Day 86

Yellowstone Part Duex

Jul 31, 2013, 7:02 PM

The things we have seen and the places we've been. We started off early this morning again and I'm so glad we did. The weather was on the cool side and we stopped and saw beautiful scenery every chance we got and let me tell you, in Yellowstone there are a lot of chances. At one place we watched a man on a Harley get off his bike in the middle of the road. Steve said to me "this guy must be nuts, he's going to get killed". Well don't you know he had a part fall off. Then, God love him, he limped his bike into the lookout and Steve helped him put his gear shifter back on the bike. This poor guy stuttered so badly, my heart really went out to him. He was full of smiles and he thanked Steve profusely for the help and we waited to see that he was on the move again. Gotta love those Harleys!! Would you believe there were other bikers that went around him and didn't even bother to stop! That is a no, no in my book!

After that we took a 6 mile dirt road turn off that we thought for sure would be full of wildlife. Now this road I think was designed by someone that had been in the war and he was used to driving on roads that had been bombed. Some of the holes nearly swallowed the car, oh and by the way, we saw no wildlife. Oh my gosh, this is getting to be a trend with us.  I'm starting to think I might sell our services. . . Are you having a problem with unwanted critters, well just have Steve and Ruth anne's critter service out and you won't see a critter again, EVER!!!!!! Yes that's right folks, we are guaranteed to rid you of friendly cute and adorable animals. 

We had a good lunch at Roosevelt's Lodge, and something must have happened at lunch cause after that our luck changed!!!!! We pull out of the lodge and we are stopped by a lady with a road work sign. She tells us it's going to be about twenty minutes till we can pass, road work. What are you going to do. We waited!! It really wasn't bad, there was a wonderful breeze and it wasn't hot so no biggie. Then on to the falls, but the best is yet to come. We are leaving the falls and the road is completely stopped. There are cars on the shoulder, if you can call it a shoulder. There are people just jumping out of there cars in the line of traffic, so I figured what the heck. I grabbed the cameras. Well right off the side of the road, and I do mean right off, there was a grizzly bear. Oh he was having a good old time eating grass and bugs and whatever else strikes the fancy of a grizzly bear. Now this is where you are going to think this takes a turn for the ridiculous, oh but friends I do not lie and there is no need to embellish. People are so freaking close to this bear they were nearly in touching distance. Not only that but they have their kids getting out of the car and getting pictures with their kids in front of the bear. Now Mrs. Jones, how was it again you lost little Johnny on vacation last year? Oh you want to see the pictures, I had 5x7's made. Hey I'll tell you what, I didn't worry about being too close, I knew I could out run a six year old. You don't have to be the fastest, you just don't want to be the slowest. CRAZY!! 

At the next lookout we saw a couple and she was still so excited about the bear and she was asking if we'd seen it, that was fun. So that was cool and I was riding high for a while, but then we came around a corner and, you guessed it, dead stopped in front of us again, oh boy, am I lucky or what. Well this time there was nowhere to get out of the car but as we got closer we saw a bison just asleep on the side of the road. Hell if you didn't pull out a little you'd clip the bugger. But wait, there's more, a little further on there was another bison and he was just out for a stroll. We watched him for a while and I was satisfied, we got back in the car and drove on. We came around a bend and I could have cried, there in the field just off to the right there was a herd, or flock, or pack, den, whatever the heck they are called when almost a hundred gather. Oh my God it was a sight to see. They were running and there were babies and some were just kicking up dust and they were making this most wonderful sound. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. They were beautiful and huge and ridiculous and sweet and majestic and if I'd been struck dead right then and there I could have gone with a smile on my face. It was so perfect. 

We went further in search of moose, but at 6:00 PM, we really needed to call it and head home. We were at the furthest point now on the loop and we just didn't see any. There was one close sighting, we went to the West Thumb, where we saw a big elk just lounging in the grass off the parking lot. When we walked by the lake on the boardwalk as we were making the loop I saw something ahead of us. We thought it might be a moose cow or baby. It really looked like it in the face. There were two kids running on the boardwalk toward us and we stopped them to make sure they got to see it. We walked closer, still staying on the boardwalk and another couple came up and even they thought it was a small moose. I decided since I saw it first it was my call, and I called it a moose, then the flipping thing stood up and it was an elk. I was really pissed and as long as I don't show you the pictures of her standing you can just take my word for it that WE SAW A MOOSE!!!!!

Jul 31, 2013, 7:51 PM

Now it's nearly 8:00 PM and we are still 76 miles from home, hell we are still in the park about 30 miles from the entrance, but who cares. I've had a wonderful day, life is good, I have a wonderful husband, we are on the trip of a lifetime, it just doesn't get any better than this. Given the hour of our return home and the fact that I will possibly have 1,000 (or more) pictures to go through, I'm uploading the blog, but the photos will come tomorrow. Sorry guys, you'll just have to wait. 

Day 85

Yellowstone Here We Come

Jul 30, 2013, 9:13 AM

We are on the road to Yellowstone this morning. Oh it is just stunning! The early morning sun is softly kissing the mountains, and they are all around us. We are driving down Route 89 from the campground and it follows the Yellowstone River, I looked out the side window in the car and there was an eagle flying above the river. He put his talons down and I thought he was fishing but he landed in a tree instead. It was such a site to see. So at this point everything else will be icing on top. My day has already been a huge success. It is wild the way the light plays with this road. We are traveling south, so the sun is on the driver's side and we are litteraly ringed by mountains and the sun peaks through in the gaps and then just as fast is gone again. It has a beautiful effect on the mountains to the west. Sometimes they seem to glow. I want so badly to stop and get some photos, but I want to get to the park too, so I'll wait, but it's killing me. 

Jul 30, 2013, 12:54 PM

Old Faithful was so cool. We got there and it must have just erupted cause we had an hour till the next one. We got some lunch at the Old Faithful Inn and we finished up perfectly to be coming out the door with about ten minutes to go.  I'll tell you what, the little guy underground with his hand on the valve knows how to make a show. The smoke gets thicker and you think it's ready to go, then it dies down. Then it starts up again and this time there will be some sputtering of water, and you think this is it, then it dies down again. There is such a buildup of anticipation, then it GOES!!!!!!! It is a beautiful sight to behold. 

Then we went a bit further along the loop and we went to the Continental Divide. Well we got a picture of Spanky next to the sign. From there we started back and tried to stop at all of the places we had to forgo to get to Old Faithful. That didn't work real well cause now all of these spots were mobbed. They were crowded before but nothing like they were as the day went on. We then hit a wicked rain shower. So much for making some of my stops. Oh well, we had already decided we were going to go back tomorrow. We are going to do the eastern loop, we were told we are much more likely to see wildlife. Today from a real distance I saw either a buck or elk and another eagle. However, this park has it going on, as we were going through the gate this morning. There was an elk right by the gate and we didn't stop because we thought we will see plenty more and it is a mad scene cause of the Yellowstone sign and all, then nothing pretty much the rest of the day. Steve and I joked that the one at the gate is tethered to impress people as they come in. Then as we are leaving there is about eight of them, again right at the gate. Now one of the rangers told us we had a better chance to see wildlife on the eastern loop cause there aren't as many people on that one, but come on, the GATE!! That's a madhouse with people. I think they are fake elk, or maybe pet elk, or maybe trained elk, so that when you get to the gate you don't mind the fee. Suckers, there aren't anymore anywhere on their 2.2 million acres. I better see animals tomorrow. 

Day 84

Almost There

Jul 29, 2013, 1:53 PM

We had a very uneventful morning. We got gas as soon as we left the campground. That did have me worried, but of course not Steve, and we were fine. We have driven through some of the most beautiful countryside, and we are really seeing mountains now. 

Our drive was very easy today, no traffic, no problems. We got to the campground easily. The campground people are very nice. The campground is right beside the Yellowstone River. It is so picturesque, the river is flowing, and mountains are behind it and pretty much all around us. The sites are a bit small, but who cares when you are in paradise. 

Tomorrow's plan is to go into Yellowstone National Park. I looked it up on line and we should get in for free with Steve's senior pass, that's pretty nifty, cause it's $25 per car to get in. So we are calling it a day early. Oh and I forgot to mention, not only is there no cable here, but there is no TV at all. There are no broadcast channels. OH MY GOSH!!!! Of course I'm thinking each night we will be exhausted from a full day of sightseeing and I'll be downloading photos and getting the blog uploaded so who has time for TV. So good night all, I'll be talking to you again tomorrow. 

Day 83

Indian Memorial

Jul 28, 2013, 12:56 PM

By no means did we get off to an early start today, but hey, we don't have to. We have nothing but time anymore. Yesterday when we went to the battlefield I completely forgot to get a photo of the Indian Memorial. Since Steve has a lifetime pass to National Parks and we were going to drive by, we stopped at the battlefield again and I'll tell you what the memorial is just beautiful. I played fair and I got a photo of the memorial for the Calvary too, but that is the typical granite obelisk, not that it isn't pretty, it's just typical. So anyway, we are now driving on the Warrior Trail. We are going to explore, see what we see, find what we find. 

Jul 28, 2013, 5:23 PM

Well we saw some beautiful scenery. We drove to Broadus and back again. We had a nice ride. While in Broadus we stopped and got something to eat at a nice place. We had a good meal and attentive service. As we were driving on the Warrior Trail we went through some really depressed little towns. Since we were on Indian land I'm thinking they were Native American areas. It was really shocking to see the depressing conditions. 

Given all the miles we drove today, all the wide open spaces we saw, you'd think there would have been wildlife galore. Well you'd be WRONG!!!!! We did see cows and horses, but that was it. Maybe we'll have more luck tomorrow. We are headed to Livingston, Montana. Keep your fingers crossed we see some wildlife while we are there. Mind you I said I want to SEE wildlife, not have any close car/wildlife encounters. No nothing that will require a call to the insurance company. Just good viewing. While in Livingston we will be doing day trips into Yellowstone National Park. We should see plenty of wildlife there for sure!

I forgot to mention this. The campground we are staying at is a crazy place. Every morning the place empties and every evening it fills up again. It must just be a place people hit for one night on their way to somewhere else, but it seems to be the same cycle everyday, in the morning it empties out only to fill up every night. The people that run it are very nice. We have a great spot. There isn't cable, but the wifi works just fine. There isn't any pool, no playground or anything for kids so I guess this explains it, but it is funny to watch. 

Day 82

Custer's Last Stand

Jul 27, 2013, 12:14 PM

We went to the Little Big Horn Battlefield and took a bus tour given by the Native Americans. It was very good! There was a very nice girl giving the tour and she did a wonderful job. I find it so hard to believe this girl can give this tour and not become enraged at the atrocities suffered by the Indians. I become angry hearing how white Europeans thought everything they saw they had a God given right to posses, then the government comes along and creates and treaties only to break them time after time. To think the order was given to slaughter women and children, I saw Custer and his gang got what they deserved, and this tour guide eluded to the fact that because this battle was such a resounding defeat of the government forces, it was ultimately the Native American's undoing. 

The scenery is so pretty and we are driving to Pompey's Pillar now so I'll be sure to tell you all about it. 

Pompey's Pillar was really pretty cool. This is where William Clark carved his name and the date into a large sandstone outcropping that the Indians used to use as a landmark. This is the only remaining physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It is so humbling to stand where history was made. Good history too, nothing horrible. So we watched a movie, and climbed the stairs to see for ourselves where Captain William Clark with his own hand wrote his name while on the expedition decreed by Thomas Jefferson. Pompey's Pillar was named such for Sacajawea's baby who came along with her on the expedition. In the movie we saw at the Visitor's Center, they said that Pomp was the nickname the expedition gave the baby and it meant "dances around", in the pamphlet we got at the gate it said they nicknamed the baby Pomp which means "little chief", then in research I did on the Internet to see which was right it said they nicknamed the baby Pomp which means "first born". It seems the more I read the more the questions I had. So what the Native American Indians used to call "where the mountain lion lies" was renamed by Clark Pompey's Tower, after Sacajawea's son, Jean Baptiste, then later renamed Pompey's Pillar as it is known today. 

It was wonderful and after that we made a trek to a Walmart in Billings. There is nothing and I mean nothing where we are. So we made a Walmart trip, my husband bought a steak, and we came home and he made me dinner. I have a wonderful life and a wonderful husband. Tomorrow we are off to the Wolf Mountains for a look see. Don't you worry, I'll let you know how that goes. 

Day 81

Onward to Montana

Jul 26, 2013, 10:51 AM

So we are off and on the early side even. The checkout time at this campground was 11:00 AM and I think we were off about 10:30 AM. Pretty good!!!!! We had a little bit of fun on the drive, going through Rapid City on I-90, we are passing a motorcycle and I guess the idiot behind us didn't think we were doing it fast enough for him and he ran up about 2 or 3 feet behind the motorcycle and cut in front of us with only inches to spare. People like that are the definition of ROAD RAGE. you just want to go up and beat them senseless and walk away and I don't think that should be considered wrong. Common courtesy!! LEARN IT!!!!! Then put it into practice and everyone will be just a little happier (and less bruised), I'm just say'n. 

Jul 26, 2013, 1:54 PM

Oh my gosh, we took a detour to see the Devil's Tower. The Devil's Tower is the rock mountain shown in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Remember Richard Dreyfuss trying to pile up his mashed potatoes to form them into the Devil's Triangle?! (Steve's favorite part) We got off the highway and were driving on a winding two lane road and as we come around a bend in the road you see it off in the distance. It is so stunning. It really does look ominous jutting out of the ground. All around it there is lush green vegetation, then this severe dark piece of rock sticks up out of seemingly nowhere it's almost frightening. Seeing it up close, I can understand why it would be called Devil's Tower. Yet in all of it's horror, and it is rather horrifying, it is almost as if there were something so vile that it was expelled from the earth itself, but there is too an awe inspiring beauty in the diversity of the landscape in this part of the country. I'm just so thrilled we were able to see it for ourselves. This has been such a magnificent trip and I'm so thrilled we did it. So now we are just driving happily along, going back to the highway and on to our destination. 

Jul 26, 2013, 3:26 PM

In the far distance there are mountains that almost blend into the sky and yet I can make out that there is snow at some of the peaks. It's probably the Rocky's, I'm really not sure, but it is beautiful. There is so much nothing out here. Just a road, sky, and rolling hills. It's so peaceful and beautiful. There is virtually no traffic, maybe half a dozen cars in front of us as far as the eye can see. The landscape is really changing now. The rolling hills are giving way to mountains with taller peaks towering above. The clouds are just above the tallest peaks and those mountains are just a shade darker blue than the sky. The shorter peaks in front are a darker blue still and then the hills laying in front of those are coming into view with their browns and greens. We have a little more than two hours to go and I'm so excited to see the changes that the miles ahead will bring into view. 

Jul 26, 2013, 6:57 PM

We are at the campground and it is a nice place and we are able to see the Little Big Horn battlefield right from here. So that will probably be our plan for tomorrow. The ride was completely uneventful till we were getting off the highway, then the generator turned off. Oh shit, we are down to less than a quarter of a tank of gas in this behemoth and to conserve it will shut off the generator if it's running. We are freaking in the middle of NOWHERE, actually I think we passed NOWHERE ten miles before we crossed into Montana. The Montana Visitor Center on the interstate is 57 miles from the Wyoming/Montana border. So first order of business Monday morning will be to GET GAS!!!!!!! I asked in the office and they said there were stations about seven miles from here. We're good but this better serve as a lesson I think. 

Good night all!