Reflection
We have had the time of our lives on this trip and so much enjoyed sharing this together. What we have seen, experienced and felt over the last few weeks has given us not only precious memories, but an education and a slightly different perspective of the US than we previously held. It has been good...
Chicago
Wednesday We travelled downtown via the Blue Line getting off at Clark/Lake to join the riverside path. Immediately we were thrown into the stunning architecture that makes Chicago such a 'wow' city. From the iron bridge structure to the new and old skyscrapers. Interesting the 'corn cob' buildings...
Nashville part 2
Sunday evening was all about seeing Tanya Tucker at the Ryman. We had funny seats - a 'pew' for just two people and it had a brilliant view of the stage. I have only been introduced to Tanya recently from hearing some of her songs from Bob's radio show and immediately loved her voice and the lyrics...
Nashville
Friday / Saturday / Sunday We are staying about a 10 minute walk from Downtown, so very convenient - also we have a self-catering apartment of a good size and we have the ability to make a cup of tea! It is very comfortable but Nashville prices are pretty horrendous. On Friday evening we had tickets...
Scottsbluff and return to Denver
Scottsbluff is an outcrop on a fairly flat landscape. It is interesting not only for its geological features, but its position on the Oregon Trail. Travelling west from places like Iowa, across fairly featureless land, this would have been the point where all that changes - being known as the Gatewa...
Badlands and Bad Acts
It was a glorious day and we arrived in Badlands early when it was still very quiet. We drove along the rim of Sage Creek, which was green and lush with grass against rocky outcrops of light grey - a really lovely scene and so peaceful. Prairie dogs were standing, basking in the sunshine - but not a...
The Blackhills and large monuments
A slow start due to the excesses of the night before, compounded by nothing being open in Deadwood for breakfast. Happily we found somewhere on route in a small town deep in the Blackhills. The Scenery was very pretty; not striking like some of what we have seen previously, but softer and very green...
Devils Tower and Deadwood
Up early and away as we knew we wanted to arrive in Deadwood by lunch time. On the way we stopped at Devils Tower (undergoing consideration for a name-change as it is a sacred site for the Native Americans, and this is not their name for it). It can be recognised from the Spielburg film 'Close Encou...
Bighorn Forest and east to Gillette
We started the day with some delicious pancakes in Cody - Bob had plain ones, whereas I had strawberry, banana and nutella (whipped cream was offered but I thought that a bit much). Before long, on another scenic byway, we were driving through the Bighorn forest and mountains - up to over 10,000 ft....
Yellowstone - day 2
We started the day with a walk around the many different geysers around Old Faithful. Our favourite was 'morning glory' and we saw Old Faithful erupt a couple more times before checking out. We headed northwards through the park stopping off for another 'paint pot' trail and then at Mammoth Springs....
Yellowstone - day 1
This is what our trip was based on - and it has taken us two weeks to get here! For the record we visited West Thumb Geyser Basin, Prismatic Spring and the Paint pots before checking into our cabin at Old Faithful Lodge. We were overwhelmed by the colours and extraordinary heat and power coming from...
Buffalo Bill Country
A change of pace today with only a short drive to Cody. This part of Wyoming has an obsession with Buffalo Bill Cody (re the Wild West touring shows) with dams, lakes, street and a whole town named after him. We spent an enjoyable hour or so strolling around the Old Town Trail in Cody where various...
A day in the Tetons
The forecast was for unsettled weather so we were not optimistic about seeing much in in the Teton National Park today. Sure enough it was very cloudy so we decide the best bet would be to start low and spend some time around Jenny Lake. We caught a shuttle boat across the lake and hiked up to Hidde...
Further north to Wyoming via Idaho
Again we had an incredibly scenic drive from Logan towards Bear Lake on the Utah / Idaho border. There had been rain overnight and together with snow melt the river in the canyon was flowing rapidly - quite the sight and sound! Over the mountains then and down to the valley containing Bear Lake, whi...
North to Logan, Utah via Antelope Island
Another glorious day and we set out to visit Antelope Island, a nature reserve about an hour north of SLC on the Great Salt Lake. As we drove over the causeway, we noticed swarms of flies on the shore line. Apparently we had chosen a terrible time to visit as brine flies, mosquitoes and bity gnats w...
On to Salt Lake City
Saturday was to be mostly driving so we thought to set out early and find a new breakfast place to break the journey after an hour or so. After a couple of detours to 'promising-sounding' places (including Green River that was basically a large truck park) we found the equivalent of of a greasy spoo...
More magnificent geology
More pancakes and then we headed out to take in an couple of the many interesting state parks in Utah. There was so much to see all around as we drove; mesas, monoliths and mountains, in all different shades of red, white and yellow. At all times the La Sal snow-capped mountains were in sight which...
Goodbye Colorado, hello Utah
The day started with a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes for me, and oatmeal for Bob in a sweet little place just opposite our motel. Although basic, this motel was clean and comfortable and had the advantage of being able to park just outside our room. We returned back to Glenwood Canyon with...
Top of the Rockies
Today reinforced just how much we love road-tripping in the States. We are now heading towards Utah and unexpectantly the route - Highway 24 (aka The Top of the Rockies) was full of the most amazing views, not to say quite challenging for the driver. I have forgotten how many stops we made just to s...
Peaks and Gardens
We woke this morning refreshed after a very long sleep and excited for the day ahead. Breakfast was of the kind we will see frequently in motels on the trip; waffles, cereals, pastries - but here paper plates and plastic cutlery, obviously to save on washing up. We had tickets for the first train on...
The train and arriving in the Rocky Mountains
We arrived in Denver early this morning after 17 hours on the Amtrak train, leaving Chicago at 2pm on Sunday. This time we opted for general coach class recliners, which as we had expected, were very comfortable widely spaced seats. We spent most of the daylight hours in the observation car, looking...
Arrival in the US of A
Yesterday (13th) was eventful; on arrival at Heathrow we were greeted by a Virgin rep who informed up that our flight had been moved to a smaller aircraft, and we were to be 'bumped'. We were presented with a number of choices (all beneficial!) and opted to take a flight that went via Detroit rather...
Welcome
We are feeling excited about our trip, and hope you will enjoy following us on our travels! We will share our route on the map, add pictures and write about the highlights of the day.