- 7,671.6 Miles driven in total
- 2,011 Photos taken with the camera (add in another 300 or so across four iPhones)
- 642 Miles: longest travel day (Midwest City, OK to Fort Smith, AR, to Beale Street in Memphis, to Dickson, TN)
- 151 Hours, 11 minutes, 54 seconds of total time in the car
- 102 Miles walked/hiked
- 80 Miles: shortest travel day
- 49 License plates (surprisingly we found a Hawaii but never did find the elusive Alaska plate)
- 27 Days
- 25 Roller coasters (plus one Alpine Coaster and one Alpine Flyer)
- 25 Clothing souvenirs purchased
- 23 States
- 20 Junior Ranger badges earned
- 19 Gas station stops (some less populated than others)
- 18 Different beds
- 16 Christmas ornaments purchased
- 13 Apples picked fresh in the orchards of Capitol Reef National Park
- 12 National Parks
- 11 Books read/listened to
- 11 Bears
- 9 Roadside attractions
- 8 Free hotel breakfasts (5 skips of the free hotel breakfast because we were sick of free hotel breakfasts)
- 6 National Historic Places
- 6 McDonald’s meals (we tried to avoid them, but man they come in handy when you roll into a sparsely populated town at 9pm without having eaten)
- 6 Time zone changes
- 5 Lost items: camera charger/battery left in Utah hotel room, bracelet left on Capitol Reef welcome sign, pair of Keens left in Shenandoah parking lot, koosh ball down a street drain in South Dakota
- 4 Bison traffic jams
- 4 Escape rooms…so fun!
- 3 Times we told the kids to “just eat some snacks” for a lunch…don’t judge
- 3 Days of body boarding in the Atlantic Ocean
- 3 Bicker Jar contributions (each child contributed once and then never had to again!)
- 2 Great Lakes (Erie and Michigan)
- 2 Rappels
- 2 Days with rain that slightly altered our plans
- 1 number of planned stops that we skipped (Devil’s Tower)
- Countless Wall Drug billboards, silly family inside jokes (this is Nat Soo Pah), and memories we’ll always cherish
Our Last Night on the Road
We were so close to home we could taste it (or perhaps that was the wildfire smoke we were tasting). After leaving Yellowstone we split the eleven hours of driving into two days putting us in Missoula, MT for the night. We arrived at a good time so we grabbed dinner and what else are we going to do with two free hours? That’s right, our 4th escape room of the trip at Big Sky Breakout. We loved this room! We found the launch codes, found the missing spy, and successfully escaped!
Yellowstone…WOW
At this point in the trip we’ve seen a lot of National Parks. They are all amazing in their own little ways. The rocks of the Utah parks were jaw dropping. Seeing black bears in Great Smoky Mountain NP was a thrill. The Leahman Caves in Great Basin were so unique. The list goes on and on. We apparently saved one of the best for last, however, as Yellowstone brings so much together in one place. Amazing scenery. Incredible wildlife. Jaw-dropping thermal features. The park is so big and our two days of exploring only scratched the surface. We all agreed that if we could go back to one park for a week, we’d go back to Yellowstone.
We arrived in the evening of August 21st after a super fun stop for lunch in Cody, WY. The girls got a kick out of us ordering 12 soda shooters at Annie’s Soda Saloon (Butterbeer was the favorite).
That evening we were lucky enough to catch an Old Faithful eruption (they can predict the time +/- 10 minutes), we had dinner at the historic Old Faithful Inn, and stayed the night at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.
The next morning we beat the crowds out to the geysers and had an awesome walk around Upper Geyer Basin. So many different thermal features to see. After taking in a Junior Ranger talk and some lunch, we headed off into the park to go see the Grand Prismatic thermal pool, a huge valley where the Buffalo truly roamed, and we hiked a trail to the Mud Volcano (very stinky sulfur smell).
We stayed that night at the Canyon Lodge where we had the rare treat of being back in our room and ready for bed early. For the first time all trip we sat around and played family card games. We realized how busy we’ve been!
The following morning we beat the crowds again and headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. WOW. We had no idea such an amazing canyon and waterfalls were just a mile from our lodge. Being out there early was extra special as we had many of the popular spots to ourselves. We took in the views from the overlooks such as Artist’s Point and closer in by taking trails down to the brinks of the falls. Did I mention Yellowstone was diverse?
We took in some more wildlife on the way out, had lunch at Mammoth Hot Springs, and headed out to make our drive to Missoula, MT. We’ll be back Yellowstone!
Thermal Features
Unfortunately we had some cloudy and smoky skies so many of the geysers don’t “pop” in the pictures.
(click the first picture in the gallery to enlarge)
Wildlife
The buffalo certainly didn’t disappoint. There were everywhere in the valleys and caused their fair share of buffalo jams. We were fortunate to see an amazing elk and even a little fox ran across our path. Everyone wanted to see a grizzly (from a distance) but we never did. On the last day, however, the girls got to borrow a telescope and observe a pack of wolves.
(click the first picture in the gallery to enlarge)
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
These yellow walls are where Yellowstone got its name!
(click the first picture in the gallery to enlarge)
The Old Faithful Inn
Built in 1904, this inn is gorgeous. It is the largest log hotel in the US and possibly the largest log building in the world. It was a joy to have dinner and explore.
Day 23 From Badlands to the Cold War, from Rushmore to Wyoming
After a nutritious breakfast of orange juice and Wall Drug’s homemade donuts 😂, we headed into Badlands early. Between the beautiful geologic formations, prairie dogs, and getting to hike around the rock, we had a wonderful morning. At most of the viewpoints, we were the only family there. The girls enjoyed the peaceful morning overlooking one of the canyons while working on their Jr. Ranger books. We then headed back to the ranger station to be sworn in, view the fossil lab, and hike around a bit more. The girls all wished we had more time there to explore. After the heavy rains, the rangers told them that there would be a good chance of finding fossils. My little paleontologists really wanted to stay, but we had to move on.
(Click on the first picture of the gallery below to step through the photos at full size)
Just outside of Badlands is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. We decided to stop in, learn about the missiles hidden in plain sight, and the role these silos played during the Cold War era. It was definitely all new to me and eye-opening in it’s magnitude. For 30 years, Air Force airmen descended underground into the silos for 24 hour shifts ready to deploy the missiles if needed. To my surprise, there were one thousand of these silos all throughout the Great Plains. It was a humbling experience to be at the site, learn about the assignment and even meet a former airman who, when the silos were deactivated, became a park ranger.
For many, this would be a full day! For us, we had miles to go. We also were not going to travel through South Dakota and miss Mt. Rushmore. When we arrived, many of the parking structures were mostly empty. We were fortunate to experience this breathtaking site without huge crowds. Between the magnitude of the sculpture, the historical significance, and the beauty of the Black Hills, the site was magnificent. We took some time to hike around, explore the exhibit hall, and watch the movie. Our only regret was not being able to stay for the evening lighting ceremony.
We reached our destination of Gillette, Wyoming, tired, but excited by what we experienced today. This was a triple-junior-ranger-badge-day and we all know that doesn’t happen everyday. Excited to head into Yellowstone tomorrow!
Day 22 South Dakota Bound
While some may say that driving the flat, straight roads of Minnesota and South Dakota are less than exciting, they may not realize that they could have visited the one and only Jolly Green Giant!
Our Jolly Green Giant visit was just in time as the remaining miles were through horrible rain storms. Visibility was awful and the spray coming off the trucks was blinding. We had planned on stopping at 1880s Town, but due to the storms, they had closed it that morning.
Thankfully, we made it to Badlands on the other side of the storms and enjoyed a scenic drive up to Wall. Badlands was a surprising park in many ways. First, it’s a free roam park meaning that you’re allowed to hike anywhere you’d like. Second, they encourage visitors to help the paleontologists find fossils. There are bulletin boards filled with pictures of visitors who discovered fossils while hiking and reported their findings to rangers. Paleontologists then head out to the sites and determine the validity of the findings. Amazingly enough, hundreds of new fossils are found each year by visitors.
Knowing we were planning to visit Badlands the next morning, we didn’t spend too much time there. The visibility was awful from smoke and we were definitely curious about Wall Drug. As it turns out, we could have spent much longer at Wall. Although it’s 100% tourist-driven, it was entertaining learning about the mix of history and tourism. The girls loved all the little shops and quirky bits. We ended up enjoying dinner in their cafe before heading to the hotel for the night.
Day 21
On the road again…from Ohio –> Indiana –> Illinois –> Wisconsin! Over 600 miles driven today. Our favorite stop of the day included Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan. Ranger Rudy provided the girls with three Jr. Ranger opportunities and also gave great advice for seeing the dunes. After the stormy days in Cedar Point on Lake Erie, a warm and sunny day on Lake Michigan was a welcomed treat.
After a lovely excursion to Indiana Dunes, we continued East. We decided to stop for the night in La Crosse, Wisconsin. And wanting to get out of the car and do something, we found an escape room! The Great Escape of La Crosse had a candy themed escape room and we stole the secret candy recipe with over a minute to spare! On this trip, we’ve successfully “escaped” from Tennessee, New Jersey, and now, Wisconsin!
The little town of La Crosse, Wisconsin…
A Place Like No Other
On Thursday we woke up in our hotel just outside Pittsburgh and continued our journey West. Upon entering Ohio we took a pitstop to check out Cuyahoga National Park. After the vast, epic, scenic parks of the West, this park was quite different. An urban park for residents of Akron and Cleveland, we were more likely to find people taking their daily jog or bike ride on the Towpath rather than tourists snapping pictures. It’s called a Towpath because the main strip of park follows the old canal system and the path along the side is where the mules walked to tow the barges. We enjoyed a short scavenger hunt, scenic drive, and the girls got their Junior Ranger badges.
After that, we were off to “A Place Like No Other”…Cedar Point, OH. The Roller Coaster Capital of the World. America’s Roller Coast. My last trip to Cedar Point was in June of 1996 to attend CoasterMania. While I loved the park then, it has continued to evolve adding more innovative coasters and a good selection of “flat rides” (aka…non-coasters) to its lineup. I was excited to have the family relax and enjoy some time there. Oh, and did I mention there are SEVENTEEN roller coasters there?
Only fellow coaster geeks would enjoy my true run-down of the park so I’m going to keep this post short and sweet.
- Threat of rain on Thursday made the park EMPTY upon our arrival at 4pm
- Actual rain on Friday took away about 5 hours of ride time but due to light crowds we got experience everything we wanted.
- While I knew Emily would ride anything with me, Maelle stepped up too. She rode EVERY SINGLE coaster…and usually with her hands up. That girl is fearless. 120MPH launched Top Thrill Dragster? No problem. 300+ Foot tall Millennium Force? Let’s do it again. My new all-time favorite coaster Steel Vengeance? She couldn’t get enough. That eight year old will tackle anything!
- Emily rode her 100th coaster! Raptor!
- Addie is much more sensitive to coasters and but can spin and spin all day long. I was proud that she worked her way up to ride Gemini and Blue Streak, which for her was a big step up. She’ll continue to experiment with new rides over the coming years and tackle her fears!
- Steel Vengeance. Best. Coaster. Ever.
- Maverick was really good too. And Millennium Force. And Top Thrill Dragster. And…
Maybe a future post we’ll go ride by ride, but for now some fun pics:
Yay for our first ride…Wicked Twister
One member of the family (cough…me…) can’t spin. So the Brestle Ladies took on some of the classic spinners
Did I mention it was EMPTY?!?!?
It rained HARD on Friday
Addie conquered Blue Streak and loved Gemini (happy 40th Gemini!)
Coaster Hair Before and After
Maelle kept up with Emily and me (and yes, she had her hands up going 120 MPH on Top Thrill Dragster while I was holding on tight)
Emily’s 100th!
B rode Valravn! Queen B!
Closing the park down at 11:30pm
A super fun time at Cedar Point!
And as we were driving out this morning, a pre-opening shot of the new King of Coasters…Steel Vengeance (or at least 1/3rd of it)
Time to head back… (Day 18)
We were all having so much fun at the shore that it was hard to leave, but alas…we have 3,000+ miles ahead of us. After saying our goodbyes to Mimi and Poppy this morning we turned the compass west for the first time.
Perhaps the most exciting stop of the entire trip…our first CAR WASH!!! Not sure this Jersey Shore car wash has had dirt from Moab, UT in their drains before!
Today was a bit different than our prior days as our plans were more open ended. Along our drive today we made three main stops. First, we stopped at Valley Forge National Historic Park. It is always awesome to be able to get a taste of history up close and personal. Knowing we were standing in the same building as General George Washington is hard to fathom.
Upon leaving Valley Forge we drove through the Amish countryside. We did a lot of Googling to understand their traditions and ways of living. It was wild to be sharing the road with their horse and buggies. It was like stepping back in time.
Our last stop was Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. We wish we had more time to explore the town of Hershey but it was getting late so we enjoyed the free “ride” through how their chocolate gets made, had some dinner, and grabbed some treats for the car. We’ll end tonight just outside of Pittsburgh as we target Cedar Point, OH tomorrow!
Epic Time at the Shore
We spent two more days at the shore after Bronwyn’s last post. Having grown up spending my summers down the shore, I quickly forget how much I take the unique fun of the shore for granted. Our girls could spend days swimming and body boarding in the ocean. They find the Ocean City boardwalk unique and fascinating with it’s unbeatable combination of rides, food, and shopping. We all love the ability to hop on a beach cruiser and ride a bike to everything we need. We even broke out the skim board and the girls realized it’s not as easy as it looks (and I realized I’m no longer 12…I think I pulled a hammy). Hanging out with Aunt TT, Uncle JR, and Cousin Tyler was especially fun. Mimi and Poppy are the ultimate hosts and the girls certainly didn’t want to leave…but we have 3,000 miles left to go…
Day 15: At the shore
We started our day with a bike ride to the point (end of the island) and quickly decided that with the humidity, we needed to head home and get to the beach. Playing at the beach with all of the cousins was definitely a hit. Our girls have learned to boogie board and build ball castles thanks to their Dad, Poppy, and east coast cousins. After many hours at the beach, we all enjoyed a Japanese dinner, mini golf in Margate, and ice cream at Two Cents Plain.
(Click on the first photo of each gallery to see the photos in more detail)
SEA 2 Shore 