Road Trip: Days 2-4
Day 2: Into Jellystone! I mean, Yellowstone! YOOOGIIIIII!
This started the godawful routine of waking up at an indecent hour of the morning (early enough to be on the road by 8). The morning went rather well - I certainly drove quite legally being absolutely petrified of the abundance of Utah Highway Patrol witnessed on Day 1. We stopped for a lovely breakfast, then proceeded to miss our turnoff (we think it was the intersection by the restaurant and that our stomachs simply overruled our brains). We didn't realize for quite some time, but it just meant I meandered along some fun two-lanes and snaked a little further into Idaho than we originally meant to. Not that I minded, it was a new state to me! We realized when we ended back at I15, at which point we just changed our route a little and zipped back down/over. To Wyoming! 2 states, one day. WOO.
Soon enough we were in Jackson Hole, where my parents dragged me to a bar to lunch on buffalo burgers. The town was interesting - quaint and rustic at the center with its 4 antler arches. From there it was on to a peaceful drive through the Grand Tetons. Pretty but not a lot of stopping beyond a few good viewpoints. And then Yellowstone! And once we figured out we could stay an extra night, we decided to push all touring off onto the next day and have a well-deserved rest.
Total driving: 350 miles - all me
Day 3: Mary meets nature
Mary is also defeated by livejournal. Will rewrite this later.
Then more thermal, some very pretty canyon and waterfall viewpoints. Dinner at the Lake Hotel (mmm, elk) and sleep. It was quite a day.
Total driving: 150 miles - all me
Day 4: California girl and wildlife collide
The day before, however, did not come close to preparing me for this - today. We woke up early again, hitting the road at 8am. We had a few stops on our way out of Yellowstone. The first had me braking in the middle of the road to let a deer scamper across - making both the deer and I happy. I continued to behave, fearful of other brave wildlife, and found several buffalo close enough to the road/turnout to warrant pulling over so my mother could take pictures from the car. This, of course, showed up when we arrived at the mud volcano and began to head up the path only to see a large buffalo blocking the boardwalk just a little higher up. He was quick thankfully in his journey to the other side where the grass really was greener. I was thinking (and hoping) that would be as close as I'd ever get to a buffalo.
But no. When we're driving out, having left Hayden Valley and its buffalo herd behind, I turn the corner in this mountainous area to find a buffalo walking the yellow line towards me with a line of cars forming behind him.
...yeah. I pulled as far over as possible and kept still (car still in drive though, so I could take off if need be. It wouldn't be great, but I just needed to get past the buffalo's 30mph run). This held until he was about even with my mirror. I was gripping the wheel rather nervously. My dad was making taunting comments to the buffalo from the backseat (mostly about how tasty the bison prime rib at dinner the night before was), and my mother was of course snapping pictures like crazy. Once he was even with my mirror and giving me the evilest eye I think I've ever received, I took off and never looked back. And when we saw cars pulled off willy-nilly in the next valley to ooh and ahh over the distant herd, I just didn't understand. They were specks. And I'd had one mere feet from my window. There's no comparison anymore.
However, that was not the end of my animal adventures. I escaped from the buffalo of Yellowstone, made a detour into Montana (yeah! a state I snuck onto the itinerary for a few miles just to add to my map!) However, as I wandered through Wyoming, I encountered a stretch of road along 14 that didn't belong to cars. Oh no, it was quite clear that the cows owned this road. How I know? I had to drive around them in what my parents termed, a "cow slolom." They appeared to rather like stepping in front of the car. Stupid cows.
The final animals for the day were a couple of happy hopeful hungry chipmunks along one of my mountain passes. Then a lot of interstate and pulling into the motel at Newcastle just in time for the hail to begin. Joy of joys.
Total driving: 480 miles - all me
Routes:
Tomorrow: Custer Park, Mt Rushmore and whatever else is between here and Wall, South Dakota.