2010 West Trip

Has it been a year already? We began our trip with Stephanie taxiing us to the airport early Monday morning. Our flight wen very well- we actually got into Denver 15 minutes ahead of time!

We made our way to the rental car shuttle area. Just an observation- you have to be a spunky person to work for Enterprise Rentals. We went through the line rather quickly and figured we’d be on our way to Mt. Rushmore in record time. Not quite. Kurt, our spunky agent, informed us that the convertible that was to be ours was having some electrical repair work done. If we wanted to wait until the evening we could get the car then. Not an option. They offered to call other rental companies for another convertible- there were no others available. Ugh. They were more than apologetic and cut the rates seriously on whatever we wanted to rent. We got a SUV and are enjoying all wheel drive as well as the Sirius satellite radio. Living eight miles from your workplace doesn’t really warrant the need for a satellite radio but we are so enjoying the Sirius in the truck we are in! We also saved quite a bit of cash on the deal, so we are dealing with it.

We made a stop at a local Wal-Mart first to fix ourselves an ice chest for the trip. I think for both of us this is a bit of nostalgia- we both took long car trips with our families as children and drive-throughs weren't really an option so we always had an ice chest stocked. We picked up all necessary items and made our way to the interstate.

We headed north into Wyoming. Such beautiful wide open spaces. For miles. And miles. Rolling hills. The grass blowing in the breeze. We occasionally saw antelopes. We saw tons of prairie dogs. Beautiful country side.

We stopped here and there to stretch our legs or for photo ops. By seven we were beat. We stopped in Hot Springs, South Dakota for the night. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. We had a severe thunderstorm go through around 9:30 with hail beating on our windows- I never heard it. Sleep came easy to both of us.

We were awake fairly early. Grabbed some breakfast in the hotel lobby and then headed out for Mt. Rushmore. We were only 50 miles or so from it so we figured we’d be there within a couple of hours at most.

Didn’t work out quite that way. Our road to Rushmore took us through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. You know how the last two minutes of a basketball game last 45 minutes? Our drive this morning was in basketball game time. Every few miles we’d come across a picture opportunity that could not be passed up. Wind Cave NP was stunning. It was very windy and is that way all of the time. At the entrance to the park there is a large cattle grate that you drive over. Obviously, the rangers don’t want their wildlife out of the protected area. Possible wildlife...antelopes? Deer? Prairie dogs? Then we saw the big kahunas- you got it- tatunka! Buffalo! We were in love. The first few miles gave us buffalo speckled on the landscape grazing but we wanted close shots- of course. Around one turn there was one grazing ten feet or so off of the highway. We pulled up and I got as close as I could without ticking off the tatunka. I got some pretty decent shots but we both wanted close close shots. On one of the parking pulls offs along the highway we hit the jackpot! There was a ginormous buffalo sitting in the parking area. We drove up as close as we could without spooking him and Dean shot him without getting out of the car! Absolutely stunning. We got shots of antelopes also. Em has a fascination for meerkats right now and prairie dogs are darn close in resemblance and behavior. We spent quite some time trying to photograph a prairie dog standing on his hind legs on his mound- no luck. But we haven’t given up just yet.

Hours down the road we came across another pull off spot and there they were! Our first glimpse of Mt. Rushmore. Incredible. We were still miles away but they could easily be seen- the anticipation grew. The last few miles into Rushmore are through mountains and OMG- it was like we were in a video game- lots of twists and turns- four or so one lane tunnels through mountains- even a couple of spots where the highway splits and each lane is separate of the other. Lots of ponderosa pines, aspens, birch- absolutely beautiful. Every so often along the drive there was a spot where you could catch a quick view of the mountain- Dean was not allowed to take any quick views b/c of the road!

We finally made it to the monument just before lunch. It’s an incredible site. Dean visited Rushmore in the late sixties and none of visitors center etc was there at that time. We read through several well done exhibits and then headed to the site itself. It’s one of the most impressive pieces of art I’ve ever witnessed. They have built a large amphitheater at the base of the mountain where they hold different programs etc- we sat for a while and just stared at the mountain. It’s mesmerizing- absolutely incredible. We ate lunch sitting under a tent with the presidents looking out over us. One of my favorite sites we’ve ever visited.

We left Rushmore and drove into a near by town, Keystone. Dean’s family stayed here during their earlier trip. He found some spots that he remembered as a kid. very charming town. On both sides of main street is a board walk with shops, restaurants, etc. We walked around and came upon a vintage train station. This peeked my interest. We decided to take the hour and a half train trip to Hill City and then back. We had reservations for the 5:00 departure. We checked into the White House Inn and freshened up before the train ride. We went sit at a pizza joint on the board walk and enjoyed a pizza and a couple of beers before our departure.

The train ride was nice. Very different feeling. It’s an open air car that we rode in so we got to see all of the wildlife and flora/fauna. They narrate along the way which was nice. The return trip was uneventful until it started storming! We didn’t get wet but it was very windy. Once we got back to train station we made a run for the hotel. We had hoped to go back to Rushmore to see the night time lighting ceremony but it stormed throughout the night. I don’t think we had hail, but there were tornadoes that touched down in surrounding communities.

We decided to call it a night. We hope to make our way to Yellowstone tomorrow. We have to drive completely across Wyoming to get there. It’ll be a day of driving-

Up early this morning. Got the car packed up and was back on the ‘trail’ by 6:00. Our plan is to get to Yellowstone today. We just need to drive across Wyoming to get there...

Im typing this while we are driving. We’ve been on the road for three hours as I’m typing this. Making our way to the interstate- we’re heading west.

The landscape here in Wyoming is amazing. Miles and miles of just open space. Rolling plains for days. Antelope for days. Lots of sage brush along the way. Cattle ranches here and there. It’s 50 degrees out at 9 am- that’s chilly to me. I cannot imagine what winters must be like here. Much too cold for me. Many of the highways that we are on have certain intersections that have signs that read if these lights are blinking this road is closed- turn around and go back. Ugh. Can you imagine. The few times we had snow at home it made me crazy to not be able to go where we wanted to go. It must take some getting used to.

We continue to make stops along the highway for ‘must have’ shots. I’ll get back to the blog later.

Well, we made a very interesting side trip. Dean wanted to visit the Devil’s Tower Monument since we first started planning this trip. It was about 40 miles off the beaten path so we made our way out. Mother Nature- awesome. Ever saw Close Encounters? This is the place where the alien mother ship came and those infamous seven or eight notes were played to communicate with the aliens. Incredible place. A little info for you about Devil’s Tower:

Native Americans believed that a group of young girls were running from a chasing bear. They came upon the stump of a great tree- the three told them to climb on top of it- as they did the stump began to rise towards the heavens. The bear clawed at the sides in an attempt to reach the girls.

Devils Tower is 867 feet from its base to its summit. In 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first national monument. It has become a climbers mecca.

We drove up to the visitors center and parked. We walked a path that circle the tower. Dean thoroughly enjoyed climbing the granite boulders strewn all around the base of the tower and our path. Absolutely incredible site. We ate lunch at the base- pictures included. Our daily lunch vistas have been incredible!

We are now back on the road heading to Yellowstone.

We got an early start leaving Cody by 6 am. We drove for about 50 miles to get to the east entrance to Yellowstone. After a short time inside the park we were in patches of snow. We came across several smaller lakes and then finally Yellowstone Lake. The entire park is a geological hot-spot, literally. When we stopped to shoot a few lake shots we looked on the opposite side of the road and saw some steam coming out of the ground. We took several pictures and then noted the bear tracks in the wet ground- ikes!

We continue to see buffalo speckling the landscape. We’ve seen gaggles of geese, a few elk, and other wildlife. Every time we come across a new animal it’s like Christmas- we gather all camera equipment and run giggling.

We stopped at the Mud Volcano. This area has a high concentration of sulfur escaping the ground- imagine the smell! It was very strong but there were boiling puddles of mud to be seen! The boardwalk hike is a less than a mile long round trip but the sites along the way are something to be seen (and sniffed!). We got some great pictures. When we coming around the last quarter of the boardwalk we looked up and four male buffalo were coming up the boardwalk! They were coming towards us so we just stayed to see where they were headed. We got very up close and personal with these animals. It was soooo cool. I was close enough at one point to hear his heavy breaths and the sound of the grass tearing as he grazed feet from me. They each took turns laying in the dust piles and flaying about. Mimi, this so reminded us of ‘the buffalo’. I’ve got video to share with you so you can see just how spot on you actually were! Once they were semi-covered in dust they got up and shook off. It was so neat to be so near them.

Hayden Valley is a beautiful valley just before we got to the falls. Saw a coyote in this area and snagged a couple of shots. Lots of wildlife in this area- grazing, floating, sitting. We made several stops along the valley to shoot a few pictures.

We then proceeded to Yellowstone Falls- 300+ foot waterfall that is referred to as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone because of the carved landscape at the bottom of the falls. On the drive to Artist Point to view the falls we stopped to shoot a few pictures of a mac-daddy elk who was sitting in the shade of a tree. Beautiful pictures of a breath taking spot.

We decided to eat an early lunch at the Canyon Visitors Center. We gathered additional brochures on the area and decided on our next move. While I’m sitting here after lunch typing this I have perfect sight of a 8 year old being scolded on a bench because ‘dad has talked to him, mom has talked to him, granny has talked to him, and he just isn’t listening’. Now he’s whaling! Aw, how I miss traveling with children...

My goodness we are beat- it is now 9 pm mountain time and it has been a long day.

The coolest thing ever happened just after we left the visitors center at lunch time. We got back on the highway and two minutes later around a curve we see a buffalo walking towards us- on the highway- on the center line!! You can imagine everyones reaction. The traffic behind him was incredible. People heading in our direction went by slowly- we stopped and let him walk towards us. It was the most unusual thing- Dean shot pics out of his window- when the buffalo got near our car it was too close for him to shoot! I sat on top of the passenger door out of the window shooting video. It was surreal. All on lookers were tickled pink and the buffalo was unaffected- he just strolled down the center line. Johnny Cash came to mind- he walked the line, well so did this buffalo. So cool!

As we headed towards Mammoth Hot Springs we became part of several bear jams- basically someone spots a bear off the road and EVERYONE stops to get the shot- we were no different. The good/bad thing is that the bear was typically a far distance from the road. No one ventured too close though. Our last bear jam proved fruitful as we got some decent shots of the bear.

We drove to Mammoth Hot Springs and that just was the strangest natural thing I’ve ever witnessed. Water and carbon dioxide fuse 5-6 miles beneath the Earth’s surface and is heated by the active magma chambers there. The solution is slightly acidic and when it touches the limestone beneath the surface it ‘melts’ it. This solution comes out with the carbon dioxide evaporating and the mixture creating calcium carbonate. The ground and grass looks somewhat like coral. It’s the strangest thing. I hope the pictures do it justice. It looks like an alien landscape.

Leaving Mammoth Springs we got the opportunity to shoot elk right up along the roadside. I think that leaves us with needing a picture of big horned sheep and a moose. Let’s cross our fingers for those tomorrow.

We exited the park at the northern entrance and we are now spending the night in Gardien, Montana. We were lucky to get the last room at the TravelLodge and this isn’t their busy season.

Our plan is to wake early again tomorrow and go back into Yellowstone. Today we entered in the southeast corner and headed north to the northwest corner. Tomorrow we will drive south hitting all of the western side of the park- including Old Faithful! We’ll exit the park at the south entrance and head into Grand Teton National Park and then finally head towards Denver. We’d like to hit Estes Park before Denver- we’ll have to see how the time goes.

Up early again and on the road by 6:00. It’s cloudy and a bit drizzly. But it quickly went from drizzly to GRIZZLY!

As we drive along we are constantly calling out the wildlife we see. Elk- buffalo- geese, etc. We were doing exactly that and I called out buffalo. Then I said, wait- no, not buffalo- bear- big bear! Dean stopped dry on the highway. Our bear was running in a meadow. There was a pull off just ahead so we pulled off and drove down a gravel road looking for a break in the trees to see if we could spot him again. Bingo! We got out of the car and proceeded towards the open meadow. Sure enough, he was heading in our direction. Dean shot stills and I had the video camera. It was just the three of us- we continued to shoot as he continued to move in our direction. The need to keep the shot is so great at that point that it’s tough to stop or turn away- I continued to proceed forward and Dean warned to not get too close. All of a sudden the bear broke into a sprint in our direction and I guarantee what happened next was nothing pretty. We both sprung to our feet and a full out run back to the car! The adrenaline! It was so cool. <Aside> (We just watched the video I shot and I did not turn the camera off when we started running- you can see my feet and hear how out of breath I was when we got back in the car! Too funny) <Back to the story>

We watched from the car and pulled further down the road to track him. Our road turned into a dead end so we quickly turned the car around and got back on the highway- I could still see him moving through the trees. We came to another pull off so we did that. Got out of the car and watched. Sure enough, he was once again headed in our direction! Dean grabbed the camera and I grabbed my point and shoot for video this time. He kept walking towards us- we got more stills and some video that I hope I can post on the photo page. We are stoked! We got our own bear- we kinda feel like wildlife ninjas now...

We are on our way to Old Faithful. The skies are cleared and it looks like a beautiful day- we are so pumped about the grizzly that our day is pretty much made at this point!

Greetings from Lander, Wyoming-

It’s after 9 pm and we just finished eating pizza and beer in our room. We are sooo beat. We did an incredible amount of walking today. I’m going to pick up where we left off earlier- the grizzly encounter!

Our next stop was Firehole Falls. Beautiful waterfall along the side of the road. On the way to Firehole Falls we passed a large open meadow. Far in the distance we could see bull elk grazing. We pulled over and Dean began hiking towards the elk. Never ceases to amaze me what he will do for ‘the shot’.

We drove to the lower geyser basin. Here we saw Artists Paint Pot- this is the most famous mud pot in the park. Very interesting stuff- it’s think, grayish white and just percolates. Here we also saw Silex Springs. A naturally occurring thermal spring and the colors that are created are incredible.

We then headed down to the Upper Geyser Basin- home of Old Faithful. Neither of us knew this, but the Old Faithful area is not just Old Faithful. There are dozens of geysers in and around that area. We spent all day at this site and we didn’t get to see everything. Absolutely amazing! We got to see OF shortly after we arrived. It gave several teases before she actually blew. While OF was erupting another Geyser located a short distance from the area erupted too. It was a double whammy! It was amazing. It was overcast and very breezy- it was downright cold. I know the weather back home has been unbearably hot- just know I thought about all of you while my teeth were chattering!

After the big blow, we went on a short trail and then into the Old Faithful Inn. What an incredible building. It was started in the early 1900’s and it is built of logs. Amazing. They used over 500 tons of stone just on the fireplace! Very cool place.

We then headed out on a mission to see the Morning Glory Pool- the colors are incredible! Along the way we also got to see the Grotto Geyser erupt as well as the RIverside Geyser. We ate at the Old Faithful Inn dining room after our hours-long trek. It was an incredible day at probably the most amazing park. We so enjoyed our two days at Yellowstone. It is a geological wonder and the park itself s constantly changing- literally. We even talked about planning a family vacation within the next couple of years to spend a week or so enjoying the park.

We exited the park via the South gate. This took us directly into Grand Tetons National Park. Another amazingly beautiful place. We fell in love with the Teton Mountains. Look at the pictures and you will see why- they look so much like ‘mountains’. Alpine mountains maybe. Absolutely beautiful.

The drive that followed for the next two hours was something else. The landscape changed several times from mountains to rolling hills to open meadows. I can only hope the pictures do it all justice.

So there you are. Another full, full day. We hope to jet out early tomorrow morning and make it to Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park before getting into Denver on Sunday.

Good night and we miss you all.

Greetings from Winter Park, Colorado! What a day it has been!

We left out of Lander, Wyoming around 7 am. We drove for a couple of hours and then came upon a historic site marker. We haven’t passed many of those up- this one was no different. It told about Split Rock. We noticed this feature in a mountain from miles back. As it turns out this natural landmark was used heavily for travelers of the Oregon Trail and later the Pony Express. Travelers could see the landmark for days because of it’s dominance on the landscape. There are grooves from wagon wheels through the stone on several mountains in the area. It was very windy while we were visiting the site. This particular trail gave the emigrants water, and food for them as well as their stock. As we stood and read about the area we both contemplated what that must have been like. Traveling for months by horse drawn wagon, always with the fear of Indian attack. The courage it must have taken to take on such a trip.

The wild flowers along this drive in Wyoming was beautiful- I’ll post some pictures.

We then headed towards Estes Park near the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park. It rained on and off as we drove to Estes. At one point it was very heavy and made driving just a little more difficult. When we finally made it to Estes Park the rain cleared and we stopped off for a bit. As a family when I was seven or eight we took a family vacation to this same area. One of my memories from the trip was when we went walk the main street one night. My dad purchased a large set of bull horns that were mounted on a plaque (I still have them). Anyway, we are walking down main street with a giant pair of horns. My brother Tommy (who was a teenager at that time) would not walk with us- he crossed the street to not be seen with the ‘horned’ family. Seeing the same area brought a smile to my face.

We entered the RMNP and began our drive. The number of roads through this park are much more limited. We decided on our route and set off. What a drive! These mountains are certainly ‘rocky’. We continued to climb and the road construction went on. Many of these roads don’t have even a rail on the edge of the road following the mountain side. A little nerve-wracking. I had no idea what was in store for us.

The clouds continued to gather and we had sprinkles every so often. We stopped at one pull over to get a few shots but we were so cold that we aborted the mission.

We continued to climb- at one point the sign on the side of the road said “2 miles above sea level” - 10, 560 ft! Ugh- we drove just a little further to Forest Canyon Overlook. This area is an Alpine Tundra- meaning it is higher than the tree line and it is below freezing for at least five months of the year. It reminded me of the meadows that Julie Andrews sang in in the Sound of Music. Beautiful but so very high up. This area is 11,000+ feet up! It had to be about 40 degrees and the wind was steady blowing- they have recorded winds here at 100 mph at times. Snow everywhere. It gets better- when we look up to where we our route is heading, it’s still going up! When we finally reached the highest point, we were at 12,183 feet!!! Oh my goodness- it was something else. There was a small snack shop near the highest point and we got coffee. We were freezing. It was light raining and the wind was whipping. You would swear it was winter. When we got back on the road it started raining a bit more and the clouds were very gray. We weren’t thrilled that it was raining but it made the mountains seem so cozy- we had coffee, good music, and the heater on!

Our route took us along meadows and that means wildlife alert! We saw elk, a beaver, antelope, and finally moose! I had so hoped for a moose with a rack, but that didn’t happen. We saw two females and one of them had a calf! I guess two females and a calf should equal a bull moose...

We didn’t exit the park until after 5- we drove for a couple of hours to get closer to Denver. We are returning the rental car tomorrow morning and meeting Stephanie at the airport to go into Denver for our technology conference.

This past week has been incredible. We’ve got some great memories and tons of pictures. We hope you all enjoyed our national parks as much as we have. I’ll keep up with the conference, just not sure how many wildlife shots we’ll get!