A trip I took last summer. Just sharing.
- Thread starter jakeWI
- Start date
This is my first trip write- up like this. So bare with me and sorry if its amateur. Before we left we did a bunch of planning and bought a "America the Beautiful Pass" which is a year pass for all the national parks.
May 25th 2009:
Planned on being at Angela's house at 5:30 am. My alarm never went off and I was woken up at 6am. Late start!
Driving through W. Minnesota and all of North Dakota was terrible. It was very boring. It wasn't until we reached Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota for there to be anything of interest to even look at. But from the little I did see it was very beautiful.
We ended up driving about 1000 miles today before we quit. We stopped right over the Montana border and found a campsite. We both were tired from the drive and called it a night.
May 26th 2009:
We woke up around 4:30 am MST which is 5:30 am central (WI) time. Packed up and headed out. Montana was a beautiful drive. There was a lot of scenery to enjoy.
But again it was another 500 miles to Glacier National Park. It became a very tiring and long excursion. I might be getting on her nerves because Im getting crabby and tired from driving.
We reached Glacier National Park finally, around 2pm MST. Once we reached St. Mary's camp we found out the scenic Going to the Sun Road is closed because of an avalanche. Then we found out the water isn't running yet at the campsite.
We started setting up camp with a lot of struggle from the high winds. Tonight should be fun....HA
Tomorrow we might hike some trails then pack up early and head South/West to Apgar campground which has more available right now, said the park ranger. It is beautiful though!
May 27 2009 (GNP day 2):
Well Angela and I ended up sleeping in the car last night. The wind was terrible then the two poles for the rain fly broke. So the rain fly was flapping like crazy. Good thing we slept in the car, it also got super cold out to.
Today was actually a real good day. We woke up around 6am MST. Packed up, filled up on gas and took the long way around to the other side of the park because of the avalanche. I HATE mountain driving on the edge of cliffs!!!! We ended up pitching a tent at Apgar campground. It was a real nice spot in dense woods, away from the wind! We decided to hike after lunch. We ended up doing Avalanche Lake Trail which is a beautiful 4 mile round trip. Then we also did the Trail of Cedars which is about 1 mile. Very beautiful day. Now we got back to the site and made dinner. Time to relax. Tomorrow is a long drive to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.
May 25th 2009:
Planned on being at Angela's house at 5:30 am. My alarm never went off and I was woken up at 6am. Late start!
Driving through W. Minnesota and all of North Dakota was terrible. It was very boring. It wasn't until we reached Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota for there to be anything of interest to even look at. But from the little I did see it was very beautiful.
We ended up driving about 1000 miles today before we quit. We stopped right over the Montana border and found a campsite. We both were tired from the drive and called it a night.
May 26th 2009:
We woke up around 4:30 am MST which is 5:30 am central (WI) time. Packed up and headed out. Montana was a beautiful drive. There was a lot of scenery to enjoy.
But again it was another 500 miles to Glacier National Park. It became a very tiring and long excursion. I might be getting on her nerves because Im getting crabby and tired from driving.
We reached Glacier National Park finally, around 2pm MST. Once we reached St. Mary's camp we found out the scenic Going to the Sun Road is closed because of an avalanche. Then we found out the water isn't running yet at the campsite.
We started setting up camp with a lot of struggle from the high winds. Tonight should be fun....HA
Tomorrow we might hike some trails then pack up early and head South/West to Apgar campground which has more available right now, said the park ranger. It is beautiful though!
May 27 2009 (GNP day 2):
Well Angela and I ended up sleeping in the car last night. The wind was terrible then the two poles for the rain fly broke. So the rain fly was flapping like crazy. Good thing we slept in the car, it also got super cold out to.
Today was actually a real good day. We woke up around 6am MST. Packed up, filled up on gas and took the long way around to the other side of the park because of the avalanche. I HATE mountain driving on the edge of cliffs!!!! We ended up pitching a tent at Apgar campground. It was a real nice spot in dense woods, away from the wind! We decided to hike after lunch. We ended up doing Avalanche Lake Trail which is a beautiful 4 mile round trip. Then we also did the Trail of Cedars which is about 1 mile. Very beautiful day. Now we got back to the site and made dinner. Time to relax. Tomorrow is a long drive to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.
May 28 2009:
We slept a little later today. Got up around 6:30 MST. It was cold this morning.
Another 500-600 mile drive today to Mount Rainier National Park, WA. Drove through the pan handle of Idaho. We reached Spokane, WA and it was nice but busy so we pushed on after some lunch. On another note, when we reached Washington, the roads sucked! Once we got past Spokane I was surprised how hot and desert like Washington was in this area. It is like 95 degrees. I pictured it like the movies with lush forests.
At this point we are dreaming of showers and shaves. None of the parks have showers.
We arrived at Mount Rainier at 4:30 PST. We are staying at the Ocanapakosh? campground. It is deep in heavy old growth forest. Very, Very Beautiful! Our campsite was set up right on the rivers edge. Much of the park is shut down due to mudslides and fallen trees. The park is apparently a geohazard zone and Mt. Rainier itself is an active volcano. We hiked a little but the sun was setting fast. So we ate and went to bed.
We slept a little later today. Got up around 6:30 MST. It was cold this morning.
Another 500-600 mile drive today to Mount Rainier National Park, WA. Drove through the pan handle of Idaho. We reached Spokane, WA and it was nice but busy so we pushed on after some lunch. On another note, when we reached Washington, the roads sucked! Once we got past Spokane I was surprised how hot and desert like Washington was in this area. It is like 95 degrees. I pictured it like the movies with lush forests.
At this point we are dreaming of showers and shaves. None of the parks have showers.
We arrived at Mount Rainier at 4:30 PST. We are staying at the Ocanapakosh? campground. It is deep in heavy old growth forest. Very, Very Beautiful! Our campsite was set up right on the rivers edge. Much of the park is shut down due to mudslides and fallen trees. The park is apparently a geohazard zone and Mt. Rainier itself is an active volcano. We hiked a little but the sun was setting fast. So we ate and went to bed.
May 29 2009:
Woke up around around 5 am PST. Sat and watched the river from our campsite. Then headed out for the 225 mile journey to Olympic National Park, WA. The drives are starting to feel shorter!
We finally reached the Kaladosh(?spelling haha) Campground at Olympic National Park around 10am. Set up camp and visited the general store and ranger station.
This place is unbelievable. It is so beautiful and diverse. Our campsite overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It is moist and full of lush greens. Im afraid for whoever reads this that the pictures wont do it justice. We took a hike on the beach for a few mile round trip. It was the beach trail. We found some cliff caves, crabs, sand dollars, other ocean life hanging onto the rocks, including star fish and a dead stingray. There are a ton of huge trees that drifted onto the beach. We got back and ate dinner, relaxed by the fire and went to sleep. Tomorrow we are heading up to the Hoh area to check out the rain forest!
I dont know what this was
May 30 2009:
Today I woke up cold! I rolled off of the sleeping pad. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out and no clouds. We headed out for the Hoh Rain Forest. On the way we stopped at the famous Ruby Beach. Very beautiful.
We reached Hoh's visitor center around 8 am PST. Geared up and headed in. We hiked the Trail of Mosses which was 1 mile. Then we hiked the Spruce Nature Trail which was 1.25 miles. We went back to the car for some lunch then headed back out for the Hoh River trail which we ended up hiking about 5-6 miles of that. We were real worn about by the end of it all.
The forest was very beautiful. Very hard to describe with words of pictures. While there, we encountered a huge banana slug and found cougar and elk prints all over the place. Olympic National Park is supposed to have the largest remaining herd of Roosevelt Elk in the country.
After we got back we ate diner and walked the beach. While on the beach a bald eagle landed on the beach 50 yards from us. It was huge. Definitely a cool site to see.
Now we are going to sit by the fire to relax before the huge trek to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Woke up around around 5 am PST. Sat and watched the river from our campsite. Then headed out for the 225 mile journey to Olympic National Park, WA. The drives are starting to feel shorter!
We finally reached the Kaladosh(?spelling haha) Campground at Olympic National Park around 10am. Set up camp and visited the general store and ranger station.
This place is unbelievable. It is so beautiful and diverse. Our campsite overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It is moist and full of lush greens. Im afraid for whoever reads this that the pictures wont do it justice. We took a hike on the beach for a few mile round trip. It was the beach trail. We found some cliff caves, crabs, sand dollars, other ocean life hanging onto the rocks, including star fish and a dead stingray. There are a ton of huge trees that drifted onto the beach. We got back and ate dinner, relaxed by the fire and went to sleep. Tomorrow we are heading up to the Hoh area to check out the rain forest!
I dont know what this was
May 30 2009:
Today I woke up cold! I rolled off of the sleeping pad. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out and no clouds. We headed out for the Hoh Rain Forest. On the way we stopped at the famous Ruby Beach. Very beautiful.
We reached Hoh's visitor center around 8 am PST. Geared up and headed in. We hiked the Trail of Mosses which was 1 mile. Then we hiked the Spruce Nature Trail which was 1.25 miles. We went back to the car for some lunch then headed back out for the Hoh River trail which we ended up hiking about 5-6 miles of that. We were real worn about by the end of it all.
The forest was very beautiful. Very hard to describe with words of pictures. While there, we encountered a huge banana slug and found cougar and elk prints all over the place. Olympic National Park is supposed to have the largest remaining herd of Roosevelt Elk in the country.
After we got back we ate diner and walked the beach. While on the beach a bald eagle landed on the beach 50 yards from us. It was huge. Definitely a cool site to see.
Now we are going to sit by the fire to relax before the huge trek to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
May 31 2009:
Today we left Olympic National Park around 8 am. We were heading to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Driving was slow in Washington and Oregon. And again we hit unexpected desert in central Oregon. I hate the desert.
Once we got to Idaho the speed limits were much better. Passed through Mountain Home, Carl! Looks like a nice area.
I drove for way to long, about 14 hours and finally called it quits in Twin Falls, ID. It was to late to pinch a tent so we said screw it and paid for a $50 Super 8 room. Finally a shower though. It was the first shower in like a week! Haha, especially after all the hiking.
June 1 2009:
Took another shower! It was great. Got some continental breakfast and headed out. We were taking it slow today because there weren't many miles to go. Made a few random stops, including an Army Surplus near Idaho Falls where we picked up a sweet desert cooler for cheap! Can't wait to try it.
It started to slowly rain on and off. Jackson Hole, Wyoming looked beautiful as we passed through. Drove up through Grand Teton National Park. We didn't camp because the prices were very high, so we figured we would camp at Yellowstone and drive back down to hike. Grand Teton National Park is very beautiful. We finally arrived at Bridge Bay campground at the Eastern side of Yellowstone.
We tried making a good fire but it was damp. Then went to bed. We did get to see a grizzly bear about 5 ft. from the car which was cool. She has a picture somewhere. I'll have to find it.
June 2 2009:
Well our tent decided to leak like a P.O.S from the rain we got last night! That was a nice thing to wake up to.
With the rain on and off we decided to do the lower loop of Yellowstone and make the best of it. We didn't let any rain ruin our fun. Saw all the little attractions of the loop including Old Faithful. Still a lot of snow haha! It is beautiful though.
We also bought another tarp to cover the tent so hopefully that will help at least a little. We will see. We did see some buffalo and elk today including a nice bull.
Today we left Olympic National Park around 8 am. We were heading to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Driving was slow in Washington and Oregon. And again we hit unexpected desert in central Oregon. I hate the desert.
Once we got to Idaho the speed limits were much better. Passed through Mountain Home, Carl! Looks like a nice area.
I drove for way to long, about 14 hours and finally called it quits in Twin Falls, ID. It was to late to pinch a tent so we said screw it and paid for a $50 Super 8 room. Finally a shower though. It was the first shower in like a week! Haha, especially after all the hiking.
June 1 2009:
Took another shower! It was great. Got some continental breakfast and headed out. We were taking it slow today because there weren't many miles to go. Made a few random stops, including an Army Surplus near Idaho Falls where we picked up a sweet desert cooler for cheap! Can't wait to try it.
It started to slowly rain on and off. Jackson Hole, Wyoming looked beautiful as we passed through. Drove up through Grand Teton National Park. We didn't camp because the prices were very high, so we figured we would camp at Yellowstone and drive back down to hike. Grand Teton National Park is very beautiful. We finally arrived at Bridge Bay campground at the Eastern side of Yellowstone.
We tried making a good fire but it was damp. Then went to bed. We did get to see a grizzly bear about 5 ft. from the car which was cool. She has a picture somewhere. I'll have to find it.
June 2 2009:
Well our tent decided to leak like a P.O.S from the rain we got last night! That was a nice thing to wake up to.
With the rain on and off we decided to do the lower loop of Yellowstone and make the best of it. We didn't let any rain ruin our fun. Saw all the little attractions of the loop including Old Faithful. Still a lot of snow haha! It is beautiful though.
We also bought another tarp to cover the tent so hopefully that will help at least a little. We will see. We did see some buffalo and elk today including a nice bull.
June 3 2009:
It is still on and off rain. The tarp did help a little but that rain is coming in through the seems. We are going to do the upper loop today including Mammoth Hot Springs and Artist Point.
We headed to Artist Point first. It is an amazing falls. She was having a blast because she loves waterfalls. Then we headed over to the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Did all the hiking around there. Saw the hotel and the ranger barracks up there. On the way back we saw a black bear and some mountain goats. We decided to venture back down to Old Faithful because the sun was out and in hopes to get better photos. We also visited the Old Faithful Inn and learned some history of the park, including that it used to be an old army base back in to 1800's.
We are thinking of packing up and heading to Deadwood, SD early because it has been raining the whole time and it is supposed to rain for the rest of our planned stay including snow for friday.
June 4 2009:
We packed up early and headed out. On our way out the East Entrance we saw our first moose. It was awesome. Then about 20-30 miles we saw our first big horn sheep which was great! We made it to Deadwood and checked into the Super 8. We are going to take it easy and relax. We showered and headed out for diner and the town. Saw an old western gun fight and enjoyed our time. I love the Black Hills area. I also won $45 on the slots.
P.S I hate slots but its their main thing there.
June 5 2009:
We decided we were going to head over to Mount Rushmore today. So instead of 120 mile round trip we just got another hotel room up that was in Keystone, SD. Keystone was another cool area. Rushmore was cool to see again. Then we played mini golf and I let here drag me around to all the shops haha. Went back to the hotel room and relaxed. Then went back to Mt. Rushmore to see it at night.
June 6 2009:
Today is the long 890 mile drive home. I was letting her make stops because the drives are starting to kill her. We stopped at a Scheels which is a cool sportsmen/ camp store place, then we made it over to Wall Drug. Neither of us have been there so we stopped in. That is a crazy little place with a ton in it. We continued on our way and hit some more rain. We arrived home late that night. But finally home.
All in all, the trip was well deserved and needed. It was a great experience for the both of us. We saw a ton of wildlife. I took her to the ocean for the first time. It was shorter then we planned but not much we can do because of the weather so we did make the best of it. We are already starting to brain storm next years trip which might be back out this way for some back country hikes and primitive camping. Who knows.
I will try and get some of her pics and post them later as well.
It is still on and off rain. The tarp did help a little but that rain is coming in through the seems. We are going to do the upper loop today including Mammoth Hot Springs and Artist Point.
We headed to Artist Point first. It is an amazing falls. She was having a blast because she loves waterfalls. Then we headed over to the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Did all the hiking around there. Saw the hotel and the ranger barracks up there. On the way back we saw a black bear and some mountain goats. We decided to venture back down to Old Faithful because the sun was out and in hopes to get better photos. We also visited the Old Faithful Inn and learned some history of the park, including that it used to be an old army base back in to 1800's.
We are thinking of packing up and heading to Deadwood, SD early because it has been raining the whole time and it is supposed to rain for the rest of our planned stay including snow for friday.
June 4 2009:
We packed up early and headed out. On our way out the East Entrance we saw our first moose. It was awesome. Then about 20-30 miles we saw our first big horn sheep which was great! We made it to Deadwood and checked into the Super 8. We are going to take it easy and relax. We showered and headed out for diner and the town. Saw an old western gun fight and enjoyed our time. I love the Black Hills area. I also won $45 on the slots.
P.S I hate slots but its their main thing there.
June 5 2009:
We decided we were going to head over to Mount Rushmore today. So instead of 120 mile round trip we just got another hotel room up that was in Keystone, SD. Keystone was another cool area. Rushmore was cool to see again. Then we played mini golf and I let here drag me around to all the shops haha. Went back to the hotel room and relaxed. Then went back to Mt. Rushmore to see it at night.
June 6 2009:
Today is the long 890 mile drive home. I was letting her make stops because the drives are starting to kill her. We stopped at a Scheels which is a cool sportsmen/ camp store place, then we made it over to Wall Drug. Neither of us have been there so we stopped in. That is a crazy little place with a ton in it. We continued on our way and hit some more rain. We arrived home late that night. But finally home.
All in all, the trip was well deserved and needed. It was a great experience for the both of us. We saw a ton of wildlife. I took her to the ocean for the first time. It was shorter then we planned but not much we can do because of the weather so we did make the best of it. We are already starting to brain storm next years trip which might be back out this way for some back country hikes and primitive camping. Who knows.
I will try and get some of her pics and post them later as well.
- Location
- San Diego, CA
All very cool!! Lots of amazing pix. Looks like it was a great trip =)
bigalpha
Moderator
- Location
- Tucson, AZ
Jealous. We went to WA last year and did the Olympic Peninsula. It was awesome. We found a 6 legged starfish.
MASS XJ 98
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Hanover, Massachusetts
Cool trip!!
I went to Yellowstone this past spring. You got some nice shots! How far from the Black Bear were you?
I went to Yellowstone this past spring. You got some nice shots! How far from the Black Bear were you?
haha thanks. that was a brown bear "grizzly". i could have reached out the car and touched it. not by choice though. it was on the road. i had the windows up. the stupid thing is, motor cycles were dumb enough to stop on the other side of the road just to get pics. wonder how people get hurt and gored at yellowstone?:yelclap:
OverlandZJ
NAXJA Member # 101
- Location
- Bristol,PA
Again, nice pics Jake. I missed a Yellowstone Grizzly sighting by minutes just before i left the park.
The morning we arrived i heard they were loading up a dead bear after a fight with another the previous night.
I'd like to see one some day.. at a distance.
The morning we arrived i heard they were loading up a dead bear after a fight with another the previous night.
I'd like to see one some day.. at a distance.
wow.
yeah the first time i was at yellowstone 1 at about 100-150 yards and the rangers were near by incase. but it was collared so they knew it was near. the same trip there i saw a mother bear and two cubs about 75 yards away around a terrible curve.
this last time i was there (pictured in the photos above) i saw that one when i first drove into the park and i could have touched it. then another one at like 500 yards and everyone was taking pictures out this little brown dot way far away haha.
but they seriously are great to see. all the wildlife i saw was amazing and can be hard to see. the only thing i didnt see last time was a wolf.
yeah the first time i was at yellowstone 1 at about 100-150 yards and the rangers were near by incase. but it was collared so they knew it was near. the same trip there i saw a mother bear and two cubs about 75 yards away around a terrible curve.
this last time i was there (pictured in the photos above) i saw that one when i first drove into the park and i could have touched it. then another one at like 500 yards and everyone was taking pictures out this little brown dot way far away haha.
but they seriously are great to see. all the wildlife i saw was amazing and can be hard to see. the only thing i didnt see last time was a wolf.
HeepSpeed
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Santa Barbara, CA
great trip report! Those are aewsome HDR photos and your wife's wildlife photos were neat!
thanks! it was a great time. im no professional at photography but i try my best as a hobby
tkjeeper
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- anywhere thats free
outstanding job!
- Location
- Pekin IN/Louisville KY area
Yeah, great photography & spectacular locations. Thanks for taking the effort to post up.
