Wyoming to South Dakota

Well I didn't mention in my last post how, even besides Yellowstone, Wyoming is absolutely amazing. We went from the crazy gorgeous park, to cute wild west town, then to the rocky wonder that is Bighorn National Forest. Bighorn was intense! Entering the forest it's really rocky and craggy, we saw bighorn sheep scaling the cliffs...a scene right out of Discovery channel!! COOL! We were loving the mountains...and going up up up...and before we knew it we were 9000 feet up in 4 feet of snow. It was totally amazing up there. We were so taken with the clear blue skies and the sparkly blanket of snow...such a wonderful surprise. We drove past some guys getting ready to go for a snowmobile ride and we so badly wanted to join them...if only we had had warmer clothes. :)

So then continuing on through Wyoming was great, just one beautiful scene after the other. The state did seem to go on forever though. We finally got to the northeast corner and got to see Devil's Tower. It's a monolith that stands 1267 feet tall above the Belle Fourche River. (Think Close Encounters of the Third Kind) Then we headed to the geological center of the US in Belle Fourche, SD, established after the addition of Hawaii and Alaska. Next was Sturges, SD, to the Harley Davidson store there.

As if all that wasn't enough for one day, we then checked in to our hotel and headed to Bear Country USA and Mount Rushmore. Two very fun attractions. Bear Country USA was a drive through animal park with wolves and elk and reindeer and bears and so much more. Thanks to the Fernicolas for that recommendation. Matthew LOVED watching the baby bear cubs run and tumble and play! :) Mount Rushmore was breathtaking and it was so great to see one of America's great landmarks. Finally we ate dinner at the Red Garter Saloon in Keystone, at the foot of Mount Rushmore. Great end to a VERY busy day. Now for bed...tomorrow's gonna be a long day of driving to Omaha, NE.

Are we there yet?

More Yellowstone

So since we headed up north in the park yesterday, today we went south on the grand loop. SO many more great things to see. I hate that we had to breeze through this place. There is days and days and days of trails and things to see. This day we saw Firehole Falls, lots more fumaroles and hot springs and......Old Faithful!! We got to the big old geyser at exactly the wrong time too. We pulled up to the visitors center right as it was just finished with a spray. Which means we had give or take 90 minutes to wait for it to blow again. Turned out ok though, we spent the time wandering around and got to see some more really cool springs and such. Old Faithful blew...and it was fantastic. It's amazing to me how all of these different thermal areas work. I really had no idea how cool geology is. By this point we were already really tired...due to the fact that our sleep the night before was terrible. Really tiny, bad bed that all three of us had to squish together on. So forward progress on this day was pretty much non-existant. We stopped at a really cute western hotel in Cody, WY. Went to Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel. (named for his daughter) Ate buffalo at the saloon downstairs, and stayed in the historical hotel. Much better accommodations than the night before. Wednesday should be productive.

So we're gonna get a winter after all.

After living in San Diego for so long, we kind of forgot that there is weather other than 72 and sunny. Not really, we did get a bit of rain, but for the most part the "winter" that we got was more of a Virginia springtime. Well we have made up for it now. The weather over the past couple of days in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming has been cold and snowy. Really snowy.

We left Salt Lake City this morning and drove north into Idaho, which looked a lot like Utah only without the salt flats. More north through Idaho Falls and into Montana where we are staying tonight in a town called West Yellowstone. A very cute western town with wooden plank sidewalks and saloons...I wouldn't be surprised to see a hitching post somewhere. Once we checked into our motel, we headed in to Yellowstone to see what we could see. And wow. We drove east into the park then north to the top near Montana again. (The park is in Wyoming) As soon as we got into Yellowstone we started seeing the cool stuff. Bison walking right along the road was the best part. They were all over the place, and didn't care how close they got to cars, but at the same time didn't seem to notice them. We saw some elk too, and a really great nest with a gorgeous bald eagle in it. Stopped at a place called Artist Paint Pot, not really knowing what to expect. Had to walk on a trail for about 1/3 a mile back to the hot springs. What we saw was a group of over 50 springs, geysers, vents and mud pots. The "pots" were so colorful, varying in shades of blue, grey and brown. It was such a neat sight to see. Little holes in the ground with teal blue water bubbling and some even bubbling to the point of shooting up a bit. Steam everywhere since it was 30 degrees outside. Matthew and Matt even got a chance on the trail to have a little snowball fight.

We stopped to see Roaring Mountain, which is just a mountain who's whole face is white and steamy and bubbling. It's covered in fumaroles (steam vents) because it's a large, acidic hydrothermal area.

We continued north to Mammoth Hot Springs, which was just more steamy, sulfur smelling holes. They all kind of have their own characteristics so it never really gets old.

Waterfalls all over the place too, which is my personal favorite.

Tomorrow is most certainly going to be packed with more cool animal sightings, and surprising geological wonders. I love this place! I wish we could spend a week and camp and hike...something else on our steady growing list of places to return to. Hopefully the skies clear up though so we can see better.

Reno to Salt Lake City

I am so so glad that Matt and I decided to take this Northern route home. So far this trip has been full of surprises. Nevada is so pretty. Not really much to see, but the weather we encountered was crazy. You can see for miles and miles in all directions, so it's easy to spot the weather you're about to run into. It would be bright blue skies to the left and right, and directly in front of us would be this ominous gray misty curtain. Then we'd hit it and it would be sleety snow and ice. Snow capped mountains all around and ranches scattered around the rolling meadows. Really so pretty, and made the super long drive not so bad. For me anyway. I get to just sit and watch. :o)

Saw a couple things of note. Wendover Will, the World's Largest Cowboy, was in West Wendover, NV. That town is the last casino town on I-80 headed out of Nevada. Then as soon as we entered Nevada, the landscape changed dramatically. White land as far as you can see. We had just come upon the Great Salt Flats of Utah. So cool, and I had no idea what that would look like. The land was so bright white that the mountains in the distance reflected off of it. Then a random piece of art along the highway. It's called the Metaphor: Tree of Utah. A Sweedish artist apparently made it for Utah to bring bold color and beauty to the stark, flat, salty landscape. Doesn't really do much as far as beautifying the area if you ask me...but A plus for trying I guess.

I think we may explore Salt Lake City for a bit tomorrow. Maybe check out where the Olympics were or something. But mostly tomorrow is going to be dedicated to heading North to Yellowstone area. Now for rest.

Reno 911

We decided that this would be our last day in San Francisco. All we had yet to do was to see the Fisherman's Wharf area, so we decided to do that then get on with our eastward motion.

In hindsight, I wish we had allowed more time for this part. Pier 39 is where it's at in this town. For the tourist at least. My friend Courtney told me so, and she wasn't kidding. From Ghiardelli Square to Pier 39, it's pure fun. Lots of hustle and bustle of the fish market, and cute little shops and restaurants. We had to rush through, but I was able to see it all and get a few choice pictures. the seals at the pier, the Bubba Gump restaurant, the carousel, and some vagrants with extra creative signs. They ranged from, "Why lie...I need $ for BEER", to "Need money for pot". Gotta give em credit for honesty. :)

Left San Francisco over the Bay Bridge, which is no less impressive than the Golden Gate. It's kind of bridge, tunnel, bridge, like the Hampton Roads Bay bridge, except the tunnel goes through a mountain on an island rather than under the water. Traffic out of Oakland was nuts, but the scenery was beautiful. Our route took us through Napa, and Matt and I were both tempted to make a stopover. Baby and dog say that's a no go. Ah well...next time we're in the area. ;)

Now our journey out of California was typical of our Cali experience. Full of surprises. The road took us high up into the mountains again, this time through a blizzard. No joke. The snow was dumping and the roads were treacherous. Going past the historical gold mining towns was cool, especially since they were covered in snow. Fun, but we were yet again unprepared in our warm weather clothes and flip-flops.

Got to Reno...still snowing...and had dinner at a tiny casino called Sierra Gold. Matt got to scratch his gambling itch, then we headed back to the hotel. Found that my phone was missing. Super bummed at the thought of losing it, so it pretty much ruined my evening. Couldn't sleep, and neither could Matt. He made one last trip down to the van around 11, and somehow remembered one bag we hadn't looked in and found my phone! He's always my hero. :) Finally able to get to sleep and breathe easy.

Today, we're headed across Nevada, to end in Salt Lake City, UT for the night. Snow in the forecast, so at least now we're prepared.

San Francisco

This town has so much to offer tourists! One can simply drive around a bit and get the full San Fran experience just by traversing the roads. Steeeeeeeeep! It amazes me that anything was built on these hills...and all so crammed in together. It felt more like a concrete jungle to me than NY City. The architecture is beautiful, with all the old Victorian style buildings.

We did so much in the one and a half days we were there. Let me see if I can remember it all.

We began by driving UP to the Twin Peaks observatory. Getting up to this point was quite a trip, but a great start to the day since you can see all of San Francisco from this hill. Gave us a nice lay of the land, and beautiful views of the two bridges and downtown. From there we headed to Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, known for its culture of creativity and diversity. It reminded me of the Adams Morgan neighborhood in DC. We then drove through Golden Gate Park. There are some museums and gardens in there that we didn't go to, the park was big, and not as well kept as Balboa (SD) or Central (NY). Headed over to Alamo Square where Sadie got to get out and have a nice walk while we looked at the Painted Ladies, a row of Victorian houses with the downtown skyline in the background. Typical San Fran view. Checked out the CliffHouse...which is just that. A house built on a cliff over the ocean, that houses a restaurant. Drove through the Presidio, which is where you can get a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Found some famous houses, the Full House house, Mrs. Doubtfire house, and the Octagon house. Headed up...and down, Lombard Street. Going down the "Crookedest Street" is definitely a can't miss in this town. It did not disappoint.

All of this tooling around is done in the most awesome terrain. Going sharply up, then most abruptly down...crazy cool. I've lived in some mountainous places, and I've never seen the likes of this place.

Continued down Lombard to the Coit Tower. Cool pix of this monument to the firefighters who fought the 1906 earthquake fires. It's said to be in the shape of a fire hose nozzle. Next was Chinatown. Saw the gate and the main drag. Cool pix, but the crowded streets were stressing out my sweet country hubby, so we got the heck out of there quick. Hopped on the freeway to see AT&T Baseball Park, then a bit further out of town to M5 Industries. For you Mythbusters fans, this is where the show is shot. Unfortunately they were on location and not at the shop, but there was a producer outside who was super nice and gave us a tee shirt and a signed picture of Tori, Grant and Carrie. Sweet! Being in this industrial part of the city put us in a rough stretch of town for sure. Ran by the Candlestick Stadium real quickly then headed back to the city.

We still had plenty of time in the day, so we decided to go ahead and cross the Golden Gate Bridge to view it from the other side. On the Marin side we drove through the park up to the observation area. It was a breathtaking view of the bridge with the city skyline in the background. Finally decided to head back to the hotel to have dinner. We put Sadie in the room then headed across the street to Tommy's Joynt, a restaurant that has been on the TV show Diners, Dives, and Drive-ins. Super yummy food, and a cool atmosphere to boot. It looked like an antique store inside with all the San Fran memorabilia.

Phew! Long day...saw a lot...ready for bed.

Route 1 to San Francisco

So maybe this day wasn't planned as well as it could have been. We knew it would be a long day, bud damn. I forgot to mention in my last post, we spent a total of 2 hours stopped in traffic at the Sequoia Park. Apparently they are doing road work at 4000 ft elevation on a section of the 2 lane road that we took in and out of the park. They do this buy closing one lane and making the road one way for stretches of time. They had a long section closed off like this so we were in a long line waiting forever to get in then out again. Little did we know, this traffic pattern would become a trend in our trip. I'll explain in a bit.

So we left Three Rivers, CA and headed a bit southwest to the vicinity of San Luis Obispo. Our route was taking us straight up the California coast on the 1. On our way we drove through some wine country. We didn't know we would be driving past all the wineries and vineyards, otherwise we would have allowed time for a tasting or two. Needless to say it was a beautiful sight to see though. The rolling hills covered with swaying grasses or rows and rows of grape vines were beautiful. This was not the fastest or straightest shot we could have taken, but well worth the time it took. Breathtaking. That's the best word I can think of to describe the views from route 1. The Pacific ocean is beautiful blue green, and the waves that we saw that day were huge and crashing violently against the rocks and cliffs. We had to stop several times along the way to just get out and take in the views. It's just crazy driving right along the coast line, when straight down from the road is the water. Not much room for error, especially when directly on your other side is a rocky cliff rising straight up as well. Unfortunately, they were doing work on this road as well, and we got stopped again to wait for traffic the other way to come through. Not fun when you're already road weary. Big Sur was the highlight of this drive for us. The famous vistas that we've all seen tons of times on car commercials were all over this place. Matt had a little too much fun driving it in our mini van though...I'm sure he would have much rather been driving a Corvette or something.

Finally we reached San Francisco. Monterey and Santa Cruz were beautiful, but by that point we were just ready to be done driving for the day. So far, what we've seen of San Fran looks neat. Definitely a town like I've never seen before. We're gonna do some exploring today and tomorrow. If it's in San Francisco, chances are we're gonna try to see it. Wish us luck.