So unfortunately you'll have to wait a little longer to know what we are currently up to, but as a nice consolation prize you get to hear more about our road trip across America. I hope that will suffice.
One quick note about The Badlands before we move onto Rushmore, The average amount of time visitors spend in The Badlands is 45 minutes. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? The park rangers say most people pay the admission, drive the loop, and then leave. That, to me, is a travesty. I could have spent days there. I urge you all to take time and enjoy our national and state parks, don't just do a drive-by, that's a cop out.
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| See how happy I look? That's because I spent more than 45 minutes at The Badlands! |
After The Badlands, we trekked over to Mount Rushmore. I have always been intrigued by Rushmore and had to see for myself what it is all about. Sure, you always see it on TV, but let me tell you, TV doesn't do it an ounce of justice. The size and the detail are stunning. The fact that Gutzon Borglum looked at this mountain and visualized carving four faces in it just blows my mind. The fact that they pulled it off is almost impossible to comprehend, especially when you see it in person. As you walk along the Presidential Trail, the signage and displays do a really great job of giving you insight into how Rushmore came to be and why Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln were chosen. While this was one of the shorter stops on our drive, it was definitely one of the most interesting. This place is truly a marvel of ingenuity and creativity on an incredible scale.
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| Fact: You can't fully appreciate this until you see it in person |
After Rushmore, we headed southwest to Cody, WY to get some rest before we entered Yellowstone. Cody is this great town best known for being founded by Buffalo Bill Cody. While it is obviously a modernized city these days, it still gives you the feel of being in the Wild West. There is a nearby rodeo, the Irma hotel (built by Buffalo Bill) is still in full operation, and in true Wild West fashion there are gun fights every night. It was the perfect layover before entering into the otherworldly experience that awaited us on the other side of Yellowstone's gates.
Let me start off by saying Yellowstone is enormous. Its 2.2 million acres is larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. We did our best to see as much of the park as possible in the 4 days and 3 nights we were there, but it is really just too big to see in that short amount of time. In order to do it right, you'd really need a full week to see most areas of the park without having to frantically run from place to place. However, since we didn't have a week, we chose the plan that included frantically running from place to place. Thankfully, we got good advice from a family friend, Fran, who told us the best path to take through the park so that we could maximize our time there.
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| This is Yellowstone, enough said |
Since detailing everything we did in Yellowstone could be it's own 3 part blog series, I'm going to try to condense our trip into the Cliff's Notes version.
- Should we at some point have children (holy crap that's a scary thought), my mission is to bring them to Yellowstone. If we don't have children, my mission is to bring myself back to Yellowstone. You guys can come along too if you like, but I'm definitely going.
- By having Grand Teton National Park just south of Yellowstone, it's like getting two parks for the price of one. We were fortunate enough to have time to make a day trip down there to see the scenery. We were not disappointed.
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| Well worth the extra drive south into Grand Teton |
- Yellowstone is the perfect way to see first hand how nature is equal parts beauty and destruction. There are the rolling hills, picturesque mountains, lush valleys, wild animals, and crystal clear waters contrasted with boiling hot springs, bubbling mud pots, geyser eruptions, and the most foul smelling sulfur vents you can imagine which are all fueled by a super-volcano that lies just 3 miles beneath the surface of Yellowstone.
- That's right, Yellowstone is actually one giant volcano. The magma chamber beneath Yellowstone starts just 3 miles underground and extends to 410 miles deep. That's a lot of liquid hot magma. It hasn't erupted in 650,000 years, but if it does, I think we are in trouble.
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| Even Dr. Evil knows that's a lot of magma |
- I (ignorantly) just thought Yellowstone was filled with wildlife and beautiful scenery. I had no idea the extent to which geothermal formations played a role in the park. In fact, if it weren't for the geysers, steam vents, mud pots, and hot springs, Yellowstone probably wouldn't be a national park. The scenery and wildlife are just icing on the cake.
- When you see these geothermal features, and the surrounding land, you'll feel like you are on another planet. It's kind of creepy, but really cool.
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| Mammoth Springs |
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| A mud pot in the Sulfur Cauldron |
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| A steam vent in the Porcelain Basin |
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| The massive, but unpredictable Steamboat Geyser |
- I think it's pretty neat how they can predict Old Faithful's eruptions, but overall I was a little underwhelmed. Too much hype. There are, in my opinion, way better parts of the park, such as Grand Prismatic, Upper and Lower Falls, and Mount Washburn.
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| Old Faithful, eh. |
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| Grand Prismatic, now that's what I'm talking about |
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| Yellowstone's Upper Falls |
- Speaking of Mount Washburn, the view from the top of this 10,223 foot mountain makes you realize just how massive Yellowstone is. For as far as the eye can see, you see Yellowstone. The best part about it though, is that it's a hike just about anyone can do. It'll take some time and effort, but there are great trails that are not overly strenuous. If you are there, do it. Do it.
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| 10,000 feet above Yellowstone |
- One of the things I said to Amanda during our trip was, "I need to see an animal that could kill me." I'm not saying this was one of the most intelligent comments that has ever left my mouth, but there was something inside me that wanted to see a predator in the wild, preferably from a distance, but I wanted to see one nonetheless. While we didn't get to see a wolf, my wish was granted one morning when a black bear came into our campsite looking for food. I would say the closest it got was about 100 feet away, so not a real threat, but I think it is important to recognize that we are not above nature. Seeing an animal that powerful helps you to respect nature and understand your place in it.
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| I'd like to thank this bear for not mauling us all |
- Another night while camping, there were coyotes outside the edge of the campground. We just sat in our tent in silence and listened to their howls. You simply can't beat that experience.
- Fun Facts:
- People used to use the hot springs near Yellowstone Lake to cook the fish they would catch.
- Also, other people used to put dirty laundry into Old Faithful so that when it erupted, clean clothes would fly out.
Well, I'm getting all worked up thinking about Yellowstone, so I'm going to sign off on a high note. Amanda will be bringing you the dramatic conclusion of our cross country story when she's feeling more in "blogging shape". Until then, just know that all is well here in Richland, WA. Work is going smoothly, and we have lots of good stuff that's waiting on the back burner for us to share with you when we finally get caught up.
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