Post Trip Ramblings

Mileage at start of trip, June 14, 2010: 204318
Mileage at end of trip, July 14, 2010: 213560
TOTAL MILES DRIVEN ON TRIP: 9,242

FAVORITE STATE VISITED: Wyoming

WORST ROAD CONDITIONS: Pennsylvania

TASTIEST FOOD: Runza - Nebraska
Philly Cheesesteak - Philadelphia
Glenda's Biscuts & Gravy - Chicago

WORST FOOD: Amish Scrapple

FAVORITE PLACES/EVENTS:
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Yellowstone National Park
Wounded Knee site
Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearsal
July 4th in Philadelphia
Brewers-Giants game - Milwaukee
Flight 93 Temporary Memorial
Niagra Falls - especially Canadian side
Gettysburg

AWESOME SCENERY:
Southern Montana
Allegheny Mountain Range near Pittsburgh, PA


PEOPLE:
Family in Columbus
Friends in Chicago
John - Sioux Indian @ Wounded Knee site

ANIMAL SIGHTINGS:
Buffalo in South Dakota
Deer @ Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming
Elk in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Day #31 - July 14, 2010

Reno, NV to San Francisco, CA
227 Miles


I left Reno today at 6:30 a.m., eager to get home to San Francisco, so I didn't do much sightseeing along the way. I did stop briefly at the Donner Memorial State Park near the summit of the Sierras where I had coffee and a muffin that I had purchased earlier. Donner Summit elevation is 7,227 feet.



I also stopped briefly at the scenic view area at Emigrant Gap.

These photos were taken in this area.

From there I did not stop until I arrived home about 11:00 a.m.

Here is a photo of my car in the driveway. I think I'll give it a rest for a few days. It served me well for the past month.

I'm going to relax now and probably post a summary of highlights of the trip tomorrow. The vacation was great fun and very educational. Now to plan my next trip.

Day #30 - July 13, 2010

Pocatello, ID to Reno, NV
600 Miles

I left my hotel in Pocatello about 7:30 a.m. today and drove to the Jiffy Lube in town to get a final oil change and check-up.

I left Pocatello about 8:15 a.m. and drove on Route 86 to Twin Falls and then south on Route 93.

This area of Idaho resembles the desert in Nevada. However, the northern part of Idaho near the Montana and Wyoming borders is much more like the area around Yellowstone.

Here are a few photos taken in Southern Idaho.

I continued on Route 93 into Nevada and stopped at Bella's Restaurant in Wells, NV. Believe it or not, this was the highlight of my day. I ordered the chili special with onions and melted cheese on top and a lemonade. Bella specializes in pies. The apple pie had a flaky crust and not-too-sweet apple filling. It was served hot with whipped cream!

I connected with Route 80 in Wells and drove west. The desert of Nevada looks very much the same for hundreds of miles. There are a few mountain ranges to cross, but otherwise there is not much to stop and see.

This mountain range, however, was quite spectacular.

Here is the welcome sign on the approach to Battle Mountain, NV.

This photo is typical of the Nevada desert area as seen from Route 80.

I drove 600 miles today through a hot, dry desert, so it was nice to finally arrive in Reno, NV where I spent the night.

Here is the famous sign.

I had dinner at Harrah's and gave them $20 in the slot machines before retiring to my hotel. It was a long day.

Day #29 - July 12, 2010

Cody, WY to Yellowstone National Park to Pocatello, ID
540 Miles

I left Cody early today, before 7:00 a.m., to get to Yellowstone before the crowds.

Along Route 20 there is this Mummy Cave Rock. Apparently the articles found there date back 10,000 years. It is quite impressive as seen from the roadway.

I arrived at Yellowstone about 8:00 a.m. and drove to Fishing Bridge and then south to West Thumb.

This is the Lake Area and there is still quite dramatic evidence of the recent fires in this area. As you can see from the photos, some areas are beginning to have new growth.

This is Yellowstone Lake and it is quite beautiful.

Here are a couple of wild flowers growing in this area.

At West Thumb, I turned right on the road to the Geysers and Old Faithful.

Along this road I crossed the Continental Divide.

And now here are the mandatory photos of Old Faithful. I arrived about 10 minutes before it was to erupt (good timing!)

Here is the crowd eagerly awaiting.

This photo was taken when I first arrived.

It really is an exciting event.

The Old Faithful Inn is within walking distance of the geyser and many of those watching Old Faithful this morning retreated there for food afterward.

I then drove north to Madison. There are many geysers in this area. I had visited here in 2007 and at that time walked along the paths and trails of these geysers, so I skipped them today.

On my drive to Madison I spotted this elk in the water close to the roadway - very impressive antlers.

At Madison, I continued on toward Mammoth Hot Springs. The scenery changes rapidly. Here are several photos taken along this route that show the varied topography.

I arrived in the Mommoth Hot Spring Area about 12:30 p.m. and decided to hike some of the paths.

Here are photos taken on the hike.

By the time I finished my hike, it was about 2:30 p.m. and there were crowds of people and cars. I had planned to drive the Tower-Roosevelt to Canyon Village drive to see the waterfalls, but there was too much traffic to negotiate it. I decided to leave the park.

I had heard that the Big Sky area of Montana was beautiful, so I drove on Route 191 north to Big Sky, MT. It really is lovely and rivals the beauty of Yellowstone.

Here are a couple of photos I took of this area.

At this point I decided to drive south into Idaho. In 2007 I had visited Jackson Hole, WY for the Grand Teton Music Festival and had seen the Tetons from the Wyoming side. So I drove south on Route 20 to Idaho Falls and Pocatello and saw the Tetons from the Idaho side.

It has been a long day. I left Cody, WY this morning at 7:00 a.m. and arrived in Pocatello, ID at 8:00 p.m.

Day #28 - July 11, 2010

Sturgis, SD to Cody, WY
422 Miles

I left Sturgis this morning about 7:00 a.m. and drove northwest on Route 90. There are mostly farms in this area of the Black Hills and this photo is fairly typical of the landscape.

I very soon crossed into Wyoming and this roadside marker on Route 90 details Custer's 1874 Expedition in this area. I had hoped to go to the Custer Battlefield National Monument in Montana, but it proved to be farther north of my intended route than I originally thought.

However, I did take a short side trip north to Devils Tower. The explanation for its formation is: "About 60 million years ago molten magna was forced into sedimentary rocks above it and cooled underground. As it cooled it contracted and fractured into columns. Over millions of years, erosion of the sedimentary rock exposed Devils Tower. The tower rises 867 feet from its base. The diameter of its base is 1,000 feet."

On the road into the park, I encountered these deer. They seemed to pose for my pictures.

I returned to Route 90 via Route 14 and continued to Gillette and Buffalo, WY. From there I travelled west on Route 16 through Ten Sleep, Worland, and Greybull to Cody, WY.

The scenery on Route 16 is spectacular. The following photos were taken along that route.

I arrived in Cody, WY about 4:00 p.m. and went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It is a wonderful museum and the Buffalo Bill exhibit is only one part of the museum.

Buffalo Bill and the American West Exhibit

A very fine exhibit housed on several levels is The Nature of Yellowstone Exhibit. This gives a history of the entire Yellowstone area including plants and animals native to the area, geology, etc. This exhibit alone is worth the price of admission and it was a nice prelude to my visit to Yellowstone tomorrow.

There is also an elaborate display in the Cody Firearms Museum, also a part of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. I did a fast tour of this exhibit and was impressed with its display.

My favorite exhibit was Plains Indian Peoples. No photos were allowed in this area because the flash from cameras would affect the artwork. The best part of the exhibit was a display of Indian clothing, particularly buffalo hides that had been decorated with beadwork and painting, as well as intricately decorated moccacins and bags.

Also, no photos were allowed in the Western Art gallery, again because of possible damage to the paintings.

It is a wonderful museum. I was there for about 2 hours until they closed at 6:00 p.m. and I did not see everything.

I checked into a motel in Cody and will spend tomorrow at Yellowstone.