Day 11 - Crescent City

Monday, July 9, 2007
Driving start: 8:30 am PDT, Burns, OR
Driving stop: 6:30 pm PDT, Crescent City, CA
State(s): OR, CA
Crash pad: Americas Best Value Inn, RM228 (pets allowed)
Total road time: 10 hrs

We spent the first hour of this trip driving through smoke. We didn't actually see the fire so can't say where it was.

Klamath Lake, OR



Did you know that there is an Agricultural Inspection point at the California border? Keith was worried for the cat, Schefflera and the item in the trailer from ID. After checking online the night before, we found that all items would be okay. Turns out the station was closed for the day.

Driving through Giant Redwoods, CA



"Don't be a crab. Eat one." --Fisherman's Restaurant billboard advertisement where we had dinner

Day 10 - Burns

Sunday, July 8, 2007
Driving start: 8:30 am MDT, Idaho Falls, ID
Driving stop: 6:30 pm PDT, Burns, OR *new time zone*
State(s): ID, OR
Crash pad: Days Inn, RM218 (no pets)
Total road time: 11 hrs

On the property of Idaho National Lab (formerly Idaho National Engineering Laboratory). This is the area Keith was taken to for nuclear training (buildings not pictured).



Craters of the Moon National Monument in ID








This guy could have been a candidate for the Darwin Awards at the Spatter Cones.



Snow at the bottom of Spatter Cones.



Boy Scouts Cave, one of many lava caves. Don't forget to take flashlights to see the icicles in these cool caves.





Syd is sworn in as a Craters of the Moon Junior Ranger.



What are Keith and Syd putting into the trailer in Boise, ID?



Arrived to the smell of smoke in the air in Burns, OR. A good thing we stopped because Wildfires closed some of the highway ahead.

Syd's favorite hotel feature.



"1864 - Great must have been the relief of the volcano, powerful the emetic, that poured forth such a mass of black vomit. - Julius Caesar Merrill, Emigrant" --Craters of the Moon blurb

Day 9 - Yellowstone

Saturday, July 7, 2007
Driving start: sunrise
Driving stop: sunset
State(s): ID, MT, WY

Tourists for a day.

Keith got us up early for this adventure. However, it was worth it!

Sightings: ravens (Keith's favorite), bison, moose, osprey, bald eagles (fledglings)



We started our loop tour of Yellowstone National Park from the West Entrance. First stop was a Trumpeter Swans habitat along the Madison river.



Gibbon Falls



Pick up sticks



Artists Paintpots - loved this section the best so far!

"Warning - In thermal areas the ground may be only a thin crust above boiling hot springs or scalding mud. There is no way to guess a safe path: new hazards can bubble up overnight, and some pools are acidic enough to burn through boots. More than a dozen people have been scalded to death and hundreds badly burned and scarred."







This bubbling brew was the best!



Virginia Cascade



The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone



Lower Falls







Mud Volcano



"Warning - Many visitors have been gored by buffalo. Buffalo can weigh 2000 pounds and sprint at 30 miles per hour three times faster than you can run. These animals may appear tame but are wild, unpredictable, and dangerous. Do no approach buffalo."



After we took a photo of the sitting buffalo, Syd and I witnessed a buffalo crossing. We slowly backed away as it lumbered across the street. A second buffalo decided to cross the street and took a break midway. He stopped traffic going both directions. Everyone held their breath waiting to see what he would do. Fortunately, he continued to cross the street without giving us a look.



Lunch at Lake Village General Store. Summer interns from Hong Kong and Columbia manned the counters.

Old Faithful - so where is it?



About 40 minutes later... There was more to this. It actually got pretty high. This is just a snapshot of the start of video footage which I will post later.



We were pelted with intermittent hail storms on our way back to the hotel. Other than these hail episodes we've had good driving weather.

Syd: grumble grumble grumble (while walking down a switchback trail to see the Lower Falls)
Keith: C'mon Syd. You have to sweat a little for the good things in life.

"Bubble bubble toil and trouble..." --Shakespeare

Day 8 - Idaho Falls

Friday, July 6, 2007
Driving start: 8:30 am MDT, Bozeman, MT
Driving stop: 3:00 pm MDT, Idaho Falls, ID
State(s): MT, ID
Crash pad: Comfort Inn, RM109 (pets allowed)
Total road time: 7.5 hrs

Willy was alright this morning. He spent last night in the van (more familiar territory) as the hotel did not allow pets.

As we drove through MT our animal sightings included a bald eagle, steer and pinto horses (the brown/white ones Bev Doolittle uses in her paintings).

Made a pitstop at the Lewis and Clark Canyon Reservoir where we noticed these huge-headed dandelions. Syd could not resist. She plucked one and made a big blow.





We lunched at Jan's Cafe in Lima, MT which was a railroad town in the past.



The view before entering the Continental Divide.



Landed in Keith's old stomping grounds, Idaho Falls. At age 19, Keith the U.S. Navy stationed him here to attend nuclear power school proto-type training.









Keith's first home away from home.







Here is the side window where his next door neighbor fangirl tried to climb through as he took a shower. (You'll have to ask him about this story.)



As we drove through the neighborhood there were some unusual looking houses set into the ground. Keith mentioned that these homes are the norm as the insulation is better for the weather out here. These houses remind me of hobbit homes.



We ended the evening at Wasabi Sushi in the historical downtown of Idaho Falls. Syd was feeling sushi-ish last night but we didn't have time to search for one. Wasabi Sushi turned out pretty good. Loved their soft-shell crab spider roll.

Unusual sightings: a dwarf and a giant

Day 7 - Bozeman

Thursday, July 5, 2007
Driving start: 8:45 am MDT, Rapid City, SD
Driving stop: 8:45 pm MDT, Bozeman, MT
State(s): SD, WY, MT
Crash pad: Microtel, RM300 (no pets)
Total road time: 12 hrs

520 miles - most miles traveled in a day
2250 total miles traveled to date

Started the day with the wrath of Willy. During the drive back from Dakota Hills Veterinary Clinic, Willy released the most powerful piss in his carrier. The lethal smell tainted both the car and van. Windows were most definitely open for the first part of this day's road trip.

Oooh, spotted kangaroo roadkill. Poor thing must have been and escapee from the nearby Roo Ranch.

We passed famous motorcycle town Sturgis, SD. However, most motorcyclists were headed towards Billings, MT for a rally. Found this out when we tried to acquire lodgings for the evening. Places were booked. We had to trudge on to the next town - Bozeman, MT.

Also passed Deadwood, SD which we didn't have time to visit this time around. Instead, I started reading the novel Deadwood by Pete Dexter which tells the tale of Wild Bill Hickock who lived in Deadwood for awhile.

We entered the red road of Wyoming and spotted buffalo and elk in the fields. A painted bull was a fun sculpture at a Moorcroft, WY gas stop.





Long coal trains lumbered along. Saw an open pit mine. The colors of earth are so vibrant - red, grey and black.

Lunched at the Breadboard in Buffalo, WY. A mini train set encircled the room from above although is wasn't running. The owner seems to have a good sense of humor. As customers wait for lunch orders, they can be tickled by framed pictures posted around the sandwich counter. Pictures of various celebrities (Shrek, Captain Jack Sparrow, etc) were superimposed onto a background of the sandwich counter. Syd was the first to see Hagrid from the Harry Potter series.

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument



Beautiful landscapes and mountainscapes were enjoyed through these three states - SD, WY and MT.

"Any weather's Pepsi Weather! More Bounce to the Ounce" --Pepsi Cola ad from the 50's on wall of Applebee's restaurant where we ended the day