Great American Road Trip

Jaime’s extended family has a reunion every other year hosted by a different branch of the family tree in a different part of the country.  This year it was hosted at the campground in West Yellowstone, Montana, just outside of Yellowstone National Park.  We originally planned to drive out with our camper but after a friend warned me about mountain driving and we realized it would require a few extra days off work we decided to forego it this time.  Instead we rented a more fuel-efficient car for the long drive out and then flew back from Salt Lake City.

While trying to figure out the best route out West, I discovered a web site (and app) called RoadTrippers that shows you attractions/hotels/etc along the way within a certain number of miles off your route.  It was great to find a lot of quirky stops along the way to help break up the long stretches of flat land.  We had planned to stay in the middle of nowhere the first night but ultimately came to the conclusion that it was worth a longer drive the first day to stay in a real city the first night.

We started at around 6am on a Saturday.  Our first stop was a Fiberglass Mold Graveyard that had no signage of any kind — it was just piles of old fiberglass molds next to an auto body shop.  I don’t think it gets many visitors as the mechanic working seemed surprised when we pulled up and asked if we could look around.  It was a completely random collection and very unique to see.  Worth a stop.  Next up was the iconic Spam Museum.  It has actually relocated very recently to a small downtown area.  Everything was very shiny and new.  Very well done, lots of exhibits and quirky, hip photo-ready spots.  Also a great kids play area and gift shop.  Last stop for the day was a Jolly Green Giant statue in the middle of nowhere.  Very quick stop as there’s nothing to do besides snap a couple of pictures.  Would be a good stop for a picnic lunch next time.

We arrived in Sioux Falls right before dinner time.  Jaime has a couple friends in the area so we took up their recommendation and ate at Fiero Pizza.  It’s a counter service place but the pizzas were delicious!  Sioux Falls has a great main road through town that is meant for strolling — there is a lot of art scattered along both sides of the street.  We stopped at a pastry place for some dessert as well.  Afterward, we went back to the hotel and when the kids went to sleep, I sneaked out to a bar called Monks House of Ale Repute, based on the name alone.  They had really good beer that they make on-site.

The next morning we took a long walk along the river to Falls Park and enjoyed the wide and long series of waterfalls that the city is named for.  There is a visitors center with a tower that you can go up for free and get a better view.  We then went back to the hotel and packed up for the next long day.  On the way out of town, we stopped at a Sunken Garden I read about but it was a bust and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Our first stop was just outside of town, a ghost town called 1880 Cowboy Town.  The reviews I read said it was extremely cheesy, not well maintained, and most exhibits were broken.  I knew we had to check it out!  There was a large buffalo herd outside which was our first encounter with them so it was fun.  Within the ghost town itself, the reviews were accurate and it was an amusing train wreck.  It looks like nothing had been touched since the 70s.  There were about 15 buildings along a single street.  Some had “working” old school animatronics though they were too quiet too hear, some had missing buttons so you couldn’t attempt to start them, and some just had piles of leftover parts within them.  There was an watch tower to climb for a better view.  Jaime didn’t want to go up the death trap but it actually looked like the only thing kept up to date so Lydia and I checked it out.

A few hours down the road we went to the Porter Sculpture Park, a collection of very strange and unique industrial art sculptures done by a single person.  Edie was sleeping so Jaime went by herself and while she was touring, the owner/sculptor came over and let me know that Lydia and I could tour for free once she was done.  Definitely check out the link with pictures as I can’t begin to describe them.  Highly recommended stop!  On the way out, a friendly cop stopped me and claimed I didn’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign in the middle of nowhere.  Luckily it was just a quick scolding and he let us go on our way.

Next stop was another few hours down the highway, the Corn Palace.  A coworker had recommended skipping since it’s not actually made out of corn but others said it was a must-see.  We would not recommend it.  While the outside is kind of cool for its art made out of corn covering all of the walls, it was pretty far off the highway and there’s nothing to do inside.  It’s basically a local sports venue that has a pseudo flea market on the main floor and an 8th grade science fair all about corn on the second floor.  Last stop of the day was the famous Wall Drug store, known for a lot of billboards leading up to it and having tons and tons of souvenirs to buy.  We had a quick dinner there since it was the only thing we could find open before heading to our hotel for the night.

Our hotel, the Cedar Pass Lodge, is actually located within the Badlands National Park.  We had half of a fairly large cabin and it was amazing to wake up within the park and see the geological formations right out the window.  We backtracked a little bit for our first stop at the Minuteman Missile Site, D-9.  It was hard to find information on hours and once there it became clear why — it’s a very small site with no visitor center and just a loosely chained fence that you squeeze into it.  There is a sign with a phone number you can call for a ‘walking tour’ which we did.  It’s just a single missile standing vertically underground and an antenna to be controlled remotely.  Missile sites like these were all over the country during the Cold War and intentionally in the middle of nowhere in case they were attacked.  After the war ended, all sites were closed except for this one as a historic reminder.  The rest of the morning was spent slowly driving the length of the Badlands and stopping at most overlooks.  I had been here as a kid but it was much more impressive as an adult.  The formations are so massive and expansive it’s mind-boggling.  Well worth the scenic drive.

Good friends of ours ended up doing a somewhat similar road trip to ours the week before.  They were just wrapping up and heading back as we were venturing west.  We met in the middle at Wind Cave National Park.  After a picnic lunch where both families kids were having a blast together, we took a tour of one of the several caves available.  We opted for the one with less stopping to keep the kids moving.  Little did we know that it was mostly single-file walking so we didn’t get to chit-chat as much as we thought we would.  Still a great stop that we all enjoyed.  We went together as a group to Crazy Horse as well.  We toured the visitors center and took in the large, unfinished carving.  Hopefully they get the funds to finish it at some point.  We then parted ways with our friends and continued our road trips in opposite directions.

For us, the next stop was Mount Rushmore.  It is much bigger than you’d think.  We learned that the shape of it and the directions the presidents are looking were driven largely by where solid rock was found and where cracks were exposed.  As we were walking out, we ran into Jaime’s cousin!  Note that we were 700 miles and several days away from the reunion we were all attending.  We went our separate ways after a quick chat and then headed to Cosmos Mystery Area as a treat for Lydia who was doing great on the trip.  It’s mostly comprised of a tilted cabin that messes with your head and they perform several different mind-bending illusions in and around the cabin.  Jaime and I volunteered for one of them and it was pretty surreal.  Go in with a silly and open mind to enjoy it.  We ended the night in Deadwood at a lodge with a casino, where I gambled a bit.

The next morning we crossed into Wyoming and visited Devils Tower.  It’s a large rock formation sticking out of the ground surrounded by flat lands.  It was very sunny and hot so we only hiked around about a quarter of it but it was a great introduction to beautiful Wyoming.  Driving through the state was a pleasure.  One particular stretch in the Wind River Canyon area just outside of Thermopolis was the most scenic drive I can recall.  We stopped in Thermopolis for the Wyoming Dinosaur Center.  They have a dig site nearby but we had just missed the last tour of the day.  We weren’t too upset though because the heat was unbearable.  We toured the museum which is basically just a large warehouse and were quite impressed by the quantity and setup.  It’s a mix of replicas and real fossils but they are clear on what’s what and where all of the fossils were found.  We had a quick meal at the Cowboy Cafe in Dubois before finishing the road trip to Jackson Hole for the night.

The next morning we went to downtown Jackson and took a stagecoach tour of the area.  The kids loved it.  Afterward, we took the Aerial Tram from nearby Teton Village to the top of Rendezvous Mountain.  The views from the top were incredible.  You could see the tops of the Tetons and there were mountains on all sides.  We were high up enough to still have snow too.  Lydia wasn’t having as much fun as I was so we didn’t stay up there very long.  Still well worth the quick visit.  We had lunch in Teton Village before heading north to take the scenic route through Grand Teton National Park.  This was another beautiful drive and we stopped at a couple places along the way.  We arrived in West Yellowstone, MT for the reunion in the evening and met up with Jaime’s family for dinner.

The first day we decided to see if there was any possible last minute whitewater rafting trips we could take.  We found a place in Big Sky, MT which was farther than more popular places but closer time-wise (traffic in Yellowstone is slow and painful).  Jaime’s parents graciously volunteered to watch the kids for a few hours so off we went with Jaime’s sister.  The tour company seemed a bit disorganized and we ended up leaving about 45 minutes late.  The rapids were great though and it was an awesome experience!

The following day we spent entirely within Yellowstone National Park.  We did the lower loop road and visited Midway Geyser Basin with the Grand Prismatic Spring (amazing), Black Sands Geyser Basin, Old Faithful (of course), and Artist Point (quick photo op).  We arrived just in time for the communal dinner with everyone.

Our last full day was planned to be the upper loop road to see the Norris Geyser Basin and the Mammoth Terraces but we decided to save them for next time.  Instead, we walked around downtown West Yellowstone, shopped a bit, ate lunch, and then headed back towards the campground.  A few miles past the campground was a historic site called Earthquake Lake where a massive landslide cut off a river to form the lake and covered a different campground in the middle of the night.  28 people died in the landslide and you can see trees sticking out of the water where the campground once was.  Also, several cabins were lifted up and moved down the river.  We hiked about a mile out to see what’s left of the cabins in the middle of a large field, far from where they were.  Back at our campground, Lydia was itching to go on a boat ride.  Unfortunately it was too windy to rent a boat but fortunately they recognized our dilemma and let Lydia and Jaime’s sister go on a boat with life jackets and just sway back and forth for a simulated boat ride experience.

The next morning, we left before sunrise for the five hour drive to Salt Lake City where we were flying out of.  In hindsight, we probably should have flown out of Bozeman (an hour away) but SLC was much cheaper at the time.  The flight home was uneventful.  Overall, it was a great trip.  Very different from our usual travel style (again; see last blog post).  All of the stops along the way made it an interesting experience and the kids were champs on the long haul.

Next up, our biannual trip to Maine!