Yellowstone Take Two - Day Eleven

This morning we hit the dusty trail at 0530. Our mission, go find wildlife in Lamar Valley of Yellowstone Park. As we entered the park the sky was beginning to show the pale shades of dawn. We had clear skies and the park to ourselves. 

We immediately saw a wapiti and then started seeing several bison all before getting to Lamar Valley. Upon rounding a bend we encountered two adult bison sauntering down the middle of the road. We stopped the family truckster and watched them amble by within inches. And no, I did not try to pet them....

As we entered Lamar Valley we encountered bison, pronghorn, and whitetail deer.  There was herd upon herd of bison with their young calves kicking up their heels and running around   Most of the adult bison were grazing or taking a siesta. 

The two animals we did not encounter were bears and wolves. There are three packs of wolves that live within Yellowstone and of course the park definitely has bears .... Hey Yogi!  ;o)

After driving through the valley we had breakfast at Roosevelt Lodge. And man it was good!

We hopped back in the truckster and headed for the Upper and Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River.  The views were incredible. The sides of the canyon have active thermal vents that are marked by different colors. The colors come from the chemical compounds in the soil while others come from microorganisms known as thermolytes. 

It was a great day in the park. Tomorrow we are driving back through Yellowstone and headed for Moran, WY. 

Thanks for reading and have a good night. :D

Yellowstone! - Day Ten

We made it to West Yellowstone today!  Departed Missoula, MT this morning and drove straight here. The scenery along the way consisted of snow capped mountains, mountain streams and lush valleys. 

Once we arrived here at West Yellowstone we checked into our hotel and found a bite to eat. Then it was on to the park. 

Clear mountain streams gurgling along the side of the road along with steam vents, geysers and bubbling mud pits that showcase the wild beauty of this land. 

We saw a herd of bison sauntering along and grazing beside a stream. We then stopped at lower geyser and walked around pools of bubbling water that had blue centers and orange edges. As the steam surrounded us our senses were inundated with s strong sulphur odor.  After walking through the lower geyser basin we then stopped at the middle geyser basin. Again pools a turquoise blue accented with bright orange made for an amazing visual display. 

We ended our geyser tour at Old Faithful ( side note, apparently not as faithful as it once was.... ). However it was a wonderful experience to sit and watch this iconic geyser blast columns of water 

upward and then turn to steam. Afterwards we strolled around numerous geysers that were in all kinds of shapes.

On our drive out we then saw a herd of elk ( wapiti ) and I was able to listen to their vocalizations as we watched them from the side of the road. 

Continuing on our drive out of the park we watched several moose eating alongside a stream and a deer wading across an icy brook. 

As we headed west the sun was just beginning to settle behind the mountains. Low lying clouds were underlit with oranges and pinks against a blue sky. 

No pictures tonight but I will be putting a digital album together and share it with you in the next week or so.

Have to sign off and get to bed. We are leaving at 0530 to try and view more wildlife. We are hoping to see bear and wolves. 

Good night folks!

Flathead Lake and Fort Missoula - Day Nine

We took it pretty easy today and drove around Flathead Lake this morning. This lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48. Surrounded by mountains with pockets if trees and grasses. 

Lunchtime was a really good burger stand called Burgertown. After a nice lunch break we drove to Missoula, MT. 

We visited Ft. Missoula this afternoon and had a great tour of their museum and outbuildings. It's a really nice museum and friendly staff. 

We are staying in Missoula tonight and tomorrow it is Yellowstone!  

  

Glacier National Park - Day Eight

Today has been beautiful. We started out in Great Falls, Montana this morning and drove into Glacier National Park. We were so fortunate that the Going to the Sun Road was open all the way through. This road is the only road that traverses Glacier National Park and crosses the Continental Divide at Logan's Pass. The road only opened for the season two days ago. Two weeks ago they actually had a significant amount of snow. There is approx 70 to 80 FEET of snow during a single winter. The snow is so deep that the park service must resurvey the road in order to find the road before they can begin snow removal. This park is truly breathtaking in its grandeur. The snow capped mountains rise up grazing the broad expanse of blue sky.  Ribbons of water from the melting snowpack stream down the sides. Some of the waterfalls are thin rivulets of ice cold water while others are broad raging waters cascading over the rocks. You can hear these waterfalls long before you see them.  During part of our drive we drove through the waterfalls as they poured onto our vehicle. 

Towards the end of our drive we were approaching the western portion of Glacier and Lake McDonald. We stopped and had some light refreshments before taking a boat ride around the lake. Stunning scenery was the order of the day. 

Some of our favorite moments included making and throwing snowballs on the 4th of July, watching the eddies of the fast moving river as it sliced through the park, and seeing the afternoon sun filtering through a canopy of coniferous trees dimpling the understory of fallen timber, moss and boulders with a patchwork of light and shadow. 

My words do not do justice to this incredible park. It is a must see. 

Happy Independence Day!!!

 

And this is Sam from North Carolina!  Met this fellow and had a great conversation with him. :D

Good night folks!  

Buffalo, WY to Great Falls, MT - Day Seven

We stayed at a fantastic Hampton Inn last night in Buffalo, WY.  With our full bellies from Winchester Steakhouse we slept like babes. 

We began our touring for the day in Buffalo with a visit to the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum.  The museum focuses primarily on American West artifacts and lifestyles of the Johnson County, WY ranchers and Native  Americans.  It's a really nice museum and gives you a glimpse into the lives of the late 1800's/early 1900's settlers. 

We strolled down the hill to the Occidental Hotel. The hotel is furnished with period furniture of the late 1800's. There is a saloon next door and a restaurant next to the saloon. They are all connected and have an easy going ambience to them and super friendly staff. 

Next up was the drive to The Battle of Little Bighorn.  We decided to take the bus tour through the battlefield and it was quite interesting. Our tour guide was half Crow and half Sioux and she  was a wealth of information.  She described the scene of the battle as it appeared two days later as looking like a buffalo slaughter. The bodies of the soldiers were bloated from the heat and carnage was everywhere. Most of the Indians were removed from the battlefield by their loved ones and buried elsewhere. 

Walking silently through the cemetery you can almost sense the old souls that are buried. 

We are currently trekking across Montana having just passed Billings a few miles back. Our destination tonight is Great Falls, MT. 

Tomorrow is another day of American history, great scenery and wonderful camaraderie. 

Thanks for reading folks!

Sturgis/Deadwood/Devils Tower Oh My! - Day Six

Currently we are zipping along to our evening destination of Buffalo, WY. 

We checked out of our hotel this morning in Rapid City, SD and headed to Sturgis. We visited the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum / full of motorcycles!  Bet you didn't see that coming ;o). It was a great museum and I highly recommend visiting.

I had my directionally challenged moment while in the museum. The museum has an old elevator that is just wide enough for my wheelchair. The outer door swings open, you roll into the elevator and reach around to pull the door shut and slide the accordion door shut. So I managed all that and promptly pressed the number 2 to go to the second floor.  Elevator doesn't budge. Pressed it again. Nada. I hear John's voice and Cynthia's voice. John: Are you stuck?  Me:  the elevator won't move. John:  did you press the button?  Me: rolling my eyes Yes. 

Cynthia:  I'll come get you. 

So Cynthia opens up the door,slides the accordion door open and says you're on the 2nd floor. Me:  looking around. No I'm not I'm on the first floor where I started. Cynthia:  no. You are on the 2nd floor.

 We had our whole whose on first moment and then Cynthia said "Trish you started on the second floor you need to go down to first". 

Me:  good grief. 

After that,  Cynthia personally escorted me down and back up the elevator. I think there may be some doubt about the color of my hair at this point in time!

 While  in the museum we were fortunate enough to meet a lovely couple who had donated their 1952 Vincent. Their names are Leo and Phyllis.  Of course we had to take their picture since they were kind enough to give us the history behind their bike. 

After Sturgis it was on to Deadwood, SD.  Did a walking tour of the Main Street. Visited Saloon Ten where Wild Bill Hickok was murdered in a poker game holding aces and eights. This is where the term deadman's hand comes from when describing the poker hand aces over eights.   

We visited the Adams Museum while in Deadwood and it is full of all kinds of little treasures and history about the colorful characters who made Deadwood famous. This small museum gets two big thumbs up from me. Loved it!  

After the museum we went to the cemetery to look for Wild Bill Hickok's grave and Calamity Jane's grave. After the elevator moment in Sturgis I think I might be related to her. ;). The terrain was fairly steep so I sat that one out and had Cynthia, Curtis and John run recon for me and take pictures. :D

We took the scenic drive from Deadwood, SD to Devils Tower, WY. 

Devils Tower rises up from the surrounding land as if it is trying to reach into the heavens above. The rock appears to be extruded as if from a gigantic press. The columns of rock can be 4, 5, 6 or 8 sided with the most common being 6 sided. 

It is hauntingly beautiful watching the vultures catching the thermals and gliding across the face of Devils Tower. 

And now we are trying to make Buffalo before 9 which is the closing time of the restaurant. Looks like it may be a late night for us. 

As the miles rack up and we drive across our beautiful country I am so very cognizant of the beauty and fierce independence of our great country.  And as our Independence Day approaches a shout out and heartfelt thank you to those who have served and continue to serve our country.  And a special shout out and thank you to my Dad, a Korean War veteran, an American farmer and a really special man. I love you Dad. 

UPDATE: we made it to the restaurant. Winchester Steakhouse in Buffalo, WY. Doesn't look like much from outside but the food is OUTSTANDING!  

Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse - Day Five

This will be a short blog tonight. It is our last night in Rapid City, South Dakota and I still have to pack!  

We started off the morning by heading up to Mount Rushmore. The weather was a cool and breezy 68 degrees. Driving up Highway 16 we rounded a curve and this gigantic sculpture rises from the top. It is very impressive and large, quite large!  A few facts I learned today.... There were no deaths during the creation of the sculpture and originally Jefferson's head was to the left ( looking at the mountain ) of Washington. After two years of work it was discovered there was not enough carvable rock. It took two weeks to blast his head off. He was then carved to the right of Washington. 

 

After leaving Mount Rushmore we headed back down to Keystone for lunch at Teddy's Deli. It was a nice lunch and a good break in the middle of the day. 

Then back up towards Rushmore again and onto Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse is funded only through private donations.  

It will be a massive sculpture when it is completed. 

Tomorrow it is on to Sturgis and Deadwood. 

We think our three theme songs are:

1. Holiday Road

2. On the Road Again

3. The Wheels on the Bus

Good night folks and thanks for reading!

:D