Hello there,
to the Cali plates in front of me
on a blue
Dodge traveling on I-80
heading west.
road trip
Birthday Road Trip 2012: Yellowstone or Bust!
As you read these very words, I am almost three hundred miles away from home. It’s the first weekend of August which means it’s time for my annual Birthday Road Trip. This tradition started based on my self-made theory that a birthday can’t find you if you’re not at home. So, I’ve been 29 for ten years. On a side note, by the 6th 29th, however, I didn’t feel very twentyish.
Since I went to New York for a weekend in June, my pocket book demanded a low key road trip this year. Yellowstone National Park it is. FYI, Yellowstone is in Wyoming – not Montana. Montana has successfully marketed their sliver of the park as West Yellowstone. Check out a map though. You’ll be surprised how little of the park is in Montana versus Wyoming. Yes, I might have a small issue with the whole West Yellowstone claim to fame. I’ll let it go for now, though.
This year the trip is just going to be Bubba and me. That’s okay. She is on this whole kick of being an adult now and insists on moving to Utah at the end of the month. Something about being closer to a certain boy. Blah, blah, blah. This trip could be our very last road trip together. Why is everyone moving to Utah? And no, I’m not convinced to move back. I’ll just make new friends and miss my old ones.
But for this weekend, we will enjoy Wyoming. First, we will stop at stinky Thermopolis and swim in the hot springs. Then we will make our way to Cody and probably sleep pretty well after our swim stop. Saturday we will spend the whole day in the park. No hurry. No agenda. Just take our sweet time. We’ll come home on Sunday.
map courtesy mapquest.com
Sounds like a pretty good birthday to me.
Mini-Road Trip
Last Friday afternoon I was on my way to Salt Lake listening to Reba McEntire’s Number One’s CD – Disc 2. Reba and Lari White are my two essential travel CD’s, they must accompany me every road trip. For this trip, I traded out Lari so that I could listen to Sugarland. My sister bought me a ticket to the group’s concert on Saturday and I had some cramming to do.
Birthday Road Trip 2011 – Photo Recap
No Gas and the Jerky is Made of Gold in Muddy Gap
We stopped for a restroom break at Muddy Gap, Wyoming on our way to Casper Wednesday. We decided it was best to patronize the store also and bought the cheapest thing we could find – an $8 bag of jerky we referred to as “Our gold.”Luckily, we didn’t need any gas. For two unfortunate bikers, this was their second town without gas. They were asking everyone who stopped for tubing so that they could transfer gas from one motorcycle to the other and make it to Casper. Unfortunately, we couldn’t help them.
Beware Rebel Rousers!
50 years ago, dad and a few cohorts went to Lost Springs on a Saturday night. After a brawl with a few locals, they were escorted out by the sheriff. Today, the town boasts a population of 4. But it still has a bar. We took a chance by having dad enter this town. I figured his picture is hanging in the post office under the most wanted.
South Dakota or bust!
We entered South Dakota on Thursday. The sad part of this picture is the bullet holes all over the sign. Someone told me there would be a drastic difference in scenery as soon as I crossed the border. As you can see behind me, South Dakota looks nothing like the plains of Wyoming leading up to it. I am being a smarty pants of course. If it wasn’t for the sign, I wouldn’t have known I crossed.
Security System
This was our security system at our motel room. That’s paper-towel in the hole above the handle – I suppose mainly to keep bugs out.There was no dead bolt either. So we just put some furniture in front of the door while we slept. The name of the place was “Rushmore Inn and Suites.” It was a motel but the people were friendly.
Bear Country USA
On our way to Mt Rushmore we stopped at Bear Country, USA.
I recommend this place to anyone visiting the area.I saw a lot more animals here (and closer) than I did at Yellowstone.
Check it out at www.bearcountryusa.com.
You’ll love the babyland section!
350 feet down
There are a lot of caves to visit. We chose “Sitting Bull Crystal Cavern.” It wasn’t bad although there is a steep drop requiring you to go down 187 steps that are almost a ladder. And to get back to the surface, you have to climb the 187 steps. Our cave would have been more enjoyable if a fussy two-year old hadn’t been crying the whole tour. But definitely check out a cave!
Mt Rushmore - it's not as big as I thought it would be
When I was preparing for this trip, someone told me, “It’s not as big as I thought it would be.”That bugged me because it kind of ruined the big reveal. But, now I have to agree.
I thought I better work on some monument poses. You know, in case anybody wants to make a 60 foot sculpture of me.
- My Monument Pose
Traditional pose.
Monument Pose 2
“A little more me” pose.
Monument Pose 3
Probably the pose I’d choose.
Crazy Horse Monument
My advice about the Crazy Horse monument: save your money. The rock in the background will someday look like the white statue in front. But after 60 years, the only thing completed is the face. Wait until it is completely finished, then go see it.
Sturgis
Sturgis, South Dakota during the rally.
More Sturgis
This is a very big deal. People were renting out their yards for visitors to pitch tents.
- And one more Sturgis
Bikes, bikinis and tats were everywhere! We were very noticeable wearing our conservative bright colors.
- Devil’s Tower
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. South Dakota needed to make a national monument by hand. Here in Wyoming, God took care of that. Just sayin’.
According to legend, the monument was carved by a bear trying to get 7 Native American girls who jumped on it for safety. They became part of the night sky (also known as the Pleiades)
- Big Horn Nachos
If you ever find yourself in Buffalo, Wyoming and you need a place to eat, go to Dash Inn Restaurant.
This dish is called “Big Horn Nachos” and the locals laughed at me when I took it to the table. It can feed a family of four!
- Progress on the Nachos
It took some time.
It took teamwork but we did not let the nachos beat us.
- Rest stop – homeward bound
At a rest stop before Casper.
We are homeward bound!
Birthday Road Trip Leg 5 aka Home
Sunday, August 7. Final day of driving or homeward bound. Everyone is ready to be home. Everyone that is except for me. The trip home always leaves me a bit melancholy. I’m still trying to figure out how to make a living while crisscrossing the nation. Due to my short experience working at FedEx I know I could never be a truck driver (no pole would be safe). So what could I do to feed my nomadic spirit?
Birthday Road Trip Leg 3 aka my birthday
Friday, August 5. This was the day we have been waiting for. It was Mt. Rushmore day. The day started early because even though there was no set schedule, we knew it was going to be a busy. We left our motel room by 9:30 with intentions of not returning for over 12 hours.
Our first stop had been highly recommended by a few friends. Bear Country did not disappoint! Although we were almost deterred because of the $55 car-load admission price we decided to give it a go anyway. Everyone is glad we did. Bear Country is a wildlife reserve with plenty of photo ops. It did freak me out a tad to see so many bears – all surrounding me. I was very brave and didn’t panic. Although I did make sure all the windows were up. Not to betray my home-state, but I saw a lot more animals (close-up even) than I did last year at Yellowstone. We left feeling pretty proud of our choice to patronize Bear Country.
Birthday Road Trip Leg 2
Thursday, August 4. We had a bit of an interesting night. Around 2:00am someone out in the parking lot started screaming. I was in the bed near the window and I looked out. The window was dirty but from what I could tell, two guys (not to be judgmental but I’m going to call them hoodlums) were walking in the parking lot laughing. One was bare chested with his shirt tucked into his pants. NJ asked if the car was okay.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I think so.” There were other various noises throughout the night that woke me up briefly but I was too tired to investigate.
Birthday Road Trip Leg 1
Wednesday, August 3. I decided I had better work in the morning since I only worked a week and a half since Girls’ Camp. At 12:30, I left and picked up my dad, younger sister NJ, and niece Bubba. By 1:30 we were on our way to start our adventure. Since we were getting a late start, our first goal was to get to Casper which is just a little less than halfway to Mt Rushmore. And because Casper was just a pit-stop and not our destination, I decided to skimp on the boarding expense.
We stayed at Motel 6. My first impression of our motel was the front desk clerk sporting a black eye. “That’s comforting,” I thought. Our room was tiny and the reason it was so cheap was immediately apparent. There were no brochures to welcome us to Casper or even the hotel. We also didn’t enjoy the luxury of a microwave, tv guide, or even clock. Internet service would cost extra, hence the late post. That was okay because it all added to the adventure, and also because it was only for one night. We unloaded the car and quickly decided a whole evening in that tiny room with four people would not be pleasant. So, we decided to go get something to eat and sight-see Casper.
Vacation All I Ever Wanted
It’s that time of year again – my annual birthday road trip. I have been going to various destinations the first week of August for nine years. My thought is, if I’m not home when my birthday rolls around then it can’t find me. With this logic, I am still a few days away from my 29th birthday. I haven’t found anyone to agree with me, mostly I get laughed at. No matter, I will maintain it until my face is wrinkley and my hair is completely gray (which could be sooner than I’d like to admit).
On my first road trip I went to California so that I could see the ocean before I turned thirty. Then there were smaller trips to Yellowstone National Park, Moab, St George, and Cedar City. Despite my goal to always go somewhere I’ve never been there have been a few repeat trips to the Shakespeare Festival, Tuacahn, Yellowstone, and Thermopolis.
My birthday happens to be the same time as the biking mecca known as Sturgis. Every year I share the road with bikers making or returning from their pilgrimage to South Dakota. A lot have been friendly enough that we strike up a conversation while fueling our vehicles. Thankfully, I haven’t met any of the Del Fuego variety but more the Wild Hog crowd.
This year I decided it was time to head in a different direction. I live eight hours away from one the nation’s treasures and so I’m going to take advantage of it. In a couple of days I will be on my way to Mount Rushmore. I know what you’re thinking. “How could one girl get so lucky as to go to exotic South Dakota?” Don’t be jealous. I plan on taking lots of pictures (compared to my normal amount. Last year I forgot to take my camera when I went to Yellowstone. Who does that?) and I will share. Since I’ll be in the neighborhood, I’m hoping to get a Sturgis shirt so that I can wear it on future road trips. Imagine the conversation that will start as I’m fueling my SUV.
My itinerary will include a pass-by of one of Wyoming’s treasures: Devil’s Tower. So this year, I technically get a two-fer. Two places I’ve never seen on one long road trip. I’m hoping to find buried treasure under Rushmore and aliens on the Tower although out of the two I’m really leaning towards the treasure (C’mon Nic Cage, don’t let me down!). You may be thinking I’m planning my trip based on movies. And all I can say is, “Yeah, so?” That might explain why I need the road trip.
ck's days 