So next day was a drive to Billings. This was primarily a stepping stone on the way to Yellowstone so i did not really have much planned for the day or at Billings.
If i had done any research however i might have worked out that Little Bighorn (Custer's last stand) was on route and so this was the break in the journey for lunch. The museum is quite small but includes a 20min movie with the background to the battle. I had actually just got to this period in my book and so had some of the background which included a fair amount of criticism for Custer's strategy on the day. Alongside various memorials there are tombstones for all of Custer's men who died that day (that's all of Custer's men - none survived).
Having spent a while there i got to Billings late afternoon. The drive into the town has similarities to the M4 as you get to Merthyr Tydfil and probably fair to say not particularly scenic (apologies to inhabitants of Billings or MT). I was staying in the Vegas Hotel and Casino - lavish title but the price had been fairly cheap. Fair to say that the price was more reflective of the venue and the "casino" was basically just some slot machines. That said bed and breakfast were both fine and that was the most important thing.
Next day was a drive to Yellowstone where i was staying just outside the park at West Yellowstone. Google maps offered me the quickest route of about 4 hours but showed another option which was about an hour longer. Did not really get a feel for what that entailed but there seemed to be some more interesting features so i tried that one.
Good idea.
The route took me through the mountains - Bear Creek Pass - and then into Yellowstone at the North East gate. From there it was a winding route to the West exit and West Yellowstone.
The mountain pass took me up to just under 11,000 feet and the snow capped top. Temperature of 57 degrees was slightly lower than the 99 degrees i had faced the previous day at Little Bighorn. The road (which i imagine is closed fairly regularly in the winter) wound around the mountains with both 20mph and 10mphs bends, as well as fairly long stretches of 25mphs. The scenery was stunning and the extra hour was always going to be extended further by numerous photo stops.
A while later i got to Yellowstone where i spent a few hours that afternoon and the most of the following day. The photos/videos referenced below will give you a feel for the scenery but to try and summarise the main features:
- amazing breadth of stunning scenery - pine and spruce everywhere but with plains and also mountain passed
- a wealth of geysers (more than the rest of the world combined) each with their own particular nuances of colour , steam , power and vegetation
- more Bison that you could count. Mainly in herds in the distance but often solitary close to (or indeed on) the road, or near to some of the geysers. A couple of occasions just across the river making photos easier and more spectacular
- you can get complacent about bison. After seeing another fairly close up i was slightly surprised when i got more excited about the next wildlife i saw as i heard myself think " wow......some ducks"
- bears that are more difficult to spot. Probably easier if you hike in the woods but not many close to the road. You get an idea that something interesting is about when you see break lights ahead of you and cars crawling - and i managed to spot a bear in the distance (you may be able to make out in photos). On another occasion traffic slowed for quite some while and i parked up to join others looking at the roadside. Only to be told by ranger to move on - someone had spotted a young bear, father in distance but no sign of mother. Ranger was keen to make sure no one got between mother and child - given the potential reaction.
- range of other wildlife including elk, prairie dogs, moose and of course ducks
i managed to broadly cover most of the key roads across Yellowstone, but clearly its somewhere you can spend a lot of time and see the areas in more depth. Perhaps somewhere for a return visit.
Next day would be a drive to Salt Lake City where i am staying for two nights. There was a certain cricket match going on and whilst i managed to get wifi when stopping for brunch, i left the game with Stokes and Butler coming together and the match evenly poised. I stopped a few more times but with no joy getting any form of phone reception so i had no idea whether the match had an interesting finish.
Arriving at the hotel at Salt Lake - the joy of wifi - and wow what an outcome.
I will explore the city tomorrow but i found a pub/cinema around the corner from the hotel. Being teetotal the pub feature was not essential but it did give the cinema a good feel. I saw Spiderman which is i think the first Avengers film i have seen. It was very different to my memory of the TV programme ( oh to think of Purdey) but very enjoyable.
Now i just need to find some more highlights and reports on the cricket.
If i had done any research however i might have worked out that Little Bighorn (Custer's last stand) was on route and so this was the break in the journey for lunch. The museum is quite small but includes a 20min movie with the background to the battle. I had actually just got to this period in my book and so had some of the background which included a fair amount of criticism for Custer's strategy on the day. Alongside various memorials there are tombstones for all of Custer's men who died that day (that's all of Custer's men - none survived).
Having spent a while there i got to Billings late afternoon. The drive into the town has similarities to the M4 as you get to Merthyr Tydfil and probably fair to say not particularly scenic (apologies to inhabitants of Billings or MT). I was staying in the Vegas Hotel and Casino - lavish title but the price had been fairly cheap. Fair to say that the price was more reflective of the venue and the "casino" was basically just some slot machines. That said bed and breakfast were both fine and that was the most important thing.
Next day was a drive to Yellowstone where i was staying just outside the park at West Yellowstone. Google maps offered me the quickest route of about 4 hours but showed another option which was about an hour longer. Did not really get a feel for what that entailed but there seemed to be some more interesting features so i tried that one.
Good idea.
The route took me through the mountains - Bear Creek Pass - and then into Yellowstone at the North East gate. From there it was a winding route to the West exit and West Yellowstone.
The mountain pass took me up to just under 11,000 feet and the snow capped top. Temperature of 57 degrees was slightly lower than the 99 degrees i had faced the previous day at Little Bighorn. The road (which i imagine is closed fairly regularly in the winter) wound around the mountains with both 20mph and 10mphs bends, as well as fairly long stretches of 25mphs. The scenery was stunning and the extra hour was always going to be extended further by numerous photo stops.
A while later i got to Yellowstone where i spent a few hours that afternoon and the most of the following day. The photos/videos referenced below will give you a feel for the scenery but to try and summarise the main features:
- amazing breadth of stunning scenery - pine and spruce everywhere but with plains and also mountain passed
- a wealth of geysers (more than the rest of the world combined) each with their own particular nuances of colour , steam , power and vegetation
- more Bison that you could count. Mainly in herds in the distance but often solitary close to (or indeed on) the road, or near to some of the geysers. A couple of occasions just across the river making photos easier and more spectacular
- you can get complacent about bison. After seeing another fairly close up i was slightly surprised when i got more excited about the next wildlife i saw as i heard myself think " wow......some ducks"
- bears that are more difficult to spot. Probably easier if you hike in the woods but not many close to the road. You get an idea that something interesting is about when you see break lights ahead of you and cars crawling - and i managed to spot a bear in the distance (you may be able to make out in photos). On another occasion traffic slowed for quite some while and i parked up to join others looking at the roadside. Only to be told by ranger to move on - someone had spotted a young bear, father in distance but no sign of mother. Ranger was keen to make sure no one got between mother and child - given the potential reaction.
- range of other wildlife including elk, prairie dogs, moose and of course ducks
i managed to broadly cover most of the key roads across Yellowstone, but clearly its somewhere you can spend a lot of time and see the areas in more depth. Perhaps somewhere for a return visit.
Next day would be a drive to Salt Lake City where i am staying for two nights. There was a certain cricket match going on and whilst i managed to get wifi when stopping for brunch, i left the game with Stokes and Butler coming together and the match evenly poised. I stopped a few more times but with no joy getting any form of phone reception so i had no idea whether the match had an interesting finish.
Arriving at the hotel at Salt Lake - the joy of wifi - and wow what an outcome.
I will explore the city tomorrow but i found a pub/cinema around the corner from the hotel. Being teetotal the pub feature was not essential but it did give the cinema a good feel. I saw Spiderman which is i think the first Avengers film i have seen. It was very different to my memory of the TV programme ( oh to think of Purdey) but very enjoyable.
Now i just need to find some more highlights and reports on the cricket.
New photos have been added here:
Little Bighorn National Battlefield
Billings to Yellowstone
Yellowstone Old Faithful
Yellowstone West Thumb Geyser Basin
Yellowstone Mud Volcano
Yellowstone Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone
Little Bighorn National Battlefield
Billings to Yellowstone
Yellowstone Old Faithful
Yellowstone West Thumb Geyser Basin
Yellowstone Mud Volcano
Yellowstone Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone
Updated list of States travelled through so far:
Massachusetts
Connecticut
New York
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Pennsylvania again
Ohio
Indiana
Illinois
Iowa
Nebraska
Iowa again (just walked over the bridge)
Nebraska (back over bridge)
Iowa again
South Dakota (where i changed time zone within the state as we went to Mountain Time Zone)
Wyoming
Montana
Wyoming
Montana
Wyoming
Montana (yes they criss-cross quite a bit)
Idaho
Utah
Connecticut
New York
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Pennsylvania again
Ohio
Indiana
Illinois
Iowa
Nebraska
Iowa again (just walked over the bridge)
Nebraska (back over bridge)
Iowa again
South Dakota (where i changed time zone within the state as we went to Mountain Time Zone)
Wyoming
Montana
Wyoming
Montana
Wyoming
Montana (yes they criss-cross quite a bit)
Idaho
Utah
Updated car music list (trying to keep a US theme although my music library might struggle to keep going for the whole trip) :
Bruce Springstein
10,000 Maniacs
Suzanne Vega
R.E.M
Fleetwood Mac
Alanis Morrisette
Cornelius Brothers
Tracy Chapman
Dean Martin
Talking Heads
Hootie and the Blowfish
Meat Loaf
Moby
Madonna
Frank Sinatra
10,000 Maniacs
Suzanne Vega
R.E.M
Fleetwood Mac
Alanis Morrisette
Cornelius Brothers
Tracy Chapman
Dean Martin
Talking Heads
Hootie and the Blowfish
Meat Loaf
Moby
Madonna
Frank Sinatra
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