Tuesday June 23

Today was our first full day with Jim and Connie, and believe me it was full.  We met in the lobby about 8:30 and made our way to Jackson Hole Tram that would take us to the top of Rendevouz mountain.  We boarded the first Tram up the mountain at 9:00 AM and along with about 10 others made our way to the summit. In that we had heard that Corbit’s Cabin, the only structure at the top, served the best and most unique waffles we made our way there first.  They make an ordinary waffle but then they fill it with a variety of choices, I chose the peanut butter and bacon while Mary had the brown sugar and butter.  They are served like a sandwhich, which elininates the need for any plasticware on top of the mountain. 

After breakfast we walked around the top of the mountain to take in the scenery, and three Paragliders getting ready to take to the wind.  What a sight, as they waited for just the right gust to fill their sail, then with a quick maneuver to get the sail faced in the correct direction they lifted off into the blue sky.  We watched one take off and then soar another 1000 or so feet higher then float off over the valley floor.  As we made our way down the mountain on the Gondola (a 15 minute ride),  we saw him land in the distance.  

Next we headed toward  Moose :), to check out our meeting point for our float trip on Wednesday.  After finding the rendevouz location, we went across the street to the visitors center just to look around and waste the few extra minutes we had.
At the back of the visitors center which faced the mountains, they had large metal strips in the sidewalk that pointed to the various mountains and gave a few details.  The view was spectacular, and get used to hearing that because the entire day was more of the same.

We left Moose and got on highway 89 heading towards Jackson Lake where we had a 1:00 PM boat trip on the lake.  But before we got to the lake we stoped along the side of the road to watch the Bison grazing in the meadow just beside the road.  I can’t believe how many Bison we have seen in the last several days. And the word is that Yellowstone has so many they are becoming a nuisance.  A quick stop at Jackson Lake Lodge to pick up the tickets for the Boat ride that we had purchased via the internet months ago.

We arrived at Jackson Lake with a few extra minutes to spare, and the gentleman greating the people suggested a pit stop as there was no bathroom on the boat and the tour would last about 1 1/2 hours or more.  We left the dock got a quick safety demonstration and heading out onto Lake Jackson, the largest lake in Jackson Hole.  As we made  our way across the lake there was a gentleman from Southern California that told us about the history of the lake and many interesting facts about it. We learned that the mountains  rose up to almost 14,000 feet just beside the lake.  The lake is almost 400 feet deep in the center!

He pointed out the various mountains and gave a brief history about their discovery and how they formed.  Unlike Yellowstone which sits just 70 miles to the north, the Grand Tetons were formed as the earths crusts moved upward forming the mountains and the other downward to form the valley.  The Grand Tetons have more than 10 Glaciers  where the snow and ice are over 300 feet deep.  While on the boat the captain took us  very close to shore beneath the glacier revealing the place where the underground river from the glacier was emptying into the lake.  He mentioned that it is believed that that water flowing from deep within the glacier is snow that fell over 100 years ago.

The highlight of the boat trip was on the return, as the captain took us to see Eagles nesting in the trees.  As we got close, we saw a nest with baby eagles bouncing up and down.   In the  tree next door one of their parents was high up in the branches guarding the little ones.  What a site!

Leaving Lake Jackson we headed toward Jenny Lake via Teton Park Road, a road that travels closest to the base of the Tetons and a popular spot to see wildlife.  As we drove one road there was a sign that said, “Mother Grizzly and Cubs seen crossing road, use caution”.  We never did see bears today but our hopes are up for a siting tomorrow.

We arrived at Jenny Lake and took a small boat across to a spot below “Inspiration Point”.  We had read that this was a great hike and by taking the boat you reduced the mileage considerably.  We exited the boat and began what we thought was a mile hike to inspiration point.  The regular trail however had been closed for repairs and we had to detour up another trail.  As we climbed up via the switchbacks we talked to people coming down asking if the hike was worth it and how much further.  The typical response was yes it was and you still had a ways to go.  Now consider that the lake was at 6500 feet and we headed up from that point, so air was thin, trail was steep and rocky.  After about 40 minutes we passed a gentleman on his way down and asked roughly how far we had to go. He told us 3/10 of a mile to a juction in the trail then another 7/10 of a mile to the point.  Mary decided she had better turn around, and after some discussion Jim, Connie,  and I decide to continue on.
Well it wasn’t as far as the man we met indicated and we actually reached a point where the climb leveled off, and we finally made it to Inspiration Point.  We shared a bottle of water, took a few pictures then headed back down the mountain to meet up with Mary and catch the boat back.

Leaving Jenny Lake we continued on Teton Park Road back toward Teton Village.  This time we were treated to Elk grazing in the meadow just off the road, and a mile or so later spotted a Moose eating in the shallow stream!  Never did see a bear.

Back to our hotel about 7:00 PM we cleaned up quickly then headed to our dinner destination “The Deck”, situated about 2/3  the way up the mountain on Bridger Gondola just to the north of where we had breakfast. Situated at about 10,000 feet we sat outside at a table where we viewed the beautiful valley below, enjoyed a few unique eats a beverage, and talked about the day.  A terrific end to a full day.

The few pictures I can add to the end of this Blog will not do the day justice, so I will add an additional page of pictures.

   
      

Monday June 22

Today is primarily a travel day.  We left our hotel in Deadwood headed to Jackson Hole and The Grand Tetons. We left the hotel about 8:00 AM, and based on GPS we expect to be in Jackson by 5:00 PM.

The trip started on the interstate with speed limit at 80, so we moved along fairly well and the traffic was very light. The scenery was the same from the time we entered Wyoming, miles and miles of grass lands with cattle scattered about.

We arrived at our hotel in Jackson, The Hotel Terra, where we met Mary’s Brother Jim and his wife Connie.  We got settled in our room and then met Jim and Connie for a drink before going to dinner at The Spur, a steak house located next to our hotel. Mary had the Buffalo Short Ribs and I went with the Buffalo Steak, hey while we are in the land of the Buffalo we have decided to indulge.  At dinner we talked about our plans for the next day and planned to meet at 8:30 as we have tickets to take the tram up to the top of the mountain behind our hotel.

 Below are a few pictures I snapped from the car as we drove from Deadwood to Jackson.

 

  
        

Sunday June 21

We had a quick breakfast at our hotel in Rapid City then hit the road at 8:15 to head to Devils Tower in Wyoming.  Although we had reservations to spend tonight in Deadwood South Dakota the plan was to continue into Wyoming this morning then back to Deadwood later today.  Monday is a travel day and we will have about eight hours of driving so it made sense to visit Devils Tower today as we had less driving.

Devils Tower has the honor of being the first  National Monument, it was declared such in 1906 by Preident Theadore Roosevelt.  Devils Tower is regarded by the American Indians to be a sacred site, and as we walked around we saw Prayer Cloths tied to trees by American Indians.  They are physical, symbolic representations of prayers and are put there by American Indian people as part of their religious ceremonies.  American Indians use the tower as a place of worship to this day.  They gather for prayer, pipe ceremonies, the tying of prayer cloths, or vision quests.

There are many theories on how this huge rock formation was formed, but regardless it is 5114 feet above sea level at the summit and 1267 feet above the surrounding terrain.  Although the American Indians have always frowned upon the rock being climbed, it is today a very popular spot for climbers.  In fact the day today we saw several climbers at various stages of their ascent up the rock. 

By the time we got there the only tour of the rock with a Ranger was over so we walked around the base stopping to read the various signs as we did.  It was roughly a1 1/2 miles around the base, giving us a view from all sides.

We left Devils tower and backtracked to Deadwood where we would spend the night.  Checked into our hotel we made our way downtown to catch a one hour bus tour of the city.

Deadwood was made famous by Wild Bill Hickok, but in reality he spent only six weeks there before he was shot in Saloon #10.  Deadwood was originally started as a Gold Rush Town and unlike many towns during the goldrush, Deadwood continued as the gold kept coming, and some strip mining is still done on the mountains today. Funny side note, the man that shot Wild Bill, Jack McCall, in the saloon that night was captured a few minutes later just blocks away.  After a trial by the local miners he was said to be not guilty. He said he killed Hickok because Bill killed his brother.  Leaving Deadwood he bragged about killing Bill and was arrested again.  After  it was determined that his original trial was illegal he was tried in Yankton South Dakota (if you have been reading my blog you will remember Mary’s Aunt and Uncle live in Yankton), and convicted.  You see it was discovered that Jack never had a brother, only three sisters.  

Today Deadwood is a tourist town in the true sense of the word, with every other storefront being either a bar or a casino.  Kevin Costner even has ties to Deadwood, owning a Casino, Bar and Resturant.  We jumped on a bus for a one hour tour of the city, explaining some of the history and stories that have been passed on by the generations, then went to the cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane were both buried.

Later we went to The Adams House, built by a prominent Deadwood resident who when his wife died sold it to his son for $1.00.  The house was originally built by the mayor at that time.  It was a very upscale home taking up four lots.  The story is that a subsequent resident Mary Adams, after the death of her husband, left the house with everything intact (including a jar of cookies).  It stayed that way for 60 years until the town took it over, restored it  and it became a museum (complete with the original jar with the cookies in it!).

We then walked through town and had a meal at Saloon #10 in their upstairs restaurant called The Deadwood Social club.  We had a seat on the roof overlooking Main Street.  We had Buffalo Ravioli in brown butter sauce and Fettuccine  with wild boar bologenese, both were terrific.  As we ate we were treated to lots and lots of motorcycles driving up and down the street.  We are very close to Sturgis ,and motorcycles, grey beards and leather jackets that say “Harley Davidson” are aplenty.

We finished our night in Deadwood watching a reenactment of the murder of Wild Bill by Jack McCall in Saloon #10!

 

Mary with Devils Tower in the background

  

Climber on Devils Tower

  

Prayer Cloth left by American Indian

          

   

  

  

  
        

   

  

Saturday June 20

Although I am not sure why after a rough night, we checked out of our cabin at Cedar Pass Lodge and hit the road at 6:45 AM.  We were at the bottom of The Badlands and were headed north to Rapid City, not that far in terms of mileage, but we had a great deal of stops to make before settling down in our hotel.

We took The Badlands loop, and in that we were on the road so early there were very few cars on the road which made it great.  There were times that we simply stopped in the middle of the road to tak a picture. The scenery was spectacular and I wanted to keep taking pictures but realized they all start to look the same after awhile.

The Badlands were originally settled by the Lakota Indians (a familar name for those of us in West Chester).  The name Badlands came from the French Trappers because it was difficult to travel through because of the 65 mile “Wall” of peaks, gullies and buttes.  The Lakota Indians also described it as Badlands, but onlky because others did not know how to make the most of this terrain.  The Badlands is an area of extremes, with high temperatures in the summer along with violent lightning storms, (we can attest to that!), and cold and windy in the winter.

Dispite all this, it was amazing seeing all the wildflowers and the wildlife as we drove the 28 miles to the city of Wall.  We saw Prarie Dogs by the hundreds feeding alond the sides of the road, Deer were everywhere and we needed to be alert as they crossed the roads sometimes several at a time.  In addition we stopped at one of the Vista Points, and saw many Mountain Goats moving up and down the mountain sides.  I missed it as I ran back to the van to get another lense for my camera, but Mary saw a young Montain Goat nursing from its Mother.

The next stop, Breakfast at the famous Wall Drug Store, known for its Free Ice Water and Nickle Coffee!  This really goes back to the depression where the original owners (the kids and grandkids run it today) offered free ice water and nickle coffee to travelers during the depression.  It is said to be able to seat 500 for meals and although there were seats available it was very crowded.  

After breakfast it was off to Mount Rushmore just outside Rapid City South Dakota.  I have seen pictures but when you get there it is really a fascinating site, four presidents carved into a mountain top 5000 feet above the visitors center. Mount Rushmore was the brainchild of Doane Robinson who wanted to create giant statues in the granite mountains to represent the history of the wild west.  In such his idea was to sculpt a parade of Indian Leaders and American Explorers.  He had seen the work done on Stone Mountain by Gutzon Borglum and wanted him to do Mount Rushmore.  Borgllum had a different idea and thought it needed to be bigger then just leaders and explorers so the idea of Presidents was born.  Borglum died before the project was completed so it continued under the direction of his son.

The majority of the detail was done with Dynamite, then the finishing was done with drills, hammers and chisels.  

The project was started in 1927 and finished in 1941, although it is not what Borglum had designed but the project ran out of money.

The project used over 400 workers cost just shy of $1,000,000 

Most workers earned between $0.55 to $0.65 per hour in 1927 and those that stayed on the 14 years ended up making up to $2.25 in 1941

Leaving Mount Rushmore we took the Iron Mountain Road through Custer State Park, a windy road with swithbacks and 3 oneway tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore in the distance.   Although the road is only 17 miles it takes almost an hour. We stopped for a quick bite to eat and something to drink at a Biker Bar on the road. 

We then continued to the Wildlife Highway with its twists and turns as it makes its way through the prarie and ponderosa pine-studded hills.  Here we came face to face (literally) with hundreds of Buffalo, who roam free throughout the park. We also saw a few mountain goats and several Burros.

Next we headed towards Wind Cave, the sixth largest in The World, with over 140 miles currently mapped out and more being discovered each year  It was established as a National Park in 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt, and was the first cave with this designation.  Mary and I due to time constraints took the Garden of Eden Tour which took about an hour and coverd only about 1/3 of a mile. 

Next we headed to Crazy Horse, the Indians version of Mount Rushmore, although their plans are much more expansive. They currently have a University which opened in 2010, and an Indian Educational and Cultural Center.  Future plans include a Museum and a medical center.  The carving that will be depicted in the stone on the mountain will be Crazy Horse sitting atop his horse.  Started in 1948 the project is still a long way from completion.  All funds to create this monument are from private donations and the fees paid by visitors.

Ok, the clock is ticking and now we needed to make a decision;  do we go to Jewell Cave or take the Needle Highway.  We elected to do the Needle Highway and I think we made the right choice, the highway is a spectacular drive through pine and spruce forests, meadows, and rugged granite mountains.  The name comes from the needle like formations which rise up into the sky. The highway is 17 miles and took us about an hour to drive.  There are three tunnels the widest is only 14 feet wide and can only accommodate one car at a time.

The Needle Hihway behind us, we head back to Mount Rushmore for the lighting ceremony that takes place at 9:30 each evening.  The program starts with a short 15 minute talk about the men depicted in the mountain and those that worked to get the project completed.  Then we sang America the Beautiful, followed by the Star Spangled Banner, and then the topper, when all former veterans and any current military personnel were invited on stage to help with the lowering of the American Flag.  Over 100 converged on the stage to help and then the mike was passed and each person on stage gave their name and branch of service.  Then the flag was lowered and a group five folded the flag and handed it over to the Ranger to end the program.

The day finally came to an end at about 11:00 PM as we checked into our hotel.

    

The Badlands

  

Prarie Dogs in the Badlands

  

Mountain Goats

  

Wall Drugs home of Free Ice Water and Nickle Coffee

  

Buffalo in Custer State Park

  

Inside Wind Cave

  

One of the Oneway Tunnels on The Needle Highway

    

Friday June 19, The Rest of the story!

As I said in my original blog for Friday, we went to the ranger show then went back to the room to settle in for the night.  I wrote my blog then downloaded some of the pictures from the day to include.  As I was finishing up, the lights in the cabin flickered and went out, but came back on, but then out again and then just blackness. Not only did lights go out, but the air-conditioning as well, so I opened up a few windows as there was a nice breeze outside and the temperature had cooled down.

I decided to get ready for bed since it appeared the power wasn’t coming back on soon.  I think I must have just fallen asleep, when I heard Mary yell and I sat straight up in bed.  She said that someone had pounded on the door and yelled something.  I quickly pulled on a pair of shorts went to the door and opened it to see who had knocked.  When I looked outside the wind was blowing hard and suddenly it started to rain sideways! I stepped out onto the porch to see what was going on and who had knocked on our door, and I saw people up and down the drive getting into their cars and driving towards the exit.  I tried waving a few down but no one would stop.

I went in and told Mary that something was going on, so we both got dressed and got in our car and headed towards the office.  When we got up to the front we say a police car with lights flashing, and all the cars that had been driving by were in the parking lot by the office / Resturant / General Store.  We pulled up next to the police car and asked what was going on.  He told us a Tornado had touched down about 20 miles from our location and was reported to be heading our way.  They ushered us into the General Store and into their basement where we found all those renting cabins as well as all the campers that had been in tents.

The strong wind I noticed when I opened the front door had actually produced gusts of up to 70 miles an hour, and blew all those in tents around the campsite!  We stayed in the basement for about an hour, the General Store providing water and snacks to everyone, but it was getting stuffy.  I made my way upstairs to see if I could get any additional information, but all the Ranger coukld tell me was that there had been several accidents on the main highway so all emergency personnel in the area were busy.  They had been told to wait until they received an all clear before allowing anyone to go back to the campground.

After another hour or so, the winds had died down and the lightning had slowed considerably, so Mary and I decided to go back to our cabin, as did several others who had been staying in the same cabins.  We laid awake for awhile but finally fell asleep and slept soulndly until the power came back on about 4:00 AM and the lights and air-conditioner turned back on, waking us up.  What a Night!

   
 

Friday June 19

Today we slept in a little as this might be our last good nights sleep for a week or so as the fun starts soon.  I finished up my Blog from yesterday and then started to pack up thr car.  In that we were in the same place for two nights I took more out of the car then usual, plus we had Mary’s Aunt and Uncle in the car yesterday so needed more room.

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel then headed to Mary’s Aunts house to meet up with her cousin Cindy who drove down from Sioux Falls this morning.  We sat around on the back porch and spent time catching up, since we hadn’t seen Cindy since we went to Mary’s Uncle Bobs 80th Birthday about 4 years ago. About an hour after we had arrived, Cindy’s brother Mike who we met up with yesterday stopped by knowing his sister was visiting.  It seems that several of Mary’s Aunts family members including kids, grandkids, and siblings were converging on Yakton to celebrate Maxines 80th Birthday (even though she won’t be 80 until November.  Had we have known sooner I am positive Mary would have planned to be there at least through Friday night, but we already had reservations and plans.

Mary’s Uncle Bob who had gone to The Elks Lodge to do his Treasurer duties arrived and with that we said good bye and headed north to The Badlands!

The drive from Yankton to our cabin at Cedar Pass at the bottom of the Badlands Loop took us about 5 hours, with a quick stop for gas and a bathroom break.  We were a bit concerned about the road heading into the southern end of The Badlands, as the website had indicated the road had been washed out and they were unsure of the reopening date.  When Mary contacted the Cedar Pass Lodge, they said not to pay attention to the internet that the road was open.  We did however run into about a 20 minute wait as the road had been reduced to one lane.

As we entered the Badlands National Park, the scenery was spectacular!  The colors on the rock formations appeared red, which we later discovered was brought out by all the rain.  We made a quick stop at the visitors center to get Mary’s book stamped, then sat and watched a very interesting movie on the Badlands, including the wildlife we might see and the constant changes in the landscape.

We had dinner at The Cedar Pass Lodge, the only game in town, but food was decent.  We couldn’d decide between the Indian Taco and the Buffalo Burger, so we got both and shared.  Indian Taco was what you would expect to find in a taco except that it had Buffalo as opposed to Beef, and it was served open face on Indian Fry Bread.  It was actually very good.  Buffalo Burger was good as well, much more lean then beef and a great flavor.

After dinner we walked around the grounds and took a few pictures until it was time to go see the Ranger Program on the Park.  At about 8:45 we made our way to the Amphitheater arriving in time to get a look at the moon through a large telescope prior to it going behind the clouds.  The Ranger originally from Charlotte North Carolina was a seasonal ranger here in the Badlands for his third year. He had a prepared slide show that talked about the best spots to see certain animals as well as the best places to view the sites.

The program ended about 9:30 and we made our way back to our cabin as the sky was getting ominous and even treated us to a light show!

We drove about 360 miles today, and 95 on Thursday (I forgot to enter that number).

 

Mary with her Aunt Max, Uncle Bob, her cousins Cindy and Mike

 

Entering The Badlands

  

The view from behind our cabin

    

Thursday June 18

Today we woke up around 7:00 AM and wasted time organizing and catching up on my Blog.  About 10:00 AM after having breakfast and getting ready we started our day.

First stop was Walmart where Mary bought a blanket and a travel pillow because she forgot to put them into the car before we left.  From there is was off to McDonalds where Mary got her Diet Coke, and I settled for a coffee since there are no more Dunkin Donuts between here and Oregon.

We took a liesurely drive through the town of Yankton and ended up in a park near the Missouri River, where we parked and walked along the river.  From there we headed to Louis and Clark Lake and camp ground about 10 miles out of town.  This area of the Missouri River is actually a National Park and Mary wanted to get her National Park book stamped.  After driving around and looking for the National Park office we abandonded the idea and headed towards her Aunt and Uncle’s home.  The plan was always to take them with us to Bloomfield Nebraska where Mary was born, and have them point out some of the points of interest.

Before heading out we helped Mary’s Aunt get her email account set up, as they had gotten a new computer and ever since then she was unable to log into her old account.  That completed and a little training and we got in the car for the 30 minute drive to Bloomfield.

When we arrived, the town was setting up for the 125th Anniversary celebration which just so happened to start today.  We drove up and down a few of the side streets while Mary’s Uncle Bob pointed out the homes where Mary and her two older brothers were born, it just so happens that all three were different. We also drove by the home where Mary’s grandparents lived, and she has memories of spending summers visiting.

The next stop was the Bloomfield Monitor, the local weekly newspaper that her Grandfather ran for many years and is now run by one of her second cousins.  The Monitor has operated for all 125 years of Bloomfields existence, and they have never missed getting the paper out in all that time.  The shop Mary remembered has obviously changed, as there are no longer typesetting machines and large presses, but in many ways it has not changed.  We spent almost two hours in the Monitor looking around and talking with Mary’s cousin Joe and his wife Mary.  Joe has worked at the Monitor since 1958 when he was 11.  He purchased the Monitor in 1981 and has continued to operate it since that time.  Looking around the shop there was a great deal of Nostalgia, and all 125 years of the papers were in bound books on shelves!

Leaving the Monitor we walked around the town shortly, before heading to the Fairgrounds where there was a community Supper kicking off the festivities for the 125th Anniversary. Mary’s  cousin Mike and his girlfriend Lori joined Mary and I and her Aunt and Uncle.  While eating they had an open mike where locals got up and played instruments or sung, then there was a Beard Contest where local men had signed up as early as last year to compete.  Not something you see every day!

They had fireworks schedule but not till dark, which was still hours away, so we all elected to head back to Mary’s Aunt and Uncles home, where we sat on the back porch and enjoyed each others company.

 

Mary next to Bloomfied sign, 100 less people then when she was born

  

The outside of the Monitor now owned by her cousin Joe

  

Uncle Bob, Joe, his wife Mary, Aunt Max and Mary at the Monitor

  

The house where Mary was born

  

Joe and Mary with a current issue of The Monitor

  

125 Years of Bloomfield history

  

Mary’s Uncle and her cousin Mike

   

Wednesday June 17

We got up about 6:30 this morning and got ourselves ready and in the car about 7:30.  A quick stop at Dunkin Donuts, which just happened to be across the street, for my morning coffee, then one block to McDonalds for Mary’s diet coke.  All settled in to the car we are off to our first stop, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, located in  West Branch Iowa.  This was on our way and just a couple of hours away, so we decided to stop, as we have been to a few other Presidential Libraries and Mary needed her book stamped.

All I remember about Herbert Hoover was he pushed the country into the Great Depression, but after a couple of hours it became obvious he did many good things as well.  Need to read more about his life and accomplishments.

Upon leaving the Library we were heading to Des Moines Iowa, where I needed to make a quick stop at the only Apple store in Iowa (lucky for me).  You see, when I went to download  a few pictures from the camera for my Blog, I realized the connection I had was for the old iPad not the new!  While we were there, Mary picked up a cord that allows us to play the kindle books from her phone through the car speakers.  She also made a stop at The Sunglass Hut where we replaced the scratched and hard to see through lenses on her Oakleys.

As we drove through Iowa, the landscape was lush farmland growing a variety of crops, but mainly corn. You could tell by the standing water in the fields that this part of the country has seen its share of rain this year. Crossing some of the smaller Rivers we could see the water spilling over the banks. Along the way there were hundreds of large windmills turning with the breeze and generating electricity for the local farmers.  Unlike Palm Springs where you see hundreds of these giants all lined up in a row, these were simply scatterd willy nilly throughout the farmland.

Back in the car we headed for Yankton South Dakota, home of her Uncle Bob and Aunt Max, both in their eighties. We met Bob and Max (Maxine) for dinner at The Elks Club, then headed to their home to sit and talk on the back deck until almost 11:00.  We made plans for tomorrow and headed back to our hotel for the next couple of nights, The Holiday Inn Express of Yankton.

Today we traveled 511 miles

 

The Front of the Herbert Hoover Library

  

Wind Turbines dot the country side though Iowa

  

Another wind turbine with clouds in the background

   

Tuesday June 16

Jeff picked me up at 7:00 AM, and after a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for my morning coffee it was off to the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky airport to pick up our rental car.  When Jeff dropped me at the offsite rental counter I was the only customer, so I was able to engage the two gentleman working the counter, and asked if I might get a low mileage car in that we were driving to the West Coast.  The gentleman that was standing watching as his coworker worked the computer, said let me check and went away for a few minutes, only to return with a Brand New Toyota Sienna with 769 miles!

Leaving the airport I headed back towards home along with the throngs of other commuters heading to work.  Home at 9:45 I began checking out the van, folding down seats, and installing my clothes bar so we could aviod packing shirts and pants and having to spend time ironing each morning.  We had spent most of the day before laying out most of what we were taking, so today was primarily getting everything in the car.  Car loaded and checked we still had time before we needed to head to Montgomery to get Mary’s hair done, so just enough time to watch one more episode of Game of Thrones season 4! Please no comments on season 5 as we are behind a season.

Dropped Mary at her hair dresser, and I headed to the bank, Trader Joes for a few snacks, then to Staples for a small notebook to keep a few notes.  Mary done at 4:00, and we were on our way to Peoria for our first night.  We headed west on I-74 making one stop for gas and a quick bite to eat at Cracker Barrel and arrived at the Peoria Marriott Courtyard about 9:30 local time, where we would spend our first night.
 350 miles traveled today

 

our 2015 Toyota Sienna

  

packed and ready

  

our 2015 Toyota Sienna, our vehicle for next 31 days

  

the sun sets on our first day

  

Mary and Dennis, National Park Trip 2015

To all that will be reading our Blog as we cross this great country of ours visiting 10 different National Parks, here is an overview.  As some of you may know, Mary brought up the idea of a cross country trip last July while we were in SunRiver Oregon, and I guess I must have said good idea, because that night she got on line and booked what would become the cornerstone of our trip, three nights at the Old Faithful Inn, in Yellowstone.  Over the past year she has worked the entire trip around these three nights, planning side trips, nature tours, hikes, rafting trips, and even dinner reservations!  Mary’s older Brother (Jim) and his wife (Connie) will meet up with us in the Grand Tetons, and travel with us through the remainder of our trip and back to SunRiver where we arrive on July 3, just in time for all the kids and grandkids to arrive on July 4th.

Tuesday June 16,  we will pick up the car at the Cincinnati airport, head home to pack, get Mary’s hair done, then off to Peoria, IL for our first stop.

Wednesday June 17,  we leave Peoria and drive to Yankton, SD where we will spend a couple of days with Mary’s Aunt and Uncle who are both in their eighties.

Thursday June 18, along with Mary’s Aunt and Uncle we will head to Bloomfield Nebraska where Mary was born. When we started our plans we had no idea, but it turns out Bloomfield is celebrating their 125th Anniversary the weekend we are there, so we plan to participate in a few of the events before heading out on Friday.

Friday June 19, we head out to the Badlands, our first National Park, where we have reservations at the Cedar Pass Lodge.

Saturday June 20, we loop through the Badlands for a quick look, then head to Wall South Dakota and breakfast at the Famous Wall Drug Store!  Later that day we head towards Rapid City SD, where we spend the night.  Based on the itinerary that Mary has provided me, we actually have a total of 32 hours planned for Saturday 🙂

Sunday June 21, we leave Rapid City (most likely still asleep), and head towards Devil Towers National Monument, then off to Deadwood SD.

Monday June 22, up early and head towards Jackson Hole Wyoming and the Grand Tetons!  This is the night we will be meeting up with Jim and Connie.

Tuesday June 23,  today will be spent touring the area around Jackson Hole.

Wednesday June 24, really early morning today as we head out on a Nature Float trip (6:00 AM in the water and we are roughly an hour away!) , where I can hopefully snap a few pictures.  After our float trip we head to the cornerstone of the trip, Yellowstone National Park, where we will be staying at the Old Faithful Inn for three nights.

Thursday June 25,  another tour “Picture Perfect Safari Tour”, and again starting at 5:45 AM

Friday June 26, this will be our final day in Yellowstone, so the goal is to do everything we haven’t done already.  I guess we will sleep when we get home.

Saturday June 27, today we drive north into Canada where we will spend the night in Calgary.

Sunday June 28, today we head to the Columbia ice fields for an ice explorer ride, then off to Jasper for a Skytram ride to the top of Mount Whistler, then hike to the summit before heading back down and driving to our stop for the night at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

Monday June 29, a leisurely morning today nothing until 10:00 AM, but it is 60 miles away.  Nothing like sleeping past 5:00 AM to get yourself recharged.  Tonight we will be spending the night at the Rimrock Hotel in Banff.

Tuesday June 30, today is another driving day, heading out of Canada back to the US to Glacier National Park, staying at St Mary Lodge.

Wednesday July 1, today we head through Glacier National Park via “Going to the Sun Road” on our way to Coeur D’Alene Idaho, where we will spend one night at the Coeur D’Alene Resort.

Thursday July 2, today we play the famed Coeur D’Alene Golf course which is notably recognized for its floating Green!

I think I need to go take a nap, I am tired just thinking about the next 18 days.  All kidding aside, we are very much looking forward to this trip as it has been one of those bucket list items for both of us.

I especially want to thank my wonderful wife who has done a tremendous amount of research in planning this entire trip

Check out my Blog as I add more details and pictures to our cross country adventure.

Dennis & Mary