Camping on a Volcano

After leaving Jackson we continued to make our way west for a quick overnight stay in Wendover, Nevada.  We stopped on the way to get an oil change at Jiffy Lube.  As you know this service usually takes about 20 minutes.  We were eating our sandwiches in the Jiffy Lube lobby when the manager of the store came to tell us that they had a new guy working in the pit and he accidentally drained our transmission fluid instead of the oil…oops!  They did not have our transmission fluid in stock so he left to hunt some down.  He was very apologetic and we told him that we understand there is a learning curve in every job.  Jake was ecstatic because he found a 7-11 next door to the Jiffy Lube.  7-11s were a norm growing up in Virginia, but for some reason we don’t have them in South Carolina.  Jake treated us to a Slurpee and we hit the road an hour and a half later with a Subaru in tip-top shape with a free transmission fluid exchange.  The drive through Utah was the windiest drive yet.  We crossed the barren Bonneville Salt Flats with winds blowing 40 miles per hour.  It was a workout just holding the steering wheel (Patti…I think that counts as working off the Slurpee!)  We were supposed to tent camp in Wendover that night, but due to the high winds we upgraded to a cabin.  After a good night sleep we headed out early Sunday morning to continue west.  The day got off to an if-y start when Jake was pulled over by a Nevada State Trooper for exiting a gas station through the entrance.  Neither of us saw the sign.  Thankfully they were friendly officers and just issued Jake a verbal warning.  They asked him to please be more aware of signs.  The day only got better from there.   We drove straight across Nevada to Reno.  We were entertained by all of the dust devils – little dirt tornadoes that swirl around in the flat spaces at the foot of the mountains.  We soon crossed into California welcomed by the $4.20 gas. 

walking to Manzanita Lake for a beautiful sunset

kayaking on Manzanita Lake with Lassen Peak (volcano)

The Crags and Jumbles - a result of a volcanic dome collapse

geothermal hotspot - mudpot

We soon arrived at our destination -  Lassen Volcanic Park.  The park surrounds the 10,457 foot Lassen Peak  - an active volcano.  We camped at Manzanita Lake campground at the foot of the volcano – elevation 6,000 feet.  Lassen is in black bear country so upon arrival we set up our camp and had to secure anything with a scent in the bear box provided.  We walked down to Manzanita Lake to watch a beautiful sunset before returning to our campsite to relax after a long drive.  We slept well in the tent despite the cool weather (35 degrees).  Jake brewed some coffee and cooked oatmeal for breakfast.  We headed out to explore the park.  Volcanoes are so fascinating.  They look like totally different mountains than any I’ve seen before.  Lassen’s last big eruption was in 1915.  We hiked through the “devastated area” where you can actually see the path of the mud, ash, and melted snow that roared down the mountain.  Resulting avalanches moved a lot of the volcanic rock miles from Lassen.  Reports say that the rocks were still sizzling hot several days after the eruption.  The park just received an 11 inch snowfall a week prior to our arrival, so a lot of the ground and roads were covered with a TON of snow – above our heads in some places.  Many of the lakes were still frozen and a lot of the hiking trails were closed.  We still enjoyed getting to see Lassen and the surrounding volcanoes from many different spots.  We stopped on the south side of the park at Sulphur Works – a geothermal area with bubbling water and mud heated by the earth.  It was such a unique sight and such an awful smell.  We met a sweet couple from Redding, CA with a dog named Diesel.  We spent some time chatting with them and giving Diesel some ear rubs and scratches.  We returned to Manzanita Lake for a picnic lunch.  The water looked so beautiful that we decided to rent kayaks and go out for a paddle.  We were so glad we did.  The view of Lassen Peak from the lake was amazing.  There were lots of fishermen fly fishing as Manzanita Lake boasts some of the largest trout around.  The lake is for catch and release fishing only.  This lake was formed 300 years ago when a nearby volcanic dome collapsed and millions of tons of rock sped across flat land before smashing into a mountain and veering into a creek.  The damning of this creek formed the lake.  The lake is still surrounded by an area called Chaos Crags and Jumbles – rocky, churned up land as a result of the volcanic dome collapse.  We enjoyed exploring the lake via kayak.  After we docked the boats, we hiked around the lake for a different perspective.  It was a good day spent outdoors.  We enjoyed our campfire back at the site and we were surprised by Diesel and his owners on a walk.  They were staying just a few sites from us.  So of course we gave Diesel some more ear rubs and scratches.  We even shared our picture of Tillie with them (we keep a picture of her on the back of our sun visor).   We were glad to chat with some dog lovers.  We miss our Tillie.  We’re now headed west again to Redwood National Park.  We can’t wait to see the trees!  We hope all is well where you are!

Soaking It All In



A section of regrowth from the 1999 forest fire. 

Stopping to enjoy the view of the lower falls



Hiking through the snow



Cascade Canyon

Inspiration Point overlooking Jackson Hole and Jenny Lake

We planned to head to Yellowstone on Friday, but we decided our feet needed to hit the dirt instead.  The drive to Yellowstone from Jackson and then around the HUGE loop in Yellowstone would have put us in the car for 5 hours drive time (not including any stops).  We decided to head back to Teton National Park for a hike.  It was an AMAZING day!  The sunny and 65 degree weather made it a perfect day for a hike.  We decided to take some time to soak it all in.  We headed to Jenny Lake as recommended by the friendly park ranger we met at the visitor's center (who happened to be from Fredericksburg, VA).  We started from the String Lake trailhead and hiked down the edge of String Lake and around Jenny Lake.  This part of the hike went through a large section of regrowth from a 1999 forest fire.  It was filled with burnt trees, downed trees, and tons of new, tiny pine trees.  When hiking in the Tetons, it is advised that you talk loudly, sing, clap, etc. to avoid surprising any members of the large population of black and grizzly bears in the park.  We followed the trail until it connected with another trail to Hidden Falls.  As we hiked we could hear the rumbling of the falls long before we could see it.  We were soon rewarded with a view of the 200 foot falls.  We stopped to soak it all in.  The air was so cool and crisp at the foot of the falls.  We left the falls to head to Inspiration Point.  This part of the trail was steep and rocky, but was well worth it at the top.  Inspiration Point offers a spectacular view of Jenny Lake and Jackson Hole from an elevation of 7,200 feet.  (Jackson is the name of the town we stayed in.  Jackson Hole is the name of the entire valley including several other towns like Wilson, Moose, etc.)  We spent some time here soaking it all in.  A little chipmunk joined us at the point.  It was obviously very comfortable around humans.  (Made me remember when Ian and I used to watch Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers).  He looked like a little cartoon character - so lively and animated.  After enjoying the view at Inspiration Point, we continued our hike to Cascade Canyon.  As the elevation increased, we hiked across snow covered ground and it started to smell just like Christmas (because of all of the pine trees).  Jake stopped to peg me with a couple of snowballs - what a gentleman. :)  When we made it to Cascade Canyon the land opened up into meadows with astonishing views of the high peaks.  There were just too many beautiful sights to take in at once.  Again, we took some time to soak it all in.  We turned around and enjoyed all of the sights on the hike back just as much!  We saw chipmunks, deer, and yellow-bellied marmot.  The rodents in the mountains are such funny and entertaining creatures.  I LOVE watching them.  We wore ourselves out with 6 hours of hiking.  It was one of our favorite days of the trip so far.  With so much to see in so little time it's tempting to travel a lot by car because you cover so much more ground.  However, we are so thankful we changed our plans and spent some time closer to nature.  We also spent some time the last couple of days exploring the amazing town of Jackson.  Jake and I have both decided that we could live there - beautiful scenery, friendly people, yummy food, and TONS of things to do outside.  Our day ROCKed!  We hope things are great where you are!

Traveling with the tumbling tumbleweeds

Exploring the Black Hills

Curious burros sticking their heads in the Subaru

Enjoying the view of the Tetons

A MOOSE!!!!!

We've done a lot of exploring since my last post.  We spent a day going through the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We traveled along the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway where we saw some amazing rock formations and enjoyed some beautiful views.  We visited Custer State Park where we explored the grassy meadows in the valley beneath the Black Hills.  We saw pronghorns, a herd of bison, prairie dogs, and some curious burros.  We stopped for lunch at beautiful Sylvan

Rafting trip on the Snake River

Lake.  We were tempted to go for a swim, but that mountain water is freezing!  So we enjoyed the view from the lake shore.  We spent a couple of windy South Dakota nights in the tent.  The sound of the tall pine trees blowing in the wind above the tent is a little scary at first, but eventually it's very peaceful.  We met lots of friendly people at the campground.  Papa from the pancake tent taught us a lot about the Black Hills.  We enjoyed his positive attitude and delicious breakfast each morning.  We were bummed to leave South Dakota because we enjoyed it SO much.  We hit the road early Wednesday morning to drive all the way across the state of Wyoming.  Papa from the pancake tent told us to expect land more rural than South Dakota (which we didn't think was possible) and a lot of wind.  That's exactly what we saw for 300 miles after we crossed the state line into Wyoming.  At one point we went 81 miles with nothing but open spaces, fences, and tumbleweeds - no animals, no exits, no gas stations, no bathroom - nothing.  We traveled through Casper, Wyoming - a city that pops up in the middle of nowhere.  It was just the city - no suburbs - and then right back to open spaces, fences, and tumbleweeds.  We passed a couple of "towns" in Wyoming like Lost Springs that had a sign giving us the following information:  elevation - 4,997, population - 4.  Four people live in Lost Springs surrounded by open spaces, fences, and tumbleweeds.  The scenery changed dramatically as the Teton Mountain Range came into view on the horizon.  We could see the snow capped peaks and our excitement built as we drove closer and closer.  We were soon awestruck by the amazing view ahead of us.  It was a fantastic finale to our 10 hour drive.  We crossed the continental divide at Togwotee Pass at an elevation of 9,500 feet.  Then we descended into Jackson Hole surrounded by magnificent views of the Tetons.  They are gigantic, snow-covered, ragged, and absolutely gorgeous!  We arrived in Jackson and checked into our cozy room at the Angler's Inn (thanks Mom!).  We quickly changed and visited a local brewery for dinner.  Jake does some home brewing so he always gets excited to try new microbrews.  He enjoyed Snake River Brewery very much.  After dinner we walked a few blocks to the Jackson County rodeo.  This was my first rodeo and I was really looking forward to the experience.  About 10 minutes into the rodeo I had tears running down my face and Jake was cracking up laughing at me.  You all know that I am an animal lover. There were parts of the rodeo I just couldn't watch.  I did enjoy the excitement and tradition surrounding the rodeo.  I'm glad I went but I will never go again.  Jake really enjoyed the rodeo.  We returned to Angler's Inn, slept very well and woke up the next morning ready to explore Grand Teton National Park.  We traveled all around the park, ate lunch at a beautiful spot overlooking Jackson Lake, and ended the day with an awesome rafting trip down the Snake River.  Our guide, Scott, was super fun and knowledgeable.  He was in his 22nd year as a river raft guide.  We were on the trip with 4 older couples and they were all very excited that we were on our honeymoon.  The view of the Tetons from the river was spectacular.  We saw bald eagles (male, female, and young) and 2 moose!!!  I LOVE MOOSE!  We plan to head to Yellowstone National Park tomorrow to see more amazing new things.  We hope all is well where you are!

Badlands...more like RADlands!



Exploring the Badlands National Park



A PRAIRIE DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A bighorn sheep and her little one

Elizabeth in the middle of the Badlands

Our cozy campsite in the Black Hills

We spent today exploring one of the most unique places we've ever visited.  Per Uncle Willy's (the kind older park ranger we met at Mt. Rushmore) advice, we took scenic route 44 through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands to the entrance of the Badlands National Park.  We stopped at the visitor's center and chatted with some more park rangers about all there is to know about the Badlands.  Park rangers are some of the friendliest people around.  We spent the next 3 hours exploring the park.  I don't even know if I can describe it well.  The Badlands are so strange - ugly and beautiful at the same time.  They have so many different layers and colors that tell the story of their formation over the last millions of years.  The temperatures were in the upper 80s but it felt so much hotter in the Badlands because there is absolutely no shade.  It almost felt like we were hiking on another planet - with terrain unlike anything we've ever seen before.  In the Badlands they've found tons of cool fossils - three-toed horses, saber tooth cats, and other prehistoric animals.  You have to watch out for rattlesnakes - they like to hide in the nooks and crannies in the rocks.  We heard some rattling, but didn't see any.  However...we did see PRAIRIE DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was so excited to watch these silly little critters.  I think Tillie would love to have one as a buddy.  The prairie dogs pop out of their holes, wag their tails, eat some grass, raise up on their hind legs to check out what's going on, and generally look like they live a very happy and satisfying life.  Watching the prairie dogs was one of the highlights of the trip so far for me.  Jake was not nearly as amused with them.  We also saw bighorn sheep and mule deer on our drive through the grasslands.  We wore ourselves out and returned to our lovely little campsite for some dinner and s'mores by the campfire.  It was an awesome day.  We hope things are great where you are!

Cows, bison, and prairie dogs - Oh My!

Jake in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

At Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore jumpy pic...thanks Susan!

We enjoyed our long haul across the state of South Dakota.  Lonely Planet told us it would be a boring drive along I-90 but we disagree.  We saw miles and miles of farmland and grassland with an occasional silo, barn, and gas station.  When we hit Chamberlain, SD we had an amazing view of the Missouri River Valley and soon after we started to see the Badlands in the distance.  It's crazy how the strange rocky formations seem to pop right up from the miles of flat grassland.  We made a quick stop in Rapid City to pick up some goodies for dinner and then we made our way to the campground in the heart of the Black Hills.  Our campsite is perfect - quiet, shady, and a beautiful view of the wooded mountains.  After relaxing in the hammock for a bit we headed up to the night lighting ceremony at Mt. Rushmore.  We weren't expecting to be as impressed with Mt. Rushmore as we ended up being.  I didn't think there was any way a man-made landmark could be so wondrous...but it was.  We met a sweet park ranger named Uncle Willy and he spoke with us for 30 minutes about Mt. Rushmore and other must-sees in the area.  He was very interested to talk with Jake about pharmacy - specifically compounding.  We visited the museum to learn about Gutzon Borglum and the hundreds of other men who worked to create this monument to honor our country and its leaders.  We walked all around the grounds, took a few jumpy pics, and headed to the amphitheater to watch the lighting ceremony.  It was very patriotic and ended with a nice tribute to our U.S. military.  We arrived back to our campsite at 10:00 and we were so tired that we skipped dinner. (Y'all know I NEVER miss a meal!) We slept so well in our cozy little tent and woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed only to look at the clock and see that it was 4:45. Ooops!  We are headed to another pancake breakfast for charity and then off to explore the Badlands National Park and the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.  Fingers crossed that we'll see a prairie dog in its natural habitat.  That would just make my day!  Hope all is well where you are!

1,400 miles in 2 days

The St. Louis arch as seen from I-64 crossing the Mississippi.



Jake enjoying a burntends sandwich at Gates BBQ in Kansas City.

We've had a long couple of travel days and have arrived safely in North Sioux City, South Dakota. We had a blast driving through so many places we've never been before.  We traveled through South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.  The Midwest is exactly how we thought it would be...miles of wide open spaces with green fields as far as you can see.  We loved getting to see the St. Louis arch and the Mississippi River from the interstate. 
We stopped for lunch at Gates BBQ in Kansas City.  Jake LOVED that!  Our Subaru has been doing so well - it survived 1,400 miles with an onslaught of bugs and even managed to dodge the pea-brained birds who seem to enjoy the thrill of flying in front of us while we travel at 70 mph.  We plan to get a good night sleep in our cozy cabin tonight and we'll wake up early for an all you can eat pancake breakfast - proceeds go to a local kids camp - great excuse to eat as many pancakes as possible!  :)  Tomorrow we head to Rapid City for a few days to explore Badlands National Park, Black Hills National Forest, and Mount Rushmore.  Thanks for keeping up with us!

Getting Ready to Hit the Road

Our living room 10 hours prior to departure

In hindsight, waiting until the night before our adventure to pack may not have been one of my best ideas.  It is now 11:20pm and we are almost finished packing.  Our Subaru is filled with essentials including marshmallows for roasting the first night,  a picture of Tillie, and an inflatable microphone to use when I get bored. :)  Tomorrow morning we'll head to western Kentucky - a 10.5 hour drive.  We can't wait!!! 

P.S. - The procrastination only applies to Elizabeth.  Jake was packed and ready to go by 7:00.