Friday, 21 July 2006
cross-country trip day 2: winthrop, wa to butte, mt
Yesterday was a long driving day—nearly 500 miles. Lots of beautiful views from the roads (and one impressive but slightly scary view of a big wildfire in Montana), but we didn’t stop to take any photos. We crashed at a Best Western in Butte, with a nice pool & hot tub, free wifi, and a free breakfast.
I’m actually finding myself energized rather than drained by the trip, which is why (despite the time change) I find myself up well before Gerald and the boys. If I come out to Seattle again next summer, I’m definitely driving. In fact, I wouldn’t rule out renting a convertible to do the drive. (Weez, we should do it together! LIke Thelma and Louise, but with a happier ending!)
Today we’ll be heading into Yellowstone from the west, stopping at lots of scenic overlooks and visiting Old Faithful. We’ll exit on the east side, and spend the night in Cody, Wyoming. So tonight’s entry (or tomorrow morning’s) will definitely include photos.
cross-country trip day 3: butte, mt to cody, wy
(I couldn’t get Google Maps to map this the way we went; I’ll need to grab a screen from Streets & Trips on my PC laptop sometime tomorrow to replace the shot above. But this is close enough for now.)
(Streets & Trips does a much better job of showing the routes we’re taking than Google Maps, particularly when we take detours, so I’ll be using it for the illustrations.)
I took photos today, but not one of them captures even a fraction of the beauty of Yellowstone. It was, I think, the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. If I’d been traveling alone, I would have pulled over 50 times today to soak in the views and take photos to remember them.
For the boys, the highlight of the day was definitely seeing Old Faithful. We got there just in time to see it spout, and it was fun to watch. For me, it was the incredible views of rivers, rocks, mountains, and lakes. We saw bison by the side of the road, and watched an osprey grab a fish out of a stream and swoop past our car. Driving the scenic byway from the park to Cody in the early evening sun was heartbreakingly beautiful. I think I’m in love with this region.
Tomorrow, South Dakota…including Deadwood (since Gerald loves the show), Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, and Badlands National Park. I suspect we’ll need to spend two nights in Rapid City to do it all, but we’ll see.
