Because she thought the sun had got no business to be there.

Travel Date: Friday, July 2

Alright, all delays forgiven, I’m going to do my best to get us caught up to speed before getting thoroughly preoccupied in some little desert town called Vegas.

After leaving Devil’s Tower, we continued on our westward trek with a couple of America’s most notorious National Parks in our sights.  Cruising through Montana, we replenished our supplies in Billings before taking on the craggy peaks of the Rockies in order to make our way into Wyoming.   The mountains had been on the horizon for a good while but it wasn’t until the final few miles of the approach that you could truly appreciate their massive size or their epic beauty.  As the road began to wind around the base of the first stretch, like true novices we began to wonder when and where our cut through would take shape.  We soon learned that no such road exists as admission beyond only happens by way of winding your way up and over.  The vistas along the way were mind blowing to say the least and fortunately there were pull offs every few miles to take in the sights.  Towards the top, we also had to make time to enjoy some snow in July and let a few ice balls take flight.

Coming out of the mountains, we finally settled down for the night in the quaint little town of Cooke City which doesn’t seem to exist on most maps.  Early to rise the next morning, we found ourselves a mere half dozen miles from the entrance to Yellowstone, America’s first National Park.  The park itself is truly ginormous with a land area which must make up at least 5% of the whole state of Wyoming.  While there are literally 1,000s of hiking a trails, a few of which we checked out, the park is best seen in a car as we put up more than 175 miles in navigating the various corners of the area.  The grandeur of Yellowstone is hard to put into words. Similar to the Rockies, we could have drained hundreds of rolls of film in our excitement but had to stay our hands in an attempt to appreciate it all in first hand.  In stopping to reflect on the plethora of magnificent scenery, we had to best liken the experience to traveling through a series of post cards and Bob Ross paintings with snow-capped mountains, flowing rivers and millions of “happy little trees.”  However, the vividness of the colors in the hot springs and geysers left the most lasting impressions for those able to stomach the wafts of sulfur.  Oh and for the record, we successfully saw Old Faithful go off, not long after encountering a grizzly bear on one of the back trails!  We ended the day by passing through the Grand Tetons before pitching camp once again.

Happy Independence Day!

- The Carpenter