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Yellowstone Journal 04 |
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Scott's Yellowstone trip Journal
7/9/04 Today is the day we leave for Yellowstone . Mom and I are rushing to get all the last minute stuff ready to go. However, we left too much stuff for last minute se everyone ended up forgetting something. It was about 4:15 and we thought we were all ready to go, so it was last chance to pee time. Well when dad's turn came he found discoloration on the ceiling in the bathroom by my room, plumbing was leaking. So he turned off the water while mom and I ran all the plants over to our neighbor's house (Wolf). I even drove the van alone even though I'm not supposed too. After that it was final time to leave, too bad it was 5 o'clock . No one had eaten yet so we stopped at McDonald's in St. Peter for burgers. Well everything was going fine until Interstate 94 when dad realized he had to ease up on driving after our 30 foot trailer stated waving back and forth pulling us from one lane to the other and back again. Not too long after that the warning light that reads “SERVICE ENGINE SOON” came on and was going on and off the rest of the way. We got to the Moorhead KOA about 10:30 set up camp for the night and went to bed.
7/10/04 Dad woke me up about 6 I think and said we was going to get ready and find a place to get the truck looked at, I hardly heard any of it because I was half asleep still. Next thing I know its 7:15 and the cell is ringing, Tom Musacchia called to tell us severe whether was coming our way. So mom and I got up got dressed and got picked up by Tom so if anything bad did get to us we would be in a house and not a trailer. Everyone spent the morning at their house. After everyone had breakfast and showered Matt mom and I went to the trailer to get lunch (sandwiches) made for Saturday lunch on the road. Finally dad returned with the truck and we hooked up the trailer and hit the road, too bad it was already noon . We stopped just after Jamestown for lunch at a way side rest and continued on. Well taveling by car can be long and sometimes even boring. Well to fix that Matt and I tried playing some chess but it was too bumpy, so we decided to play some poker instead. We didn't have any chips so we made up our own beats, and these were some weird beats. On one the loser had to cover himself in honey and find a grizzly bear, another was to dance to polka while singing lullabies. Bismarck was our next stop for gas. Well after the stop for gas well listened to some beatles and best of cher on my portable cd player's car kit. Then we came to the North Dakota bad lands, that's right ND isn't all flat farmland. We stoped at an over look and took some pictures and what not. After that was stopped in beach ND for supper then went all the way to miles city MT. We arrived about 9:45 mountain time, 10:45 central, we stayed the night at another KOA.
7/11/04 Well today started off a little better than yesterday, we got a very early start. Dad woke us up about 5:16 , of course he thought it was 6:15 . So the four of us took our time getting ready and we left the Miles city KOA about 7:30 . Two hours later we made a last minute decision to see The Little Bighorn Battlefield. That was about 45 minutes one way out of our way but it was really neat. We got there about 10 and looked on our own in the visiter center until about 11 when we took the tour. That lasted about an hour and we walk on ground where the major battle took place. After the tour we looked at the monuments then had our lunch. About 1 o'clock or so we finally hit the road again, and we realized that we didn't have to go all the back to interstate 94 the same way we came because interstate 90 meats up with interstate 94 near billings Montana . Well driving for today wasn't to exciting all we really didn't between bathroom breaks we either listened to music or conversed. However, at one point I had just fallen asleep (which is rare for me in cars) only to be waken up because dad realized the lights on the trailer were out. So I had to get out and make sure the plug was in all the way. One slight problem, the plug had fallen out somewhere along the way and had been dragging along the road. Well the plastic had been eaten right off by the road all the way to the metal teeth that made the connection work. So I had dad get out of the car and he plugged it in to find out if it still worked, and the only thing that didn't was the right running light on the trailer so not too big of a deal. At the next stop we toped of the tank with gas and bought some electric tape to make sure the plug stayed in. This stop was in Bozeman MT. We drove across town and stopped at another McDonald's for supper. At about 5:45 we left Bozeman for our last two hours of driving for the day. The scenery on this stretch was awesome. We were driving through the Gallatin Mountains . We pulled over at a look out and took some pictures then continued on our way. At about 7:50 we arrived at the KOA in the small town of West Yellowstone , just outside of Yellowstone National Park . Well this is a pretty big and pretty nice campground. They have a lot of things to offer such as a playground, basketball court, mini-golf (although its made of cement and pvc pipes), and a bunch of these peddle golf cart like things that anyone can use. After we got the trailer set up matt and I went down to shot some baskets. A little later a bunch of other kids came and we played some lightning until about 10 when I left, after that we had some s'mores and sat by the camp fire then it was off too bed.
7/12/04 Well today was an easy start; I even got to sleep in. Everyone got up when they wanted to so I was the last one up. Unfortunately I missed a shower because I slept too late. Once everyone had eaten we packed up and left for Yellowstone . We stopped at the sign and got some pictures, and stopped at a few look out spots along the way. We even managed to get some neat pictures of wildlife, such as bison and elk. We got to the camp were we had a reservation at only to find out that they had put us down for June not July. Luckily there was a cancellation and we were still able to get in. After we got our camp set up we took a break and planed most of the rest of the week, which I will talk about as stuff happens. Well after the planning was done it was only 3 o'clock so we went and saw the mud volcanoes. Then we got some more film, had supper, and filled the tank with gas. From there it was onto the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. This canyon was carved out by the Yellowstone River . At the beginning of the canyon (which we saw last) is a 308 foot waterfall. Now this canyon and water fall was really cool. I took about 20 pictures just of this area. By the time we were done with that it was after 9 already and time to head back to camp. On the way we got stuck for a short while because a small heard of bison decided to cross the road. We ended up getting back about 10 pm. Dad, Matt and I wrote in our journals then went to bed. Mom went to bed right away.
7/13/04 Well this morning was another early morning, dad got us up about 7 and by 8:30 we were on the road. We left the park of Yellowstone and went south to see the Grand Tetons. It was about 100 miles south of where we are camping. But with all the picture stops we made it seemed a lot longer. Especially since I was driving. We had found this road that went right along the base of the mountains. Now these mountains are cool because there are no foot hills. It goes from meadows or lakes or whatever to sudden mountains. About 8 miles down this road we stopped and grilled our lunch (polar sausage). After that we headed a little farther south to the small tourist trap of Jackson Hole Wyoming . We really didn't do much in Jackson Hole . Basically all we did was walk around the gift shops and art galleries. Mom and Dad bought this “really neat” picture. I however, was not with them at the time. Matt and I had gone off on our own. Well after all of us meat back together we mad our supper break and it was back on the road, this time coming back to the camp ground. Right near Yellowstone there was a lot of road construction; we hit that going both ways. Coming back however was a little slower. The construction area had grown. Once we got back into the park we made a brief stop at a general store and got a few groceries and some souvenirs. Then we came back to the trailer and pretty much sat around until we all went to bed.
7/14/04 Today was going to be another early day but we ended up taking to long and got a later start. Dad woke me up around 7, but by the time I got up it was 7:30 . It was almost 9 by the time we left and we hadn't even eaten yet. After we had eaten our first stop was the west thumb geyser basin. We barely made it in time for the tour. That was pretty neat because these geyser that where like 170 degrees were right on top of the lake. Some of them were even running of into the lake. Matt dropped his sun glasses off the trail by mistake so after the tour then park ranger got this garbage arm and retrieved his sun glasses. After that it was off to Old Faithful . The next eruption was about 40 minutes after we got there so we sat around waiting for that. It was pretty cool, the water got about 40 or so feet in the air. After that it was time for lunch. Dad had decided it was too hot to really go anywhere so matt and I went off by ourselves, although mom came with for a short while. When mom left we decided to do this mile hike up a small hill, it rose about 200-300 feet in elevation. I found out matt is in much better shape than me, I had to stop for a water break. After we got back down we walked the geyser loop and saw a few erupt, including Old Faithful again. By this time I was pretty tired out and needed a break, so we headed back to the building where mom and dad were going to be. When we got back to the building Old Faithful was about 20 minutes from another eruption. So Matt went to watch that and I went to find dad and a shady spot to sit. Well after seeing that third eruption dad and I found mom and matt and took off down the road. The rest of the day was pretty similar; basically all we saw were geysers. At about 6:30 we decided to find a place to eat only to find out that the next to areas for that sort of thing didn't have food, but we had to drive across the park anyway so we kept going. On the way we saw this male elk with a very large rack right next to the opposite side of the road, I got a picture through the window. Finally we got to place with food and ate, and then it was off to the camp ground again. Along the way we stopped to read this plaque. Well dad and I read this plaque then started to act like we saw animals out in the distance. So we started point and saying things like “I think I see one!” “he's right there!” and sure enough two cars pulled over and started looking around. We just got in the car and left. Finally about 9:30 we got back to camp and it was a usual night. Matt and I wrote in our journals and dad took a shower in our camper trailer shower. Then it was off to bed.
7/15/04 Well today was dad's birthday, he is now 51. Well today we kind of slacked a little, plus matt needed to do some laundry so we had to wait for him. We had pancakes for breakfast today after that we took of to see Mammoth Hot Springs. About half way there we stopped at the Norris geyser basin which was pretty neat. From there we went right to Mammoth Hot Springs. That was one of the neatest looking places I've seen yet. The water from the springs had made so really pretty colors on the side of the hills. Matt and I did the hike around that area by ourselves. Mom and Dad went farther north and saw Tower Falls . Matt and I didn't know this so we did a few things in town, like looking around at the gift shops. Then we started looking for Mom and Dad. I finally decided to check the food places to make sure they weren't eating without us. Right as I did this I saw them drive by. So we finally meat up and picked a spot for supper. After we ate we decided to just come straight back and have one early night home. There were three legs we had to drive to get back. The first was 21 miles, and there was hardly any traffic so we made good time. The next was 12 miles and the first half was pretty good then we got stuck behind some campers and were moving slow. Well right at the end of that leg there were two bull elk so we passed most of the line. The third leg went pretty good until the field with a lot of bison. Well they were crossing the road so we had to wait. However, I did get some good pictures. After that we had one last quarter mile stretch. Well there is this plaque we kept saying we should read so this time we got out and read it. After that we crossed fishing bridge, which we cross ever time we go somewhere. One slight problem, a bison was walking down the center of the opposite lane. We couldn't resist some pictures then, especially since it walked right next to our car. We finally got back to camp, and early enough for showers. After that I decided to give Jamie a call but the line was busy, I'm guessing she was online. So I went back to the trailer and hoped for and early bedtime. To bad I laid in bed awake for like two or three hours.
7/16/04 Today was ye another early start. We got up about 7 so we could eat and get to this boat tour by 9 am . Well we misjudged the driving distance by a lot and ended up getting there in like 15 minutes instead of 45. So we turned around and went part way back to look at a gift shop, then went back for the boat tour. The boat tour was pretty neat, we learned a lot about the history of the lake, which is huge, and different things like that. After the tour we came back to the Fishing Bridge area, Dad got a book and Matt got a shirt. Matt and I walked back because Mom and Dad went ahead, and as we passed by the office I tried calling Jamie again but sure enough it was busy. So when I got back to the trailer I helped get ready for travel, just the typical stuff. Then we went out for lunch and hit the road. Well traveling was just traveling until we hit the Big Horn mountain range which was just a few hours into the day. For about 8 or 9 miles we were going up at a 10% grade. Plus with the weight or our trailer we were only traveling at 10-20 mph. When we got to the top we were at 9430 feet above sea level, we were at about 3500 to start. During that time frame we saw some pretty cool scenery. The view was amazing. After that it was once again just driving through Wyoming . We made a supper stop at about 7:30 in some town that starts with an s (I'll fix that later). And again we just drove some more. By the time we got to the Devil's Tower KOA it was about 11:15 . By the time I got to bed it was almost 12:30 .
7/17/04 The day started with dad waking everyone up at 7. I, as usual, was the last one out but no the last one ready, also as usual. Once everyone was ready we took the 2 mile drive to the hike around Devil's tower. We had heard that there were 15 registered climbers for the day so as we went around we tried to find them all and sure enough we did. Along the way we meet this couple who were in there late 60s. They were pretty cool, a lot alike mom dad and I. Matt had gone ahead of us and it stayed that way most of the hike. After that we went back to the campsite, broke camp and headed for Mount Rushmore . We stopped for food in Spearfish SD and got back on the road by 2:45 . We got to the Mount Rushmore KOA around 3:25 . Well set up camp and decided that today was going to be our first relaxing night. Well by this time it was time for supper. Mom and Dad ate in the restaurant, and Matt and I ate in the trailer. After that I went to play basketball by myself and ended up playing 21 with like 4 other kids, I won. Then we went to a different court for a better net, and ended up playing like 7 on 7. Well around 10 pm I came back and dad and I had a camp fire. By the time I got to bed it was like midnight .
7/18/04 Today wasn't much different than most days, we got up around 7 or so had breakfast at this all you can eat pancake thing at the KOA finished getting ready and headed out. The first thing we did today was Crazy Hose. That was pretty neat. They had an intro movie, a nice sized museum, and even a bus ride to the base of the mountain. At the gift shop dad got 4 books written by a native of the same tribe as Crazy Horse and I got a t-shirt. By the time we left it was mid afternoon. From there we went to Mount Rushmore . That too was pretty neat. Before we saw the museum there we went on the Presidential trail or something like that. It was a .5 mile hike that went to the base of the mountain and back. We were able to get some neat views of the 4 Presidents. The after that we saw the museum. That had a short movie and a lot of stuff to see and read. Around 6 Dad said it was time to go so Matt and I didn't quite see everything. We decided to go back to the campground and figure out what to do for supper there. They had a restaurant as well as subway and a pizza place. Don't know what mom and dad did but matt and I went swimming first, we weren't very hungry. We tried the slide but it kind of sucked so we went to a regular pool. After we swam for a while we got out and had subs. Then we played some basketball. Matt went back a little early and I stayed playing one on one with a kid named josh from I think south Dakota but he has moved a lot kind of like me. Anyways he was 6 foot 5 and almost 15. Around 10:30 I went back and started a camp fire. Matt joined me but Dad did not. Once again Matt went in early and I was out there for like another 30 or so minutes. I went to bed around midnight . Everyone else was asleep.
7/ 19/04 Today dad got up a little early to get the oil changed on the truck.
7/20/04 Today we got up got ready to go and headed for the Theodore Roosevelt National Park . They have this like 30 mile loop you can drive around to see the park. That was pretty neat, it was in the North Dakota Badlands. Well we were almost done with the loops when we come around a corner to see a bison walking in the middle of our lane in the direction we were driving. Well there was nothing we could do but follow at the pace he was walking. Well after a long while of following the bison dad noticed that he was walking right on the edge of the road. Well dad told me to just pass him on the other lane slowly, so I did and we went back at a faster pace. When we got back we stopped for lunch then walked around town a little bit. Dad matt and I got some fudge, that was really good. Then we stopped in another shop and I got a t-shirt. After that we found mom and headed back to camp hooked up and left. Well we got about an hour down the road toward Fargo when the engine starts running funny. Well as dad pulled over it died. He got it started once but it died and that was it. So dad called 911, they got us the Highway Patrol who gave us the number of a place in Heron North Dakota, about 5-10 miles back. So the guy came and got us. That kinda sucked because he had three seat belts but five people. So mom sat on dads lap and matt was one mine. Not only was that massively uncomfortable but it was real awkward. The guy dropped us off at a hotel where we had to stay the night. So we walked to a restaurant for supper then walked back and sat around watching tv until bed which came around 11.
7/21/04 Today we got an unexpected wake up call around 9, the truck was done. So while dad paid for the truck and hotel room the rest of us got everything ready to go so we could hit the road. About 10:30 we hit the road, and to save time we had breakfast bars and pop tarts for breakfast in the car. Well we decided that today is the end of the trip. We will be dropping Matt of at his house around 3 or so, hopefully be out of Fargo by 4 and back in Madison lake by 10. Well we are right on my predicted schedule; we got to Fargo at 3:30 , visited awhile and left by 4. We stopped in Paynesville for supper. After that we were driving through some rain storms and saw a double rainbow. I've never seen a double rainbow before, so that was pretty cool. We got back to Madison Lake around 10 pm. Dad and I got the trailer in the driveway and unhooked it and that was it. We all went inside, mom and dad went to bed and I got online and talked with some friends until about 11:30 when I went to bed.
And in a nut shell that was my not so Family Vacation of July 2004. |
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