Day 13: Save the Best for Last

Yellowstone National Park

After a great night sleep (ignoring the puddles from a long, rainy night), Carl and I treated ourselves to solid breakfast at Ernie's Bakery in West Yellowstone. We had a long day ahead of us and needed plenty of energy. We enjoyed egg & cheese on bagels and and bought turkey sandwiches for the road. We planned to do a full-day hike and would need to stop for lunch along the way. With a few trails in mind, we left for the nearest ranger station to ask for suggestions.

While most rangers were surprisingly uninformed, the ranger working Madison Junction had hiked every single trail in our guidebook Day Hiking Yellowstone. She liked the two trails we had picked out but suggested a third: Avalanche Peak. When we entered the park our first day, the plan was to hike Avalanche Peak but we weren't prepared (emotionally, physiologically, etc). Carl & I were thrilled by her suggestion and decided to give it a shot. Armed with Counter Assault Bear Deterrent, we headed off to the Avalanche Peak trailhead.

Save the best for last, and we clearly did. The trail was scenic, less frequented, and at last, strenuous. In the two miles it took to reach the summit, Carl & I climbed 2,100 ft, caught amazing glimpses of wildlife, and played in the snow. There were few hikers on the trail so it felt as if we finally met the untamed Yellowstone. After taking our last few steps to the summit, we were met with roaring 40 mph winds and incredible views of the surrounding landscape. There was a small alcove where Carl & I could enjoy our lunches shielded from the wind.

Carl setting the table for lunch

After finishing our lunches, we decided to spend some time exploring the summit. A trail stretched along the ridge, interrupted every few hundred yards by small peaks. We left to climb the highest. As we worked our way along the narrow trail, the winds were terrifying. I held my hat tightly to my head as Carl & I worked our way slowly forward. Every step I thought where I could drop to the ground if the wind became too unmanageable. Eventually, we reached our destination and posed quickly to capture the incredible landscape.

Drew holds on dearly to his hat

Carl about to take flight

Satisfied, Carl & I began the descent from Avalanche Peak. We cheered on the few hikers we passed along the way and reached the parking in an hour. What was supposed to be a four hour hike, Carl & I finished in just over two. We decided to take the scenic route home. Instead of driving through the center of Yellowstone, we took the southern route through West Thumb. There we stopped to admire geysers and hot springs along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Some geysers could even be spotted several yards off shore. As you might suspect, the West Thumb shore of Yellowstone Lake doesn't freeze during the winter.

After leaving the park, it started the rain so we had an uneventful night of playing cards and fast food. Quite an adventure today, and a great way to cap off our visit to Yellowstone National Park. Tomorrow we leave for Grand Teton.

Day 12: Time to Blow Off Some Steam

Yellowstone National Park

Waking up early in the tent is not very difficult (Drew may disagree) because everyone else is wide-awake cooking food around 7 a.m. But, this is not always a bad thing, because we want to get up as early as possible to get in as much as we can. Today we were able to leave the campground quicker than usual, as we are staying here for another two nights so we did not have to pack up the tent. Breakfast was a treat this morning at Running Bear Pancake House in West Yellowstone, Montana. Drew and I split some pancakes and an omelet, and we were well fueled to bask in the touristy glory that is Old Faithful. The line to get into the park was long, and we had to wait fifteen minutes to enter even though we already had our entrance ticket. The roads in the park were pretty clear, though, except for the occasional traffic for an Elk on the side of the road. It took us about an hour to get to Old Faithful, where the parking lot was already very full. Old Faithful is a huge geyser that shoots boiling water 100-180 feet into the air at an average of every 93 minutes. Drew and I arrived just in time to grab a seat in the amphitheater-like setting. There must have been at least 5000 people surrounding the most-famous geyser in the world. Nevertheless, the show did not disappoint. The water spurted for about 5 minutes before dwindling down to its usual low steaming.

Old Faithful erupting

There are a bunch of trails, mostly on boardwalks, to see other hydrothermal features near Old Faithful. The entire landscape was alive with steaming cauldrons of super-heated water and gases. Besides the geysers, some of which shoot up to 250 feet in the air, there were some impressive hot springs. These colorful pools of water can be very dangerous. Apparently in 1970, a 9-year-old boy fell into one and died. Now they are very, very strict to stay on the walking paths. These paths allowed us to get pretty close, however, and we could see right down to the bottom of the pools. I thought the coolest springs were the Sapphire Pool, which was a gorgeous deep blue, and Morning Glory, which was a rainbow of colors. After a few hours of hustling to find parking spots and waiting in lines, we had enough post-July 4^th tourism crowds and decided to head back to camp early. As we left the park, the skies opened up and it started pouring, which is why we are now sitting in the arcade room at the campground waiting for the rain to pass. Tonight we will grab dinner at a local restaurant and get to sleep early so we can get started tomorrow morning on a long hike.

Morning Glory hot spring

Drew and Carl in front of Sapphire Pool

Day 11: Read it and... sheep?

Yellowstone National Park

Despite the initial fear of a grizzly attack, I slept quite well at Canyon Campground. The night was brisk, much preferred to the sauna grade heat we experienced in Badlands National Park. We got up early, ate a quick breakfast of Cliff bars, and headed off to hike Mount Washburn.

While the trail was listed as “strenuous” in our park guidebook, Carl and I found the hike easy and reached the summit in just over an hour. Atop Mount Washburn is one of Yellowstone’s three manned fire towers. As soon as the snow melts, a ranger is assigned to each of the towers and lives there for the duration of the summer. It might seem dull to watch for forest fire day and night but the view is spectacular.

Carl & Drew at the summit of Mt. Washburn

Just minutes after beginning the descent, we were stopped in our tracks. Off the trail was a family of Bighorn sheep. Four babes followed their mother up a slope far too treacherous for any hiker, and then posed for a photo shoot. It’s neat how park wildlife will get up close and personal. We put the cameras away and continued on.

Baby Bighorn climbing Mt. Washburn

However, right when we turned the corner, we were stopped in our tracks… again! And this time literally. Marching towards us was herd of about twenty Bighorn. Some Canadians we met on the hike up had the bright idea to climb up a nearby slope and let the herd pass. We joined them while most hikers backed up to the nearest junction. One by one the herd walked by but not before we snapped some awesome photos.

Carl and the Canadians avoiding the stampede 

Next, we grabbed lunch near Tower Falls and prepared ourselves for the afternoon activity: horseback riding. Carl was already a professional since he had ridden horses with his family in Montana. Still, it was new to me. We drove to the Canyon Corral early, signed our lives away, and waited for the tour to begin.

Somehow the wrangler completed his safety briefing in less than 30 seconds so Carl and I didn’t wait long to meet our horses. I was given Sneezy and Carl was given Dandy. Right from the get-go, I knew mine would be trouble. The wrangler had to drag Sneezy to me by his lead rope. The horse could tell I was a novice. We saddled up and were on our way.

Drew, Sneezy, Carl & Dandy at the Canyon Corral

The two wranglers led our group down a trail through the backcountry. You’ll find the main roads in Yellowstone can get pretty crowded. It was nice to see a more secluded area of the park. Aside our regular snack break (my horse kept trying to eat flowers), the ride went smoothly. For me and Carl, that is. Another guy nearly fell off his horse. To his defense, our saddles did slide around a lot. The horses were round and admittedly overfed.

We got back to the corral, said goodbye to Sneezy and Dandy, and left for West Yellowstone KOA. To our surprise, the campgrounds were pristine. We set up our tent and went downtown for dinner. After a solid dinner at Pete’s Rocky Mountain Pizza, we explored the town and set out to find a spot to watch fireworks. Happy Fourth of July! West Yellowstone put on quite a show.

Carl at the West Yellowstone KOA

Day 10: Bears and an Elephant Back

Yellowstone National Park

Today was our first day in Yellowstone National Park. We ate a simple breakfast at Cody Cowboy Village in Cody, WY, and then drove an hour and a half to the park entrance gate. The previous day, Drew and I researched cool hikes to do and one, the Avalanche Peak Trail, caught my eye. We asked the park ranger at the gate if he would recommend this hike, but the response we got was a stern "Do you have bear spray?" At first we thought he was joking, but he was completely serious, so we decided to pass on that trail, as we did not have the mace-like bear deterrent. Instead, we drove to the information station and asked a ranger which hikes he recommended. He was not the most knowledgeable ranger when it came to trails off the beaten path, but he did recommend the Elephant Back Trail. We also bought some bear spray just in case.

After a quick lunch at a park restaurant, we pulled on our hiking boots and headed over to the Elephant Back Trail. We quickly felt the effects of the high altitude as we were panting heavily during a 3/4-mile stretch, climbing 800 feet up in that short span. After this trek we were close to the top of the trail, where we had great views of Yellowstone Lake. We took in the scenery for a few minutes then headed back down the steep incline. We made it to the bottom, hopped back in the car, and drove north towards our campsite near Canyon Lodge. 

Yellowstone Lake from top of Elephant Back Trail

On this drive saw multiple Bison just walking leisurely in the street. The Bison are everywhere here. We saw even more at the Mud Volcano Area, which was our first glimpse of Yellowstone's 10,000 hydrothermal processes. Steam spewed from the ground and it smelled awful. Worse than just sulfur; it's hard to explain. Apparently we could not get enough of the stench, because after returning to the car, we stopped almost immediately at a place called the Sulfur Cauldron, which contained more hydrothermal features. This time there were mud pots, which are basically boiling globs of thick muddy glop. There was also a Bison basking in the warmth right on the edge, which we thought was funny.

Hydrothermal Mud Pots

 Drew in front of Bison next to Hydrothermal feature

While the sights were neat, the smell got the best of us, and we set up camp in Canyon Campground. We showered, got dinner at the cafeteria, which was not all that great, and then drove to see the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Lower falls were awesome. The water drops over 300 feet before splashing into the continuing river below. Sunset was approaching, which allowed us to get some really nice pictures. We stopped at a couple more viewpoints of the waterfall, and then called it an early night as we passed out in our tent around 10 p.m.

 Carl and Drew with Lower Falls behind

Day 9: Great Fun, Great Food

Rapid City, SD to Cody, WY

What was supposed to be an uneventful day of travel ended up being one of our best days. So much of what we did was simply unexpected. From our pitstops to meals, every moment was memorable. After sleeping in until 9 AM, we began the day with breakfast sandwiches at the local Black Hill Bagels. The egg and cheese sandwiches were awesome and we left for Devil's Tower.

Devil's Tower, our nation's first national monument, was formed more than 50 million years ago as magma rose through the Earth's crust. The monument is special because it is formed by hundreds of hexagonal columns, towering more than 1200 ft above the surrounding area. The easiest way to understand its structure is to imagine pencils tied together in a bundle. Even from miles away, the site was impressive. Devil's Tower emerges from a region comprised mainly of prairie. When we arrived at the base of the monument, we hiked the short 1.3 mile trail, admiring the incredible formation and rock climbers working their way its summit.

Drew at Devil's Tower

After leaving Devil's Tower, we started getting hungry and decided to grab a late lunch in Gillette, WY. Considering how many small towns we've driven through, it's been surprisingly difficult to find a solid local restaurant. Fortunately, we ran across The Coop, a small restaurant dedicated to rotisserie chicken and great service. Since we didn't have lunch until 3 PM, we had the places to ourselves and wow was the food good. Carl orded chicken tacos and I had the lettuce wraps. This dive served us our best meal so far in the 2,000 miles we've driven cross-country.

The Coop in Gillette, WY

We ate our fill and continued on to Cody, WY. The terrain quickly changed from prairie to mountain. We worked our way up snaking highways to an altitude of 9,000 ft and mountaintops covered with purple and yellow flowers, an area known as Bighorn National Forest. Eventually, we reached Shell Falls and decided to stop for a quick rest. The falls tumble an impressive 120 ft over granite into Shell Canyon. Nearby, Carl and I walked a short trail that explained the local fauna and hummingbirds that hovered overhead. One plant, called Yellow Rabbitbrush, was once used to treat toothaches by inserted mashed leaves into cavities.

Carl admiring Shell Falls in Bighorn National Forest

Finally, we arrived in Cody, a fun gateway city into Yellowstone National Park. We're staying at the Cody Cowboy Village, a relatively new hotel made up of 20 or so log cabins. It's really nice. The owner came out to talk to us and recommended we have dinner at the local Rib & Chop House downtown. Today was easily our best day of eating. I somehow managed to scarf down a 1 lb buffalo steak while Carl enjoyed his dainty filet mignon. Dessert was a gigantic "ice cream sandwich" with vanilla ice cream sandwich sandwiched between 2 brownies. Now, we're back at the hotel getting ready for our first day in Yellowstone National Park. Excited for the days to come...

Day 8: Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Wind Cave

Black Hills of South Dakota

Waking up this morning at the campground was not that difficult with all the children crying and screaming at 6:00 a.m. We managed to stay asleep until about 8:30 a.m., however, and we packed up the tent and headed over to all you can eat pancakes for $2.50. After our quick but very filling breakfast, we drove to Mt. Rushmore to feel some real American patriotism. I was amazed at the precisely sculpted appearance of the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The faces were situated on what seemed like every other mountain in Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park. Each face was about sixty feet high, with their noses being about twenty feet high. Before today, I never understood how this monument was sculpted, and what I learned was that ninety percent of the rock was blasted away with dynamite. The dynamite was drilled in very exact locations to remove tons and tons of limestone. The result was an awesome American marvel.

Mount Rushmore

Not to be outdone, the American Indians who called the Black Hills home for centuries wanted a monument of their own to show the "White Man" that they also had heroes. They called upon Korczak Ziolkowski to sculpt Crazy Horse, a legendary Native American war hero, into a mountain. Started fifty years ago, the monument is not even close to completion. This makes sense, though, considering its immense size; all four of the presidential heads on Mount Rushmore could fit inside Crazy Horse's head. The connection between the sculptor Korczak and the sculpture made the monument more meaningful for me. After Korczak died, his wife and seven of his ten children continue to work on and for the monument and museums at the base. They deny any federal funding because they believe that people should want to come and pay to see the progress or donate to help it along. It is and will always be a sculpture for the people.

Crazy Horse Memorial sculpted in wood

Crazy Horse Memorial at current status

After seeing the Crazy Horse Memorial, we drove to Wind Cave National Park. Wind Cave has two main components, a large prairie and forest above, and a huge cave below. The prairie above is home to bison, which we passed on the way into the park, and many other prairie animals. While the pastures above are nice, what's amazing is the labyrinth of cave below. In the 1970s, there were about thirty two miles of cave mapped, and now there are one hundred and forty miles mapped. Geologists estimate that there could still be another ninety five percent of cave that is yet to be discovered. Wind Cave is already one of the largest caves in the world, with thirty stories worth of cave. Most caves that I've seen have the typical stalagmite and stalactite formations, but Wind Cave has some rare features consisting of "cave popcorn" and "boxwork," which is composed of thin calcite fins resembling a honeycomb. The cave popcorn are just small knobby growths from the sides of the cave where the water seeps through the limestone. The physical characteristics of the cave along with the history of its discovery made this one of the highlights of the road trip so far. 

Drew in Wind Cave National Park

Closeup of "Boxwork"

Closeup of "Cave Popcorn"

By now it was evening, so we drove back to Hill City via the Needles Highway where we almost got run off the very narrow road. We drove through some awesome rock formations and finally reached Hill City unscathed. Famished because we skipped lunch, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and are now sitting in our hotel in Rapid City, SD looking forward to our six-hour drive tomorrow.

Driving through narrow rock formations on Needles Highway

Day 7: Mountains (of Ice Cream)

Badlands National Park to Hill City, SD

We woke up to the sunrise and were on our way. After a full day in the Badlands yesterday, we decided to head over to Custer State Park and check out a trail recommended by the Park Ranger. Harney Peak was just about 2 hours from Badlands National Park so we hopped in the car and started up Harry Potter. I forgot how far we've driven already -- finished the Chamber of Secrets halfway through the ride.

Eventually we reached Hill City and booked a campsite at the nearby KOA. The Badlands campground might have had 80 campsites but this place has hundreds. According to Carl B, KOA is a chain of campgrounds with more than 500 locations across the USA. We drove through a maze of fire pits, RVs and tents until we settled on a site close to the creek. Currently listening to a delightful melody of toads chirping. We left to begin our ascent.

The trip to Custer State Park was an adventure in itself. We drove through a stretch of road known as Needle Highway. This curvy road would have made most men sick but Carl and I were brave. Through rock tunnel and sharp turns, we arrived at Sylvan Lake, the starting point for our hike.

 Carl B relaxing by Sylvan Lake

The 6 mile loop took us up 1,500 ft to an altitude of 7,242 ft. The view was incredible. Harney Peak is the highest peak between the Rockies and Swiss Alps. Perched on top was stone tower that on a clear day has views of 3 states: South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska. Around this tower were smaller peaks asking to be climbed. We explored for an hour, took photos, and began the descent. While the climb up took more than 2 hours, it took a little over an hour to make our way back down.

Carl & Drew at the summit of Harney Peak

After hiking, we went back to the KOA for a quick shower and left to grab dinner in Hill City. Dinner was pretty uneventful but on the way back to our car, we passed an ice cream parlor and couldn't resist. Carl ordered a combo of Rocky Road and Moose Tracks and I had Cookies & Cream with Mint Chocolate Chip. The waffle cones they served us must have held 1 pint of ice cream each. I still don't know how Carl finished his.

Now we're back at the campsite getting ready for our second night in a tent. I'm looking forward to another great night sleep.