National Park Road Trip: Yellowstone Day 1 (Part 7)

July 19, 2019InACents Leave a comment

A year of planning. Advanced reservations months ahead of the trip. The day had finally come when we were heading into the big daddy and where the National Park Service first got its start, Yellowstone National Park.

To say we were excited was an understatement. For a family that normally gets excited for a new ride to open at an amusement park, this was a whole different experience. A more relaxed pace and way of seeing parks.

We got up and were on the road for Yellowstone by 6:00 am to get ahead of any potential crowds. This proved to be one of the best tips of the trip, and since we were still accustomed to EST, it was not difficult to be up then.

Another irreplaceable tip is to download the Gypsy app and purchase the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park guides.

For much of the time within the National Parks, and a lot of places out west in general, cell phone coverage is spotty at best. This is why it is critical to pick up paper maps of each of the parks you visit. We had also done tons of map research ahead of the trip, knowing the general direction we were traveling. However, the Gypsy app makes for a fantastic guided tour of the parks!

The app knows where you are on the map using GPS, and even the direction of travel, and then offers customized narration of the journey. Not only does the app provide tons of great historical background on the parks, but also tells you whether stops were worth your time to see or not.

We had planned one whole day for the Yellowstone upper loop, and then another whole day for the lower loop. We were then based at the Canyon Lodge. More details on the Canyon Lodge below.

Mud Volcano & Dragons Mouth Spring

Our first stop of the day in Yellowstone National Park, thanks to the Gypsy app, was Mud Volcano and Dragons Mouth Spring.

The sulfur smell in the air. The boiling ground. This was our family’s first glimpse of natures incredible geological formations at work, live in front of us. Sure we have been to Hawaii and seen active volcano, but this was different. We were up close to these amazing formations. Upon closer thought, we were standing on top one of the earth’s most active volcanic sites on the planet, and even though the threat of it becoming a much more problematic eruption were slim, it very much was a dose of reality.

Dragons Mouth Spring was fascinating to sit and watch, as the underground cavern echoed with exploding water from deep within, causing steam to billow out. It was amazing!

Continuing on Grand Loop Road, our next stop was the Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone.

Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone

When most people see photos of Yellowstone, they likely see the iconic upper and lower waterfalls, including Artist Point.

There were some great pull-offs with great viewing of the falls that were easy walks for families. This was likely one of those instances where we were very fortunate be out ahead of the crowds, as even though there were people there at roughly 9:00 am, it still was easily manageable to get a good view and some photos.

Norris Geyser Basin

Even though we may have done some research ahead of the trip of the general direction and area of travel while in Yellowstone, we ultimately reserved our stops for the recommended highlights using the Gypsy Yellowstone guide.

Our second major stop he recommended was at the Norris Geyser Basin.

This short and easy hike was absolutely worth the time up to see Emerald Spring and Steamboat Geyser. During our visit, we happen to be within the window of when Steamboat Geyser erupts, so lots of people had been camping out on the boardwalk all night in anticipation. We waited around a little while, but ultimately did not see it blow.

By 10:00 am, this site was pretty bustling and our first real encounter with crowds, though nothing unmanageable.

The kids did not want to hike down into the basin, so we enjoyed it from afar with a full schedule of sites still ahead.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Following the Norris Geyser Basin, we headed north to the Mammoth Hot Springs site, spending about an hour exploring the top and bottom of the structures, and a brief stop into the town of Mammoth.

Following Mammoth, we briefly drove into Montana to see the Roosevelt Arch. At this point in the trip, including our home state of Ohio, we had been to 8 states.

Lamar Valley

One of the areas we hoped we would have enough time to explore was the Lamar Valley, but we were not sure if we would have enough time. Fortunately, since we got a really early start, we had plenty of time to head out before checking into our Lodge.

The Lamar Valley was quite impressive with wildlife.

While there were quite a few buffalo, at one point one was blocking our access to the road, so we had to wait and then slowly drive around it. He grunted in digust.

Canyon Lodge, Yellowstone National Park

When planning on visiting Yellowstone, one of the biggest decisions one needs to make well in advance of the trip is where they want to stay. Those with hard-sided campers have it somewhat easy as they can set up shop at campgrounds within the park, albeit at a premium. For us, we had to make the decision to pay a really high premium and stay at a National Park Lodge or to make the long drive back out of the park, potentially late at night, and possibly deal with traffic.

We ultimately sucked it up and went with the Canyon Lodge and their Western Cabin for one night since it was one of the cheaper options at just shy of $300. This is likely one of the most expensive nights stays we have ever had anywhere in the world, and yet did not earn any reward points, and the facility offers minimal amenities. No pool. No television. No air conditioning.

We were lucky to get two queen beds, and fortunately, it gets cold enough at night (was down to 40° F on our visit) to offer comfortable sleeping arrangements with the windows cracked open.

As a general rule, we found everything to cost about double what it does back home. Gas. Food. Accommodations. Everything.

At the Canyon Lodge, they do have a grocery store, which was really helpful to stock up on supplies to fill our cooler for the day with lunch items, but again realize, it costs about double what you would expect back home.

We also opted to have dinner at the Canyon Lodge Eatery, which I was very delighted to find a vegan friendly BEYOND MEAT™ plant-based Swiss Steak.

After a very long day, it was time to get some rest, as tomorrow promised another full day touring the southern Yellowstone area, including Old Faithful, and then heading out towards the Grand Tetons National Park.

National Park Road Trip: Devils Tower and Onto Cody, WY (Part 6)

July 18, 2019InACents Leave a comment

After our first couple days of being in the parks, we were excited for just how much grand the scenery ahead of our journey would be for the next couple weeks. We got up early from our hotel in Keystone and headed out towards Devil’s Tour.

The journey would take us over two hours to reach Devils Tower. Unfortunately, Devils Tower is not located close to I-90, which means an extensive drive on back roads to the park. Although it is pretty cool to see the Devils Tower butte appear out of nowhere on the horizon.

Having never been to the park, we had no idea what to expect. After showing our National Park pass, we proceeded to drive to the base of Devils Tower and the Ranger Station. The kids acquired their Junior Ranger badges and we were off on the 1.3-mile loop around the base of the formation.

Seeing Devils Tower up close was quite impressive and a nice, casual hike for the family with nice trees from the surrounding forest.

Devils Tower is also a great location to pack a lunch and eat at the base of the monument. Just pack plenty of water, as it was hot during our summer visit.

Drive to Cody, WY

Following our departure from Devils Tower, we began the long journey to Cody, WY, where we would spend the night before heading into Yellowstone National Park.

This drive was a shockingly barren landscape with few, if any exits along I-90. At some point I remember seeing we had approximately 1/3 tank of gas left and figured we would stop at the next exit. Yet it never came. Or if there was, it was a dirt road with no gas stations within site.

At one point panic began to settle in as van computer said we had zero range left and were riding on fumes in the dessert heat. So at that point, we pulled off the freeway onto another dirt road that just so happen to have a single farm house.

Knock, knock, knock. No answers. However, there was a gas tank onsite, and at that point in the middle of nowhere, we had no other option. So we filled the van with a couple gallons of gas to get us the 30 miles or so to the next gas station, and then left cash on their front door. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and calling AAA would have taken hours. Since we had cash, I did not feel guilty buying a couple gallons off the unknown farmer. However, we learned a valuable lesson. For the rest of the trip, the gas gauge never went below a half tank to ensure we always had plenty of fuel to get to the next town.

On the drive, we happen to go through Bighorn National Forest, which was absolutely beautiful! We had no formal stops, but did pull off and take some pictures at Shell Falls Interpretive Site which was gorgeous!

It was also quite serene in that for the most part, we were the only ones within Bighorn National Park, or at least it seemed that way. With the peak summer travel season, we expected to see lots of people, but up until this part of our travels, we had not really experience much, if any people. Very cool.

At that point of the day, the kids were hungry and had been asking for Asian food, which was an odd request given we were in the middle of nowhere U.S.A. However, as we pulled through small town Greybull, Wyoming there was a small restaurant called Beijing Garden, so we made the stop.

The town of Greybull, and even the restaurant, was a ghost town. So we had no idea what to expect. However, the food at Beijing Garden was really great, offering a wide selection of menu items for the family’s tastes.

Cody, Wyoming and Big Bear Motel

Then it was on to Cody. More barren landscapes. No cars. Long, straight roads. Then it happened.

Going 7 mph over the speed limit, I had that Cars movie moment. The State Trooper was on me. For 7 mph…really? In Ohio, cops do not even look at you going 10 over. Heck, my driving instructor told me at 16 you need to drive at least 7 over the speed limit and you were safe. However, in Wyoming, they are strict dogs. We found that even more prevalent within Cody. While we remained citation free for the remainder of the trip, they took speeding seriously we noticed in Wyoming with lots of signs telling your speed.

Ticket in hand outside of Cody, we eventually rolled into our hotel for the night, the Big Bear Motel.

Coming highly rated and cheap by National Park standards at $149/night, the motel was really cute and clean. Despite dropping temperatures, after being in the car all day, the kids insisted on jumping into the pool.

The Big Bear Motel was nicely located on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park, and while we were out the door early in the morning, seemed like a nice facility that we really did not get to experience to its fullest.

When we initially made reservations for the Big Bear Motel 7 months in advance of the trip, our thoughts were to take in the nearby rodeo, as our in-laws really enjoyed it on a recent trip. However, as luck would have it, the rodeo, which performs every night, decided to have a Clint Black concert on the night of our visit. So no go for us.

At this point in the trip, everyone was pretty excited for the next day in Yellowstone, as it was to be the highlight of our National Park tour.

National Park Road Trip: Mt. Rushmore, Mammoth Site & Needles Highway (Part 5)

July 18, 2019InACents Leave a comment

After a spectacular day in the Badlands, our next journey was fortunately not to far at less than an hour and a half to the Mt. Rushmore area.

Our first stop of the day was of course Mt. Rushmore. As eluded in Part 1 of this trip report, our family received a free National Park pass good for one year thanks in part to a program sponsored by the government for 4th graders. It grants everyone in the vehicle admission to each of the National Parks.

However, when visiting Mt. Rushmore, guests still need to pay the parking fee to access the site. At $10 for a car, the great thing is the parking voucher is good for an entire year. So we were able to easily come and go to the site in the morning and evening of our visit.

After an obligatory stop at the observation platform to see the Presidents carved in stone, we made our way down and hike the Presidential Trail, which included a stop at the Sculptor’s Studio. Of course the boys earned their Junior Ranger badges while the adults listened to a Ranger talk about the construction of the monument.

After our hike, we also took the opportunity to get a couple scoops of Thomas Jefferson original recipe vanilla ice cream, which was delicious!

Mammoth Site

One of the places we really wanted to visit but were not sure we would have time was the Mammoth Site approximately an hour south of Mt. Rushmore. Thankfully we made a concerted effort to make our way there and it was well worth the visit.

Dozens of mammoth have been discovered in this active archaeological dig site. It so fascinating to think of the circumstances that caused all the mammoth to fall into this pit, and then the millions of years of sediment to bury the bodies. The evolution of the earth is absolutely astonishing, and you can literally see it being uncovered at the Mammoth Site.

After the Mammoth Site and drive back north, we stopped at The Purple Pie Place, which offered a decent grilled veggie sandwich and everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals too which included their very good chicken pot pie.

Needles Highway

Another really site we anticipated visiting during our visit to the Black Hills region was Needles Highway. This is a State Park; therefore our free National Park pass was not valid. One also realizes how valuable the free National Park Pass is when it costs $20 just to drive into Needles Highway. However, we knew it would be worth the time and investment.

We accessed Needles Highway from the Sylvan Lake entrance given we were coming from the south.

Needles Highway is simply stunning and quite the contrast of scenery. Lots of the rocks within the region also have a beautiful shimmer to them in the sunlight. Of course one of the cool highlights is driving through Needles Eye Tunnel with inches to spare on each side of the vehicle.

We would have possibly liked to spend more time on the Needles Highway and take in some hiking, but it was also a nice and relaxing drive so long as you have no issues with being along the edge of cliffs.

Review Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mt Rushmore/Keystone

After recommendations from family, we opted to stay at a hotel close to Mt. Rushmore so we could visit it both in the morning and at night for the lighting ceremony. Due to peak travel season, we chose the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mt Rushmore/Keystone since we could redeem points at 30,000 points per night, minus a rebate of 10% for being an IHG credit card holder. While this may not have been our normal point redemption, at rates of over $200/night, we deemed it worth the investment to knock some of the cost off the trip.

As a Platinum IHG member, we are accustomed to getting upgrades when staying at their properties. However, unfortunately none were available as this property regularly sells out given its location near a tourist destination.

Also, note, we had to reserve our room 7 months in advance of the trip to secure a room.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mt Rushmore/Keystone was alright. Nothing really special other than location. Though we did get a free breakfast in the morning and they had a nice indoor pool for us all to enjoy.

Mt. Rushmore Lighting Ceremony

Honestly, Mt. Rushmore was a one and done for me. Besides visiting near 4th of July and feeling a sense of patriotism, in an area of the country with such natural beauty, the monument felt out of place.

Regardless, my wife wanted to see the monument lighting ceremony at night, so we arrived at 8:30 to get our spot. Despite the lighting ceremony being an hour away, we were surprised to see just how crowded the monument was in preparation.

We got lucky and secured a spot on the wall, but were surprised to see they did not open up the seating in the amphitheater for viewing.

Then we waited and struck up a great conversation with an active duty Navy gentleman next to us that our kids absolutely loved hearing about his work on submarines.

Then came the moment for the lighting ceremony, and there it was. Awkward spot lighting, not much fanfare. The entire monument was not even lit up. This was one hour of time I wish we could get back, as the lighting ceremony was a complete flop.

Maybe it is our family’s high expectations when it comes to entertainment given we frequent amusement parks, but it seemed like the ideal application for some projection mapping, thematic music, maybe even some lasers or fireworks. But then again, maybe the subtle lighting made sense to sort of tie in with the whole National Park natural beauty. Still, the lighting application was a complete fail in my eyes.

On the ride back to the hotel, of course with the time change from our normal EST, it was considered late for the family. However, while driving through Keystone, we saw a pizza place open and decided to treat the boys to a late night meal at Boss’ Pizza & Chicken. While the whole experience was reminiscent of late night eats during college, the boys seemed to enjoy the mediocre food.

Off to bed for a long day tomorrow to Devil’s Tower and into Cody, WY.

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