For the folks who would rather see pictures:
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For the folks who want the chronological highlights:
Woke up about 8
Walked Annie, Packed Car (so much easier with that pair of shoes gone)
Drove to Jiffy Lube for oil change, Annie pukes in lobby of Jiffy Lube
I clean up puke
We head towards Billings, I spend the time worrying if she's sick
Talk to My sister who notifies me that my niece met the requirements and has successfully completed Pre-Kindergarten. Nice work Maddie!
Get to Bozeman around 12:30, walk around Montana State University Campus
Stop in bookstore, get dad souvenier for father's day
I get a really good sandwich at a place called the Pickle Barrell.
I eat sandwich on campus, Annie watches.
Drive through Yellowstone towards the town of West Yellowstone. Technically I've been in Montana and Wyoming today, and there's a chance I'm watching news from Idaho. But West Yellowstone is in Montana, so we're clear.
Check in to hotel named "Brandin' Iron" (once again, I'm a sucker for the clever names)
Hotel is fine, a log cabin looking place from the 1950's; wood panneling, no A/C (but heat). For $50 bones its not so bad, and i'm trying to stay cheap.
Walk the town of West Yellowstone; it is just like the Wisconsin Dells (sorry for west coasters.
I debated the comic value of taking a picture with Annie in one of those black and white sets where you dress up in old clothing. I'd make annie wear a top hat, but that would violate Rule # 28 in the world of Delta Whiskey: Pets don't get dressed up in clothing. Ever.
I eat dinner at local cheeseburger place (shocker).
I'm underdressed so decide to put pants on and take annie for a hike
Annie and I walk, she has a #2 that looked like a #1
I worry again about Annie's health, decide I need to take advantage of proximity to yellowstone park (across the street from my hotel)
Get Annie in car, drive through Yellowstone at sundown
Run in to another pack of Bison, very close to the car. Some great photos and videos.
Drive to Old Faithful
Watch Old Faithful erupt at 9:10 PM.
Drive back to West Yellowstone
Write Blog
Between the Ears:
I decided I'll have two more nights on the road; three if it gets impossible to make it in two. There are two reasons for the self imposed end of the line: money and Annie.
First, it doesn't take Alan Greenspan to realize that it costs money to travel across the country. Hotel rooms, Gas, meals, etc. may sound like it would be cheap, but its about $120 a day. For those new to the Adventures in my world, my career is a bit up in the air, and I need to be smart about not burying myself in a hole.
In terms of Annie, I'm about a 4 on a scale of 1 - 10 in terms of how worried I am about her health. She has been drinking (water, you sickos), and has been eating, but the puking and runny poop are making me think I should get moving towards Chicago a little quicker.
Believe me, I'd love to stay out here for more time, but its not such a bad thing: I have a HUGE highlight waiting at the end of this vacation. Returing to a kick ass city, approaching the peak summer months, means a loooong list of other things I'd like to have some money to be able to do (i.e., golf, Cubs, travel w/ sis and family to Fla) so I'm trying to be mindful about blowing too much on my travels back.
But in the meantime, today was a kick-ass day. Bozeman was a cool little college town, living in one of those towns sounds so appealing--the pace of life is just quick enough to have 'urban' things, yet slow enough so you don't have to feel rushed or overwhelmed by its size.
I decided I'd make West Yellowstone tonight's destination, and as you saw in the highlights its not much of a town. It has the fudge shops, t-shirt stores, etc., that you'll find in the Wisconsin Dells, Daytona Beach, or any of those kinds of towns. But its one redeeming quality is the proximity to the park.
After dinner I had a choice: either head to Ashton for a rodeo at 8 PM or head in to the park for some dusk viewing of the wildlife, geysers, and scenery. I chose to head in to the park; and although the rodeo would have been a great chance for pictures/stories, Old Faithful beats the Rodeo.
I had another great Bison run-in on the way to Old Faithful. Once again, guys, gals, and their kids (a baby Bison is a calf? is that correct?) were within feet from the car and there's video for that one.
The other nutty experience was watching Old faithful blow the top. For starters, its crazy how its not sectioned off. I'm not saying all People are dumb, but I could see some jackass trying to run under it like a fountain at Grant Park. But then again, its nice to not have a bunch of manmade stuff around the Geyser, and hopefully people have a shred of intelligence not to walk near it.
But idiots aside, it was a very cool experience to watch Old Faithful explode as the sun was going down on the day. I'd describe it like this...
-Steam begins to come out of the ground (like chimneys from hell)
-Steam volume picks up
-Ground Rumbles
-Steam turns to water
-Earth belches twice with water coming up about 20 feet high
-Water explodes up to about 80 feet high, with steam
I think its hard to describe being there and feeling the earth rumbling under your feet, the sounds, even smells of Sulfur in the air. I have video and I'll get it up here eventually.
It was also very cool that it happened with not much of a crowd around. Its chilly up here; temps are in the 40s, down in to the 30's at night, and with kids still in school it really is a great time to be travelling like I am.
So tomorrow its off to see more of Yellowstone. My big dilemma is fitting in the Grand Tetons AND the NE corner of Yellowstone, but I'll figure it out and my guess is I'll be somewhere in Central to Eastern Wyoming tomorrow.
Til then, do something fun this weekend,
D
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