Well, we arrived home and are recovering from the trip.
Overall it was a wonderful trip.
South Dakota and the Black Hills are stunning. We saw a fraction of the parks and natural attractions and it was breath taking. One could spend a summer there to see most of the major attractions.
Little Big Horn was a last minute addition to the trip and was worth the time. It is as powerful as Gettysburg.
Bill has wanted to visit Devils Tower ever since he read about it at the age of 10. Finally saw it. He understands its spiritual value to the Indians.
Yellowstone is amazing. We saw features that were within a few hundred feet of the road and can only guess at what lies further out. It would take months to explore it even a few yards further from the road. Every once in a while the thought would cross our minds that we were on top of an active volcano! This happened when we were standing near/on hot springs and geyesers.
The Grand Tetons are striking. Our view was limited by haze.
The Arch in St. Louis is quite something, a fitting monument to the western expansion.
Trivia about the trip:
We:
- traveled 22 days
- drove 6013 miles
- burned 126 gallons of gas (that's 48 MPG!)
- saw (parts of) 13 states
- saw license plates from ALL 50 states and 6 provinces
- slept in 16 different beds
- Rose took 1400 pictures
- Bill took 2300 pictures
- ate buffalo steaks and burgers several times
- saw (and photographed) the following critters:
buffalo
elk
mule deer
prong horn antelope
wild burros
osprey
prarie dogs
bunnies
goats
magpie
raven
geese
trout
loon
- saw (briefly)
sage grouse
otters
hawks
heron/egrets
- saw numerous unidentified smaller birds and ducks
- did NOT SEE bear, moose, wolf
Bill & Rose
Created September 2009