Six Weeks/14 Parks
2008
We don’t care what gas costs!
On our way home! Thanks to so many people: Capt. Dave for picking us up; Kevin O’D for being so understanding (12th Ave Thursday, I’m there!); the Srours for taking such good care of Scout; and so many others, too numerous to mention. Thanks to you for joining us. Hope you enjoyed it!
DENVER, CO TO BELMAR, NJ
8/11/08
Here’s our list of bests and worsts and every other kind of thing, in no particular order:
Scariest moment – Being surprised by a buffalo while standing on the side of the road, although climbing the 30’ ladder at Mesa Verde comes close for me and Aislinn
Best Night Sky – Mesa Verde
Warmest temperature – 115º at Las Vegas
Coldest temperature – 38º without wind chill at Glacier NP
Highest peak – Mt. Washburn, 10,423’ , Yellowstone NP
Deepest descent – 2,200’, Grand Canyon
Most wildlife sighted – Yellowstone NP
Biggest GPS screw-up – St. Mary’s Campground was the other way!
Bluest water – Crater Lake NP
Places that are now “Been there, done that”:
Grand Canyon
Mesa Verde
Crater Lake
Mt. Rushmore
Hoover Dam
Places we definitely want to see more of:
Redwoods NP
Glacier NP
Olympic NP
Yellowstone NP
Crazy Horse monument (in 20 years)
San Francisco
Seattle
Best Hotels
Hampton Inn, Keyanta, AZ
University Inn, Seattle
Lighthouse Inn, Crescent City, CA
Prestige Rocky Mt. Hotel, Cranbrook, BC
Worst Hotel – Carter Mt. Motel, Cody, WY
Favorite Park – Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP a close second
Nicest Campgrounds
Rising Sun, Glacier NP
Canyon Campground, Yellowstone NP
Newhalem Creek, North Cascades NP
Worst Campground
St. Mary’s Campground, Glacier NP
Best Unexpected Treats
Crazy Horse Monument
Badlands NP
Museum of the Rockies
Stupidest comment
“How is she gonna cross the road? She’s wearing flip-flops!”
Most tedious drive – Republic, WA to Cranbrook, BC
“Man, how many more mountains have they got?”
Most white-knuckle drive – CA-120, Yosemite NP to San Francisco
“Man, how many more swichbacks have they got?”
“Don’t ask me, I’m busy throwing up!”
Best Hikes
Logan Pass, Glacier NP
Grinell Glacier, Glacier NP (Many Glacier)
Best Restaurant Meal
Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
Thai Restaurant, Seattle, WA
Best Camp Meal – Chili Burritos
Not Our Cup of Tea – Cody Nite Rodeo, Cody, WY
It’s OK, just not for me
Most complained-about stop – Hoover Dam
Best camp bathroom – Blue Bell Campground, Custer SP, SD
Hot water, free showers!
Worst camp bathroom – White Wolf Campground, Yosemite NP
Cold water only, no lights, lots of dead bugs!
Favorite City – Seattle, WA
Cutest Town - Sheridan, WY (Ciaran didn’t vote. He doesn’t believe in cute towns)
Worst baseball game – Mariners vs Red Sox. Thanks for nothing, Seattle.
Most obnoxious things
slow RVs that don’t turn out
the motorcycles on the Needles Highway
Most hilarious activity – teasing each other
Favorite stores
Aislinn – Borders Books, San Francisco, CA
Ciaran – Ghiardelli’s Chocolates, San Francisco, CA
Sean – The Rock Store, Custer, SD
Merry – It’s A Burl Furniture, Kerby, OR
Tom – The grocery store in Rockport, WA, near Newhalem
Lessons Learned
Definitely go at dawn to see the sights, especially wildlife
Don’t bring flashlights or batteries in your airline luggage. They won’t survive the trip.
There are no Dunkin’ Donuts west of the Mississippi. America does not, in fact, run on Dunkin!
Don’t pick motels based solely on price. Free continental breakfast is worth more than money.
Don’t wait until you’re at the park to shop for your groceries. Shop before you drive.
Canada uses Imperial gallons!
The bear scare is somewhat exaggerated.
Buffalo are really cool. You can drive through them when they are standing in the road. Just go slow and don’t blow your horn!
Stay away from Sturgis, SD in August (unless you’re on your Harley).
And always remember, it takes a real squeegee to get those bugs off the windshield!
