The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming and Montana– 7/25/11

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We left early this morning and headed towards Kalispell, MT. On the way out of the park we saw elk and buffalo. One buffalo was walking right down the yellow line towards our car! When we saw the elk, we saw a baby elk run out in front of a car and narrowly was missed. We drove 400 miles to Kalispell and got there around 3:30pm. We decided to get our oil changed since we have driven about 5200 miles since the oil change right before we left home. Surprisingly, the Toyota dealership was cheaper than any of the hourly oil change places. After the oil change, we went to Wal-Mart to refill some of Don’s prescriptions and buy some supplies. Since there was a Subway shop there too, we grabbed a couple of subs for dinner. We ate our dinner at the hotel while we did laundry. We feel like we accomplished a lot today and will be ready for a fresh start in the morning. Hopefully the weather will be nice and we will drive on the Going to the Sun road through Glacier NP.

What I Learned Today:
· Early morning is the best time to spot wildlife.
· It pays to call around and price oil changes. I would never have thought that the dealership would be the cheapest.
· It wasn’t hard to transfer prescriptions to the Wal-Mart as I expected.
· I take my own washer and dryer for granted when I’m hope and I really appreciate them when I have to do laundry when traveling.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/24/11

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We had a slow lazy day today. I was pretty sore from my tumble yesterday so we didn’t go any hiking. We walked around the Old Faithful complex and I bought souvenirs. We also watched a movie at the Visitor Center. Then we ate the lunch buffet in the dining room but we didn’t like it. The food only tasted mediocre and the cost was much too high. It cost $13.95 but I didn’t think the food was great at all. After lunch we drove to Madison and then back down to West Thumb. We spent the rest of the evening in lobby people watching.

Tomorrow morning we head towards Kalispell, MT and Glacier National Park.

What I Learned Today:

· The Yellowstone Hot Spot does not move.

· The land above the Hot Spot moves an inch every year which is why there are calderas from Nevada to here.

· The Yellowstone Caldera is the largest active caldera in the world.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/23/11

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Most of the day was spent hiking up to Mount Washburn. We hiked this years ago and I guess I forgot how hard it was. I would recommend this hike to everyone though because it was awesome. We had 360 degree views when we got to the fire tower.

Along the trail we saw a buffalo. Then as we hiked the steep trail, we saw lots of people stopped way ahead. Then we realized that a coyote was heading straight towards us and away from them. I dug out the bear spray and we picked up some rocks in case it got aggressive (before we started this hike we were told to report any aggressive coyotes on the trail) but it decided to get off the trail and go a different way. Further up the trail we saw a yellow bellied marmot and an eagle. Then we came across a huge group of bighorn sheep. As we continued to hike up we found another group. There were lots of little babies and they were playing in the snow. Then on the way down, we saw a lot more sheep in two different places. I guess we saw about 40-50 sheep today and Don had to hold me back from getting any of their wool to knit! Darn!

Of course not too far from the end, I took a tumble on the loose rocks and landed on my knee, hand, and hip. Nothing major was hurt but I’m sure I will be a little sore tomorrow.

For dinner, we decided to eat in the restaurant in the Old Faithful Inn. Both of us chose the prime rib dinner buffet for $25.95 and it was delicious. First we started with the red pepper gouda soup that was so tasty. There was a Caesar salad, twice baked potatoes, wild rice, green beans almandine, and stuffed mushrooms to go with the prime rib which melted in your mouth. I’m glad we decided to do this tonight.

What I Learned Today:

· I’m not as young as I used to be and that hiking up a mountain that I did ten years ago is much different now.

· Wild animals are not as afraid of people as we think. I guess the sheep are desensitized to tourists by now because we were able to walk on the trail to get by them and they didn’t run away.

· There is still a lot of snow in the higher elevations than I expected.

· As I get older, I need to be more careful walking down the mountains on loose rock.

· The views from the top of the mountain is something that is magical.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/22/11

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Today was an absolutely beautiful day! I woke up feeling so much better and everything we did was wonderful. After breakfast in our room (oatmeal and fruit and hot chocolate), we headed towards the Mammoth Hot Springs area. I was a little disappointed in the terraces because it is not how I remembered it. The last time we were here, they were glistening terraces of white, gold, and oranges but today they were white and gray. They seemed dead and inactive. After seeing this, I wondered if someday, Old Faithful might end up in the same condition and that we need to appreciate it while it is still erupting on a predictable schedule.

Then we ended up in Gardiner, MT for lunch at the Corral Drive In. Our hamburger baskets and 2 drinks cost $24 and the burgers were huge. Later we wished we had just gotten a $5 sub from Subway which would have satisfied us just as well. On the way back, we saw the Boiling River where we wanted to swim (the glacial waters join the hot springs water in the river) but it was closed because the water was too high. So, we headed towards the Tower area and saw the Tower falls (the end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone).

When we returned to the hotel, we sat out in the lobby and enjoyed the action all around us. For dinner, we had triscuits and cheese in our room.

Today we saw black bear, buffalo, elk, ground squirrels, and a grizzly bear!

What I Learned Today:

· Change happens whether we want it or not.

· Change can happen in our lifetime even if we don’t expect it.

· Some slow drivers are just inconsiderate and won’t pull off to the side so others can pass, even if there are signs reminding them to do so.

· Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service in 1916.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/21/11

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It was cold again this morning but pleasant. I woke up with a sore throat and a headache so we didn’t get much hiking done today. Instead we drove to Jackson, WY (2 hour drive from Old Faithful) and did some shopping as well as getting gas. It was 50 cents cheaper there than in the park. After lunch we drove to Jenny Lake and the loop road. On the way back to Old Faithful we stopped often to take pictures. We got back around 6pm.

What I Learned Today:

· The National Elk Refuge is outside of Jackson.

· Elk shed their antlers each season.

· The Indian Arts Museum at Colter Bay was exceptional.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/20/11

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It was nice and chilly this morning (43F when I got up but I heard it got down to 38F). We got up early and went to meet a ranger for a hike this morning. When we got there we found out that the original hike was changed due to bear activity in the area (this is where the hiker was killed a few weeks ago). We had a delightful hike and saw the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. I didn’t find out until later from friends that three people fell over these falls yesterday!

After the hike, we drove around and did some hiking to geysers and sightseeing spots. In the late afternoon we hiked to an observation point and both of us heard what we thought was a mountain lion growl. Needless to say, we continued on the trail quickly until we got to a safe area!

In the evening, we sat in the lobby of Old Faithful Inn and listened to the piano player. A fire was started and it was cozy way to spend the evening.

What I Learned Today:

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is 20 miles long.

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone only took thousands of years to form while the Grand Canyon took millions of years.

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is anywhere from 1500 – 4000 feet wide.

· It is a shame that people don’t follow rules like “stay behind the guard rails” and lose their lives by being swept over waterfalls.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/19/11

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We decided to eat breakfast in our room since the cost of food in the park is so outrageous. Using the coffee maker to boil water, we fixed our instant oatmeal (adding walnuts and fruit) and hot chocolate which filled us up. Then we headed for the Mystic Falls hike with the ranger.

We started out first thing seeing a snake! Then we hiked to the falls and then the ranger turned back but encouraged us to continue up the mountain to the overlook. It was pretty steep but well worth the view. By the time we got back to our car, it was lunch time. We drove to West Yellowstone, MT out of the west entrance to the park (14 miles from Madison) where we ate lunch, found a supermarket to refill some supplies and filled up with gas for 3.89 a gallon (it was 3.99 a gallon in the park.)

After lunch we headed up to Norris and did some hiking around the geysers and waterfalls. About 5pm it started to rain so we headed back to Old Faithful in time to get settled and then attend the ranger program on Yellowstone Art.

What I Learned Today:

· There are no poisonous snakes in Yellowstone.

· There are 900 geysers in the world and 500 of them are in Yellowstone.

· A 10 year old fell into one of the geysers and died one year.

· Big birds build their nests in the top of old snags.

· Mosquitoes are bad in Yellowstone this time of year.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/18/11

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We got up early and decided to have breakfast at the Geyser Grille only to find out that they didn’t open until 8 and it was 7am. So we decided to have a breakfast at a picnic table. Then we found out the mosquitoes were in full force and had to gulp down our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and run for the car.

At 9am, we met a ranger for a hike around Harlequin Lake. It was a fun hike. We saw a pair of osprey and their nest, a bald eagle, a red winged blackbird, a loon, a cormorant, and ground squirrels. After the hike we had a nice picnic lunch where there were no mosquitoes. Then we stopped along the ride back to walk around scenic geysers. At 4pm, we decided to do another hike around geysers in the Old Faithful area before joining a ranger on a hike at 5:30. We hiked on our own about 7pm to the Morning Glory geyser and then back to our hotel. We were too exhausted to even go find some dinner. We walked too many miles to count today and I hope we can get out of bed tomorrow!

Tomorrow we plan to do the Mystic Falls hike with the ranger and then do some more geyser hiking. That is, if we can still walk.

What I Learned Today:

· Rain that doesn’t reach the ground is called Verga

· Ospreys have a dihedral wing pattern which looks like they have elbows.

· Beavers come out at dusk and dawn.

· Blue dragonflies are called Bluets.

· Old Faithful is not the largest geyser.

· A geyser is predictable only if it has its own water source.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/17/11

For more pictures, click HERE

We left Cody and headed for Yellowstone this morning. First we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Dam which was awesome. A shuttle took us to the visitor center that had been blocked off to cars since 9/11. We were amazed how much water was being dropped from the dam.

After the dam, we drove to the park. It seemed like a long ride, maybe because we didn’t get much sleep last night. Don had bad leg cramps and I was miserably hot and too lazy to get up to turn on the air condition.

We arrived at the Old Faithful Inn and checked in. Our room was very nice but a little over priced at $170 per night. There is a bed that they claim is a Queen size but it seems like a Full size bed to us. There is no TV but it does have a private bath.

We saw Old Faithful erupt about 3 times while we checked out all the lodges, restaurants, and the visitor center. We checked out the ice cream shops at all 3 places in this area but the lines were ridiculous! They need to add more ice cream shops. We walked the geyser loop trail and it was pretty. After dinner we went to the ranger evening program. Then we sat outside on the upper porch to watch Old Faithful erupt one last time.

What I Learned Today:

· The colors of the mud pots are caused by iron sulfites, iron sulfates, and iron oxides.

· There are about 100 wolves in the park.

· The park was not as crowded as we expected.

· There are plenty of eating establishments available.

· There are plenty of ranger led activities each day all over the park.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Dam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/16/11

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Another day in Cody paradise!! Marci and her Boxer, Benny, picked us up around 10:30 and headed on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to the Top of the World (on the road to Red Lodge). There were tons of motorcycles but there were plenty of places to pull over and get great photos. There were magnificent views that are impossible to describe. After that we headed to Cooke City for lunch but it was too crowded to find a spot. So, we went on to Silver Gate and had lunch at the Log Cabin Café. After lunch we drove to Yellowstone Park to Lamar Valley. On the way we saw two black bear cubs and tons of buffalo. Two buffalo walked the middle of the road on the yellow line and headed right to our car! But they went around us without any harm to them or us. Then we went to Marci’s cabin on the river and it was beautiful. There also was a sweathouse that looked wonderful to use and was right on the river. We headed back to Cody and dropped Benny off at home with Mitch (and his brother and nephews) before heading to the Silver Dollar Bar for dinner and drinks. It truly was a wonderful day!

What I Learned Today:

· Snow with pink on top is caused by lichens.

· There are lots of buffalo in Yellowstone.

· Marci’s sweathouse is a sauna right on the river.

· Buffalo like to scratch against cars.

· There is still snow in the Beartooth Mountains.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Snow by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/15/11

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We had a glorious day in Cody, WY! We went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which consists of 5 different museums (admission $18 per person). It was a wonderful place and well worth the money. We went to a Bird of Prey presentation first and learned about birds of prey. Then we went through the Museum of Natural History. There was also a Firearms Museum with the best collection of firearms I have ever seen. There were about 2000 firearms displayed upstairs and another 1200 downstairs. When I asked one of the docents when the collection started, he said in 1916 and only half of them were displayed. We left to eat lunch and then returned to see the rest of the museum. We saw another presentation about Annie Oakly.

After the museum we went to the Sierra Outfitters Outlet store and Walmart. By then it was time to eat dinner and see the shootout at the Irma that happens nightly. After the shootout, we went to the nightly rodeo and had a wonderful time!

What I Learned Today:

· Golden Eagles can see a rabbit move from 2 miles away.

· Some vultures are not birds of prey.

· Birds of Prey have beaks that serve as their fork, knife, and spoon.

· Owls have feathers made in a way that makes their flight silent.

· Birds of Prey catch the food with their feet.

· Bulls can jump fences. (That was exciting to see!)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Steam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/14/11

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We left Thermopolis this morning and drove to Cody, WY which took about 2 hours. We checked with the Irma Hotel to see if they had a room for us because we were a day early and they did. But tomorrow we will need to move to the room we will have for the next 2 days. Then we walked around town and ended up at La Comida for lunch. After that we went back to the Irma to check in because they don’t allow check ins before 3pm. Then we went to the Silver Dollar Bar which is historic and we met a nice couple originally from Canada but were fulltime RVers now. At 6pm, Marci picked us up for dinner and took us to Cassie’s where her husband Mitch met us after work. The prime rib practically melted in our mouths! After dinner we drove around the town and saw how beautiful the area was. We saw deer and rabbits along the roads right into town. On Saturday we will spend the day at their cabin in the Beartooth Mountains.

What I Learned Today:

· Cody is a bigger town than Thermopolis.

· The Irma Hotel is on the national register of historic places and every evening the have a “gunfight” show in the street.

· Buffalo Bill built the Irma Hotel.

· Cassie’s was originally a house of ill repute in the days of Buffalo Bill.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Steam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/13/11

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We had another lazy day today in Thermopolis. We went to Hot Springs State Park and walked to the swinging bridge and some of the springs. Then we went back to the hot mineral pools at the Fountain of Youth RV Park and spent most of the morning there. Don spent most of the time in the water while I dipped in and out. We met a family who was originally from Paris and now living in Ohio but were on vacation. They are heading to Yellowstone too so we might cross paths again. After lunch at Butch’s in Kirby, we decided to go find a Laundromat and do some laundry. Then we drove around some more until we were tired. We tried to visit Lucy’s Sheep Camp so I could check out the fiber but it was closed.

What I Learned Today:

· I still remember some of my high school and college French when I practiced it on this French family.

· All mustards are not created equal. The one my hubby uses has no calories and the one at lunch had 45 calories.

· I am so thankful that I have my own washer and dryer at home.

· It is more fun to do laundry when you have company.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Steam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/12/11

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We had a lazy day today in Thermopolis. First we went to Hot Springs State Park and went into the hot mineral pool for 20 minutes (We were only allowed 20 minutes). Then we went to the pool at the RV Park which is owned by our hotel (Fountain of Youth). I wondered if we would come out looking younger like in the movie Cocoon. We spent the rest of the morning there and met a nice couple to talk to which was interesting. After lunch at McDonalds we drove through Wind River Canyon which was absolutely beautiful and ended up in Shoshoni, WY. Then we turned around and came back to Thermopolis.

What I Learned Today:

· People believe in the healing properties of the mineral springs.

· The sulfur in the water made it smell stinky even if it felt good.

· The actual spring water can be up to 130F.

· Canyons are beautiful to drive through.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: Fountain of Youth by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/11/11

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Don had terrible leg cramps all night long and I was up at 5am so we didn’t get much sleep last night. When I got out of the tent, I was surprised to see so many photographers with tripods taking pictures of the Devils Tower. The clouds were heavy over us and it rained a little during the night but they moved on and the sky got clearer by the time Don woke up. We packed up the tent and headed toward Thermopolis. We stopped at Donna’s Diner in Gilette for breakfast and a couple in a van next to us asked us about our Prius. The server was so friendly and we enjoyed talking to her! Then local people came up to Don and asked him about our Prius! The drive over the mountains was beautiful and we saw mountains with snow on them again. We arrived at some road construction and had to sit there for about 15 minutes so we talked to the man holding the stop sign about things to do in Thermopolis and places to eat. When we arrived in Thermopolis we ate lunch at the A&W diner/bowling alley where you called in your order on a phone located at the table. When your food is ready, they bring it out to you and you pay just like the old car hops did.

Then we drove around and explored. We went to Hot Springs State Park where the hot mineral springs are. We also drove to the buffalo pasture and saw the buffalo. It was very scenic. After dinner at our hotel, we called it an early night since we didn’t get much sleep last night.

What I Learned Today:

· Road construction workers are like tourist info centers and usually enjoy giving advice about a local area.

· Mom and Pop hotels can be cheaper and have better service than some of the chain hotels (the water pressure is great here! We also have a microwave, refrigerator, HDTV, and free wifi, with our king size bed for only $60.

· We have some awesome scenery in the USA!

· The mineral springs in Thermopolis is supposed to have some healing powers. (We shall see…)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Hot Springs State Park by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/10/11

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We drove about 6 hours today to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. The movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind was filmed here. It was amazing how big this huge geologic feature was! First we set up our tent at our campsite and then we hiked around the base of the tower. It was interesting how different it looked from different sides. While we hiked, we looked up and saw about 8 people rock climbing up the tower. I don’t think I have the strength, or the desire to do something like that.

After hiking, we went into Hulett for dinner at the Ponderosa and the meal was quite good. On the way back to the tower, we stopped and had an ice cream cone and bought some souvenirs. Then we returned to the tower to take lots more pictures! We saw the prairie dogs and it reminded me of the Whack-a-Mole game! Two were rubbing noses and I started singing Muskrat Love and got the giggles. At 9pm there was a ranger talk about porcupines which was interesting too.

What I Learned Today:

· The Devil’s Tower is more impressive in person than it is in pictures.

· The trees dropping all these white cottony stuff is cottonwood trees.

· There are rattlesnakes around Devil’s Tower (we saw one!)

· Watching prairie dogs is like watching the Whack-a-Mole game.

· Porcupines live in trees and their babies are born with quills which don’t get hard until they encounter air for a few days.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Devils Tower by Pat Hensley

Aunt Het Day and Adventure Day 44 – Colorado/Wyoming/South Dakota

Blog Prompt - Today is May 1st and is Lei Day in Hawaii. When I lived there it was a day off at school, lots of parades, everyone dressed in traditional Hawaiian clothing and our school put on a pageant. Tell me about your favorite local festival.

Our town has a festival the first weekend of October every year called Aunt Het Festival. Aunt Het is a character in a comic strip created by Robert Quillen, a Fountain Inn native. Main Street is closed off and lined with vendors of all kinds. Since We are such a small town, it is neat to see everyone you know and visit in the streets. I especially like it because I live one block off Main Street and we just walked to the festival which lasts all day Saturday.

Travel Notes:

Today we drove downtown Denver to refill a prescription and found the only CVS pharmacy in the state of Colorado. Thank goodness! It was filled without any problems and we were on our way before 9am. As we headed north on I-25, we came to Ft. Collins around 10am and the brewery tours just started so we stopped for the tour. While waiting for it to begin, we shopped in the store and found a train car for Don. It was the only one that they had and it was on sale so we bought it. The tour was nice and we got free samples of beer at the end. I tried a Bud Lite Lime which was really very good.

Then we headed into Wyoming which was a long, boring ride. There was nothing to see or do for a long time. We finally found a small town to eat lunch in. On the way, I called the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and made a reservation for a tour on Monday morning. I was so excited when the man told me that he would fit us in even though at first he told me that he thought they were full. Then we drove some more on a long boring road until we crossed over into South Dakota. In fact, it was so boring, I got to finish crocheting my first baby sweater! We finally stopped in Hot Springs which is right outside Wind Cave National Park. Tomorrow we will try to do the cave tours!

To see more pictures on Flickr - Click HERE.

Adventure Day 10 and the Sisterhood Award (Wyoming, Utah, Idaho)

We got up early this morning and breakfast at Penny’s Diner in Rawlins, WY. It was so cold and there was still ice and snow covering the roads. It was a beautiful day even though the forecast said cloudy with possible snow showers. We headed west towards Utah. When we got to Utah, we passed the Devil’s Slide which we remembered from the last time we were in this area. I got a lot of knitting done while we listened to podcasts in the car. We made it to Twin Falls, ID by 3pm which is where we thought we’d stop for the day but Don was not tired so we continued to Boise, ID. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities for picture taking so this was the best one for today.

Thanks to Creative Triplet Mom for giving me this award.

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! (I need to work on this)
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Friendships and Adventure Day 9 (Colorado, Wyoming)

Blog prompt: Friendships. How close are you and how much fun do you have?

My husband is my best friend and we have an amazing wonderful time whenever we are together, no matter where we are. He doesn’t mind exploring and trying new adventures. Sometimes I want to see something that I had read about and it may be a good thing or a dud but he doesn’t care (and doesn’t give me a hard time if it is a dud). I have a couple of friends that I try to stay in contact with but because we travel so much, I only see my other friends about twice a year, but I do email them a lot so that helps.

Travel Notes:

We got up early this morning and saw that the wind was still blowing snow around and we couldn’t tell if it was still snowing or not. It was really dark, gloomy, and cold which meant staying in the hotel room and watching old movies after breakfast. Finally around 11:30 we noticed the sun had come out and decided to knock the snow off the car. When we noticed that the snow looked melted in the parking lot and that there were lots of vehicles on the interstate, we packed our stuff up and checked out of the hotel. We figured since bad weather was heading this way again in a couple of days we needed to get further up the road. Driving through Denver though was a nightmare due to the many accidents causing us to be in bumper to bumper traffic. Obviously people were driving too fast and then hit the ice that was still on the road under the bridges causing them to spin out and hit other cars. Once we got out of Denver, it was clear sailing up to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Then we headed west along I-80 and the scenery was awesome. I loved seeing the snow covered mountains and the windmills along the way. Then we came to Rawlins, Wyoming and decided to spend the night. We are staying at an Oak Tree Inn which looks like it caters to railroad workers. We had dinner at Penny’s Diner right next door and the food was really great. Breakfast comes free with the room and I think it will be a good breakfast. We are checking out the weather for further up the road and I just hope we don’t hit any bad snow but it looks like we can’t avoid it. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can make it to Seattle by Tuesday.