and we are all too tired to think of something else to do.  Scott tries the Dragon’s Breath  and Moose Drool beers.  Yet again we hit construction on the road returning from West Yellowstone to the KOA campground and have to wait for a pilot car to escort us the six miles out of town.  By the time we arrive home, we all crash.

Day 26: Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Thurs July 7

Thursday July 7 finds us once again on our way to Yellowstone National Park.  This is our 2^nd straight day of touring Yellowstone and the girls are not happy to wake up early.  After stopping at beautiful Gibbons Falls, we head towards the Canyon this morning and then will do the Upper Loop.  We drive by and see that the south rim of the canyon is still closed due to the beer attack and fatality there yesterday.  We head to the Lower Falls and split up there.  Scott and Isabella hike the steep grade down to Lower Falls while the rest of us use the outlook spots to view the falls.  The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is more beautiful in my mind than the Grand Canyon itself.  For one, you can see the Yellowstone River from most any point on the rim down in the canyon and there are some wonderful waterfalls in it.  The colors remind me a little of Arizona and Utah- the red and oranges but there is a lot of white and green colors too, which makes this canyon more colorful.  We enjoy the views from the rim and then head to Tower Falls.

Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Tower Falls is a quick walk from the parking lot with another gorgeous waterfall.  You can not walk down into the lower part of the falls because of animal dens (according to a sign that was posted last fall).  We get a cold ice cream here and Isabella selects a shirt to buy (we owed her one since we bought one for Lexi in NY).  From there we head to Lamar Valley to view wildlife.  We spot hundreds of bison in the field next to a river and spend some time watching and photographing them.  We are a little disappointed to not see any different wildlife but it is still the middle of the day.  We stop by the Roosevelt lodge which was built in 1906 and now serves as a restaurant.  The menu includes a $17 burger!  I can see the trail wagons that we would have gone out on this evening (we couldn’t get enough tickets for Ed and Cheryl to join us so we cancelled our reservations).  We do drive by a very congested area and see 2 park rangers keeping tourists away from a grizzly bear and her cubs.  We can just make out the cubs from the car and do not stop to get a better look. 

Mammoth Hot Springs

We are anxious to get on to Mammoth Hot Springs now; the last part of the park we have yet to explore.  We arrive in Fort Yellowstone where we see a tiny city of similar buildings.  Even more exciting are the elk that are everywhere.  They are walking in the road, sitting and eating in the fields.  They look very tame but they have several park rangers here to make sure people do not get too close to the elk.  More than once we hear a park ranger on the bullhorn telling cars they can not stop in the roadway to view the elk.  We also notice a small rodent like animal that is behaving just like a prairie dog, except we are no longer in the desert ( I later ask about these animals and find out they are a type of squirrel).  They are sitting on their hind legs just like prairie dogs.  We can see Mammoth Hot Spring area from where we are and it’s a huge while hill. 

Mammoth Hot Springs is a disappointment.  There are some 240 stairs to do the entire loop and we don’t have the time to do it all.   We go for the smaller, closer springs and only 1 has any water running through it.  The whole area has dried up.  Cheryl overhears a woman saying how this used to be her favorite part of the park but it’s all dry now.  Guess there used to be lots of water flowing out of the springs but we don’t spot much at all.  I drive us through the last of the park on our return to the campground.  On the way, we spot a bison very close to the road and I stop so people can take a picture.  At this point a van pulls up from behind me, much closer to the animal and the driver gets out of her door.  The bison starts to charge her and we decide its time to leave.  The bison stops after only a few feet but it was scary to see it run and get defensive.

It is again late when we leave the park and we stop by Wolf Pack Brewing Company again for dinner.  Scott tries an elk burger and decided it wasn't too bad.  Late night back to the camper so it wasn't long before we were all in bed.

Day 25: Yellowstone!!!

Wednesday July 6

The day I have been waiting for has finally arrived.  Yellowstone!!!  We pack a picnic lunch and head together in Ed and Cheryl’s van to the West Entrance of Yellowstone.  We get there fairly early and still there is a lot of traffic.  We decide to do the lower loop today and the upper loop another day.  We drive down Firehole Canyon Drive and see the Firehole River which is flooded and raging past us.  At Fountain Flat Drive we spot our first two bison of the day; grazing not too far from the road.  They are immense creatures and so majestic to see in the wild.  We stop at Fountain Paint Pot, even though there is a huge line of cars in the parking lot waiting to park.  We walk the boardwalk and spot our first up close thermal experiences of the day.  Lexi was really excited to see the boiling mud- this particular one was the result of a 1959 eruption.  We get our first distinct sulfur odor of the day and try to turn every time the wind blows it towards us.  The colors of the geysers are such a rich blue color and stick out amongst the grayish sand/dirt fields.  Mixed in are bright orange bacteria mats.  One can only imagine what is growing in the mats to give off the brilliant orange color but it adds mystic to the area.

Geysers, geysers, everywhere!

We really like Spasm Geyser at the end of the boardwalk.  It is constantly shooting steam into the air and very spread out.  We leave this area and drive to a less crowded part of the park; Firehole Lake Drive and find a few more geysers.  We stop at Midway Geyser Basin and walk the boardwalk.  We come to 2 huge geysers; Excelsior which does not actually shoot off steam anymore but does flow into the nearby river at a rapid rate (500+ gallons per minute).  We continue on to the next geyser and I notice it appears to be shooting colors up like a rainbow.  Come to find out it is Grand Prismatic Spring which is Yellowstone’s largest hot spring.  The deep blue color of the pool and the rings of yellow and orange thermopiles surrounding it give off a prism affect. 

It is nearing lunch time at this point and we head to Old Faithful and decide to eat a quick sandwich in the car (rather than taking the time to find a picnic table far away and miss the eruption that is predicted for 20 min away).  We easily spot Old Faithful as there is a huge sign announcing it AND all the people are congregated around a thermal vent.  There are benches surround Old Faithful almost ¾ of the way around.  We pick a spot and wait.  When we drove in that morning the park rangers estimated the first eruption around 10am.  With eruptions almost every 90 minutes that would put the next one at about 2:30.  Scott predicted 2pm while I figured it was closer to 2:30 but we hadn’t checked back in to find an official time but sitting at the benches, we overhear people talking about 2:20. 

Snow in July!  We had to have a snowball fight!

There is a ton of steam coming out of Old Faithful and we wait patiently.  There is a little activity and a few bubbles of water sprout from the vent.  And then we wait more and more until finally she blows!  It is breathtaking and I find it hard to focus on taking pictures instead of just enjoying it.  Scott is taking video (for the first time on our trip we have brought the Camcorder along).  The show lasts a good 3 minutes at least and there is round of applause at the end.  I sit totally mesmerized by the show and tear up as I realize just how lucky I am to see this.  This is the tops of the trip for sure!

We continue along the Lower Loop road and come to the Yellowstone Lake.  Never have I seen such a beautiful blue green color on a lake.  It looks even better with the snow capped mountains in the background.  We spot snow on the ground and stop at the Continental Divide sign to take a picture and have a snowball fight.  We stop briefly at Kessler Cascades and it is such a pretty waterfall.  Realizing we have little time now before dark sets in and a huge amount of park to cover, we decide to skip some sights along the way.  We stop briefly to see a lone bison standing about 10 feet from the road!  We enter Hayden Valley and the spotting of bison is more common, often groups of 20 or more but none more close than the lone one by the side of the road.  We near the Canyon area and find a road closed to the south rim (we later find out that a male hiker was killed by a bear that morning while protecting her cubs).  We decide to hike into Brink of the Upper Falls Canyon and are rewarded for it.  A gorgeous waterfall with a brilliant rainbow is there.  It is perhaps one of the prettier spots in the park.

We book it out of the park, still some 40 miles away to avoid the wildlife in the park after dark.  We see a lot more bison on the way and still some fishermen in the rivers trying to catch their fish.  We arrive into West Yellowstone just as everyone else is and find a place for dinner.  Earlier we had seen a brew pub so we went there for dinner and enjoyed some pizza.  By the time we got back to the camper it is 9:30 and bedtime.  It has been a great day and we are all tired.  We look forward to returning tomorrow and seeing the Upper Loop of the park.  This part of the park is not as long and encompasses the Mammoth Hot Spring area and we will spend time at the Canyon.  I hope we get to Lamar Valley to the northeast which is great for wildlife viewing.  So far we have seen lots of bison, chipmunks and some birds.  Saw an osprey dart into the river and capture a fish- very cool.

Day 24: Salt Lake City, UT to West Yellowstone, MT

Tuesday July 5

We wake up early Tues July 5 and head out to West Yellowstone, Montana.  We headed north on I 15 through Idaho.  We stopped at a rest area and they had an information booth there and we got a bunch of literature on Yellowstone and the lady told me of a great scenic drive by a waterfall.  Before too long we saw tons of potato fields, many with blossoms.  Idaho even has a potato museum!  1/7^th of their income comes from potatoes and that is easily seen!  The scenery is beautiful; mountains on the sides and a lush green valley that we are driving through.  We stop for lunch at Olive Garden and then head to the Mesa Fall Scenic Byway (Rt 47 off from  Rt 20).  We stop along the way to look into a canyon and discover beautiful lupine along the road.  At home this only lasts until mid June so I feel fortunate to see it now.  We stop at the lower falls and they are right off the parking lot.  You can hear the falls well before you can see them.  They are absolutely amazing.  We drive the mile up the road to the upper falls and walk down to see them.  They are even larger than the lower falls and you walk way down to the falls so it is really spectacular.  The kids are tired at this point and we still have about 45 miles to drive so we take off.

Mesa Falls

The KOA campground in West Yellowstone is right off Rt 20 but there is really no traffic and no trains around.  We are in the first hilly campground of our travels and the temperature reflects being in the northern part of the country and at a higher elevation.  We went from being a state away from Mexico to being a state away from Canada and we appreciate the difference.  We are so excited to have grass and green vegetation.  We cook a quick dinner and take the girls to the indoor pool to swim for awhile.  The mosquitoes are horrible so nobody spends much time outside.

Day 23: Salt Lake City

Monday July 4

Fourth of July finds us in Salt Lake City for the day.  We have made plans to meet Eric Decker at his place and spend the day with him.  Scott and Eric were classmates at UNH.  Eric lives downtown in a high rise building which has a pool and roof access.  We get to his apartment about 11:30 and we are welcomed by a beautiful cat, which the girls love.  Eric has a laser beam that she chases around and the girls enjoyed using that.  We go out for Chinese food – being the 4^th of July, there really isn’t any traffic in the city and there are not many restaurants open. 

Salt Lake City View

We enjoyed a tour of Salt Lake City from the roof access (where the girls found a hot tub to stick their feet into).  Eric pointed out the world’s largest copper mine in the area and the Great Salt Lake in the distance.  I had wanted to visit and swim in the salt lake but everyone we have met along our trip has not recommended it.  The area is known for its bugs and the water itself is about 70% salt so you are covered with white when you get out and need to shower.  Eric said he visited the marina once and all the boats had sludge on them.  We enjoyed a nice swim at t

Relaxing after a long flight!

he indoor pool and hot tub instead.

When we return to the camper Ed and Cheryl are there.  They had a delay at the airport and arrive later than planned but safely.  We enjoyed a quiet evening at the camper.    We cooked a steak, corn on the cob and potato dinner complete with strawberry shortcake.  We heard a few fire works after 9pm but couldn’t see many of them.  The 4 gals played Apples to Apples after dinner.  Scott and I gave up our bed for his parents to sleep on and make up the fold out couch.  It is not as bad as it could be and we are fast asleep. 

Day 22: Las Vegas to Salt Lake City

Sunday July 3

We get up early on Sunday July 3 and begin our preparation to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah.  We are on the road by 8:30am, one of our earlier starts.  We have 400 miles to go AND we set the clocks ahead once we reach Utah.  It is going to be a long day.  We will leave Nevada and enter Arizona before making our way to Utah, along some roads that we have already traveled on.  We are half way through our vacation (time wise) and have traveled about 4500 miles.  Overall the girls are doing great but in weak moments they complain that they want to go home and that we are ruining their lives by taking them on this trip!  Scott and I are thoroughly enjoying the countryside and each other’s company.  This is the longest time we have had without work commitments and it will be hard for both of us when Scott goes back to work (but we refuse to think about that now).  This is the beginning of our travels home.  I think we all miss green grass and warm (not Hot) temperatures.  The girls talk about running to their bedrooms when they get home and hugging their stuffed animals.  We have a lot more country to see before then, though.

The desert mountains.

We arrive at Salt Lake City KOA around 7:15 and the temperature was a cool 97.  We immediately turn on the AC in the camper to get it cooled down before bedtime.  We are happy to have a green grassy campsite.  While it is still hot here there is a lot of greenery around (of course they have strict rules about parking on the grass, etc). 

Road Ratings:

Colorado: B+  very expensive tolls brought this rating down

Utah: B+

Arizona: A

California:  D- downright bumpy roads where we were

Nevada:  A+ great job handling city traffic and very smooth