Day 8: Million Dollar Highway and Black Canyon
After a good night's sleep and several loads of laundry, we were back on the road. This was our condo in Pagosa Springs. Unfortunately, we did not find the attached hot tub until we were headed out.
We decided to take a ride up the Million Dollar Highway on our way out of Colorado. This was no easy task. The road climbed to the highest elevation we experienced and we spotted our first glimpses of ice on the mountain tops. The scenery was beautiful, and the knuckles were white.
We stopped in Ouray for lunch and little bit of shopping.
Our last outing in Colorado was the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The park is relatively new (as national parks go) and we didn't know much about it, other than that it was close to our route. Despite the storms at our heels, we took the side trip to the canyon....and were so glad we did. The canyon was much different than the others we had seen.
Before we knew it, we were heading out of Colorado and into
Utah. We passed Green River, where we
had spent the night just two nights before.
Tonight, however, we were headed to Provo, UT for no reason other than
that it was a little over halfway to Driggs, ID, our next stopping point. It was nice to get our last glimpse at some of the massive rocky Utah hills.
The view from our room:
Heading toward the Canyon, we came to our first Geothermal area. Nothing like the smell of sulfur in the morning! There was water and mud bubbling everywhere. Several bison were enjoying a spa day near the hot springs and vents (and there was substantial evidence in the area that many more bison had had the same idea).
Hayden Valley was a long stretch of wide open (and green!) spaces. Not far down the road, we encountered the rest of the herd.
Just before we left the valley, traffic was at a standstill. We figured it was more bison, but the crowd of people with tripods and spotter scopes indicated otherwise. We soon spotted our first bear crossing the hillside.
The northern part of the park was one of our favorite areas. The rolling hills were a soft shade of green and the wildflowers were in full bloom.
This is a view of Mammoth Hot Springs from a distance.
The area is also home to many people-tolerant elk. It was SO HARD not to feed or pet them.
The hotel kept true to its old-timey roots. We were fortunate to have a room with a bathroom attached. We were definitely lodging like officers.
Next stop: Old Faithful. We didn't get very good seats for the first performance we tried to see.
In between eruptions, we took a walk around the area and saw several other interesting geothermal features.
Day 13: The Yellowstone Loop
We hit the road early hoping to do some wildlife viewing. There was plenty to be viewed. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the bison stampede that occurred a little further down the road.
We spent most of the day touring the major geothermal areas we hadn't seen yet, including West Thumb, Midway Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, and Lower Geyser Basin. The highs that day were in the lower 70s, which was a welcome change from the previous day. Consequently, the springs were especially steamy.
Gibbon Falls
Glacier Lillies were everywhere!
A bull snake -- the only snake we saw on the whole trip.
We got to the tower in time to see two rock climbers descending.
We were good, law abiding citizens. We did not feed the prairie dogs. They practically got into our car, but we said "no".
Then we crossed into South Dakota!
The drive through the park had an additional 3 tunnels, the narrowest of which is pictured below.
Day 18: Badlands National Park....and heading home
We left the park and headed east. It was always easy to find a rest stop in South Dakota. They were very well marked.
This particular rest stop / visitor center overlooked the Missouri river and had lots of historical information about the Louis and Clark expedition. We liked the art.
Our trip by the numbers:
Day 9: The next morning we stopped by the Salt Lake City airport to
switch cars – we had worn the first one out – and 3 hours later were on our way
to Driggs. It shouldn’t have been a
surprise that we would pass potato farm after potato farm in Idaho, but wow! They are growing a lot of potatoes in
Idaho! Approaching Driggs we passed the
Teton Valley Vodka Distillery. First
thought: “Vodka? In Idaho?” Second thought: “Oh.
Duh. Potatoes.” Third thought: “Souvenirs!”
After dining on some tasty Thai for dinner, we turned in for the
night. We spent the night at Teton Valley
Cabins on the west side of the Grand Tetons. Our cabin was cute and comfy,
and we were surprised to wake up to 46 degree temperatures the next
morning. The air and trees were full of wispy floating cottonwood blooms. It almost looked like snow.
Day 10: Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone!!
We left the potato farms behind and crossed the Tetons into Wyoming. Our first stop was Jackson Hole. We were planning on lunch and maybe a few shops, but when we drove toward the main square we found ourselves right in the middle of their Saturday morning farmers market, where we found lunch and a few shops! The square was surrounded by vendors offering delicious breads and pastries, beautiful locally grown produce and flowers, and lots of locally made foods. We both bought some lavender honey and jelly to bring home, and fresh apricots, jerky, and scones (our favorite: blackberry raspberry cream cheese scones) to eat on the road. We took two elk chili bowls to go, and hustled back to the car before the rain started.
Barely out of Jackson Hole we entered Grand Teton National Park. The rain was still coming down and we were worried we would miss the mountains entirely. Luckily, after a visit to the visitors center, the rain passed and we enjoyed the beautiful drive through the park. We saw our first glacier, our first wild elk, and to our surprise, pelicans!
We left the park on the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Highway and went straight into Yellowstone. It was kind of surreal passing through those gates, since visiting Yellowstone was the impetus for our trip. Today's visit to Yellowstone was mostly just a preview, but we stopped at a few scenic spots along the way. Most notably, we drove along Lake Yellowstone and dined on trout for dinner at Lake Lodge.
After leaving dinner, we had our first Bison encounter. Apparently, Yellowstone Bison do not jaywalk.
At an overlook by the lake, we watched a showdown between a Raven and a Bald Eagle. The eagle appeared to have been trespassing on raven territory and was escorted out.
We exited through the East Entrance (more mountain driving!) on our way to Yellowstone Valley Cabins in Wapiti, WY. We were not expecting such a fantastic drive to the hotel. The rocks were chocolate brown and there were all kinds of interesting formations. We passed over lots of rocky creeks complete with rapids and were thrilled to find that our room had a view of the river.
The view from our room:
Day 11: Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
After a complimentary breakfast buffet dished up by a cowboy, we were headed back into Yellowstone where we would spend the next 3 nights. We did a little shopping at the Fishing Bridge general store and then took a walk across the bridge. The current bridge was built in 1937, but fishing is no longer permitted off the bridge due to declining trout populations. We did see a few trout swimming around down there.
We drove a little further into the park and took a hike down to the river from a different point. Unfortunately, we missed trout spawning season by a few weeks.
Heading toward the Canyon, we came to our first Geothermal area. Nothing like the smell of sulfur in the morning! There was water and mud bubbling everywhere. Several bison were enjoying a spa day near the hot springs and vents (and there was substantial evidence in the area that many more bison had had the same idea).
We were anxious to head up the road into Hayden Valley after hearing several people talk about the numerous bison in that area. We were excited to get a view from afar of a group of mother and baby bison from afar.
Hayden Valley was a long stretch of wide open (and green!) spaces. Not far down the road, we encountered the rest of the herd.
Just before we left the valley, traffic was at a standstill. We figured it was more bison, but the crowd of people with tripods and spotter scopes indicated otherwise. We soon spotted our first bear crossing the hillside.
Excited to check another animal off of our checklist, we made our way into the Canyons area. It was one breathtaking view after another.
The northern part of the park was one of our favorite areas. The rolling hills were a soft shade of green and the wildflowers were in full bloom.
There were several large groups of people parked on the side of the road. We decided to investigate and spotted bear #2. He was REALLY far away. Thank goodness for binoculars and zoom lenses.
Since the sun was setting, we decided to head for the hotel. We spent the night in the Mammoth Springs Hotel. The area was home to park headquarters and housed the army unit which oversaw the park before the National Park Service existed.
The area is also home to many people-tolerant elk. It was SO HARD not to feed or pet them.
The hotel kept true to its old-timey roots. We were fortunate to have a room with a bathroom attached. We were definitely lodging like officers.
Day 12: Norris Geyser Basin and Old Faithful
Today we encountered our first geysers and the multicolored microbial mats that surround hot springs. Our first stop was Norris Geyser Basin, where we saw several springs and geysers, some of which continuously and some of which hadn't erupted fully in years.
Next stop: Old Faithful. We didn't get very good seats for the first performance we tried to see.
In between eruptions, we took a walk around the area and saw several other interesting geothermal features.
We found a good spot to watch the next eruption, and had a great, unobstructed view.
That night, we had reservations at the Old Faithful Inn for dinner. We ordered Bison pot roast and trout cakes. It was tasty! The pictures don't really show how impressive the building was. It seemed to be constructed entirely of Lodgepole Pine, and the chimney was made of stacked pine logs.
That night, we stayed in the cabins outside of the Mammoth Springs hotel. Another adorable cabin!
We hit the road early hoping to do some wildlife viewing. There was plenty to be viewed. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the bison stampede that occurred a little further down the road.
We had seen these tree swallows flitting around for days. We were excited to stumble upon an old stump they were nesting in so that we could get a good look at them.
We spent most of the day touring the major geothermal areas we hadn't seen yet, including West Thumb, Midway Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, and Lower Geyser Basin. The highs that day were in the lower 70s, which was a welcome change from the previous day. Consequently, the springs were especially steamy.
This is Grand Prismatic Spring. The pictures from above are fantastic. (We don't have any of those, we just know that they are fantastic.)
Gibbon Falls
After being surrounded by water for days, we had to find a way to get in. Not surprisingly, it was cold!
Back to Mammoth Hot Springs for our last night in Yellowstone.
Day 14: Mammoth Hot Springs, and farewell, Yellowstone
Before leaving the park, had breakfast...in a restaurant!! (Not the norm.) We then took a walk around the actual Mammoth Hot Springs we had been passing for days. The travertine deposits created an interesting stair step effect, and some of the pools were filled with milky white water. It was pretty cool, and definitely different than the other hot springs we had seen.
The front yard was full of baby elk that morning.
We passed the state line into Montana, then drove through the Roosevelt Gate at the Yellowstone north entrance. We were now headed for Hungry Horse, MT.
The drive through Montana was....interesting. Lots of interstate, lots of small town, lots of lakes, lots of trees. Local signage indicated that Montana has quite the Meth problem. Lots of anti-meth signs.
That night, we stayed at the Tamarack Lodge in Hungry Horse. Our room almost had two bedrooms.
We hiked up the hill behind our room to see the beaver pond (minus the beavers) and the lodge's resident Llama. Her name is Star.
We headed back to our room with BBQ takeout and Huckleberry pie. Glacier National Park tomorrow!
Day 15: Glacier National Park
Only a few miles from our hotel, we entered Glacier National Park from the west. The agenda for the day was to drive Going to the Sun Road across the park and see what there was to see. Since the road was only 50 miles, we weren't entirely sure how long we would spend in the park. We ended up being there much longer than we anticipated, and it was worth every minute.
We held up traffic for this picture -- but it's a baby bear!!
Glacier Lillies were everywhere!
Next stop: Great Falls, MT
Day 16: Devil's Tower
We had a long day on the road planned for the Day 16 drive toward Rapid City, SD. We had to take a short detour, however, to see Devil's Tower National Monument.
A bull snake -- the only snake we saw on the whole trip.
Conversation overheard between a visitor and a park ranger:
Visitor: So kind of birds are those circling at the top?
Park Ranger: Turkey Vultures
Visitor: And what are those white deposits on the rocks?
Park Ranger: The truth? Pigeon poop, but sometimes people would rather hear that they are calcium deposits or something along those lines.
Visitor: Oh.
We were good, law abiding citizens. We did not feed the prairie dogs. They practically got into our car, but we said "no".
Then we crossed into South Dakota!
Day 17: Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park
We spent the night in Rapid City and set out the next morning for Custer State Park. The drive into the park was tricky. It is best summed up by the t-shirt I bought (mine is red):
The drive through the park had an additional 3 tunnels, the narrowest of which is pictured below.
After a hail storm and some buffalo ribs for lunch, we made a quick stop at a rock shop and then headed east toward the Badlands. The clouds were incredible, and we were hoping that the hail storm wasn't following us toward the park.
We were pressured by billboards to stop at Wall Drug in Wall, SD. Tourist trap doesn't begin to describe. It may have started as a drug store (and still includes a drug store), but now it takes up an entire city block and is essentially a mall/food court/amusement park (without rides)/museum. It was interesting/fascinating/awesome/horrible.
On to Badlands!
We got to the park in time to take in a few of the scenic overlooks and see the sun set. The rain finally caught up with us, and the storm stirred up some huge (and scary looking) clouds. This did not, however, take away from the beautiful landscape and the colorful rocks.
We spent the night in Badlands in the most adorable cabin ever. It really was too bad that we had such a busy day ahead of us and had to leave first thing that morning.
This particular rest stop / visitor center overlooked the Missouri river and had lots of historical information about the Louis and Clark expedition. We liked the art.
We spent the night in St. Joseph, MO. Only one more night on the road.
Days 19 and 20: Driving
The last two days were full days of nothing but driving, except for the side trip to see the Superman statue in Metropolis, IL.
Despite the long, three day trek home, we had an amazing trip. This blog merely scratches the surface of everything we experienced, and we're already making statements that begin with "next time". Until then, here is the summary of our adventure:
- Total Mileage: 7,875 miles
- States Driven Through: 19
- Total photos taken: approximately 8800
- Highest elevation: 11, 078 feet (Million Dollar Highway, CO)
- Lowest elevation: 30 feet (Jacksonville
- Continental Divide crosses: 6
- Places of interest
- National Parks: 11
- Great Sand Dunes
- Arches
- Canyonlands
- Capitol Reef
- Bryce
- Zion
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison
- Grand Tetons
- Yellowstone
- Glacier
- Badlands
- State Parks: 2
- Dead Horse Point, UT
- Custer, SD
- National Monuments: 3
- Escalante Grand Staircase
- Devil's Tower
- Mount Rushmore
- Other:
- Natural Bridge, AR
- Four Corners
- Antelope Canyon, UT
- UT Highway 12 Scenic Drive
- Rockefeller Memorial Highway Scenic Drive, WY
- Million Dollar Highway, CO
- Iron Mountain Road, SD
- MANY National Forests, big skies, beautiful sunsets
- Days on the road: 20
- Number of participants who would do it again in a heartbeat: 2 (out of 2)
