One month and counting

Well we've been on the road for a whole month already. It doesn't quite feel that long but it certainly feels like we've been gone for a while. Despite chilly mornings and sleeping in confined quarters, we're feeling pretty darn good (especially after a several day Minnesota hiatus, which is where we're posting from!) And believe it or not, it's actually comfy in our truck bed, and pretty warm. My favorite part of the day is in the mornings- waking up still warm and cozy and then from under the covers, lifting the back window on the cap to the rush of crisp air and beautiful sunrise. It's nice to linger in this little bit of heaven. In southern Minnesota we opened the window for a while in the middle of the night it was so balmy.

Jewel Cave National Monument near the Black Hills of South Dakota

Of course, Andrew and I are definitely spending lots of time together- as in 24/7. We had a good time laughing to a Fleetwood Mac song on the radio a couple days ago. The lyrics are "ooooh waaaaaa I wanna be with you everywhere." I'm sure you know it- and hopefully it gets stuck in your head now all day. Well anyway, we started playfully singing, "I gotta be with you everywhere!" And it's true! This is the part that all of you probably realized months ago. Ah yes, five more months on the road. Haha. Below is a summary of our first month of travels:


Total official miles driven - 5,398.2... all the way from Anchorage to northern Minnesota and we're not even half way!

Favorite state so far- Wyoming (both of us!)

Favorite town- Grand Marais, Minnesota

Number of hot springs - 2 rustic, 2 developed

Boiling River in Yellowstone National Park.

Hot and lovely! I got a shoulder tan after 3 hours of delightful soaking.

Favorite "Lower 48" splurge- fresh artisan bread

Most common on-the-road meal- grilled cheese with avocado, tomato and soup

Minutes it takes fire man Andrew to start a fire - 3.26

Favorite road sign- (see below)

 Can you guess what this signs warns? 

Nights slept in a Walmart parking lot - 1 (so far) in Rapid City, South Dakota

Number of grizzly bears sighted - 3

Mama Grizzly and cub crossing a bridge in Yellowstone.

Number of people we met who kept a deer as a pet and drove around with it in their car - 1 (see photo of Paul & Nancy below)

Horses Kristy has rode (or touched)- zero..."horses horses everywhere, but not a one to ride" 

Number of showers - you might not let us stay with you if we told you

Favorite albums for the landscape: The Harrow & The Harvest- Gillian Welch; Gold in California- Kate Wolf;  Away We Go soundtrack- Alexie Murdoch plus; Rare Bird Alert- Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

And now photos of said landscape for your viewing pleasure...

Yellowstone National Park

Even after 5 national parks, we were blown away by the incredibly varied landscape of Yellowstone: mountains, trees, a canyon, lakes, tons of animals and a super volcano beneath the surface.

Yellowstone caldera- a huge super volcano

We watched this coyote for 15 minutes up close

Lower Falls at Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Moonscape

Mud volcanoes, hot springs & volcanoes oh my!

And of course, what would Yellowstone be without Old Faithful?

Grand Teton National Park

We stopped by Grand Teton National Park on our drive from Yellowstone to visit with the Maddrey family in Idaho.  Our hike in the park was beautiful and, thankfully, uneventful. Just a couple of days ago, well after our time in the Tetons, we read about yet another hunter who was mauled (not fatally) by a grizzly there.  Good thing we are not hunting, just hiking... and I say lots of prayers to the bears. 

Grand Teton NP

Wyoming

 The spectacular drive across this unheralded state left me in tears. Beautiful!

We could almost picture a little place of our own here. Almost...

Rock village on a ridge top in the Bighorn National Forest

And on to the Black Hills of South Dakota...

Devil's tower- sacred land to many local tribes 

Crazy Horse Memorial with scale model in the foreground

50 years in the making already

The Badlands of South Dakota

We drove in at dusk and were immediately impressed by the hills and valleys of this stark and striking landscape. In the morning we woke before sunrise and embarked on a short hike and climb up the mud hills. (What are they called anyway?) We were shocked by how the hills were soft and susceptible to erosion- not the hard rock we expected.

And finally, hello to Paul & Nancy from Ohio who we met in Yellowstone.

Paul & Nancy from Ohio treated us to a delicious breakfast in West Yellowstone. Thank you!

And big hello and much gratitude to Susan, Smith, Wally, Owen & Lyles in Idaho- our short visit with you all was a highlight of our trip! I can't resist mentioning that I've been wearing my new hemp outfit almost every day, Susan- as you can see in the photos!

Susan is Michele's (Andrew's sister-in-law) best friend from Oregon