Weeks family vacation, 1997
Abstract
Trip highlights include: the drive West and stops along the way, Rocky Mountain National Park, the Tetons, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, the drive East and stops along the way.
The drive West
Our children were old enough (two teenagers and one nearly so) to remember this trip and young enough that we could still make them go. Jeanie had a huge old van that we drove. It was huge. We could not really afford this trip but couldn’t wait any longer or risk not having one of our children with us. We saved a few bucks by buying a tent and camping along the way. Joe did much of the driving. We stopped just outside of St. Louis for a night. Our boys (all boyscouts) quickly set up the tent, got a fire started, and headed for the pool or basketball court. Jeanie would get something cooking. I tried to stay out of the way and keep the peace. This would soon become our daily routine.
St. Louis
We spent the following day at the St. Louis Zoo. It is fabulous but on any given day there may be one or more attractions unavailable. Jeanie and I have many fond memories of visiting this zoo when we lived in St. Louis. Living there and visiting often, you really didn’t notice when an attraction was unavailable. It was a bit of a disppointment for my boys to have us say “…and right over here is…” and it be closed. If ever you find yourself in St. Louis there are any number of attractions that are must see. My favorites are the zoo and Forest Park, visiting the arch and the whole Lacledes Landing area, and the botanical gardens. You can easily spend a day at each. If you are there during the summer on a weekend, I would also take in the Muny. It is an outdoor theater at Forest Park.
Kansas
I had also told the boys how flat Kansas was and how you could see wheat fields forever. Well, your memory is a funny thing. I hadn’t been there in 25 years and it wasn’t all that flat anymore and there certainly was very little wheat planted. In place were many huge fields that didn’t appear to have been planted for years. There were large tracts planted that appeased the boys but nothing like what I remember from the 60’s. Perhaps a different time of year is when the wheat is growing and once it covers the ground everything appears more flat. I can’t explain the difference between what I remember and what I saw on this drive.
The drive West on I-70 is something I’ve done a lot of times. Missouri looks ever so similar to Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to me. Once you make it through Kansas to about Topeka, things begin to flatten out considerably. We stayed somewhere in Kansas or Colorado and I recall seeing a big storm front heading our way. Living there while in the service, I knew the dangers of tornadoes and kept an uneasy watch on the weather for several hours. The boys found a basketball court and Steve sprained an ankle. This would prove troublesome in the days ahead.
We continued on to Denver and then headed North towards Boulder. The Eastern side of Colorado looks no different than Kansas for a hundred miles. Denver is where the settlers stopped for the winter before attempting the mountains. Nick kept thinking that we were in the mountains as the foothills are larger than anthing he had ever seen. It was fun teasing back and forth, “mountains, foothills, mountains…”.
Steamboat Springs
We headed West again and ended up spending an evening at Steamboat Springs. It was raining. Rather than set up our tent, we rented two story cabin at a KOA or some similar place. It was fun and kept us dry for the night. Less than a hotel or motel and sill a little sense of roughing it… but not much.
Rocky Mountain National Park
This park is a sight to see. It is a bit crowded but still very much worth the time and effort to see it. Seeing snow covered mountains in August was a treat for everyone. We pulled over near one of the peaks to walk around a bit and see the sights. The weather can turn very quickly on top of a mountain and it did. We ran back to the van as a storm blew over and had just got in when it started to hail. Within a minute, a group of kids began yelling for help outside the van. We opened the doors and about five or six kids jumped in. Fortunately, the van was large. It was awkward and crowded at first but then we had a grand old time until the storm passed over. It is one of those things that we will all always remember.
I will always remember the drive down the mountain and the huge drops on my side of the road. I’ve seen that before and it is not terribly troubling. What made this time memorable was a line of traffic ahead and behind us and few places to pull over, while smelling our break pads heating up. The drive North and West through Colorado and Wyoming covers a vast wasteland until you reach Jackson Hole.
The Tetons
We found a campground rather late but that is not a problem as we have a good routine going by now. We probably ate in Jackson Hole. In the morning we woke to a beautiful clear day and saw hot air balloons being launched near the mountains. That is not something you see every day around these parts.
We decide to climb one of the mountains. There is a trail that is suitable for anyone in reasonable shape. Our children all played basketball so we started up. If you pace yourself, it is not too bad of a hike. After a mile or so the crowds thin out considerably and you are pretty much on your own. Sure, you run into hikers coming down now and then but you can go for several minutes without seeing anyone. Around seven to nine thousand feet we ran into a wild grizzly bear with her cub. She was feeding and her cub was up in a tree. I’d put her at less than 40 yards from the trail. “Quiet everyone, move slowly, we will take a few pictures and then get away from her.” The thoughts that goes though a parents head at such moments are along these lines. You immediately realize that this is a special moment for everyone and so you want to savor it. You also realize that if that grizzly wants to walk on over and maul you or anyone in your family, there isn’t anything you would be able to do about it.
We decide to continue up. Towards the end of the trail we are running into snow that the boys can pack and throw at each other so we had a snowball fight in August. Great fun! There is a lake at the end of the trail and we had a small feast that we had carried up the mountain with us. The mosquitoes were unbearable but the sun was shinning and peanut butter sandwiches taste like steak in such places. After lunch we carefully packed everything we brought with us we examined our surroundings a little. We climbed to the edge of a cliff and could look up at the rocky granite face of the mountain. There is a sheer drop that scares the hell out of a parent. You again realize how helpless you are. If anyone goes over the cliff, there is nothing that anyone could do. Still, it is an awesome sight and you want to savor it and hope it burns into your childrens memory. My most humble moments are usually near the top of a mountain, near the ocean, or pondering the skies at night.
The trip down was much easier except for one of those unpredictable freak storms that happen all at once. This time we were the ones stuck on the side of a mountain out in a hailstorm and perhaps a little lightening or thunder. Fortunately we were able to take a little shelter under a pine tree. Not real smart I realize but given the hail, you do what you have to. Once under the tree it was fun and exciting to see the hail all around us with few options but to wait it out. We still got wet and the hail still bounced off us but it had been slowed down considerably. Once again, you realize that nature could easily turn against you.
That night we spent in a campground in a tent with a view of the Tetons. It was a beautiful sight to watch the sun set. Mountains really do appear purple at times. We all slept like babes even though I recall the ground was near solid rock and gravel. The next morning we awoke pretty stiff and sore from the hike and with bruises where we had slept on stones all night.
Yellowstone
This was my second visit to Yellowstone. Steve and I visited some twenty five years earlier. You could still easily see the damage caused by the fire they had suffered several years earlier. It is still a “must” see. The park is roughly one hundred square miles in size. That is a huge park. Give yourself ample time to see that place as there is much to see and do. The several days we spent only gave us a glimpse of the place. If you don’t have reservations, forget about staying at the park. We would drive to Idaho each evening to spend the night. It is only a mile or so outside the park so it wasn’t bad.
The upper and lower falls are fantastic. We made our way to the lookout points. The rush of water going over the falls is something you feel more than you see or hear. Walking around the geyser fields was equally interesting. We just don't see boiling water spouting out of the ground in these parts. Many of the pools of water are of various colors due to the mineral content. In some places there is just a little hole of boiling mud. Again, our pasture fields near my house are completely lacking such attractions. Just driving about the park is an adventure. One day we were driving along in bumper to bumper traffic and we saw a buffalo headed toward the road. Of course he was the reason everyone was bumper to bumper. I don’t tailgate and so left an easy car length or two between us and the auto in front. Wouldn’t you know that the buffalo saw that gap in the traffic and walked right in front of our van. Steve, in the passenger seat, could have reached out and touched it as it went by. They are big animals. Another day we saw a moose up pretty close but not so close as the buffalo.
Old Faithful was still there as was the whole village nearby. I didn’t recall any of that from my earlier visit. The lodge was apparently built long before I was born so it must have been there. I just don’t recall having ever seen it. That was pretty odd for me.
Mt. Rushmore
The drive from Yellowstone to Mt. Rushmore is full of mountains and rocks. The highway cuts have signs indicating the age of the stone in the billions of years. Wonderful views seems to be around every corner. We spent a night in a hotel because we couldn't find a campground. It was a cheap place but you would have thought the beds were made of feathers. We had been roughing it for quite a while. We drove through the black hills and into Rapid City. In 1972 when Steve and I were here the dam had just broken three days earlier. You wouldn’t realize that now. We kept going until we made it to a campground in Custer, South Dakota. We checked in and found that the place was full of bikers. Without exception, everyone we met or talked with was friendly enough. It was another rocky campsite and we are fortunate that we got there early as it was soon full. The boys have a story to tell about the swimming pool there. The owners were ever so pleasant I recall.
The next day we head for Mt. Rushmore. There are bikers everywhere. Most are polite but there were a few wild ones driving crazy. Prior to this, we had never heard about the annual rally held in Sturgis. Mt. Rushmore is nice though a bit hot during the summer. We stopped in for a buffalo burger and some ice cream. They charge a fortune for an ice cream but keep dipping until you say stop. Each of the people that work there has a nametag and where they are from. It was good to see teenagers from all over the U.S. working at the park.
The drive East
Once we had seen our fill of Mt. Rushmore, we drove by Crazy Horse (I’m still not willing to pay admission for this one) and towards the badlands. Everyone seemed to be in a foul mood by now. After all, the vacation was about over and we were heading home and had been cooped up together for too long.
South Dakota is hot in the summer and I suppose that is why Wall Drugs does so well by offering a free glass of water. The place has grown immense since 1972. Another sight that I just didn’t recognize. We drove I-80 to the Corn Palace (another required stop). It is OK but it probably wouldn’t do so well if there was much else to see or do. We continued on though Wisconsin and into Chicago. We came into town by passing through miles of what appeared non English speaking peoples and shop. My boys were amazed. It was though we had been transported to another country outside the U.S. We decide to take another day and head for Canada so each of our boys will have been in both Canada and Mexico. We drove though Michigan to Detroit and into Windsor. We ate, bought a few souvineers and then headed home.
Footnotes
I’ll dig out some pictures if we have any that are decent and add them to the story. If you have been to any of these places, I’d love to hear of your adventures.
