Day 9: Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

Morning view on Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, WY

First of all, average low temp in Yellowstone in September is 32 degrees F.  And I'm pretty sure it got close to that at night.  It was freezing, so we were both curled up in tight balls by morning.

7am - I woke up 30min late, and decided it was way too cold to shower.  Pin got up and we packed up our campsite.

8:20am - Picked up our camera chargers from the ranger station (they were so nice to charge them for us overnight).

9am - West Thumb Basin - This was a beautiful area of hotsprings and geysers right next to the lake so they actually drain into the lake.  The water is amazingly clear and are also extremely blue (sometimes rusty colored on the edges) due to the thermophiles that live in them.  Unlike yesterday's these didn't smell like eggs.

10:15am - We get to the site of Old Faithful, which is so popular, they made the exit like a real highway exit with an overpass, etc.  This geyser is called Old Faithful because the rangers can pretty accurately predict when it will erupt.  The next time was 10:44am (+/- 10min).  We sat there on benches waiting.  At about 10:45am it finally started to shoot out little bursts of water.  It got annoying after the 5th time.  Finally around 10:55am, it really started erupting with really high jets of water.  It was pretty cool, but questionably worth the wait.

11:15am - Midway Geyser Basin - These geysers flowed into a river.  It had by far the prettiest and coolest thermal spring aptly called Grand Prismatic Spring.  This entire area was almost entirely covered with water flowing from that spring.

11:45am - Firehole Lake Drive - this is a one-way loop taking us back to a thermally heated lake.  On the way there was an ultra-clear spring. The Grand something Geyser is also back there.  It was a huge geyser, with cascading layers of water.  However, the predicted eruption time window was 3 hours wide.  There was also this huge white bumpy hill that looked like the classic science-project volcano.  I forget what its name was.  It might have been Firehole?

12pm - Fountain Paint Pot area - Fountain Paint pot is this wide spring that bubbles with a white mud.  It's a little gross looking - there was another call Red Spouter that looked like a mud jacuzzi.  The cooler side were 3 geysers next to each other, spewing water and steam across the valley.

12:30pm - On this drive we passed the continental divide about 5 times - pretty cool.  We head to Grand Teton National Park (just south of Yellowstone).  On the way, there's a ton of construction on the only road there is, so it takes about 1.5 hrs to get 30miles.  This put a huge cramp in the schedule.

2:30pm - Grand Teton National Park is so beautiful!  Mostly because of the Teton mountain range that is constanting looming in the back of any view.  Pin wakes up, we get some food to go from the Colter Cafe (cafe at the Colter Bay area).  We plan to walk one of the Hermitage Point trails nearby, but then I realize we're really far behind schedule, and won't really have time.  So, we go back and drive down to Jenny Lake Visitor Center.

4pm - We get to Jenny Lake and buy tickets for the shuttle boat that takes you across the lake to the western shore.  This cuts out 2miles of hiking (one way) that we didn't ahve time for.  Once we're across, we hike up to Hidden Falls (not so hidden with the signage and arrows) and then up to Inspiration Point.  On the way, it rains in short spurts.  It was really strange, as we saw pockets of rain (like one side of the cafe was pouring rain, the other side was sunny).  The plus side of this, is that there were rainbows in view once we got up to Inspiration Point - definitely adding to the inspirational feel of the view.  Next, we hightail it down to the dock to avoid missing the last boat back at 6pm.

6pm - I wanted to drive along Antelope Flats Road, which is apparently good for wildlife viewing (I wanted to see a moose), but there was definitely no time with a 5.5 hr drive to Salt Lake City ahead of us.  Instead, we just drive through.  Having eaten a late lunch, and having little time to spare, we drove through Jackson, WY instead of stopping for dinner there.  I definitely would want to go back to Jackson, it was a beautiful ski-town with a million different restaurants and shops.


7:30pm - We get to Idaho, and hands down, this was the emptiest state we've encountered so far. 

9pm - We get to Utah.

10:45pm - We stop to get gas and some food (notice we didn't get dinner yet!).  There was a Taco Bell, but it was Brigham City, UT on a Sunday - it was closed.  We succeeded in finding a McDonald's though.

11:45pm - We get to the hotel finally.  It's a beautiful hotel, but we're both beat.  VERY long day.

Distance Traveled:463mi
Total Distance: 3404mi
$ Spent: $134.85
Total $: $970.13

Day 8: Yellowstone

Amy and I just can't get enough of national parks, so we decided to do some more!

Our stay in Billings, Montana was short-lived, as we woke up extra early to get to Yellowstone. To get there, we went via the Beartooth Scenic Byway, the highest elevation highway in the Rockies. Winding through the northern mountains for close to two hours, we made it to a peak of over two miles above sea level, and were treated to some great views of the mountains, valleys, and lakes in between. I guess that was our reward for risking life and limb driving along some ridiculous cliffs. Amy thought we were going to die.

Yellowstone started off with a visit to Tower Falls, a nice way to begin what would end up being a jam packed day. Definitely a simple, elegant waterfall.

We moved on to see the Mammoth Hot Springs, which was our introduction to Yellowstone's massive hydrothermal complex. Turns out we would get to know it very well in the coming day and a half. Created by heated underground water spouting into natural springs, the entire area was covered by terraces of overflowing water and thermophiles (heat loving bacteria) that created some really amazing palletes of colors.

This was followed by a quick visit to the Petrified Tree, which was a fossilized redwood (like the ones in California) from way back when Yellowstone was a nice warm place. There used to be three trees next to each other, but people took pieces of the other two back in the 1800s and now there's only one. And it's behind a giant fence. Classy.

Feeling a need for some more hydrothermal action, our next stop was the Norris Geyser Basin. Hot springs and geysers. Everywhere. Like, seriously everywhere. We hiked around the entire basin, and saw some more really fantastic hot springs, and also got our first whiff of the nice bubbling sulfur (aka the rotten egg smell). Nice.

Taking a break from the rotten egg steaminess, we decided to take a walk over to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and took in the view of two major Yellowstone River waterfalls, aptly named the Upper and Lower Falls. The peak of our hike led to Artist's Point, which is the view that inspired a lot of famous photographs and paintings of Yellowstone. Beautiful, really.

Back to more of Yellowstone's famous hydrothermal-ness, we dropped by the Mud Volcano. This was pretty much like the hot springs that we saw earlier, except the particular bacterial composition of the pool created a severe breakdown of the surrounding rocks into mud. The result was a big bubbling mud pool, with a nice sulfurous steam.Very cool, and totally gross.

Our day ended at Bay Bridge campground, where we set up camp and prepared for a cold night ahead. Temperatures were to drop to anywhere from 10 to 30 degrees fahrenheit, so we got bundled up and broke up both of our sleeping bags. And then we passed out. Exhausted.

Distance Traveled: 246mi
Total Distance: 2941mi
$ Spent: $115.79
Total $: $835.28

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Day 7: Custer/Wind Cave/Devils Tower

 A random geologic formation soon after crossing into Wyoming

Today was filled with state/national parks galore.  Though attempting to wake up early, we didn't actually get out of the hotel until 8:30am (about 1.5hrs behind schedule).  After reading about Custer State Park in some travel magazines we picked up, I reaally wanted to go.

Custer State Park is home to the 2nd largest herd of buffalo in the country.  They boasted that people often see the herd crossing the road (Wildlife Loop Road) along with other animals.  We were a little skeptical, but we haven't seen ANY buffalo yet, so we opted to try and take the long way to Wind Cave.  To our excitement, almost as soon as we turned onto Wildlife Loop Road, we see some Pronghorn Antelope on the side of the road just hanging out.

In the distance we spot a lone buffalo and eagerly take tons of pictures.  We wondered why he was off by himself, but soon found the answer after driving over the hill - he was meeting up with a herd of buffalo!  We drive further and see even more.  As soon as we pull over, the head bison decides to cross the road, and a bunch of other bison (and babies!) follow.  It was so cool to see a bison about 20ft in front of us.

Farther along we got to a herd of burros (donkeys).  Though wild, they're known in the park for standing in the road to stop traffic then demand food from drivers.  It was pretty funny.  Some people did give food and the burros just stuck their heads right into the car.  We didn't give food so some just used the side view mirrors as scratching posts for their head.  I was hoping they'd wipe off some of the dead bugs stuck to the mirrors, but no luck.

On the way to Wind Cave National Park, we past through some prairie dog towns.  They're sooo cute; all you hear is squeaking from them as they run around and into their holes.

11am - Once at the Wind Cave Visitors Center, we went on the Fairgrounds Cave Tour.  We found out that Wind Cave is the most complex cave in the world.  It also is known for its rare boxwork formations (not the typical stalagmites and stalactites) which were really amazing.  Our guide told us it was due to calcite forming in cracks, then the rock dissolves away, leaving the "mortar" behind.



12:30pm - Head out in search of lunch.  We ended up back at Custer and went to Sage Creek Grille which got good reviews online.  While the food was pretty good (we shared a walnut and brie bruschetta, I got a buffalo burger, and pin got an english grille sandwich), the service was terrible.  Our waitress took forever and was super awkward.  She only acknowledged Pin when asking how everything was, and would give me a strange look when I talked to her.  However, seconds before I was about the write the tip on the check, she stopped me to give recommendations of places to visit in Custer.  I saw through her ploy and gave her the minimum 15% tip.  We thought we were ahead of schedule but by the time we got out, we were pretty much on schedule again.

2:30pm - We decided we would try to make it up to Devils Tower in northeast Wyoming as it was slightly on the way.  Though this would add 1.5hrs of travel time, who knows when we'd be there again, so we decided to go for it.

4:45pm - Devils Tower is the country's first National Monument - dedicated as such by Teddy Roosevelt in 1903 or something like that.  Its nearly 700ft tall and is incredible to look at.  Native Americans believed that the structure was created by a huge bear that tried to claw its way up to get to some people who retreated to the top.  We walked around the trail that wrapped around the base of Tower (about 1.3miles).  Along this route we saw awesome panoramas of the surrounding area and saw some mountain climbers about half way up the tower.  Well worth the 1.5hr delay!

6:30pm - We stop in Gillette at Casa Del Rey (now a new name).  Though we had the address, it was impossible to find, namely because they were in the process of changing their name so there was no sign up.  Instead we sat outside trying to figure out where this place was.  In the end, it was worth the hassle, as the food was pretty good and not too expensive.  I got a chile relleno with enchiladas and pin got a bean burrito.  In stark contrast to our Sage Creek waitress, this waitress was extremely attentive and cheery.  She asked us 2x if we were all right while we were eating their chips and salsa waiting for our food to come out.

11:30pm - Finally get to our hotel in Billings, MT.  Before we go we have to wipe clean the roof top bag - covered with dead bug guts.  Pretty gross.

South Dakota is our new favorite state!

Distance Traveled: 560 miles
Total Distance Traveled: 2695mi
$ Spent: $203.42
Total $: $719.49

Day 6: The Badlands / Mt. Rushmore / Custer

A grasshopper in the Badlands National Park, South Dakota.  These are everywhere!














What a long but fun-filled day!! Amy and I are both exhausted, but we're updating the blog anyway, because we're dedicated like that.

6:30am - Amy wakes up and decides to explore our campsite. It's absolutely beautiful during the daytime, and she gets some great shots of the flowers and animals in the area.

8am - I finally wake up. Little do I know how much I missed in the past hour and a half. We start to take down the tent, and get ready to hit the road.

9am - Ready, packed up, and ready to go. The owner of the campground takes us on a trip into his 'backyard,' and we get a nice view of the badlands from the upper plains. We also get to meet his herd of horses, all of whom are very friendly. One of them, Jason, tried to eat Amy's shirt, while another tried to eat my jeans. Absolutely adorable.

10am - We finally actually hit the road, checking out some trails along the badlands. We start off with the 'Window' trail, which gives a great view of valley below us, and we also blaze part of our own trail. The rock formations are really just breathtaking. We also note a few rocks that might be fossils. I don't really know what fossils look like (compared to just funny looking stones), so.... maybe.

11am - We embark on the 'Notch' trail, rated by the park service as a "moderate to strenuous" path. It starts off easy enough, meandering through a flat rockbed, but then we quickly come upon a wooden ladder leading up the side of the cliff. Amy's favorite part of the day, I think. And by favorite, I mean nerve-wracking. Once we get on top of the cliff, the path winds along some narrow ledges (so narrow, in fact, that more than once I thought the trail had ended, only because I couldn't tell where we were supposed to go next) until we came upon a spectacular view across the badland valley. A few pictures here, and we make our way back to the car.

12:30pm - Finally back to the car and we're starving. We stop by the Cedar Pass lodge for a nice lunch. Amy got an Indian Taco, which was essentially everything you would put on a taco (with buffalo meat instead of beef), on top of a big fried bread. I went with the unlimited soup and salad bar. 5 plates of food and a bowl of soup later, we're re-energized and ready to go.

 1pm to 4pm - More exploring the badlands. We pretty much stop at every single overlook spot (as well as a few overlooks of our own), and take a billion photos. At this point, both of our cameras are about to die, but we push forward!

4pm - Leave the badlands, time to head over to Mt. Rushmore!

5pm - Pull into Mt. Rushmore. Huge heads. In a mountain. The end.

6pm - Pull into Crazy Horse National Monument. One big head. In a mountain. The end.

6:30pm - Check-in to our hotel room in Custer, SD. Small room, but I'm looking forward to the continental breakfast tomorrow. Mmm.

7:30pm - Head back out to Mt. Rushmore to catch the lighting ceremony at 8pm. Big heads in a mountain. At night. With lights. Whoop!!


Distance Traveled: 200 miles


Total distance traveled: 12135mi
$ Spent: $121.41
Total $ Spent: $516.07

Day 5: Minneapolis/SD

 

Driving off into the sunset - while raining, South Dakota

We ended up staying overnight in Dani's apartment - nicer futon, and later waking up!  Though we weren't originally planning to, it seemed wrong to be 15min away from the Mall of America (largest mall in America) and not go. I also found out that Target headquarters is in Minneapolis, where they have a 3 story store downtown.  If it weren't for the snow, I think Minneapolis might be my heaven.

9am - I woke up and started getting ready.  We had cereal, yogurt, and really good tea (Lady Grey) for breakfast.

10am - Finally got out the door; Dani drove as she was our Minneapolis tour guide for the day.  I was super excited to find out she's a Prius owner!  We headed to the Mall of America first.  We were immediately amazed by the mall directory, which is 4 sides - each side with different categories of shops.  Walking farther into the mall, we came to the center which is a huge indoor amusement park.  There are at least 4 roller coasters and a dozen or so other rides - all INDOORS. [pictures coming soon]

Next to the amusement park is a Legoland store with huge statues built from Legos.  It was mandatory to go into this store.  They had some prebuilt Lego buildings that cost upwards of $100.  They also had packs of "vintage" Lego-men, which I remember having when I was a kid.  Are our toys really vintage?? [pictures coming soon]

Next, we headed to the in-mall aquarium.  While we didn't have time to go through it, we did need a picture of the world's largest [something], and this was the world's largest underwater aquarium (see "25. World's largest").

It was about 11:30am at this point, and we really needed to head out since we had a looong drive to South Dakota (and needed to check in by 10pm).  So of course, we debated riding one of the roller coasters (finally decided no time), and also decided to go to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.  The sculpture garden was pretty, and reminded me a little bit like Grounds for Sculpture in NJ (though not as big as ours I think).  The main feature is a huge bent spoon with a cherry spewing water into a large pond.  By now, Lucas was done with his morning orientation activities, so we headed out to meet him for lunch. [pictures coming soon]

12:15pm - Already past the time we should have left, we met up for lunch in "Dinkytown" - UMN's downtown - at Potbelly's. We ate pretty quickly, said bye to Lucas and Dani and headed out on the road.

1:30pm - Headed off to South Dakota.  We were 1.5hrs late already, though luckily, we would be crossing through to Mountain time and would then be only 30min late.   Along the way, the landscape really started to change.  TONS of farms for miles and miles and the terrain was getting flatter.  Even more annoying was that random parts of RT60 were completely closed for road construction.  Lacking the extensive road network we're used to in Jersey, this meant detours that were miles and miles out of the way.  We even had to detour onto the original detour a second time to get around a 2nd road closing.  This was all before even entering South Dakota.  The other nice thing about the midwest terrain, is its conduciveness to wind turbines, which we saw many of along the horizon.

6:30pm - To make the drive more interesting, SD makes up for cornfields with tons of billboards for the same thing.  They work though - this is how we ended up at the Corn Palace (world's only!) in Mitchell, SD.  We figured this would be an ok stop considering we needed to get gas and dinner, and the corn palace had free admission.  For those who don't know, the corn palace is the world's only palace made of corn.  Structurally, it is normal, but the exterior and some of the interior, is made completely of corn.  Every year, they rebuild the exterior to a new theme.  You can find out more at www.cornpalace.com.  While we wanted to get gas, we were put off by the non-branded gas stations and the cheaper "unleaded plus".  Later, we found out this just meant 10% ethanol added - which is the norm in NJ.  We stopped at a Country Fair grocery store to get breakfast food.  This meant we had to stop later down the road at a gas station to fill up and get quick dinner food.  We ended up getting personal pizzas and eating in the car.

10:45pm CT/9:45pm Mountain - Time change!  Though we were worried, a few miles out of Murdo, SD, the time changed giving us extra time to get to the Badlands Ranch and Resort.

10pm - We finally get to the Badlands National Park.  It was pitch black and my headlights cast huge shadows over the geologic peaks that sandwiched the winding road we were on.  It was incredibly scary to drive through - I don't think you could have paid me to stop the car and get out.  Needless to say, we were both pretty excited for tomorrow when we could see these in daylight.  Our campground was farther than we thought and was down a long dirt road.  The manager had closed the office but ended up seeing our carlights as he was playing his xbox in his motor home next door.  He showed us to our camp site and we set up the tent and air mattress.  Both were awesome - good buys.  Unfortunately, we had no idea where the bathrooms were - that wasn't fun. 

Thanks to Dani and Lucas for our time in Minneapolis!

Distance Traveled: 544mi
Total Distance Traveled: 1935mi
$ Spent: $120.23
Total $ Spent: $394.66

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