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We took a 10 day trip out West in June of 2017. This was an interesting trip as we stayed in 6 hotels and traveled
over 3,500 miles. In addition to seeing many sites, we also had our first experience with altitude sickness. We
all had our own symptoms, but Steffanie got the worst of it as she was only about 4 months out of her second
brain surgery so suffered most of the trip with cranial swelling. Not something we planned for. The trip took us as
far west as eastern Idaho and seemed like a marathon on some days with all of the traveling. But was also one of
those trips you have to at least do once in your life; to see the great plains, mountains, classic tourist spots
and wildlife.
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Villisca Ax Murder House - Villisca, IA |
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Our first stop on this journey was at the famous Villisca Ax Murder House in Villisca, IA. On June 10, 1912, 8 people
(the entire Moore family and 2 guests) were killed with an ax by an unknown assailant. To this day, the murder is
still unsolved.
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This is the bed where Mr. and Mrs. Moore were sleeping. When you look on the ceiling, you can see marks the ax left on each upswing.
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Corn Palace - Mitchell, SD |
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We were told that if you're traveling through South Dakota, you should make a side trip into Mitchell to see
the World's Only Corn Palace. This
was a nice little stop, and a popular detour for vacationers. The Corn Palace has been around since 1892 and sees over
500,000 visitors each year!
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Wall, SD |
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Another popular stop along Interstate 90 is Wall Drug.
It all began with the promise of free ice water.
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It's not a vacation without some gem mining. Steffanie, Marcia and the kids enjoyed sifting through their bags for some good finds.
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Mt. Rushmore |
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We rolled into Mt. Rushmore in the early afternoon to a moderate crowd. From what I had read, I wasn't expecting too
much from this popular attraction. I always envisioned it being so far off in the distance, and all of the pictures
I had seen in the past were from great zoom lenses, that it would be underwhelming. I was wrong, it was breathtaking!
Once you walk through the entrance, the whole side of the mountain comes into view, with great depth. We didn't stay long,
but I could've easily spent hours just sitting there. A nice Fathers Day gift. Note my Fathers Day shirt (Best Dad in
the Galaxy).
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Crazy Horse |
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We had enough day left to drive over and visit Crazy Horse,
about a 20 minute trip from Mt. Rushmore. Unlike Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse is privately funded and has been under construction
since 1948. By invitation from Chief Henry Standing Bear, Korczak Ziolkowski came to the Black Hills to sculpt a memorial to honor
all North American Indians. Korczak spent his entire life working on Crazy Horse. 4 of Korczak and Ruth's 10 children continue to work on
the memorial, which has over 1 million visitors annually!
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Yellowstone National Park |
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One June 20th, we spent a couple of days visiting Yellowstone National Park.
This place was amazing, just like all of the pictures I've seen about this park over the years. Everywhere you turned was a
photo opp.
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One of those opps happened soon after we entered the park to see a Bison grazing near a rest area. I learned
on this trip that "Bison" is the correct term for these animals. Buffalo was a term used to describe them by Europeans as
they resembled Water Buffalo, which are not indigenous to North America. Bison have a large furry head and hump back.
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Grand Prismatic Springs |
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On the first day, we visited Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Springs. An interesting and pungent smell of
sulfur exudes from these springs. A smell of boiled eggs...blech.
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Old Faithful |
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Old Faithful was pretty busy by the time we got there, but were still able to get a good view and didn't have to wait
long for its show.
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Hayden Valley |
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On the second day, we visited Hayden Valley and the Upper Falls. We orignally planned on visiting the Grand
Canyon of Yellowstone, but the traffic was disastrous, so we went to the falls instead.
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Upper Falls |
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Grand Tetons |
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Our route from Yellowstone to Colorado took us through the Grand Teton Mountains.
I enjoyed this trip as it was long yet picturesque. We started by heading west into Idaho and then south through the
lower edge of Grand Teton National Park. We pulled off for a stretch and some great pictures. We were even able to touch
some snow in June!
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Notice the pitch of this hill in the background and the angle of the trees as they point vertically to the sky.
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And then began the long, long and boring trip through southern Wyoming. Liam got some good driving time in on his permit.
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Boulder, Colorado |
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We spent a few days in Boulder and visited with friends. We met up with my friend Chris and his family for a cookout at
their house in Windsor. Then we met with Steffanie's friend Audrey and her daughter at a Panera the next day. That night we drove to Golden to
visit with Marcia's old friends Kay and Stephen for a nice home cooked meal. GPS is useless in the mountains of Golden!
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Estes Park, Colorado |
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We headed to Estes Park as we had reservations at The Stanley Hotel for the night which included a ghost tour. Upon
entering Estes Park was a great lookout to pull off at. We were welcomed by a team of hungry, yet particular chipmunks.
After trying dried fruit, crackers and popcorn, they seemed to prefer almonds.
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Trail Ridge Road |
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After checking in at The Stanley, Chris met up with us and escorted us to Trail Ridge Road.
This is the highest paved road in the US. Steffanie remained at The Stanley as she was not interested in the narrow roads and heights.
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Once you get to the end of the driving part, you then have to walk a steep path to reach the tippy top at 12,183 feet.
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One of the nice things about this side trip was that we didn't get a good chance to see any Elk while in Yellowstone. But
up here, they were everywhere.
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The Stanley Hotel |
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We arrived at The Stanley Hotel on June 25th
to spend the night and do a ghost tour. This hotel is one of the most paranormally active hotels in the US. I was hoping
we would experience something while there, but nothing happened. We were just around the corner from room 217. This was
the room Stephen King stayed in and had several experiences. While Jim Carrey was staying here during the filming of Dumb
& Dumber, he only lasted a few hours in 217 before he had to leave.
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The ghost tour was very informative. It wasn't a ghost hunt, but more of a history of the hotel and land. Our tour
guide, Andrew, did a terrific job and kept the history interesting with his comedic delivery style. He told us that not
only did the hotel inspire Stephen King to write The Shining, but also Pet Sematary as the grounds also had a pet cemetery
for people to bury pets who had died during travel.
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And the coolest thing of all was that one of my all time favorite movies, Dumb & Dumber, was filmed at The Stanley!
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