Day 6 - Yellowstone! Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, & Renegade Buffalo

Details soon.  :)

Day 5 - Yellowstone! Hot Springs, Geysers, Waterfalls, Canyon

Last night we entered Yellowstone through a pleasant valley between the Gallatin Mountains & Absaroka range. The moon & stars were bright as we drove along the Gardiner River into the town of Gardiner just outside Yellowstone's North entrance. If staying outside the park next year I would choose Gardiner again & if staying in the park I would choose the park headquarters, Mammoth. Mammoth is home to a herd of Elk & at least one buffalo the locals call George.
Our first stop was the boardwalk @ Hot Spring Terraces which was about 1.5 miles & 300 ft in elevation. Definitely a must see, especially Canary Spring, which is in the North section. It was facinating to see a boiling spring, spring from nowhere admidst grasses & purple wildflowers. Bacteria form bright orange coral structures in shallow pools & the deeper ones are brilliant blue as they reflect the sky. This is the area where I got sunburned in a scary way. (4 days later I am finally considering shorts & a tee shirt again) I never burn when wearing sunblock but apparently spf 50 was not good enough.  :)
Next stop was Norris Geyser Basin. Making our way there we stopped off at the Park Ranger Museum & spotted our first buffalo up close. (As pictured in the blog.) We found out later that both major buffalo herds were in the process of migrating accross the high altitude meadow. However, we ran into quite a few loners, like this guy, on the East side of the park throughout our journey.
Once at the basin we chose the upper loop keeping in mind that Tommy would need to see Steamboat Geyser, @ 400 feet the tallest in the world, in order to earn his Junior Ranger patch. The geyser basin is the most volcanicly active the park & Yellowstone has the most active geysers in the world. We saw brightly green & blue colored springs such as Emerald & Cistern, steam vents that made funny sounds like Puff & Stuff, erupting geysers, & a boiling blue mud pot. Next stop, the grand canyon of Yellowstone.
We continued around the north loop where we viewed both canyon waterfalls during a passing thunderstorm. Taking cover in the car our Jr Ranger spotted the first ground-to-ground double rainbow I have ever seen. It was so large & bright we could see the color indigo. Next, completing the North Rim circle.
The next leg of our journey brought us to Mount Washburn which I believe has an elevation of about 10000 feet. At first I thought it was cool as we encountered a pull off abundant with snow (on July 14th) where I snapped photos of Tommy. I also noted the trailhead for a hike that crosses a tundra ecosystem, a must see for a future trip. Then we encountered Dunraven Pass. At an elevation in the mid 8000s this is the highest mountain pass in the park. Please allow me to share that because of continual erosion that they don't bother installing such things as guard rails in Yellowstone. Ya. So this coming from someone willing to dangle their feet over the edge of the North Rim of Yellowstone... this mountain pass is on my 'never happening again list'. Maybe it was because we were on the outside lane but it is never happening again. Sunset arrives, we see Tower Falls (taller than Niagra Falls) & sunset over the park. Our most exciting day in the park & probably the trip ends. We are thrilled & I am starting to consider a seasonal Park Ranger position either here or Tetons. I enquired & found out I would probably be a shoe in as an Environmental Science teacher.

Day 4 - Little Bighorn Battlefield, Wyoming, & Montana

I already wrote a pretty lengthy blog for today that was lost bc of internet connectivity issues. Boo! I am too exhausted to recreate it now. I'll simply say that we had another incredible day. This picture was taken @ Little Bighorn & is my effort to show how beautiful the Montana sky is. Yellowstone & an attempt to fix the blog tomorrow.

***UPDATE***

7-18-2011

The drive across South Dakota & Wyoming was fantastic. I enjoyed looking @ the beautiful blue skies, rolling prairie, grazing livestock, & occasional pronghorn. I didn't feel the need to sleep, read, or play with my phone @ all.

Shortly after entering Montana was an unexpected surprise, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Custer's last stand took place on a hilltop where we watched blue skies alternate with thunderstorms all around us. Yellow prairie flowers & swarms of small yellow butterflies danced in the breeze. We took all of this in is we recognized the National Military cemetery where veterns of many historic & modern wars are buried. Next we saw a giant monument marking a mass grave of 220 non-officer soldiers. This was done because the soldiers that fell here were originally buried in shallow graves that were disturbed by local wildlife. Eventually the Native Americans moved their people, & the officers including Custer were moved to a better final resting place. The calvary horses (which were shot by the Americans to serve as breastworks) & regular soldiers still rest in mass graves on sight.

I liked the way this Monument honors both sides of this battle. The park is located in the Crow Tribe Reservation & in fact both of.the Park Rangers we spoke with were Crow. Although war is sad & particularly this one.  The scenery is beautiful. Also, I think it .is valuable to honor the dead by not forgetting the events that took place here.

Day 3 - Devil's Tower, Wyoming

After 2 days in a row of 8 hours of driving we decided to sleep in & get organized this morning. :) We were hoping to be able to go to both Wind Cave & Devil's Tower today. However they are located in opposite directions. Knowing we will be in the car for another 8 hours tomorrow we decided to chose one... Devil's Tower. Wow! Another fantastic day.
At about noon we headed out of Deadwood which is a small town nestled in the Black Hills. On a side note, I would not reccomend visiting Deadwood. Even though it has a rich wild west history including being the location where Buffalo Bill was shot while playing poker, it has been reduced to a cheap-ish casino town. Watching people waste $$$ they don't have @ slot machines depressed me. On top of that, the casinos were deserted & the prime rib this evening was terrible. Oh well, it was worth a shot.
The drive to Wyoming was beautiful. The sky was incredibly blue with puffy cotton ball clouds. The grassy prairie hills were dotted with black Holstein cows, running horses, & the occasional llama. Shortly before the turnoff for Devil's Tower we drove through the small town of Sundance where they hold an annual film festival that is pretty famous. Someone took the time to arrange white rocks on the hill to spell Sundance & perhaps remind those from Hollywood of home.
As we continued to drive, the 900 foot tower was easy to spot from about 20 minutes out. Suddenly, SNAP, my mothers worst nightmare came true as one of the cables holding the luggage carrier came completely loose. Luckily I was driving during our disaster (again) & was able to pull over before the wind took the carrier over the hills & far away. (K&D... the debate as to whether we need buy a new luggage rack or more bungee cords is still raging on at this moment.)
At the tower the first thing we did was pick up Tommy's Jr Ranger booklet which turned out to be a scavenger hunt for the Tower Trail. After a bit of 'stress' over not being able to find a deer or rabbit he is sworn in & awarded his pin & patch. :) The Tower Trail is a little over a mile long & takes you right next to the base of the Tower. Without a permit you are still allowed to climb the boulder field as seen in the movie Close Encounters. Many people did get their permits & we spotted them repelling down from the top, which is about the size of a football field. I'll have to post a pic later of how small the climbers looked. Unless they were wearing red they were almost impossible to see without binoculars. The Tower Trail was beyond cool yet not too strenuous, so my parents enjoyed it. My Dad was particularly interested in the Turkey Vultures which glided over the top of the Tower all day.  I was surprised that the Tower was surrounded by coniferous forest.
At this point we decided to split up. I wanted to tackle the moderately difficult Red Bluffs trail to Prairie Dog Town & my parents would take Tom & drive there. The things I saw on the hike blew me away as well as every other hike I've done including my beloved Starved Rock. I walked through the forest & then around a hillside prairie covered with yellow & purple wildflowers. The wind was practically singing as I approached the prairie dogs. I decended about 150 feet down when they started barking at me. I'm not kidding, they made eye contact. I was greatful for signage that explained that prairie dogs are mean, bite, & have fleas that carry the bubonic plague. Not a lot of people know you can still get the plague from fleas in the Southwest. In fact a biologist recently died from it in the Grand Canyon. Yuck. Plague... no thanks. They are cute from a distance. Ha ha!
I was disappointed when my time was up & I had to turn back after only completing 25% of the trail. This was really just a warm up for Yellowstone. :) I'm still planning to buy the fire hydrant of pepper spray for the bears JIC. I don't mean to be negative but it would be my luck to run into a large angry mammal. So... a really long drive & Yellowstone in the late afternoon tomorrow. Bye.   :)))))

Day 2 - Mt Rushmore & Deadwood

My gps & internet stopped working mid-morning (somewhere on 90) so posting pics will have to wait & further updates may be spotty. After surviving the storm of the century in southern MN last night we drove most of the day thru SD. We checked out a DVD box set @ a rest area & discovered that not only is SD beautiful but also interesting. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Deadwood, Badands, Rushmore, etc. So many times we were tempted to pull over & explore but we kept our ultimate Rushmore destination in mind & pushed forward arriving @ about 5. We were not disappointed. Overall the experience was amazing culminating with a lighting ceremony in the evening honoring our troops that brought me to tears. Having served in Vietnam my father was included in 'Retiring the Colors' in the ampitheater @ dusk. The presidents were lit overhead as birds circled catching their evening meal. The crowd of several thousand were silent out of respect for the people on stage there that made sacrifices I can barely wrap my mind around. As for the sculpture itself... I couldn't take my eyes off it. We were able to get only 400 yards away .from the dead presidents. Awesome. I thought I would be amazed by The size but instead I was struck by the quality of th art. I've seen Venus,  David, & Thinker in person & this is in the same class. Meanwhile Tommy earned his Jr Ranger patch & I can report the coffee here is excellent. Dinner on the terrace with a view.of.the sculpture is highly reccomended. At the end of the evenings activities we found ourselves on a rural road heading North in a mountain valley. My gps did not work here of course. Luckily a Rushmore Ranger gave us a silly paper map that suddenly became gold. The moon & stars were bright & the mist rising in the valley added just the right touch. Tho when we started careening down the steep grade @ 60 mph (thanks Dad) I started to wonder again if Mother Nature was going to prove that she is still in charge. Happily... after about an hour the casino lights of Deadwood lit up the sky & we settled in @ our home foe the next 2 nights. As a preview for day 3 I can tell you there is nothing like enjoying breakfast with your 8 year old son at a bar in a casino in view of the slot machines. Ha. No I'm not irresponsible. That is just how it is here. A smallish version of Atlantic City. Today is a bit of a question mark bc we decided to scrap the Wind Cave early this morning. Sleeping in good. Devils Tower @ sunset for sure. We just signaled th aliens to.pick us up. Ha.   Ttyl8r.  :)   Thanks foe reading.

Day 1 - Drive to South Dakota In An Incredible Storm

To Be Continued...

Day 0 - Starting the Blog & Trip Preparations

(Daffodil Glade, Morton Arboretum - age 2)

Tommy & I have always been like peas & carrots without effort. Over the past year I've enjoyed posting pictures of our outdoorsy adventures on my Facebook Page. With our two week road trip to the National Parks of the American West coming up tomorrow, I thought that now would be the perfect time to start a blog for friends and family that want to see & hear what we've been up to in more detail than what is appropriate for Facebook. My laptop & phone are set up for daily updates starting tomorrow, & I will do my best to keep up. However, I am guessing that internet access & speed will be spotty at times. Tomorrow will be a driving day with a stop in Brandon, South Dakota. The day after that our ultimate destination will be Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills of South Dakota. I put more time & energy into planning this particular trip than any before. We are hoping for the journey of a lifetime & also hope that you enjoy riding along with us.

Sincerely, Rebecca & Tommy

 (Peas... Tommy's first birthday party)

(Carrots... Rockin' out with Mom - age 4)

(Smashing a Hot-N-Ready together even before such things existed - age 4)