Hi all,
Well, we made it home...must say we are all going through mountain withdrawal. When asked the question, "Where would you like to have spent more time?" here are the results:
Terri - Pryor Mts. & Lamar Valley
Alex - Pryor Mts. & Lamar Valley
Flame - Pryor Mts. & Cooke City
Ethan - all of Yellowstone
In all, we traveled 4,950 miles; averaged 16.6 mpg; used 297 1/2 gallons of gas; and spent 98 hours and 55 minutes in the car! We saw cars from every state and most provinces except Hawaii. The only things we lost were a camera case, a pair of binoculars, and a lexan water bottle - and they are all on mountains somewhere out there.
Would we do it again? In a heartbeat! The time spent in the car really was not a big deal. Even Nugget was great - she is so adaptable, so long as she is with her people.
It was an awesome, unforgettable, incredible trip. Thanks to all of you for traveling along with us!
Flame, Terri, Alex, Ethan and Nugget
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
On the Road Again...
Wed. June 25, 2008
Did a LOT of driving today…Rapid City to Annawan, IL (12 hours). There is a lot of flooding just west of here. We will do a final blog entry, from home.
Did a LOT of driving today…Rapid City to Annawan, IL (12 hours). There is a lot of flooding just west of here. We will do a final blog entry, from home.
Wind Cave/Custer SP/Mt. Rushmore
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Yesterday we did a lot of driving, from Cody, WY to the SD border. Beautiful scenery the whole way. We made our campsite in the Black Hills National Forest. It was a nice spot, although there must have been a fire not too long ago – lots of burnt trees. Played games and explored the surrounding area.
This morning, we drove to Wind Cave, which was (obviously) a cave in SD. The guys went while Terri hung with Nugget. A gorgeous day, so the ‘girls’ didn’t mind not going below! The guys said it was pretty cool, though.
Took a trip through Custer State Park. Again, saw lots of wildlife – second largest publicly owned (that means YOU own them) buffalo herd (second to Yellowstone’s). Saw a lot of cows and their calves. There was also a herd of wild burros – descendants of burros that were used for rides, and then set free. They were pretty friendly for being ‘wild’ – in fact, they were pretty aggressive in their insistence for a treat!
Drove the Needles Highway out of Custer to Mt. Rushmore. Called as such because of all the needle-like stone spires all along it. Very dramatic, and the road is very narrow on much of it.
Mt. Rushmore was even more impressive than we thought it would be! It truly is a remarkable feat. If you are bored sometime, google it and see what was involved in carving this thing. They have a really nice museum there with lots of cool things from ‘back then’.
Got a hotel room in Rapid City for the night….headed home tomorrow.
Yesterday we did a lot of driving, from Cody, WY to the SD border. Beautiful scenery the whole way. We made our campsite in the Black Hills National Forest. It was a nice spot, although there must have been a fire not too long ago – lots of burnt trees. Played games and explored the surrounding area.
This morning, we drove to Wind Cave, which was (obviously) a cave in SD. The guys went while Terri hung with Nugget. A gorgeous day, so the ‘girls’ didn’t mind not going below! The guys said it was pretty cool, though.
Took a trip through Custer State Park. Again, saw lots of wildlife – second largest publicly owned (that means YOU own them) buffalo herd (second to Yellowstone’s). Saw a lot of cows and their calves. There was also a herd of wild burros – descendants of burros that were used for rides, and then set free. They were pretty friendly for being ‘wild’ – in fact, they were pretty aggressive in their insistence for a treat!
Drove the Needles Highway out of Custer to Mt. Rushmore. Called as such because of all the needle-like stone spires all along it. Very dramatic, and the road is very narrow on much of it.
Mt. Rushmore was even more impressive than we thought it would be! It truly is a remarkable feat. If you are bored sometime, google it and see what was involved in carving this thing. They have a really nice museum there with lots of cool things from ‘back then’.
Got a hotel room in Rapid City for the night….headed home tomorrow.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday in Cody, WY
We are now at a hotel in Cody, WY, finally have a chance to update the blog. We added a few videos on the picture site, too. The drive around Yellowstone Lake and out the east entrance was very scenic. Flame and Terri went to an Indian festival, then we all went to the Cody Rodeo. It was a lot of fun, very entertaining. Those guys are nuts! They even had young (under 12) kids riding little steers.
Tomorrow we head towards South Dakota again, towards the Mt. Rushmore area…
Tomorrow we head towards South Dakota again, towards the Mt. Rushmore area…
Sat. June 21 - Summer Solstice in Grand Teton
Today was unbelievable! The scenery gets more gorgeous everywhere we go. Picked up our kayaks and spent the day in Grand Teton NP on the water. The boys went down the Snake River while Terri stayed with Nugget (no doggies allowed on the waterwaysL). They had a great time and saw osprey, pelicans, herons, etc. We stopped in at Jenny Lake Lodge, then Flame stayed with Nugget while Terri and the boys kayaked through String Lake (between Jenny & Leigh Lakes). It was great – we watched a moose for about ½ hour, 20 yards away! It would freak out every once in a while and prance through the water – clearly to get rid of the bugs that were swarming it.
Drove through the rest of the park to see the sights. Returned the kayaks, then headed to Flagg Ranch, just outside the southern entrance of Yellowstone. We spent the night there at the campground.
Drove through the rest of the park to see the sights. Returned the kayaks, then headed to Flagg Ranch, just outside the southern entrance of Yellowstone. We spent the night there at the campground.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Jackson Hole, WY - June 20
We left our quaint little cabin in the woods this morning, and drove down to the south to Jackson, WY. Originally we were going to shoot straight across to the north entrance of Grand Teton NP, but the road we were going to take (Ashton-Flagg Rd.) was closed, due to…what a surprise…snow! The Forestry Service told us they probably won’t have it open till July!
Beautiful drive. The town of Jackson is very cute, and bustling – sort of a yuppie/western feel to it. We are staying here tonight at a motel, and will camp tomorrow at the northern end of the park. Saw some cool birds – kestrels, magpies, mountain blue birds. Also saw a small flock of mountain goats. The Tetons are magnificent – lots of snow on top, and they just rise straight up from the valley floor – no foothills. Drove through the National Elk Refuge where 5,000 elk spend the winter (and boy scouts gather the antlers to auction off!)
We made arrangements to rent kayaks tomorrow for the day – looking forward to it!
Beautiful drive. The town of Jackson is very cute, and bustling – sort of a yuppie/western feel to it. We are staying here tonight at a motel, and will camp tomorrow at the northern end of the park. Saw some cool birds – kestrels, magpies, mountain blue birds. Also saw a small flock of mountain goats. The Tetons are magnificent – lots of snow on top, and they just rise straight up from the valley floor – no foothills. Drove through the National Elk Refuge where 5,000 elk spend the winter (and boy scouts gather the antlers to auction off!)
We made arrangements to rent kayaks tomorrow for the day – looking forward to it!
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