Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight...

On Friday, we left South Dakota around 6:00 AM mountain time. After an hour and a half of driving, we hit Wall Drug for breakfast and another souvenir hunt. From their, we drove to De Smet, SD which is where Laura Ingalls settled and met Almanzo Wilder. We picked up the rest of the series of books in Wall and began reading again. The visit in De Smet was a bust because the sights are just not as built up as they could be and we didn't have enough time to stay for their tour schedule. But we saw the surveyor's house where they stayed in "On the Shores of Silver Lake" and saw Loftus' store where Pa went for news and wheat during "The Long Winter". We drove and drove and drove and arrived just east of Kansas City around 2:00 AM at a KOA.

Our intent for Saturday was to get up and moving by 7:00 central time but we were just too tired and did not make it out until 8:30 that morning. That meant we would not stop in St. Louis at the arch because we knew we had a 15+ hour drive ahead of us. We had breakfast in the camper and stopped for a late lunch at a Cracker Barrel (yea for sweet tea!!!). I read all day. I finished one book and we moved on to the next. My throat is still scratchy as I write this. We drove on through the night and finally made it home around 2:30 this morning. We slept until 9:30 and have spent the day cleaning up the camper for it's return to the storage lot and trying to get through the mountain of laundry.

We covered 6430 miles, 4 state capitols, 15 national parks and 1 Canadian national park. We are happy to be home purely from the spacious atmosphere and relaxed feeling but I am already planning our next trip. Both the short ones within the next few months and the long trip we will hopefully take next summer. We lost a hubcap, worked our air conditioner loose and learned that we never have quite enough time but we had a great adventure and have made some awesome memories.

Back to South Dakota

Glacier Trip Jewel Cave (7 of 9)
Originally uploaded by Olivia Linkel

The sole purpose of our journey back to South Dakota today was to hit Jewel Cave and if w ehad enough time. Crazy Horse. We left Bismarck around 6:45 mountain time and arrived at Jewel Cave around 3:00 after a brief stint at a rest area for lunch. It was a pretty boring drive considering most of it we have seen and we finished Farmer Boy in the Little House series. Unfortunately, I only brought 3 of the books so we don't have the rest to read on the way home. We are going to stop into DeSmet, SD on tomorrow's drive so that we can see the real towns that the next couple books in the series are based on. Should be fun but I really wish we had the books to read tomorrow.

Anyway, back to Jewel Cave. We picked up our tickets and stopped into the visitor center for junior ranger books. The could get a patch and a badge this time around so we heard a ranger speak about a fire in 2000 and then did the cave tour at 4:00. The kids really enjoyed the tour and unlike our adventure in Virginia in 2007, no one lost their shoe. They took a lot of pictures and even saw a cave troll.

After the tour, we completed our books and drove backs towards Mt. Rushmore to stay at the awesomest KOA we have ever been in. Seriously, if you ever come to Mt. Rushmore you have to stay here. They have chuck wagon dinners and a water slide, horse rides and all kinds of other activities. We made pizza for the kids and grilled hamburgers for us and then headed over to the pool. The brochure says the pool is heated but I think that these folks in SD, ND and Montana, must be used to some pretty cold stuff because there was no way that pool was heated. I opted for the hot tub and eventually Scott and the kids joined me. Then we all took showers and went back tot he camper to build a campfire. Most of the places we have been have either not allowed open fires (fire danger on the prairie) or we have not felt like making one (too windy and cold in Glacier) so I was very happy that our last night out here before officially returning East we could have a fire and make s'mores.

I love s'mores. I am not a fan of marshmallows on their own but once you add the crunchy graham crackers and the soft sweet chocolate, I am hooked. I sometimes even make microwave s'mores at home. Luke mostly likes to eat the chocolate and burn the marshmallows, Scott mostly like to poke the fire and Lorelei likes to eat them but only if someone else makes them. We had a very nice time with the fire and saw the space station pass overhead for the second time on this trip (the other was at the night sky program in Badlands). Scott and I also got to see enough stars in the sky to actually make out the Milky Way which is something we have never seen before. The kids were finally in bed by 10:45 and we have an early start tomorrow with the hopes of making it all the way to Kansas City and then hopefully a 14 hour ride on Saturday to make it home from there.

We have no more National Parks that we plan to see but a few stops along the way will be good if we can manage them. We have completed 4 states on this trip towards our 50 state goal.

Utterly amazing....

Glacier Trip Roosevelt to Bismarck (12 of 15)
Originally uploaded by Olivia Linkel

Today we drove from Medora to Bismarck, ND. We were up early and hit Theodore Roosevelt National Park visitor center at 8 AM to pick up our ranger books. We watched the film and then took a tour of the MalPraire tese Cross cabin where Theodore spent time after his wife and mother died in the 1880's. Theodore is my favorite president and it was awesome to see some of the things I have read about in real life. After the tour, we filled out some more information and drove deeper into the park to take a hike. We saw a bison on the hill just before we went to hike and 4 wild horses crosses the road right in front of us. We hiked to a crest of a craggy hill through Prairie Dog town. They are a little creepy with their teeth and claws up close but interesting creatures to watch. After the hike, we returned to the visitor center and got the kids badges. We were on the road by 11:30 headed to Knife River Indian Villages NHS which is about 130 miles east.

At Knife River, there were several tribes that lived together as a community. They were farmers and buffalo hunters and lived in earthen lodges. The kids really enjoyed visiting this site and got into trying on the animal pelts.

Next we headed toward Bismarck which has the ugliest state capitol building in the US. Before we made it to Bismarck, we stopped in New Salem to visit Salem Sue. She is the world's largest Holstein cow and weighs about 20,000 lbs. While a little cheesy, this is the best of roadside America and we love it.

Since we are in Bismarck, we are in central time zone but we are sticking to mountain because tomorrow night, we will be back inSouth Dakota to pick up Jewel Cave. North Dakota is officially checked off as a state we have completed since we visited all 3 parks and the capitol building. More pics to come on FLICKR as the wifi here allows.

Back in the saddle again...

This morning was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on. We had to return the rental car so we drove south along Montana 89. The sky was grey with the rain at the campground and no one else was up at 6:00 in the morning. I drove the car and Scott followed in the camper. As we started to cross the mountains, there were 4 handsome deer with the fuzz still on their antlers chewing on the grass along the road. They looked up as we passed but didn’t leave the road. Then a mile later there were 4 horses in the field with their manes blowing in the breeze. Then as we started to come down the mountain, the sun was shining to the east and the clouds were still coming in from the west and there was a gorgeous rainbow. Rainbows are one thing we have seen a lot of here. At the visitor center on Sunday night, we saw an arching rainbow that went from the ground on one side to the ground on the other side, but no pot of gold!!!

Once we were in East Glacier, we headed east on Highway 2. This was a two lane highway that crosses northern Montana. Essentially, in northern Montana there are grain fields, cattle, railroad tracks and towns that are identified by the grain storage/train loading stations and if you are lucky a gas station. From East Glacier, that goes on for 6 – 7 hours depending on how long you stop to stretch your legs. After a little detour on a dirt and gravel road thanks to GPS, we made it to Fort Union Trading Post NHS. This is a site where the American Fur Trading Company opened shop in 1828 to trade European goods with the Indians in exchange for furs and Indian made goods. This trading post operated for 39 years on the upper Missouri River and was then torn down to build an American fort for westward expansion. The parks service excavated the site and rebuilt replicas of the fort based on pictures and written accounts. It is really out in the middle of nowhere but represents our first park in North Dakota. The kids got Junior Trader badges and then we headed south to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

This park is essentially the badlands of North Dakota and is the place that Teddy Roosevelt called home after his first wife died. It is where he learned to be a rancher and led to his formation of the rough riders. It also sparked his interest in conservation because he saw the over-grazing of the prairie by cattle ranchers and the decimation of the American Bison on his trips here. Our original plan was to spend the night in the park and get a jump start on our ranger badges before visiting things in the morning. When we pulled in to the visitor center the campground was full, but luckily my parks guide listed a place that was a few blocks north in Medora, so here I sit with excellent wi-fi, a shower at my disposal and power for the night. I am a little disappointed because I have heard that the bison come right through the campground and I was really looking forward to that.

More tomorrow from Bismarck. Pictures through today are uploaded to FLICKR.

Homeward bound - sort of

We slept in. Because we were so tired from the hike and staying up late, we slept in until 8:30 this morning. We took our time showering and didn’t roll out until nearly 11. We spent the first part of the day in Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada. This park shares the same mountain range as Glacier and the border runs right through it. Luckily we didn’t have any trouble crossing the border compared with our last Canadian adventure. In the town of Waterton, the deer roam the streets and unfortunately have become unafraid of people. They will walk right up to you and beg for food although we did not experience any of that. We visited the ranger station and got some Canadian parks stamps but didn’t take a hike because it was raining. After visiting the town, we had lunch in the historic Prince of Wales hotel. This is another hotel built as part of the rush for tourism but has a more English feel to it. They serve a high tea from 2 – 5 with scones and the works but we opted for the full lunch. I had shepherd’s pie which was incredible and Scott had an excellent buffalo burger. We also had apple pie but I think mine is way better.

We drove back to the camper and since the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t as strong, we let the kids decide on the pool or more playing in the snow at Logan Pass. We went to the hot tub and pool despite the 59 degree temperature. It was quite pleasant in the hot tub and when you got too hot the wind would cool you down in 2 minutes. We grilled chicken and had a nice dinner. We read the first 8 chapters of Farmer Boy and then worked our way towards bed. We didn’t have nearly enough time in Glacier and wish we would have come later in the summer but we have seen some beautiful and amazing sights. On we must go to North Dakota and the long drive east.

O' say can you see...

Glacier Trip Many Glacier (13 of 20)
Originally uploaded by Olivia Linkel

One of my favorite sounds in the whole world is the heavy thud that a shoe makes on the hard packed ground of a hiking trail. We had a glorious morning in Glacier. After showering and having breakfast, we drove 15 miles up to the Many Glacier area of the park which contains one of the historic lodges that the Great Northern Railway built when they were trying to attract wealthy Americans to see America instead of Europe in the early 1900’s. This is also the location for several hikes including the hike to Grinnell Glacier. Unfortunately for us, the extra wet weather this year and the timing of our trip have not meshed. The entire trail to the glacier is not open due to snow and ice. We decided to do the 5 mile hike to Grinnell Lake and set out with the sun shining but a fierce wind whipping at us whenever we were not in the protection of the trees. It was a really lovely hike and we had a ton of fun looking for animal tracks and scat. We saw tons of moose tracks and are pretty sure we heard them calling but we didn’t see any. We had originally hoped to see Iceberg Lake and the Grinnell Glacier but we are simply here too early and the trails are not completely clear of snow. Just like with our trip to Yosemite and Sequoia, we need more time and we need to come at a different time of year.
When we reached the lake, the wind was so biting and fierce that we could not have lunch on the lake. We retreated to a more covered area of the forest and ate the sandwiches we brought. After nearly 5 miles, the kids were tired and it worked out that we could catch the boat across Swiftcurrent Lake back to the Many Glacier hotel.
It was 12:30 by this time and we were all ready to relax a bit. Scott and the kids got in the pool and hot tub while I did the laundry and tried to connect to the internet to update the blog. Obviously that didn’t work. The little satellite connection that this campground does have isn’t nearly fast enough for picture and blog posts. It was also raining at this time and once the laundry was done, we all returned to the camper for a little downtime. We finished On the Banks of Plum Creek and then made bacon, eggs, crescents and strawberries for dinner. We still had to go back to the St. Mary visitor center for a ranger program so that the kids could complete their junior ranger badges so we returned there at 7:30 for a good talk about edible plants and flowers in Glacier.
By 9:00 we were back in the FunV with our pajamas waiting on the fireworks show that the campground promised. Of course that wasn’t supposed to start until 10:45. Scott and I were both tired but we played Uno and then taught the kids how to play poker. By 10 o’clock, I was beginning to crash and I snoozed until the fireworks went off right on time. All of us lay in the queen bed at the back of the camper and watched the fireworks go off from the back window. It was a great show and we were happy to be warm and cozy while the wind blew and the temperature dropped into the 40’s.

How awesome is this???

Glacier Trip Going to the Sun Road (25 of 32)
Originally uploaded by Olivia Linkel

Today was my favorite day and the best parts came after 4 PM. We were up and on the road by 6:45 so we could drive into Helena for a visit at the capitol building where the kids found yet another set of capitol steps to slide down. It seems to be a tradition now. Then we decided to stop and grab breakfast at Hardee’s, get gas and pick up some fruit and veggies at the grocery store. After that diversion we were finally on our way to Glacier. Most of the way was along a two lane road that took FOREVER!!! We stopped along the roadside and the kids picked wildflowers and then we had lunch. It was a nice stop. It also gave me a chance to rest my voice because I have been reading On the Banks of Plum Creek – another Little House book.
We had a rental car waiting for us in East Glacier. We stopped to pick it up around 1:45 and then drove the final 30 miles in two vehicles to Saint Mary where the campground is. We got the FunV leveled and then the kids went to play on the playground. They were happy to be out and running around. The wind is very heavy here and rocks the camper when the gusts are strong. It also cuts right through you. It was about 60 degrees around 3:30 when we were finally ready to head onto the Going-To –The-Sun road. This road hugs the mountains and no vehicles over 21 feet long are allowed.
We hit the Saint Mary visitor center and then started our drive up the mountain. It was beautiful to see the turquoise lake and snow capped mountains. The road is about 50 miles long and we got a later start than we wanted to so we expected to east dinner on the other side and then come back across. I have read a lot of firsthand accounts on the internet about what to expect in Glacier and what we got was totally not what we expected. Snow!!!! It was quite cloudy at the higher elevations and the wind was so strong on the east side of the mountains. We stopped at a viewpoint and the kids went over and played in a small pile of snow. If we knew what was coming we never would have stopped there. On up the road we went and when we reached the Logan Pass visitor center, we found snow that was still 4 feet high in some places. The visitor center is located at the continental divide and they get so much snow in the winter that the building is covered. I had hoped to hike the trail at Logan Pass because you are likely to see mountain goats and Bighorn sheep but we were not prepared for a snow hike and despite our hats and gloves (thanks for the suggestion Pamme) it was cold. After playing in the snow and Lorelei building a snow man, we decided to keep going.
On down the mountain, past the Weeping Wall which is a wall where endless waterfalls come down and if it were warm, you could stand and take a shower. And continuing down where they have the road to one lane to rebuild it so that two cars can pass around the mountains and on to the Lake McDonald Lodge we went. It was already 6:45 by this time and we were all hungry. After dinner we went to the gift shop in my never ending quest for a t-shirt that I like. Then we knew it was time to start heading back up the pass.
This is the part where it gets really good. As we were going along the parts where it is one lane, I spotted something moving and it was a Bighorn sheep. 3 of them were just on the other side of the construction barricade. Scott stopped since we were the only car on the road and I stuck my body as far out the window as I could get. There they were munching on grass. When they heard me tell the kids to look out the window they turned and looked at us. I got some great shots and then we sat back down and rolled one. Again, we went past the Weeping Wall back towards Logan Pass. And there in front of us on the road was a momma Mountain Goat and her baby just trotting along. We followed behind it and when another car came from the other direction, they went and stood on the side of the road and I can tell you, I am really good at taking pictures from the sun roof of the car. It was so exhilarating to have the cold wind in my face and to see animals I have never seen before. We made it back to Logan Pass and stopped to take pictures at the Continental Divide. It was so cold. We stopped to take pictures at a few more places and then finally made it back to the camper around 9:45. Of course it was still quite bright but we were exhausted and went straight to bed.

Keep those doggies movin' - Rawhide...

GlacierTrip Bozeman to Deer Lodge (8 of 10)
Originally uploaded by Olivia Linkel

Today we drove from Bozeman to Big Hole National Battlefield. It was the prettiest stretch of country road you have ever been on. Hugging the Wild River the entire way with views of the snow capped Rockies. The road went through forest service property and here as in NC/TN they are losing trees to invasive beetles. Here it is the Lodgepole pines. Sad to see whole stands of dead trees. It took about three hours and on the way we went through Butte.

This park honors the Nez Perce tribe and the 7th calvary members who fell in 1887. It was extremely sad to hear the story of what happened at this site and the kids really took it in. They picked up another junior ranger badge and we learned quite a bit about the Nez Perce.

From there, we stopped along the roadside at the river to have lunch and then finished an hour long drive to Grant Kors Ranch in Deer Lodge. Along the way, we stopped to take some pictures in front of the Butte, MT sign - only one of which I can post.

This ranch is a working ranch owned by the national park service that was once owned by the "Cattle King of Montana" - Conrad Kors. It was a great hands on experience with cattle roping, a black smith who made us brands on wood and a horse pick, and a real chuck wagon where Scott drank coffee from the pot on the coals. Here you get the Junior Rancher badge instead of a ranger badge and you can choose it to be a patch. The kids earned theirs and then we headed to the campground.

The kids played by the river and on the swing set then we cooked dinner and watched Dances with Wolves because the weather here is cool and windy with off and on showers. Tomrrow we head to Glacier with a stop in Helena for a look at the capital building. Going to be a cold couple of days.

Addendum to last nights post: We arrived in Bozeman after 8 pm. When we pulled in, the first thing the kids saw was the splashpad and pool. I knew the water would be cold unless it was a heated pool. Luckily it was so we swam for about an hour last night in the pool and Scott and I even got to go in the hot tub. It was 51 overnight last night. Awesome!!!

I'm a rolling stone...

We are on the move again after 2 nights at Devils Tower. Our goal today was to make it to Bozeman, MT as we inch ever closer to Glacier National Park. We left Devils Tower around 7:45 with the kids still sleeping. Our first stop was the Little Bighorn National Battlefield Monument, 3 hours from Devils Tower. This commemorates Custer's last stand and the indian warriors who were trying to defend their way of life. We acquired another junior ranger badge and these cool vest to pin them on. This program is probably the best way for kids to learn about the parks and it is a free souvenir. After watching the film and viewing the exhibits, we walked up to Last Stand hill where Custer fell. It was quite an impressive view with the Bighorn Mountains as a back drop. Luke says that he is on the side of the indians. We didn't drive the battlefield because that was just too much time and we were getting hungry for lunch. After sandwiches in the camper, we stopped into a gift shop and then headed to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

All of these sites are on the Crow Reservation and it was a beautiful drive with tons of horses running free. We stopped into the Fort Smith visitor center and Yellowtail Dam and picked up another junior ranger badge. Then we headed for Bozeman.

Around Billings, MT the scenary changes from ranch lands to views of the Rockies and rolling hills. I-90 also picks up the Yellowstone River which parallels it. It was a beautiful drive and both the Bighorn and Rockies still have snow caps on them which is something we haven't ever seen on July 1st. Bozeman is the first town that Scott and I agreed would not be a bad place to live in. Only drawback is those single digit temps....

Tons of pics through today on FLICKR.