Home Sweet Home

Except for the storm we experienced on the drive to St. Louis, we have had incredible luck with the weather. We tuned in to the weather channel each night and tried to make safe decisions. The country has had unusual weather conditions everywhere and we wanted to avoid tough situations. I am happy to report that the fire that we could see from our room in Carson City was contained by the next afternoon. The forecast also showed that it would be safe to cross Yosemite National Park at Tioga Pass.

We were a bit concerned about the amount of traffic in the park on July 4th. The only problem we came upon was a detour at Bridgeport, CA. They were having an old-fashioned Fourth of July Celebration. The traffic was detoured off 395 for a parade. There were cars parked everywhere and someone parked illegally. This blocked a truck from getting through and the rest of us were stuck. It was about 30 minutes before the Sheriff's office could have the car towed out of the way. By this time the parade was over and everyone wanted to get in their cars and join the chaos.

Finally moving on we started the steep climb to Yosemite and Tioga Pass.  Driving along side the river we noticed it looked like mud. There was so much dirt in the water. We were trying to figure out where

where that happened. The storm the night before had been centered in Bridgeport. There had been reports of golf ball sized hail and 4 inches of slush on the road. We assumed that there had been a land slide somewhere in the area. At this bridge we found a fork in the river. The muddy water was coming from the river on the right. There was clear water coming in from the creek on the left. You can see the difference in the water as it came together. Very Interesting!

 Yosemite Park is so different coming from the East side. It is much more rough and rocky, however equally as beautiful. The waterfalls were in full force despite the drought.  Some of it may have been due to last night's storm.

We reached the park and really feel like we're almost home. One last time to use our National Park Annual Pass on this trip! That was a wonderful investment. Next year Jim will be 62 and can buy a Lifetime Pass for $10.00! That is an unbelievable deal for Seniors and we will take advantage of that, for sure!

Each National Park and Monument has a Cancellation Stamp that you can use if you stop at the Visitor's Center. We were so glad we started that practice at our very first park, Saguaro National Park in Arizona. I bought a Passport book and stamped each park. They have a Regional Sticker to add to the book.

We found a group of people sitting along the side of the river. They weren't looking the way of the river. They were in chairs watching some brave souls climbing the rocks high above.

Coming down from Tioga Pass  a bicyclist was on the road. Cars were very impatient and kept passing him at very dangerous spots. He was going downhill and keeping up with traffic. We just hung back and let him ride. I was in awe of his ability. I would have been scared to death. We were all going 35-40 mph and he did the same. When we reached the bottom he pulled off for a rest. He must have had quite a thrill!

Of course we had to stop at the Tunnel View. As many times as I've seen it, it still takes my breath away. In the picture to the right you can see the big clouds that are hovering over El Capitan and Half Dome.
It was still a beautiful day.

We are now home. What a sight for sore eyes!  There really is no place like home, except that we came home to 107 degree heat and a broken air conditioner! At least the unit on the bedroom side of the house was working and we could sleep comfortably in our own bed.

On this journey we have driven 11,031.2 miles through 32 states, one Canadian province and 12 National Parks. It has been 40 years in planning. We started thinking about driving to Mount Rushmore that long ago and as we dreamed of places to go, the list grew. We are so fortunate to finally have the time to fulfill this dream. If asked, I couldn't tell you which place was the prettiest or the most exciting. Every state has it's own unique identity and we will cherish each memory. After all that, the best feeling is to be home.

The Worst Drive in America but Heading for Home!

It's time to make our way home and decided to go by way of Salt Lake City.  We thought we should see the Mormon Temple and the Great Salt Lake. We left Logan, Utah and made the hour and a half drive to Salt Lake City. It's obvious that we're no longer in the beautiful landscape of Montana. Utah is a beautiful state but the further South we got it changed drastically.  We found the Temple. Jim felt the need to blast our "Book of Mormon" C/D with the windows down but I was able to keep that from happening.  We did play it in the car for our own enjoyment!

 We could only see the Temple from the outside because only members of the religion are allowed inside. We did appreciate the Temple Square. I had seen it when I was 12 years old and remembered it so much taller. It is a beautiful church and the volunteers were so nice.

Leaving the Temple Square we drove past the State Capital. It's just a few blocks from the Temple in a lovely area.

We knew we didn't want to drive all the way to Reno after taking the morning to go to Salt Lake City. Winnemucca, Nevada seemed like the perfect distance and a good place to stay for the night. We set the GPS and away we went.

 When I titled this post "The Worst Drive in America" I am speaking from our experience in the past 6 weeks. I know there may be a more boring and unappealing road than Interstate 80 across the desert but I can't imagine where it could be!

We drove past  the Great Salt Lake and had no desire to go down to see the water. As a kid I floated in the lake. It was a strange feeling to swim in water and not be able to sink but Jim wasn't interested in the experience.

We headed across the white salt flats and soon the land turned brown and equally unappealing!  There's just nothing to see out here!

 To make the day complete it was 107 degrees! I have no idea how the settlers made it across this desert in covered wagons and by horse.

As we started to climb out of the desert and into the mountains I must admit, the rock formations were very interesting. I didn't think I'd find anything along this drive that I thought pretty. I am happy to say that, even here, this country is amazing!

We couldn't wait to get to Winnemucca, Nevada. We are very tired of driving and this was the most boring drive we've had. Little did we know we were stepping into "The Twilight Zone"!

We had to choose our hotel on the Internet and those websites can make any dive look good! The Winners Hotel and Casino seemed like a decent choice.

The dining room was a perfect place for people watching. The pink stroller had two tiny dogs in it and you can see the table in the background has a child sitting right in the middle of the table!  It was bizarre. If you look closely in the picture above of the hotel you'll find Jim doing another of his favorite "Where's Waldo" impressions.

Jim just can't believe we're staying here. It comes pretty close to the place we stayed in Sheridan, Wyoming. I will say the room was clean. This time I wasn't as worried about bugs and critters! We gambled a little bit but were very happy to get some sleep and hit the road early. We're ready to get home now.

We chose to spend our last night in Carson City, Nevada. It was just a 3 hour drive from Winnemucca. We arrived early enough to go over to Lake Tahoe and have lunch at the Hyatt in North Shore. It was a wonderful treat after such a long drive and last night's room.

We make our last drive tomorrow. The plan is to go over Tioga Pass through Yosemite. Right now there are severe storm warnings for that area. We'll decide in the morning which route we'll take but we are so looking forward to getting home to family and friends!

This has been an incredible journey. I've learned so much about this wonderful country of ours. Every state has a beauty all of it's own.  I've learned that Fireworks are a big deal in every state. I've also learned that when you leave California there are no paper toilet seat covers in the restrooms. I've learned that people are wonderful everywhere you go and they love to share their city with visitors. We've had the time of our lives and we're still speaking to each other!

If we get to Yosemite I'll share those photos but the weather doesn't look promising.  I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts and pictures with you and appreciate your interest. I have treasured each comment from all of you, whether in the blog or by text and e-mail. I have missed my friends and family so much and don't plan to EVER be gone for this long again but we've loved every minute. Thank you for your support. I can't wait to see all of you!

Yellowstone National Park

We know we have a long drive ahead and decide to get an early start on the drive. We'll eat breakfast on the road. We are not accustomed to the great distance between stops that we've found in South Dakota and Montana! We should have eaten before leaving Kalispell, Montana.  Eventually we found this little diner.

They had a wonderful breakfast that we were very grateful for. The only reason I share this with you is because I've mentioned how funny the casinos are in Montana. This diner boasts a lounge and casino. When we checked out the casino there were two machines, one Poker machine and an ATM! Very funny! Now, on to Yellowstone...

 The weather had been beautiful the entire drive but as we approached the park the thunder clouds came in and we knew we were in for some rain. The forecast had called for storms for the 2 days we were to be here.

Even in the rain, the park is gorgeous. We were in awe of our surroundings. We were excited to see deer and had high hopes of better luck finding wildlife here.

 From a distance we thought we were seeing smoke from a fire. It turned out to be steam from the many geysers in the park. It's too late today to explore but we can't wait to see what's in store for us tomorrow. Right now we need to get to our hotel.

We were so fortunate to get reservations at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel inside the park. People make reservations a year in advance for vacations so we were stunned that we were able to get a room for two nights. Jim is convinced this is the Overlook Hotel from The Shining! I must say there is a resemblance. It is very old but the history here is everything. The floor in our room was so sloped that we had to walk uphill to see out the window. What a fun memory that will be! Redrum!!!

Now I know I've been bragging about the luck we've had with great views as we've traveled this country. This view was equally as stunning. However, the window made it difficult to see it! The hotel is in the process of a remodel but our room had not been on the schedule yet. However, it was right on the lake and a wonderful setting.

Morning brought a perfect day. I don't know how we have been so lucky but aside from the terrible storm in St. Louis we have had perfect weather. We left the room at 7 AM to see what we could see.

Right off of the parking lot a buffalo was sleeping by a tree. Maybe this is a good sign of more wildlife to come!
This is a remote area and once again we don't have Internet access. I will do my best to remember these two days. I am sorry that I have not been able to post to the blog.


I have taken so many pictures I couldn't possibly share all of them. We have seen so many incredible sights on this trip I believe we're on sensory overload! I just can't convey how beautiful Yellowstone is and the photos just can't do it justice.

It is early in the season and there is water everywhere. The waterfalls are full and the lakes are full to the top.   I've never seen water so clear.  The reflection of the trees and mountains in the lake looked like it should be used in a jigsaw puzzle.

We came across this bird which we think may be a Grouse. It was very comfortable to have us nearby and puffed it's throat while making very soothing sounds. Let's hope the good luck continues in the wildlife department.

On to bigger and better things...


 There are so many people in the park that we thought we should see the main attractions while it was early. That was a good plan and were rewarded with light traffic and decent parking places.

Of course #1 on the list of things to see at Yellowstone is Old Faithful. We arrived with 10 minutes to wait for the next eruption. It did not disappoint the crowd and started erupting right on schedule.

It is a bit unsettling to know you are walking right on an active volcano. There are reminders everywhere you go. The geysers and hot springs are incredible but I think I love the paint pots the most.

I love the way they bubble and spit. The colors are so vivid.  The water in the pools are so clear you can see all the way to the bottom.




While driving, Jim noticed that the trip odometer he set when we left on May 26 was very close to the total mileage odometer. We thought that was quite a coincidence and just had to share that with you. What are the odds of that happening?

We drove the entire loop through the park. We had left at 7 AM and didn't get back to the hotel until 6:30 PM. I don't know how many miles we hiked to view the different parts of the park but it was at least 4 miles.  However, we were rewarded with unforgettable sights and we eventually found the wildlife we were searching for. By now we've seen hundreds of buffalo. I would not have believed I could have ever not taken pictures of buffalo as they appeared. soon though it's just another buffalo!

Finally we see elk! This was what we've been looking for. This one was grazing on the side of the road oblivious to the cars that were causing a traffic jam trying to get pictures.

The drive at the North end of the park is quite nerve-wracking. It rises to over 9,000 feet and a lot of the way there are no guard rails. I was so glad that Jim was driving.  He admitted that it was very difficult and he didn't see much of the view. He had to concentrate only on the road.  The picture on the right above is The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. the picture below is the cliff on the side of the road and you can see the rock formation. It looks like pieces could just drop at any time. We were glad to get through there without an incident!

 It's a little hard to see but there is a deer laying under the tree on the right. At the village by the North entrance deer were everywhere. People can walk by and they don't even stir. They are so used to the traffic. They are covering the lawn.



We hiked to the Petrified Tree. By this time we were so tired we weren't sure we wanted to go. My camera battery is dead because I've taken so many pictures and we've walked until our legs are cramping but we don't want to miss anything. Thank goodness  we did because that's when we saw the bears!


You can barely see them between the two clumps of trees. I had to use my cell phone and don't know how to crop the photo but I swear there were two bears. It was so exciting! The tree was a little disappointment but it brought us to the bears. The only animal we haven't seen is a wolf. We'll keep looking...

And here he is! We found him. He was so patient while we took the picture. Oh, I forgot to tell you he was a display at the Visitor's Center. Alas, no wolves for us. We've seen Mountain Goats,Buffalo, Deer, Bear, Elk, numerous birds and I can't even remember what else. It was such a treat!

We made it back to the hotel and had spent the most amazing day in the wild. This has been a true lesson in nature and the history of the earth. It is still evolving and the park is constantly changing. We were able to relax and shower before going to dinner in the newly remodeled dining room. They have a first class restaurant with fine dining. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

The wildflowers we've seen in Glacier and Yellowstone have been lovely. However, I think Utah gets the prize for the loveliest wildflowers. This is the best picture I could get but the drive through Teton National Park was plush with flowers. Jim's done stopping at my every whim. No more flower photos!

The Rocky Mountains are stunning. The grans Tetons  are another place you must visit when you come for Glacier and Yellowstone. Driving South from Teton we must visit Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Million Dollar Cowboy saloon. The bar stools are saddles and we had to try them out.

                                 

 This is not my idea of comfort. I rarely sit at any bar stool. I have a little aversion to that but I was a good sport and saddled up. We left and found a nice sit down table for lunch.

This is the entrance to the park. The arch is made from hundreds of antlers. I think it's a bit creepy but we saw these in quite a few places. It must be an accomplishment for someone. I've just never seen so many antlers in one place.

Moving on to our next hotel we had a lovely but winding drive.  We are going to Logan, Utah for the night. Tomorrow we'll go to Salt Lake City to see the Mormon Tabernacle then on to Winnemucca, Nevada. This has been a beautiful area but we can't wait to get back to normal freeways. These two lane roads can .be scary. The speed limit is way too fast for a two lane road.  We arrived in Logan in one piece. 


We are exhausted and have a few hours to relax before dinner. We are almost to the end of our journey. It has been wonderful but it's time to get home. We miss all of you so much! We'll be headed for Salt Lake City tomorrow then make our way home. I'll keep positing until we get back to Fresno. Right now, it's off to bed for me! Tomorrow's another busy day!