From Twin Falls, we drove to West Yellowstone, Montana. It is on the northwest edge of Yellowstone National Park. It is on the edge of heaven! The town was very cute and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. The locals were friendly and we had a nice time shopping and dining.
We spent two full days in the park. The first day we drove down to Jackson, WY with stops at Old Faithful and some prime photography spots. Jackson was a cute town, glad I stopped, probably won't go there again. It was VERY expensive!!
Old Faithful
The Grand Tetons
Me under the antler arch in Town Square
A quaint church with a beautiful view
A little turnout on the road back to W. Yellowstone
The other side of the road
An elk crossing the road
Bison herd was crossing the road
Sunset on Day Three
On Day Four we did the Grand Loop in Yellowstone. Wow. We saw the Fountain Paint Pot, geysers, bubbling mud pots, pools. It was all amazing. We saw a mama bear with baby cubs. We saw a huge spring. We went to the "Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone. I stood at the Brink of the Falls. We saw the continued devastation of the '88 fire. Learning about the Yellowstone Caldera was interesting. I am looking forward to sharing this with my new class!
Fountain Paint Pot
Fountain Paint Pot
Self-explanatory!
Yellowstone Lake
We pulled off at a restroom and there was a lovely view and hike there.
bubbling water!
Lower Falls
Upper Falls
Looking down on the Brink of the Falls
Me at the Brink of the Falls
Pretty wildflowers everywhere!
Mama Bear with her two babies
Mammoth Springs
On our way back to West Yellowstone
Madison River
Day Five was another big travel day for us. We stopped in Bozeman, MT to have breakfast with my cousin. We had bison sausage for the first time! It was good. Expensive, but good! Then we went to Crow Agency, Montana and did the "Custer's Last Stand" tour. They have a wonderful gift shop and museum. There is also a National Cemetery. It was amazing to me that most of the land features are still there. You look down at a signboard, then up to see the exact landscape. It was HOT and this was when the wildfires were burning in CO, MT, and WY so we pretty much stayed in the car. I took pics from the window most of the time.
The markers signify where warriors fell. White for the US Army, red for the Native groups.
Burial markers dot the landscape. Not many of them are together like these.
Down below where the Indians surprised the heck out of Reno!
Signboard...
Today
Signboard...
and today! Made it all seem very real.
Last Stand
Custer, who is buried at West Point, has a grave marker here on the hill.
Custer and his men.
From here we drove to Glendive, MT where my aunt and uncle live. We spent three days with them. Then we drove on to North Dakota. Our goal was Minot AFB just north of Minot, ND to visit my daughter who is an Airman. On our way, we stopped to take pictures of The Badlands. They are ugly and barren, but somehow that barren ugliness is beautiful.
The Badlands
My Baby Girl and me. I'm getting ready to drop her off at her work. So proud of her!!
We spent four glorious days with my daughter. We had a great Fourth of July meal with her friends. On July 5th we had to leave. =( We drove to Rapid City, SD. We spent three days and saw Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, Sturgis, and Deadwood. I also spent my first night in Rapid City under a tornado watch. Nobody from the midwest may laugh at me. I'm a Californian and we don't have this stuff you all call weather! At Mount Rushmore, there was a huge emphasis on veterans and active military. It was very touching, and obviously near and dear to my heart. It was all very spectacular.
Crazy Horse on super-duper zoom!
Me at Crazy Horse
Lots of shops and a museum. Great place to visit and learn!
The backside of Mount Rushmore...location spot for National Treasure 2.
Mount Rushmore
The active military and vets were invited up to retire the flag. They were all allowed to introduce themselves and tell what branch of service they were from and some added specific battles. Very touching!
The monument with all the state flags.
Self-explanatory
Deadwood and the location where "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot.
A shoot-out in the street @ Deadwood
Mt. Moriah cemetery in Deadwood.
The final resting place
Almost done! One night in Cheyenne, WY to break up our trip and so I could visit with my sister-in-law. Then we drove on to Salt Lake City. It is just beautiful there. We toured Temple Square and met up with friends for lunch and a dinner. No surprise here, it was hot!
The backside of the Temple
The beautiful grounds
Day 18 and we drove back to California. I rested for a day and a half, then was back in the car to attend a family reunion two hours away. Home on the train and then spent three weeks at home. Last week we were in Oregon to attend Romeo and Juliet in Ashland, OR. It was AWESOME!!
And now I'm back to work. No students yet, but they'll start Wednesday. I've been on Pinterest raiding it daily for new ideas. Starting a math notebook and have paper and folders for all the foldables I've planned. Looking forward to a new school year!!
