Margaret, Laura,
Olivia, Gray, Chris, Amanda, Alexa, & Cooper
Planning was in the works for several months, and the time finally came that Margaret, Laura, and grandkids Liv & Gray would embark on a road trip from Michigan to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
Coinciding with their own trip, Amanda and Alexa embarked on
a road trip from Oregon to Yellowstone, and were also joined by Chris and Cooper who flew into
Wyoming after Cooper's basketball commitment was finished.
On the trip were lots of interesting, educational, and just plain fun stops along the way. Liv and Gray were in awe of all the things they saw in Yellowstone and all the things Grandma Margaret and recently retired Grandma Laura were able to share with them.
There is an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, so below is my 75,000 word essay in pictures from our fantastic trip.
.
Heading
Out On Our Road Trip
Spent
the night on the Mighty Mississippi before heading
to South Dakota along with a visit to the Corn
Palace in Mitchell, SD
.
Pictures
of the travelers inside the Corn Palace and a photo
op outside Wall Drugs
.
The
girls flattened pennies at Mt. Rushmore - Walked
around the base of Devils Tower
.
One
of many prairie dogs in the Bad Lands - Falls Park
and Corny the Corn Guy in Mitchell
.
Laura
and the girls doing a native American tribal dance -
Dignity stature in Chamberlain, SD - Antler
sculpture in Trail Town
.
Welcome
to the Badlands. Olivia and Gray found lots of
places to burn off some energy and sightsee
.
Inside
the Corn Palace - And a visit to the Crazy Horse
Monument
.
The
back of Dignity Statue - Wall Drugs - Our cabin in
the Bad Lands
.
Another
picture of Devils Tower - More in Trail Town -
Cowboy cattle dinner and dance in Cody, WY
.
Special VIP Access
Not only did we get to
see the front of Mt. Rushmore,
butt we also got to see the
rarely viewed backside of the monument.
.
At
Yellowstone National Park
The
Oregon Mcs and the Michigan and Ohio contingent met
up at Yellowstone. We stayed at the Canyon Lodge
inside the park
.
Working
on our Jr. Ranger badges - Fairy Falls Overlook to
see the Grand Prismatic - Mammoth Springs
.
There
were plenty of geysers at Yellowstone. Grand
Prismatic and the Norris Basin Geysers
.
We
all took a boat tour of Yellowstone Lake. It was a
nice and relaxing time. Also infomative.
.
Plenty
of wildlife could be seen in the park, as well as
right on the roads coming up to the cars
.
Inside
Old Faithful Inn - We all got together for dinner at
the Grant Village Dining Room
.
Hiking
around and exploring the beauty of Yellowstone
National Park was interesting and a lot of fun
.
Olivia
& Gray get sworn in as Jr. Rangers - A bison was
seen right outside one of the hotels - Old Faithful
Inn
.
Yellowstone
Explosion
While
we were on Lake Yellowstone for a boat tour, this happened
just a few miles away...
While
we were out on Yellowstone Lake, this happened a
Biscuit Basin just a few miles away - A photo of the
aftermath of the explosion
..
Coming
Home
Before
parting ways with the Oregon Mcs, we visited the
Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole, WY
.
Chris
and Margaret exploring the Grand Tetons - The
cousins found a stagecoach to play in - More of the
Grand Tetons
.
We
stayed at Hatchet Resort - The Jackalope Museum -
Pony Express Museum - The Kerney, NE Overlook
.
Joliet
Illinois where the movie Christmas Story took place
- The girls stretching their
legs
.
I-80
Worlds Largest Truckstop - More pics on places we
stopped at -
.
Statue
on the Lincoln Highway - Prospector in Kearney -
Mustard for grandpa (running gag) - Best gas price
on our trip was $2.84 in Ogalalla, NE
.
Favorite Part Of The Trip?
Olivia
...the Badlands in South Dakota. I would like
to be a park ranger when I get older. It was
also fun to see my cousins Alexa and
Cooper and hang out with them in
Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons
Gray
...seeing all the prairie dogs in the Badlands.
There were lots of little ones running
around all over the place
Laura
...the best part of the trip was the fabulous, fun company I was with as we experienced the beautiful nature of the American west!
Margaret
...spending time with my family & seeing the thrill they saw in seeing nature up close. And Huckleberry! Jam, syrup, ice cream,
and hound! It is only grown in 5 states & Wyoming is one of them.
I brought some home!
Alexa
...seeing geysers and seeing Gray and Olivia
Cooper
...using binoculars to see animals in the evenings, evening ice cream, and bison
Amanda
...hiking in Yellowstone
where I got to see the overlook over Grand
Prismatic. Also seeing a baby moose in
the Grand Tetons, and playing games with
all the cousins in the evenings
Chris
...getting up close and personal with some bison. We had two walk within 10 feet of our car and one about 40 feet away while on an elevated boardwalk.
Also, the views from the Grand Canyon of
Yellowstone
.
One
Final Tidbit
Finally, the
question from the McCarty Metro is how did the license plate
game go. The answer was 48 out of 50 were seen and marked.
Only Vermont and Rhode Island were not found. Download and
print your copy of the License Plate Game below and see how
many you see on your next road trip.
