Homeward Bound

Bruce, Tom and I, together with our poodle, Perky crossed back into the States via Butte in Montana on July 16, 2008 ( Day 25 ) after an unforgettable 2 weeks in Alberta, Canada.

Snake River Float Trip - Teton National Park

We spent a couple of days at Driggs in Idaho at the Teton Valley Cabins so we could explore the area.  We went on a scenic river float trip down the Snake River.  Unfortunately our vista of the famous triple peaks of the Teton Range was marred by haze.  Jackson Hole had a very Western feel with its arches of antlers and horse-drawn coaches.

Old Faithful - Yellowstone National Park

It was hot but we persevered.  We had come a long way and were determined to watch Old Faithful blow her top.  It erupts regularly at 35 - 120 minutes intervals and reaches anywhere from 90 to 184 feet high.   It was worth the wait.  The eruption when it happened was spectacular !!!

Yellowstone  National  Park

Yellowstone Lake is so huge that it is difficult to make out the opposite shoreline!  It is the source of the impressive double falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park.  The park is massive in acreage and has lots of with wild life.

Bison - Hayden Valley in Yellowstone Park

I had prayed that we will get to see bison in the wild while in Yellowstone.   My prayers were answered beyond my wildest dreams !!  Many have been to Yellowstone but few have been as blessed as us.  We came across a huge herd of bison on the move on our way to the Yellowstone Falls.

Tom - Hayden Valley

We spent a fair amount of time videoing the bison.  It was such a treat to see them fairly close up in the wild !!  I took lots of videos.

Margaret - Hayden Valley

I got a little too close to a teenage bison and its mother came charging.  I ran and told Tom we better move off !!!

Yellowstone  Falls  -  Upper  &  Lower  Falls

The Upper Falls are higher than Niagara Falls and very impressive - You can really hear the roar of the water.  It is impossible to capture a view of both Upper and Lower Falls due to a bend in the terrain though they are only a quarter mile apart !

Mammoth  Hot  Springs  -  Yellowstone National Park

It was so blazing hot that Tom and I thought we would faint.  We could feel the heat burning the soles of our shoes!  We hurriedly took a couple of videos and told ourselves we should revisit only in autumn so we can enjoy the stunning color hues of the Travertine Terraces without feeling baked !!!

Mount  Rushmore - South Dakota

We arrived in Rapid City on July 22 (Day 31) and visited Mount Rushmore the next morning to see the 60-foot sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln which had been painstakingly craved into the granite mountain.

It took us 5 days to drive home from Mount Rushmore.  We stayed overnight in Fort Collins in Colorada, Amarillo in Texas, Morrilton in Arkansas and Pensacola in the Panhandle before arriving home in Melbourne.  

It had been a fabulous 36-day coast-to-coast driving tour !!!  We were however getting road weary by then and happy to be home.  Our toy poodle, Perky was the happiest of all as it must have been particularly hard on him to be on the road for so long !!