Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Yellowstone

I had to work on Thursday so Sarah picked Dad up from the airport. I got home around midnight and talked with Dad for a bit while Sarah went to bed. Up bright and early the next morning and we got on the road around 1030. Then we proceeded to drive...and drive.

We took the Interstate route because it would be faster we assumed. It was also well known to us and we just didn't feel like risking wasting time getting there. We had Myself, Sarah, Dad, Michael, Max and Satchel in the truck pulling the house along behind us. We ran the numbers and it was about a wash money wise so we decided to take the house and have all our stuff with us.

There were repeated bathroom breaks and food stops and fuel stops. IT took a bit longer than we anticipated to get there and about 20 miles or so from our destination it grew even darker and started raining. Boo. We got there and it was around 40 degrees and raining. Not the most fun setup. Luckily we pulled in and were there. No back and forth jockeying for position. We got set up, got in and dried off.

Of course we sat up too late talking and tossing back some wine, but it was worth it.

The next morning dawned and we got to have a good look at our campground.




Then we drove the 20 miles to Yellowstone. Dad decided he would pay for the entrance fee. It is either $25 per vehicle and $16 per person or you can buy an annual pass that gets you and anyone in your vehicle in for $50 for one year. So Dad gets his card and his ID out and the ranger asks if Dad wants to buy a Senior pass which gets everyone in the vehicle in and it is a lifetime pass...the price, $10. Yes and thank you.

There is too much pretty in Yellowstone. Spending 9-10 hours a day for two days there covered about 70% of the 15% of the park that is covered by the main roads. Barely a scratch. It was amazing. If you want to see more pictures, friend me on Facebook here unless you already are a friend, then just go look. I will put up one or two of my favorites here though.








During some of the drive my Dad would tell Michael a story. You could tell by listening that he was making it up on the spot. The stories were fantastic and silly and Michael ate them up. He would video tape them with the flip camera and then watch them again as soon as the story was over and the many minutes were filled with the sound of, "Do you have a story yet?", "Nope, it's still percolating." They were awesome.

Poor Satchel spent most of the trip sitting in the truck underneath the feet of Michael and Max. We got him out whenever we could but they don't let dogs on many of the trails. It was awesome and amazing and we can't wait to do it again. Hopefully we can stay longer next time.

We ate too much fast food in the truck, drank too much wine at home after long days driving and told too many stories. It was wonderful.

Then we drove home. This time we stayed off the Interstate. This let us drive past some more scenic territory and visit Craters of the Moon again. This time we got to drive the loop and see a bit more of the place. Still couldn't stay long. I did get a good picture of Flo and Irv hitched up in front of the Grand Tetons.