Here are some more pictures I took while in Wyoming and South Dakota:
I took my big camera to take pictures of animals. Unfortunately, we didn’t see many.
Dad’s Western Adventure
Over the weekend, I made these videos of my dad’s Western Adventure.
I asked for permission as I didn’t want to steal his thunder. He has over 2000 pictures and 400 in an album you can see at a later time.
Rest of July Trip
Dad and I spent the last weekend in July in the Black Hills.
Highlights included:
- Traveling through the south portion of the Badlands
- Eating at Wall Drug
- Seeing the new cafeteria at Mount Rushmore
- Eating buffalo chili a few times along with TJ ice cream
- Putting up the tent on campsite #35 at the State Game Lodge Campground
I left Sunday night from Rapid City back to Denver and took a
A few of Dad’s pictures
I did go on the trip, so here are a few pictures of me:
Last few days
I arrived back Monday morning. I have had multiple events since then. I will be hosting my third since the trip tomorrow. I don’t know how many I have attended. Too many which is why I have been so slow updating my blog, but it is up-to-date now.
You can see some the preparations below. Also, you can see that Epcot is already preparing for the Food & Wine Festival which is beginning earlier and earlier — now starting August 31st!
Also, if you want to see more about the delegations, check out the site I (and Jonathan) have been working
Driving through Wyoming
On Friday, Dad and I drove through Wyoming and into South Dakota. Usually this drive is long, boring, and horrible, but it wasn’t so bad this time. We even made it to Whitewood early enough to go explore Spearfish Canyon and that included a stop at Devil’s Tower.
In Spearfish Canyon, we visited Roughlock Falls and ate at Latchspring Restaurant. I had a buffalo burger and Dad had the bison stew.
We drove through Deadwood and back to Whitewood. Our motel was really cheap as you can tell it is a hotel specifically built for motorcycles and the Sturgis rally.
Monday, July 17th
I am preparing to host an Ambassador tomorrow, so I haven’t had much time to update the blog.
On Monday, July 17th, we went to Yellowstone. We were fortunate that when we were planning this trip in May, there were a few openings at the different places. We reserved the only spot available in July at Yellowstone Lodge.
After stopping at the Yellowstone sign, we ate breakfast at Lake Yellowstone Inn. That hotel is the oldest hotel in the National Park system. I really like it. The breakfast buffet was really good as they had so much fruit and salmon/ cream cheese bagels.
Afterwards, we just explored Yellowstone. We saw the sulfur pots and went to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We arrived at Old Faithful around 3:30 p.m. to check into our cabin. We ate dinner at the cafeteria in the Lodge and we drove to Grand Prismatic Spring afterwards.
From cabins to cafeterias, there has been a lot of remodeling done in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park.
Tuesday, July 18th
On Tuesday, Dad walked out to Morning Glory. Andrea and I went to the Snow Lodge to check internet. I had to register to volunteer at a race in November.
Afterwards, we walked over to Yellowstone Inn for lunch. The buffet is super inexpensive at around $15, so the lines were really long. We waited a while, but the buffalo chili and trout were worth the wait.
After lunch, we drove around the rest of the park stopping at West Thumb and other places.
We ended the day midway between the two National Parks at Flagg Ranch. Andrea found us availability at this tiny house cabin. It was really fun. Andrea and I drove to Jackson Lake Lodge to check internet and stopped by the General Store at Colter Bay to gather supplies for dinner.
Back at the tiny house site, Andrea made gourmet roast beef and brie on rye sandwiches which were really really good.
We drove around Grassy Lake Road looking for animals, but we didn’t find any.
Upon returning to the tiny house site, we saw the ranger at our site. He left a note. Evidently, we didn’t put out the fire well enough. Andrea questioned if we did prior to leaving. I threw some water on the embers, but I guess it was supposed to cool to the touch. I believe the park ranger was just sensitive as fires can and have done a lot of damage to the area. We didn’t get a fine or anything.
Wednesday, July 19th
On Wednesday, we went for a hike along String and Leigh Lake. We saw a fox or wolf. Well, actually the Germans saw the fox or wolf. I did get a glimpse of the animal. The German was funny as he reached for his bear spray.
For lunch, we ate at Leek’s Marina again. After the pizza and the salad, we had huckleberry and birthday cake ice cream. The birthday cake ice cream was so good.
For the rest of the day, we took it easy. We went to Jackson Lake Lodge and checked emails. We had hot dogs for supper.
Andrea on a jet plane – sad day
On July 20th, Andrea went back to Jackson Hole Airport.
But first, we ate at our spot near Colter Bay. Andrea made egg in the hole for breakfast on left over rye bread which was really really good. I haven’t been eating too much bread, so I loved all the bread I was eating.
We then drove around saying good-bye to Jackson Lake Lodge and other favorite places. We ate at Teton Thai near Teton Village. I read a review that said it had the best pad thai in the state. Well, they scared us in thinking it would be really spicy. I got a 0 and it was kinda bland, but I still liked it. I think I might like Hawkers better.
We drove around a little more around Jackson. We found Gros Ventre campground, Antelope Flats, and a few other places in the park we have never seen.
A storm rolled in and out. We took Andrea to the airport when it was still raining. We played a few more games of Yahtzee and then said good-bye.
Dad and I went back to Colter Bay and checked into an available cabin they had.