7 States in 7 Days

Well, technically 6 days but that just doesn't sound as catchy. 

Instead of boring you with the last 12 weeks of WY, WY, WY, rocks, rocks, rocks I've dedicated my summer to, I'll only give you the tidbits on my journey home.

Utah

Idaho

Wyoming

Montana

North Dakota

South Dakota

Nebraska

with a few back and forth repetitions in between

Many know me to be a meticulous planner who has everything scheduled down to the minute but this trip was meant to be free. Unplanned. No expectations. No rules.

Just good, hard fun discovering this beautiful world we live in.

But let's start from the beginning of the ending--

After an incredible ending to my experience working in Kemmerer, WY this summer, I packed up my car, gave one last kiss to the man who holds my heart, and drove away into the sunset.

Okay, it didn't happen exactly like that...

But mostly.

I drove past Bear Lake once again and still can't wrap my head around its beauty and magnitude. I've spend many wonderful hours on its shores tanning (and burning), reading books, swimming, going to the theater, and pretending to be a mermaid.

A couple hours into my journey I gave into exhaustion and started looking for a place to crash for the night. One of my greatest distresses in life is paying for somewhere to sleep when I'm alone. I had almost given in to parking in a pull-off along the highway when I saw a sign for the Lomia Campground. Since this is a name from home, I took the exit and discovered a few isolated camping spots along a creek. I never made it to Lomia Campground but I did snag a beautiful camp site next to a small waterfall. 

 I spent the evening reading while snacking on some homemade hummus and then crawled inside my caterpillar sleeping bag, listening to the soothing sound of the water as I fell asleep. Somewhere in the early morning hours there was a storm full of wind and plenty of rain. Don't you worry, my trusty tent kept me nice and dry although the tent itself was rather muddy and soaking wet by the time I headed out the next morning.

 After washing up in the ice-cold creek I headed into town for a breath of civilization for the first time in quite a while. I picked up some cotton candy air freshener trees at Walmart to stifle that dirty clothes/camping smell that will surely come after 2 weeks of living in my car and then hung out with the team at AT&T so I could once again have a properly working phone. Life was looking up! 

 My next stop was at Golden Spike NHS to learn more about the meeting of the rail lines. A few interesting things I learned-- 1. The barn swallows there are just as prone to dive-bombing as they are at home. 2. The line coming from Cali ran on wood vs. coal which the Pacific line used for fuel. While talking to the ranger on duty, David, I was reminded once again of just how small of a world I live in when he asked me about one of my colleagues in Kemmerer. Turns out they've done work together.

 And now on to Idaho!!

My first stop in Idaho was the City of  Rocks NR. I felt like a bad geologist for not caring about the science aspect. It was nice to just appreciate the beautiful landscape, especially with a low cloud cover that added to the wonder of being in the wilderness.

Around lunch time I ended up in the Burley, ID area and headed over to Upper Crust for some rootbeer float milk and a delicious turkey-cranberry on rye sandwich. SO GOOD.

I admit I did also have a cup of shaved ice later in the day that was incredibly delicious. Malibu Barbie flavored.

My next stop after that was Shoshone Falls. I was too lazy and cheap to pay for the entrance fee so I hiked around some of the view points near the top instead.

 After that I headed to Perrine Canyon, a place I've wanted to visit for the last 2 years since I saw some pictures from a friend and hear stories about dropping watermelons and paper airplane competitions. It didn't disappoint. While I was there I chatted with him on the phone and was directed to drive to the other side and check out a hidden waterfall. Its always fun to be told directions when you can see exactly what they're describing.

The waterfall was incredible. You can walk behind it and see the canyon providing a beautiful backdrop. I've always wanted that kind of experience and watching the sun set through a waterfall made a night I'll always remember.

I ended up in Hagerman, ID that night at a secluded rest stop. So secluded, in fact, that I put up my hammock and slept out in the open. I'd like to say it was a dreamy night but I still haven't managed to sleep comfortably in a hammock for that long. It was nice to sleep out in the open though.

The rest stop was built next to a wildlife refuge so once I packed everything up I took a stroll along the shoreline and spotted several birds along with my first spotting of a muskrat. I find birds somewhat boring but seeing something new was intriguing.

 My purpose in going to Hagerman was to visit Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. After driving along a mapped out tour I headed to the Visitor Center where I spent time looking at the [not as cool as Fossil Butte!] fossils, reading information in the temporary Minidoka Internment Camp display, and working on the Junior Ranger program to become a Junior Paleontologist. I now have my badge and even found incorrect information in the workbook along the way.

I rewarded my grand efforts with a bowl of PlayDough ice cream from Papa Kelsey's. When available, I like to try weird new flavors. PlayDough did not disappoint and I stopped at another shop the next day for more.

 Since I couldn't make it to the Minidoka Interment Camp the day before due to a bridge washing out, I set that as my next destination from a different direction. This camp was established during WWII for both 1st and 2nd generation Japanese living in America. I understand that it was somewhat for their protection but I feel a little disappointed that America was fighting a war against discrimination of Jews, yet they were discriminating against a race within their own country. And we still do.

While I was heading up to Craters of the Moon I saw a sign for Mammoth Cave and thought about stopping. After reading their sign I decided I didn't have time for somewhere that couldn't spell "biggest" correctly.

 I ended up stopping at Shoshone Ice Cave instead which was okay but somewhat disappointing, especially with how much I paid for admission. I did get to take a picture of a human riding a dinosaur though and am wondering if they stole it from a certain Creationist location in Kentucky. I have no idea why they have it at a location for lava tubes that is much, much younger..

 I arrived at Craters of the Moon just in time for a ranger-led cave tour. One of the first things he asked us is what the landscape looked like. I said manure. A pioneer said black vomit. Its a pretty harsh area that goes on for what seems forever in areas. Definitely a cool place to visit.

 I was pretty burnt out by the time the tour ended but decided on hiking up one of the domes. It was a very rewarding view but I was glad to return somewhere that wasn't black and desolate.

I cut my travels shorter than usual (6:30pm) and spent a few hours relaxing at a rest stop getting cleaned up and reading some books. All-in-all it was an excellent night until I awoke around 5am to blaring music. You can only see half the parking spots in the picture above but it seems my fellow traveller felt the need to park directly adjacent to me. It made me feel better when I forgot I'd locked myself in the car and woke him up by accidentally set off the car alarm when I opened the door in the morning.

I spent the morning at a car shop getting my oil changed, a belt replaced, and 2 new tires. My poor Penny has been putting on a lot of miles this summer. Everything took much longer than I intended but I finally made it back to WYOMING!

 I had driven through Tetons earlier this summer but this trip took time to actually appreciate some of what is there. My first stop was the Moose Visitor Center and I got a little bit of action in.

Since things had run late that morning I had limited daylight left and set off on a fairly easy 4 mile hike up to one of the lakes. It was incredible. Someday I'll head back and check a few more hikes off. I had tentatively planned on camping in the park but couldn't bring myself to drop $22 on myself alone at a campsite so I continued on up to Yellowstone where I went swimming in Yellowstone Lake and watched the sun set. It was freezing and I was quickly losing sunlight so I moved on. 

I intended on camping near Cody but wasn't paying enough attention to where I was driving and ended up in Montana instead. I slept in my car on the side of the road and woke up to very low tire pressure. I back-tracked a few miles to Cooke City and added some air and then set my destination for North Dakota and started driving.

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself on the Bear Tooth Pass Scenic Highway. I felt like I was on the top of the world. There were lakes everywhere and still several large areas of snow/ice. After randomly hiking around for a while I drove to the summit (~10,000') where there's a rest stop. While there I made friends with a couple from Boise and changed out of my pajamas in one of the restrooms. I almost had a heart attack when I returned to my car and found my key missing, thinking I had accidentally dropped it in a pit toilet while getting dressed. Turns out it had just fallen on the floor and some old lady handed it to me when she spotted me running around frantically. 

And on to MONTANA! (After driving along the state border for a few hours) 

 Anyone who had driven across the middle and east regions of southern Montana can probably tell you there's not much there. It was about as bad as driving from Phx to LA-- a fairly straight shot with not much to see. I stopped at the Bighorn National Monument where Custer's Last Stand took place. It was actually really interesting, especially because I'm not much into historic sites. A film at the Visitor Center talked about the events that occurred between the Indian Tribes and the United States and I couldn't help to be somewhat disappointed once again in the standard of USA, only 100 years after its creation. Don't get me wrong, I love this country and what it stands for but its sad to see the ways in which its incredible potential has been tainted.

 I passed into North Dakota around sunset and was quite surprised with what I found. From what I've been told by others there's not much to be found in ND but I passed through beautiful fields of sunflowers and colorful badlands.

 I even passed a sign for Home on the Range. I ended up checking it out the next day and it was just a random little community of buildings. I'm still not exactly sure what all goes on there.

 Since it was the tail end of peak season and ND is somewhat out of the way for most travelers, I had several campsites to pick from in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I ended up at site 14, picked out of habit, and made friends with my 75-year-old neighbor, Tom. We ended up sitting around our BBQ fire until 10:30 that night talking about anything and everything. I got the idea he found my ways not quite up to par when he chopped up firewood for me and gave me a can of Mace to protect myself.

 I spent all morning hiking around the park. It was the perfect day with a nice breeze and lovely temperatures. After being in such busy areas it was nice to get away from all the traffic and appreciate the silence.

 I stepped over a cow pie on one of my hikes and couldn't resist making it happy.

 So many buffalo! For not having a memory of ever seeing a buffalo before in my life, I sure caught up this summer. They're incredibly animals and even though they could smash me into the ground I still want to walk up and pet one.

After an incredible adventure at Theodore Roosevelt NP I got back in my car and headed to Devil's Tower NM where I set up a campsite and then picked up mom up at the airport in Gilette. 

 We checked out the tower in the morning and then hit the road again.

On to SOUTH DAKOTA! I missed stopping at the sign when we entered and there was no sign when we left so unfortunately, I do not any ugly faces to insert here.

 Our next stop was Badlands NP which was pretty cool but if given the choice of where to go for Badlands I'd have to direct you back to Teddy Roosevelt.

 After me throwing a tantrum about there being a $11 parking fee at Mount Rushmore, we headed inside and got our fill of the views and history found there.

The plan was to hit up 3 more places in South Dakota but it was pouring rain and really late in the day so we headed on to.....

 NEBRASKA!

We stopped there and ate geologic burritos in the rain and then continued to a motel where I slept on the biggest and most comfortable bed I've seen in over 3 months. I also got my first shower in a week which was rather nice.

The next morning we drove along the Oregon Trail back into WYOMING! We hit up Chimney Rock, Scotts Bluff, Fort Laramie, Casper (for church), Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, and Martin's Cove. 

I think both my mom and I were more than sick of driving at that point and very relieved to reach Fossil Butte National Monument.

I spent the rest of the night winning Cards Against Humanity (don't judge me too harshly) and staying up until 4am to make a great evening last as long as I could.

 In the morning I dyed my hair blue. I've always wanted all blue hair and what better time than now? I love it. My mom and I went on the scenic drive and then hiked up to the research quarry I worked at all summer.

We ended the trip with me giving her a private tour of the Visitor Center and even pulling out the fish fossil I've been working on in the preparation lab for the last 2 months.

All in all it was an incredible trip. A little too much driving but that journey led me to so many new adventures and friends along the way. 

I absolutely love traveling, especially without a schedule. We put so many limitations on life but when it comes down to it, its pretty simple to just get in the car and drive. Or fly. Or walk. The world is beautiful and every minute you spend wasting the time you have here is one minute less you could be marveling at the wonders around you.

Epilogue: I spent the entire next day laying out relaxing in a tent or on the beach. A perfect ending to a wonderful adventure.

Or should I say a perfect beginning?