Bison vs. Buffalo

This is a bison:

This is a buffalo:

Any questions?

Honeymoon Road Trip

B and I are back from out honeymoon. We planed our trip throughout the first part of the year although it was pretty much on the back burner until the wedding had come and gone. We knew that we needed to make an appearance in Bismarck for an open house for those who weren't able to make it to the wedding in Seattle in March. The rest of the trip fell into place as follows below...

May 16: Depart Seattle, arrive in Missoula, MT (498 miles)
Missoula is a good place to stop after a day on the road from Seattle. We had to settle for a hotel some distance from downtown because it was the University of Montana's commencement weekend. We got to town late in the afternoon and went downtown to do a little shopping. I found a Big Sky Brewery Trout Slayer glass to add to my collection. Missoula used to be a really fun place but I no longer know anyone that lives there so it is now just a pit stop on they way to our next destination.

May 17: Depart Missoula, arrive in Yellowstone NP (221 miles)
We set out from Missoula with a much closer destination than the previous day: Yellowstone National Park. With the shorter drive we decided to take a "scenic" detour through Phillipsburg. Phillipsburg is a tiny town with a couple bars, a coffee shop, a jewelery shop, and a candy store. We stopped for the candy store which was quite impressive. Homemade taffy and fudge, yummy convections, and oddities from around the world were found here of all places. Worth the stop.

We continued up a steep road to a very frozen reservoir west of Anaconda and stopped for a photo.
We continued on toward Bozeman and decided to check out Lewis & Clark Cavern State Park. It turned out to be a very good idea. The tour through the cave was very unique. There were stelagtites, stelagmites, bats, and a lot of darkness. B and I agreed that is was one of the best $10 tours we'd ever been on.We arrived in Yellowstone late in the afternoon. We checked into the Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge and checked out the area which is former military housing turned into a small village. There is a post office, a general store, a restaurant, a lounge, and a gas station. Bison and elk freely roam the village and lounge in the lawns.Adjacent to the village are the hot springs themselves which give off the strong aroma of sulphur. The park has built boardwalks over them so the public can get pretty close to some of the most interesting features without damaging them. Here is a picture of one of the hot spring pools just before sunset. That night about 2 dozen elk slept just outside our lodge window.

May 18: Yellowstone National Park
The next day, we packed the car and drove the grand loop road around the park. It's about 140 miles that gets you to most of the parks most popular attractions. Bison and elk are plentiful throughout the park. We were able to enjoy several impressive waterfalls, geyser basins, bubbling mud pools, grand lodges and, of course, Old Faithful.May 19: Depart Yellowstone NP, arrive in Rapid City, SD (520 miles)
Travel day. We left Yellowstone early that morning knowing full well that the drive ahead of us was going to be long and less than exciting. On the way out of the park we stopped to join a crowd of gawkers to see a black bear frolicking in a meadow. Then came the drive. There's not much to see but tumbleweeds and prairie dogs across most of Wyoming. Early that evening we stopped at Devil's Tower. Quite a sight.We arrived in Rapid City, checked into our hotel, and went downtown to check out South Dakota's first (and perhaps only) brew pub: Firehouse. Good food and good beer. I'll be back.

May 20: Black Hills
One would think that growing up in North Dakota would lead to at least one trip to Mount Rushmore. Wrong. This was the first time for both of us. It was impressive but the visitor center had a lot of great information on the sculptor of the mountain and the workers that made it possible. We also visited Crazy Horse, toured an old gold mine in Keystone, found a great little winery, and investigated Deadwood.May 21: Depart Rapid City, arrive in Bismarck (387 miles)
Just outside of Rapid City lies Ellsworth Air Force Base which is home to a B-1B bomber squadron and missile wing. We took a tour of the base which included the inside of a retired training Minuteman missile silo. Creepy but interesting. They also have an impressive collection of static aircraft including a B-52 and this B-29:The next stop along the way to Bismarck was in the tiny town of Wall, SD which is best known for Wall Drug. We counted 60 signs along I-90 in the 40 miles from Rapid City to Wall. The drugstore made itself famous by offering travelers free ice water and has grown into an oasis of novelties and western wear. And this (whatever it is):We arrived in Bismarck that evening which was our turn-around point. Our honeymoon was already half over.

May 22-25: Bismarck
We spent several days in Bismarck relaxing after being on the road. It was nice. And being B's first time to North Dakota's capital city, I got to show her around a bit. Not much has changed since I left almost 5 years ago. The highlight of our time here was definitely the open house my parents hosted for friends and family who were unable to make it to our wedding in Seattle.

Among the guests of honor were my grandparents and B's dad and step-mother who drove from Seattle over the previous two days. Amazing food and unbeatable company.

May 26: Depart Bismarck, arrive in Great Falls, MT (544 miles)
We left Bismarck early with the long drive ahead of us as motivation. Stopping only for the scenic loop through Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western ND. More bison, prairie dogs, and awesome vistas that never get old.
May 27: Depart Great Falls, arrive at Glacier NP (222 miles)
Some of the most spectacular scenery greeted us as we approached the park. We had a reservation at the Lake McDonald Lodge. An awesome place perched on the shore of the park's biggest lake at the base of staggering peaks.
We took a boat tour of the lake and then kicked back for a while.

May 28: Glacier National Park, Whitefish
One of the activities we were hoping to experience on this trip was a horseback ride. We found a ranch that provided guided tours of the area just outside of the park entrance. Despite the mosquitoes and sore bums, we enjoyed it.
Later that afternoon we got on one of the famous Red Bus tours of the park. Unfortunately the Going To The Sun Road was still snowed over so we took a tour of the parks lowlands and saw up close the aftermath of the fires in 2003.
That evening we took a drive into Whitefish to visit Josh. I hadn't seen him in years so it was great to introduce him to B and hang out for a few hours. At the end of the night, he showed us the fire spinning he had been practicing. Very cool.
May 29: Depart Glacier NP, arrive at Seattle (583 miles)
The final leg of our journey; a long day's drive. We got home early in the evening with some amazing memories. What a great way to begin foREver...

3630 miles traveled
6 states
3 national parks
2 national monuments
1 state park
0 speeding tickets
and (only) 3 dumbass drivers