peak hours

Yep, I'm still posting about that road trip I took in August/September.

You drive right into Grand Teton National Park when exiting Yellowstone. I wish I had a week to hike and camp there. The mountains were un-be-lievable. At one point I actually exclaimed, "I can't believe these peaks!!!"

I felt like I had stepped directly into Middle Earth's Misty Mountains (super nerdy reference).

yellowstone part 3 : what's that smell?

I know that the holiday season is in full swing (I think the leaves are even starting to turn in Southern California!) but let's take it back a few months and return to Yellowstone and our last leg of the visit to this National Park. On the southeast route, we hit a few tourist grabs--the Sulphur Pits and Yellowstone Lake.

The pits were the second prehistoric flashback I experienced in the park (the first, The Petrified Tree, you can read about here). These pools of mud and steam abruptly disrupted the smooth dirt of the forest floor. The odor emanating was absolutely disgusting--yes, it really does smell like the most rancid rotten eggs. It was almost like a game to see how long you could withstand the stench to snap some photos.

 

Yellowstone Lake was much cleaner. And stench-free. And, even though we were just coming from our city on huuuuuge Lake Michigan, this body of water was impressive. Lake Michigan doesn't have any of those shadowy mountains in the background, either (on a clear day, though, you can see the smokestacks of Gary).

Exiting Yellowstone, you practically drive directly in to Grand Teton National Park (hint, hint--that's what I'll be posting on next in this series).

Want to remind yourself of the whole shebang? You can read my posts on Yellowstone here and here. I can not recommend a visit to Yellowstone enough. I can't wait to go back and stay for a week--camp, hike, see the geysers, see more of the lake. There are so many gorgeous mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, falls, plateaus in this one National Park. I would even be so bold as to call it THE quintessential American National Park. That's right, I said it.

yellowstone part 2 : rise & fall

Two of the biggest attractions we saw at Yellowstone were the Petrified Tree and Tower Falls. It seems kind of silly to park in a little lot, climb a path, and take a photo next to an preserved tree, but it's also awe-inspiring to be so close to something so ancient and rare. It evoked a feeling in me that was a cross between putting my foot into a 40,000 year old footprint in Australia and watching the mosquito scene in Jurassic Park.


Tower falls was decidedly more touristy, with its paved viewing platform and proximity to a gift shop.

National park gift shops are a treasure trove for odd items with "Yellowstone" printed on the side. You have your usual mugs, aprons, magnets, but also artwork like this, titled "A Mother's Pride":

A Yellowstone magnet did make its way onto our fridge.

I think I may have already used the photo below, but I like it so I'm putting it in again. 

Happy Friday!

yellowstone part 1 : north east loop

Yellowstone National Park may be one of the most beautiful places in America. Dane & I decided that every American citizen should be required to visit the park at some point in their lifetime. The park is way too big to fit into one day, so we had some decisions to make about what to see. Yellowstone is shaped like a big figure 8:

image from yellowstonenationalpark.com

We we driving from the North Entrance to the South Entrance, so we could choose which route around the figure 8 to take. To save a little time, we avoided the sites that would likely be very crowded (Old Faithful & the geysers), and drove the eastern road through the park. Not seeing some of the big name attractions gives me an excuse to come back (and this time, spend a week there). Don't get me wrong, we still saw dozens of amazing sites! So many, in fact, that I'm splitting the trip into several posts.

I didn't really know what to expect from the landscape at Yellowstone. I never really put a face to the name, so to speak, despite learning about the park many, many times in school. Yes, I knew Yellowstone National Park was in Northwest Wyoming, it's one of the largest national parks, it's the home of Old Faithful, but seeing it is a completely different experience. It's so large and diverse. There are forests, streams, waterfalls, plateaus, mountains, lakes, wildlife, geysers, sulphur pits...

Yeah, I'm definitely going back.

welcome to the west

Our stop in Cheyenne was short and spontaneous, but I'm sure glad we spent some time walking around their little downtown area. When I say little, I mean little-- just a few blocks (that I could tell). It was a preview of the wide uninhabited expanses that Wyoming would later show us to see the center of the capital and largest city (geography lesson) contained in an area smaller than my Chicago neighborhood.

There was something strange about Cheyenne, too--but I mean this in a good way! Of course, the downtown had plenty of Western emporiums/ Cowboy gear & paraphernalia, along with some very cool retro signs. Maybe I'm used to seeing the chintzy or touristy version of "Western Style" so the authentic thing felt strangely foreign to me. I was almost mesmerized looking around at the shops, signs, and scenery.

Aren't these handmade moccasins beautiful? I definitely regret not buying a pair!

The scenery in Cheyenne was refreshing after the endless hours of nothingness in Nebraska. Cheyenne made it feel like we had made it to an entirely different part of the country than I am familiar with, and it definitely whetted my appetite for more.