Days three and four

So it's been a few days! Yellowstone has NO internet service so I have been lacking for the past few days. This may happen later so bear with me!

ANYWAY. 

For days three and four, we were in Yellowstone National Park! We stayed in the Old Faithful Inn, which is such a beautiful place! I didn't want to leave, but alas, we still had adventures to go on. 

Adventure-wise, we saw many amazing formations, pools, steamers, and bubblers. Our first day here, the heat was TERRIBLE. The second day wasn't as bad though and we were still able to spend a lot of time outside. 

Old Faithful! 

The Old Faithful Inn! So pretty! 

The Mammoth Hot Springs

Day two

It's day two on our trip! Today we explored the Lewis and Clark caverns. Slightly misleading, Lewis and Clark didn't find the caves, nor did they step foot in them. They actually walked right by them in a state of blissful ignorance. 

But no matter! They were still very pretty and while the temperature outside was nice and toasty, the caves stay an average temperature of 48 degrees. It was a lovely change from the stifling heat. 

The caves had many rooms and even had bats at the beginning! There was no natural light in the caverns after the entrence so things were dark. But thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps (shoutout Mr. Hazen for the knowledge on that!) we had lamps to light our way on a comfortable journey! 

While everything was amazing, the pictures do not do the caverns justice. Here are some of the better ones: 

Although it looks like there was natural light in the caverns, there was actually special lighting in spots to make it appear this way. 

The stalagmites and stalactites were amazing! 

The wall formation on the right of the flashlight beam was called "cave bacon" due to its multi-colored layers. 

In front of the "popcorn!"

This was a waterfall formation and it looked like a frozen waterfall. 

Another look at the "waterfall."

This is Crystal Pool--ten feet in diameter and three feet deep, the water is extremely clear. If you look at the bottom of the pool, it may seem like you are looking at a reflection of the cave but you are actually seeing the formations at the bottom of the pool! 

These formations were very cool. While it seems as though the park shone some pink lights on the cave, these are the natural colors of the formations. 

After the caverns, we drove to Bozeman to camp for the night. We went into town and I bought Grapes of Wrath because there is a real, actual Barnes and Noble here! Super exciting! After hanging out and reading for awhile, we went to dinner at Johnny Carino's, which was delish! 

Tonight's sunset was very pretty! 

Day one

We have made it to Lewis and Clark State Park in Montana! 

We left this morning at five and our first stop was Moses Lake for Starbucks and McDonalds. Afterwards, we hit Wallace, Idaho for gas. 

Continuing on, the first stop in Montana was the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar. We poked around in the gift and purchased a few items, then drove to St. Regis, Montana where we had a tasty lunch. 

Now we are sitting in our tipi we have reserved for the night. Tomorrow is the day we explore the caverns! 

The sunrise leaving Puyallup this morning. 

Breakfast in Moses Lake included an iced chai from Starbucks and hot cakes from McDonalds.

Entering Idaho! We pulled over to take a quick photo. 

The Montana border snuck up on us...this was a quick-reaction photo! 

The 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar! 

Our stop in St. Regis included a look at the free Trout Aquarium. 

I tried to convince mom to buy me this bear stool...

but a) it wasn't actually for sale and b) we didn't have room in the truck. 

Here is our location tonight!

And here is our tipi for the night. It's very cozy. 

Getting ready, part iii

Tomorrow is the day!

At 5 a.m., our journey is beginning. Today was spent packing, organizing supplies, and making last-minute decisions.

Our goal for tomorrow is to make it to Bozeman, Mont. where we are spending the night in a teepee at Lewis and Clark State Park.

That is a ten-hour drive...

TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE A LONG DAY.



Our supplies! All of this is going in the back of the diesel truck we are taking.

 

Okay...this was the plan for bringing clothes. I was super
pumped and planning on shoving all of this into my medium-sized
duffel bag... 

and this is what ended up getting left behind. Maybe
I over-estimated the size of my bag.

 

This is my "fun" bag. I got "Paper Towns" by John Green
and "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. And the lovely Joani
got me my favorite movie on DVD, "The Breakfast Club."

 

Getting ready, part i

Hello there!

So, as you have figured out by now, I am embarking on a long journey this summer! With about a week-and-a-half until our departure, I am beginning to prepare for the trip. Today, I mapped our trip on Google Maps...

 

...and this is what it looks like! Obviously we are visiting more than just a few state parks (take a gander at the side bar for a complete itinerary.) Google Maps was kind enough to leave me with this information also:

 

Yup. That is a large number. Three thousand, six hundred and thirty miles of memories, arguing, and riding in a cramped vehicle with four other people.

 

 

Getting ready, part ii

So!

You may have noticed the name of my blog has changed slightly--with only a week before we leave, our trip has acquired yet another stop. Therefore, we have now gotten to a count of ELEVEN national parks!

Yay!

Anyway, we were going to be driving by the Mojave Desert already so we figured, "why not add it to the list?"

Here's the new map:

Basically, we barely have changed our route and have added ONLY two hours of driving. There isn't much to do in the desert so mostly likely we will just be driving through to say that we have been.

Because why not?