July 17 – From the Black Hills of South Dakota

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The trip is coming to a close.  We will be back in Tennessee in just a few days.  Tomorrow morning we leave Rapid City, SD and head East, make a stop at the Corn Palace and continue on as far as we can before stopping for the night.  Here are a few highlights from the trip the past few days.

Yellowstone

We made it to Gardiner, MT at the northern gate to Yellowstone and woke up early on Saturday for a full day of checking out the park.  Because of our limited time we specifically chose the northern roads.  We entered at the North Entrance and exited at the Northeast Entrance.

The view from our campground overlooking the town below.
Kaitlin and Wendy in front of Mammoth Springs. It is so amazing to see hot steamy water coming from the ground. The stories of people getting burned by it was not so good.
We found an amazing little spot along Lava Creek to have lunch, get out some energy and enjoy nature.
The family (minus me) in front of Undine Falls. The view from this Vista was amazing.
Our greatest desire for Yellowstone was to see wildlife. We saw plenty of Bison and Elk but we did not see any bears or wolves.

Beartooth Pass

Beartooth Pass was an unexpected treat.  I had heard the name but had not spent any time researching it.  I thought it was just part of the drive from the Northeast entrance out to Rapid City, SD.  However, having logged around 6,000 miles in the past 7 weeks let me say this.  Beartooth Pass is probably my personal favorite drive and in my opinion the most beautiful drive on our trip.  There are many that compare but the vast openness, vistas, mountain ranges in the distance and the top plateau at 11,000 feet are absolutely amazing.  The pass is only open from mid-May to mid-October but if you are out this way during that window you should drive it.  The pictures won’t do it justice.

At the northern bottom of Beartooth Pass we stopped at a National Park Campground.  There was no running water, sewer, electricity and no one attending the campground.  We had no cell service and the campground was pretty secluded.  We saw plenty of signs and received a warning from a regular camper that they had seen a grizzly earlier that day and we shouldn’t let the kids wander too far.   
The boys wanted BADLY to sleep outside and so, they attempted to hang their hammocks at least 10 ft above the ground to avoid bears.
They ended up sleeping in the camper that night but not until they had a good time playing in their hammocks.

 

As you read this on Wednesday morning, we will be on the way home. We hope to stop in Kansas City to visit a friend of mine from IHOP KC before moving on and should be home by Friday evening.  This will be our final update while on the trip.  We will get a compilation of our pictures together and onto an online media for others to enjoy once we get home and get settled.  Thank you for following us on the trip, praying for us and for partnering with us in such a blessed way.  You are all amazing!

We love you all!

Justin, Wendy, Ethan, Hanan, Josiah, and Kaitlin!

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