We elected to drive the fastest route to Denver in order to get our rental car back in time. I'd hoped to take a more scenic route through Ouray and the Eisenhower tunnels, but due to the car rental time, I agreed the faster route is best.
Not a lot of significant things to report about today. We ate lunch in Fairplay Colorado at a Subway today which brings me to my promised rant...
Colorado has gone to pot... Every town, no matter how small, has its own recreational marijuana dispensary now. You can spot the green cross logo (think red cross logo, except with a green cross) on some building in each town. Let's be clear... Everyone is entitled to their opinion on the legalization of pot, the pros, and cons, the good and bad. It became comical to see the potheads, and I truly mean potheads, in both Durango and in Fairplay. These kids (21+) work at the fast food places and honestly couldn't get your order right if they had to. It was ridiculous. I may post again later about this with some specific stories... Long story short, Durango is not a place I want to spend time with my family anymore. I can't recommend the town other than to ride the train.
We made it to Denver around 3pm, checked into our hotel, and emptied our rental car. Dad and I went and filled it up with fuel, cleaned it, and took it back. We were back to the hotel by 5pm. We ate a Ruby Tuesday then off to bed for an early flight back to Atlanta.
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Day 12: A Train, A Train
This is the day we've all been waiting for; the icing on the cake, our steam train ride from Durango to Silverton.
We started out eating breakfast at McDonald's. We parked at the lot next door, with McDonald's conveniently located in between the lot and the train depot. Time for another side-bar... We thought we were being so smart by getting a VRBO rather than staying at the Best Western right next to the train station, economically we seem to have broke even, but next time we'll just stay next door (details to follow).
The train ride (as expected) was awesome. Our seats were on one of the enclosed coaches. Sarah and I learned on our last trip to Silverton on the train (June 2014) that it can get very cold. We all dressed warm and were thankful for the enclosed car, especially when it sleeted/snowed and rained in Silverton. We ate lunch in Silverton at a small buffet, walked the town, then came back down the mountain. Sadie sat with her daddy the entire trip and when asked, later on, daddy said that was his favorite part. We saw some elk on the way down the mountain and the conductor said it was rare to see them this late in the year.
A couple of interesting notes about the train ride. The trip goes alongside the Animas River. The conductor said the river was as high as they had seen it in many years. The high river was attributed to the large snowfall this past winter. We saw a significant amount of snow near the tracks. Secondly, after some investigation, we found out that each train now has a service team following it with fire fighting equipment. This is due to a fire caused by the railroad last year.
Anyway, back in Durango we decided on pizza at Home Slice pizza. That place is a disaster, (another rant coming, be prepared). You can look up my review on Trip Advisor, it was not good. Sarah and I ended up going to the local Kroger, picking up stuff to make chicken Alfredo and cooking it at the house. Mom, dad, and Jenn got their pizza and ate at the restaurant, we weren't so lucky. I think I'll leave the rant about the state of Colorado to tomorrow's post.
On to Denver tomorrow, it will be our last driving day.
We started out eating breakfast at McDonald's. We parked at the lot next door, with McDonald's conveniently located in between the lot and the train depot. Time for another side-bar... We thought we were being so smart by getting a VRBO rather than staying at the Best Western right next to the train station, economically we seem to have broke even, but next time we'll just stay next door (details to follow).
The train ride (as expected) was awesome. Our seats were on one of the enclosed coaches. Sarah and I learned on our last trip to Silverton on the train (June 2014) that it can get very cold. We all dressed warm and were thankful for the enclosed car, especially when it sleeted/snowed and rained in Silverton. We ate lunch in Silverton at a small buffet, walked the town, then came back down the mountain. Sadie sat with her daddy the entire trip and when asked, later on, daddy said that was his favorite part. We saw some elk on the way down the mountain and the conductor said it was rare to see them this late in the year.
A couple of interesting notes about the train ride. The trip goes alongside the Animas River. The conductor said the river was as high as they had seen it in many years. The high river was attributed to the large snowfall this past winter. We saw a significant amount of snow near the tracks. Secondly, after some investigation, we found out that each train now has a service team following it with fire fighting equipment. This is due to a fire caused by the railroad last year.
Anyway, back in Durango we decided on pizza at Home Slice pizza. That place is a disaster, (another rant coming, be prepared). You can look up my review on Trip Advisor, it was not good. Sarah and I ended up going to the local Kroger, picking up stuff to make chicken Alfredo and cooking it at the house. Mom, dad, and Jenn got their pizza and ate at the restaurant, we weren't so lucky. I think I'll leave the rant about the state of Colorado to tomorrow's post.
On to Denver tomorrow, it will be our last driving day.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Day 10: The Canyons
Today we're making it up as we go. Our original plan was to have spent the night in Orem, Utah. Since we went to Jackson Hold a day early, we decided not to stop in Orem, but to keep going. We made it all the way to Cedar City Utah. By making this change, we were able to go further south.
We started our day at the Abby Inn in Cedar City. It's a nice place, maybe a little dated, but the owners have put a lot into it to make it a great place to stay. After breakfast, we hit the road headed south to Arizona. We took the time to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Sadie is starting to feel better, but I ended up carrying her most of the way. We picnicked at the North Rim and had a great lunch. It was much warmer than it has been being, so everyone was exhausted when we left.
We hadn't thought about it earlier, but I decided to get Sadie a National Park Passport at the Grand Canyon. She started her stamps there; I only wish I had thought about it at Yellowstone and the Tetons.
After we left the grand canyon, we headed back north to Utah and to Bryce Canyon. We just made a quick stop there, it was very crowded and we didn't have time to do any hiking. It's a great place to visit and I'd like to go back and hike some. I'd also like to go back to the Grand Canyon and hike rim-to-rim, but not sure that will ever happen; one can dream.
We at supper at the Cowboy's Smokehouse in Panguitch Utah. It's a neat little place and I'd happily eat there again. The ribs and Brisket could have been more tender, but it was still a great place.
We drove on to Richfield Utah for the night at stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites. Good day and all were tired.
We started our day at the Abby Inn in Cedar City. It's a nice place, maybe a little dated, but the owners have put a lot into it to make it a great place to stay. After breakfast, we hit the road headed south to Arizona. We took the time to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Sadie is starting to feel better, but I ended up carrying her most of the way. We picnicked at the North Rim and had a great lunch. It was much warmer than it has been being, so everyone was exhausted when we left.
We hadn't thought about it earlier, but I decided to get Sadie a National Park Passport at the Grand Canyon. She started her stamps there; I only wish I had thought about it at Yellowstone and the Tetons.
After we left the grand canyon, we headed back north to Utah and to Bryce Canyon. We just made a quick stop there, it was very crowded and we didn't have time to do any hiking. It's a great place to visit and I'd like to go back and hike some. I'd also like to go back to the Grand Canyon and hike rim-to-rim, but not sure that will ever happen; one can dream.
We at supper at the Cowboy's Smokehouse in Panguitch Utah. It's a neat little place and I'd happily eat there again. The ribs and Brisket could have been more tender, but it was still a great place.
We drove on to Richfield Utah for the night at stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites. Good day and all were tired.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Day 9: Driving
Sadie woke up feeling a little better this morning. We decided to start a little later to give her a chance to settle in and make sure she was up for the ride. We got on the road around 7:30. We stopped at McDonald's again and then hit the small supermarket for some children's Tylenol.
We planned for today to be a driving day, so not much to report as far as sights. We drove down the Idaho side of the Tetons, through Salt Lake City (which is HUGE). We stopped for lunch around 1:00 and then stayed on the road. It's easy to cover some miles at 80mph (that's exactly 347 kph for our Canadian friends - sarcasm... I'm still ill over the Canadian rest areas).
We drove to Cedar City Utah today which is somewhere around 550 miles from West Yellowstone. We at Mexican food for supper at Brody's Mexican Restaraunt. It was good, but just okay service. We had ice cream at sub-zero, ran to Walmart, then in for the night. Though everyone but me slept today on the road, I think we're all tired.
Not much else to report for today... Tomorrow, we're doing some great adventuring though! I can't wait to report on it!
We planned for today to be a driving day, so not much to report as far as sights. We drove down the Idaho side of the Tetons, through Salt Lake City (which is HUGE). We stopped for lunch around 1:00 and then stayed on the road. It's easy to cover some miles at 80mph (that's exactly 347 kph for our Canadian friends - sarcasm... I'm still ill over the Canadian rest areas).
We drove to Cedar City Utah today which is somewhere around 550 miles from West Yellowstone. We at Mexican food for supper at Brody's Mexican Restaraunt. It was good, but just okay service. We had ice cream at sub-zero, ran to Walmart, then in for the night. Though everyone but me slept today on the road, I think we're all tired.
Not much else to report for today... Tomorrow, we're doing some great adventuring though! I can't wait to report on it!
Day 8: Jackson Hole
We tried for an early start this morning; we knew we'd have to in order to beat the crowds at Old Faithful. We stopped at McDonald's for a quick breakfast, then into the park. The businesses have a hard time finding workers during the peak season, so places like McDonald's have to find foreign workers to staff their stores. It's borderline humorous to watch the foreign workers deal with the many different American dialects... Anyway, I digress...
We stopped at Grand Prismatic Spring for a quick hike, then on to Old Faithful. We beat most of the crowd, but the geyser went off just as we were walking up so we didn't get to see it. We decided to wait until the next eruption. We stopped by the visitors center to kill some time, then Sarah, Sadie, and I walked around the geyser basin. Sadie was a trouper and walked most of it by herself. We knew what time Old Faithful was supposed to go off again +/- 13 minutes. We got back just in time because it went off around 20 minutes early.
In an effort to gain time tomorrow and the next day, we decided to go on to Jackson Hole and the Tetons. That's always a pleasant trip. They were doing a raptor show at the visitor center at Jackson Hole and Sadie loved seeing the owls, hawks, and eagles. We had a picnic lunch while we were at the visitor's center. We did a quick tour of the town, then back through the Tetons to Yellowstone.
We stopped by the mud volcanos which Sadie was really looking forward to. She liked seeing them but hated the smell. I haven't mentioned it yet, but we've noticed the park has had a lot of rain and snow run-off, so there is a lot of water. The mud volcanos and all the pools have been full and running over.
On our way up to the waterfalls, Sadie started complaining of a headache (which she never has before). We suspected she was just getting tired because we walked so much. We made the waterfalls a quick stop, then headed back to West Yellowstone. Sadie was not feeling well and let us all know the entire trip back.
To save time, we decided to eat at the Buffalo Bar. While dad was carrying Sadie in, she couldn't take in and threw up right as they walked in. I took her and Sarah back to the hotel and came back to pick up mom and dad. Sarah and I placed a to-go order. I don't think any of us thought the food or service was any good.
It was a late night trying to wash clothes. Sarah and I got two loads done and Jenn got one. We are all tired and frazzled. We're going to get Sadie some children's Tylenol for the fever and maybe some pedia-lax in the tomorrow.
We stopped at Grand Prismatic Spring for a quick hike, then on to Old Faithful. We beat most of the crowd, but the geyser went off just as we were walking up so we didn't get to see it. We decided to wait until the next eruption. We stopped by the visitors center to kill some time, then Sarah, Sadie, and I walked around the geyser basin. Sadie was a trouper and walked most of it by herself. We knew what time Old Faithful was supposed to go off again +/- 13 minutes. We got back just in time because it went off around 20 minutes early.
In an effort to gain time tomorrow and the next day, we decided to go on to Jackson Hole and the Tetons. That's always a pleasant trip. They were doing a raptor show at the visitor center at Jackson Hole and Sadie loved seeing the owls, hawks, and eagles. We had a picnic lunch while we were at the visitor's center. We did a quick tour of the town, then back through the Tetons to Yellowstone.
We stopped by the mud volcanos which Sadie was really looking forward to. She liked seeing them but hated the smell. I haven't mentioned it yet, but we've noticed the park has had a lot of rain and snow run-off, so there is a lot of water. The mud volcanos and all the pools have been full and running over.
On our way up to the waterfalls, Sadie started complaining of a headache (which she never has before). We suspected she was just getting tired because we walked so much. We made the waterfalls a quick stop, then headed back to West Yellowstone. Sadie was not feeling well and let us all know the entire trip back.
To save time, we decided to eat at the Buffalo Bar. While dad was carrying Sadie in, she couldn't take in and threw up right as they walked in. I took her and Sarah back to the hotel and came back to pick up mom and dad. Sarah and I placed a to-go order. I don't think any of us thought the food or service was any good.
It was a late night trying to wash clothes. Sarah and I got two loads done and Jenn got one. We are all tired and frazzled. We're going to get Sadie some children's Tylenol for the fever and maybe some pedia-lax in the tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Day 7: Awesome Day
We made our start today in Billings Montana. We all seemed to sleep well and had a good breakfast. After a short stop at Walmart for much lunch supplies and ice, we were on the road.
We stopped again in Red Lodge Montana to fuel up and grab a few snacks (Sadie wanted some doughnuts, so guess who gave in...). On to the Beartooth Pass.
We've only been into Yellowstone through the Beartooth Pass one other time. We are convinced this it the prettiest way into the park. I don't intend on going any other way again. There is one small caveat to using this entrance, you have to be okay with narrow roads and heights.
We made a stop at one pull off where the chipmunks begged for snacks and would almost crawl on you to get them. Sadie received much joy by throwing small snowballs at us all.
The thing about the Beartooth is, once you think you are near the top, you really aren't. We thought we were close to the top once we hit snow, but then kept on going. There is a ski lift near the top, and sure enough, there were many people skiing. It is kind of wild to see people skiing in the middle of June, especially off the side of a really steep mountain.
Once we reached the summit, Sarah and I walked about half a mile to the true peek where we had an unencumbered 360-degree view of the mountains... It was spectacular. I think the peak is somewhere around 11,000 ft. We even got snowed on while we sat on the summit taking pictures and met a small mountain rodent called a Pika who lives at the summit and comes out to meet guests.
On the way down, we stopped at "The Top of the World" where we used to the outhouse. Even though this was a small latrine, it was Amazingly much better than any we experienced in Canada... (Yes, we're still ill about the Canadian "Rest Areas").
As we were leaving the "Top of the World", it started to snow/sleet/hail. It made the hood of the car white, along with the road. We drove in this winter wonderland for nearly 30 minutes.
It was late (1:30) before we got down the mountain to a good spot for a picnic. We stopped, but the mosquitos were bad, so we ate quick. On our way down the mountain, we saw a pretty good sized bull moose and stopped for some videos and pictures.
Once in Yellowstone, we went to tower falls first, then to the Roosevelt Gate. If you haven't had your picture made at the Roosevelt Gate, it's worth the short trip from Mammoth Hot springs. While at Mammoth, we saw plenty of elk wandering around and enjoyed climbing the thermal feature's boardwalk.
We saw another bear on the road in Yellowstone and plenty of Buffalo.
We at supper at Firehole BBQ which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It certainly lived up to our expectations! I'd recommend it and can't wait to go back.
We're staying at a condo Jenn found on VRBO and are looking forward to being here for two nights.
We stopped again in Red Lodge Montana to fuel up and grab a few snacks (Sadie wanted some doughnuts, so guess who gave in...). On to the Beartooth Pass.
We've only been into Yellowstone through the Beartooth Pass one other time. We are convinced this it the prettiest way into the park. I don't intend on going any other way again. There is one small caveat to using this entrance, you have to be okay with narrow roads and heights.
We made a stop at one pull off where the chipmunks begged for snacks and would almost crawl on you to get them. Sadie received much joy by throwing small snowballs at us all.
The thing about the Beartooth is, once you think you are near the top, you really aren't. We thought we were close to the top once we hit snow, but then kept on going. There is a ski lift near the top, and sure enough, there were many people skiing. It is kind of wild to see people skiing in the middle of June, especially off the side of a really steep mountain.
Once we reached the summit, Sarah and I walked about half a mile to the true peek where we had an unencumbered 360-degree view of the mountains... It was spectacular. I think the peak is somewhere around 11,000 ft. We even got snowed on while we sat on the summit taking pictures and met a small mountain rodent called a Pika who lives at the summit and comes out to meet guests.
On the way down, we stopped at "The Top of the World" where we used to the outhouse. Even though this was a small latrine, it was Amazingly much better than any we experienced in Canada... (Yes, we're still ill about the Canadian "Rest Areas").
As we were leaving the "Top of the World", it started to snow/sleet/hail. It made the hood of the car white, along with the road. We drove in this winter wonderland for nearly 30 minutes.
It was late (1:30) before we got down the mountain to a good spot for a picnic. We stopped, but the mosquitos were bad, so we ate quick. On our way down the mountain, we saw a pretty good sized bull moose and stopped for some videos and pictures.
Once in Yellowstone, we went to tower falls first, then to the Roosevelt Gate. If you haven't had your picture made at the Roosevelt Gate, it's worth the short trip from Mammoth Hot springs. While at Mammoth, we saw plenty of elk wandering around and enjoyed climbing the thermal feature's boardwalk.
We saw another bear on the road in Yellowstone and plenty of Buffalo.
We at supper at Firehole BBQ which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It certainly lived up to our expectations! I'd recommend it and can't wait to go back.
We're staying at a condo Jenn found on VRBO and are looking forward to being here for two nights.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Day 6: Back in the USA
We knew today would just be a day of driving and were ready to be back in the US. Canada is always nice and clean, the people are friendly, and its a great place to visit; we were just ready to be back. You eventually get tired of km/h, km to your destination, liters of fuel, bad radio reception, no cell phone service, etc...
We started a little later this morning because Jenn and Sadie wanted to swim. The hotel had a waterslide and Jenn was going to swim or bust. Neither Jenn nor Sadie went down the waterslide, but I put Sadie on the bottom and she enjoyed sliding down the last bit at the bottom. Dad tried to get a picture, but someone came down right as he walked by and completely soaked him. We all had a great laugh at his expense.
After dad cleaned up and we were all packed we hit the road again. We made it to the border a little later than we hoped and we were starved. We got rid of the last of our fruits and veggies before we crossed, so we didn't have a lot for a picnic. After we crossed back into the US, we went on to Shelby Montana for lunch at a Subway.
Our destination was to be Great Falls Montana at the Super 8. I went into check-in to find they had no reservation under my name. I went back through my email and discovered I'd reserved for the previous night! I have never been so happy that I screwed up! This hotel was ROUGH looking and after seeing it, I'm not sure I wouldn't have gone on anyway. We loaded back up, made a stop for gas, then were on our way!
We regrouped and decided to head on to get closer to Yellowstone and came on down to Billings Montana. Since it was Fathers day, we went to the Texas Roadhouse for supper and most had steaks. We stayed next door at the Springhills suits (which was awesome)! Sadie loved the room and insisted on sleeping on the couch, that means Sarah and I each got a queen bed to ourselves. We love each other, but when you're used to sleeping in a King sized bed, it's hard for two people to sleep well in a queen.
We started a little later this morning because Jenn and Sadie wanted to swim. The hotel had a waterslide and Jenn was going to swim or bust. Neither Jenn nor Sadie went down the waterslide, but I put Sadie on the bottom and she enjoyed sliding down the last bit at the bottom. Dad tried to get a picture, but someone came down right as he walked by and completely soaked him. We all had a great laugh at his expense.
After dad cleaned up and we were all packed we hit the road again. We made it to the border a little later than we hoped and we were starved. We got rid of the last of our fruits and veggies before we crossed, so we didn't have a lot for a picnic. After we crossed back into the US, we went on to Shelby Montana for lunch at a Subway.
Our destination was to be Great Falls Montana at the Super 8. I went into check-in to find they had no reservation under my name. I went back through my email and discovered I'd reserved for the previous night! I have never been so happy that I screwed up! This hotel was ROUGH looking and after seeing it, I'm not sure I wouldn't have gone on anyway. We loaded back up, made a stop for gas, then were on our way!
We regrouped and decided to head on to get closer to Yellowstone and came on down to Billings Montana. Since it was Fathers day, we went to the Texas Roadhouse for supper and most had steaks. We stayed next door at the Springhills suits (which was awesome)! Sadie loved the room and insisted on sleeping on the couch, that means Sarah and I each got a queen bed to ourselves. We love each other, but when you're used to sleeping in a King sized bed, it's hard for two people to sleep well in a queen.
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