Journey to Mammoth Hot Springs

I made it! I should say we made it. Daddy and Aunt Carol Ann drove out with me. Today was my first full day of training and I woke up to about 6 inches of snow. But so far, so good. Everyone is nice and friendly and the scenery is amazing. Here is our journey to Mammoth Hot Springs:

Friday, April 10th, 2009

11:00 a.m. After lots of hugs and some tears, Daddy and I left home. We picked up Aunt Carol Ann and got on I-65 to BG.

12:45 WK Parkway

2:12 Paducah, KY. Stopped to fill up gas.

2:38 Crossed the Ohio River. Took IL Hwy 146 to Cape Girardeau, Mo.

4:00 Crossed the mighty Mississippi

4:08 I-55 towards St. Louis.

6:26 St. Louis, Mo.

Took I-70 to Kansas City, Mo.

11:00 p.m. Enter Kansas. We took turns driving ALL night.

Saturday, April 11th

6:20 a.m. Entered Colorado.

9:00 a.m. Denver, CO. Took I-25 N towards Cheyenne, Wy

12:16 p.m. Cheyenne, Wy. Took I-80 W to Rock Springs, Wy. Along the way, there were patches of snow left along the road and we saw windmills.

4:05 p.m. We stopped at a historical marker along the interstate marking where the Overland Stage Route once ran.
4:30 p.m. We stopped at Rock Springs, WY for the night. Ate at Golden Corral and got a good nights sleep!

Sunday, April 12th, Easter Sunday

8:45 a.m. After getting breakfast at McDonald's, we took Wy Hwy 191 towards Jackson, Wy.

10:20 a.m. Stopped at a historical marker along the road marking where the Oregon Trail Passed thru this spot. There were still wagon wheel ruts visible behind the marker. This was a popular campsite due to the reliable source of water nearby:

As we got closer to Jackson, we started seeing more and more snow:


12:33 Arrived in Jackson, Wy. Notice the arch made from elk antlers.

We stopped at the visitor's center.

There is a large, interactive animal display that gives you info about the animals in the Jackson and Teton area:

1:42 p.m. We drove in Grand Teton National Park near Jackson and saw some moose grazing.

3:55 p.m. We left Jackson via Hwy 22 towards Idaho. Here is a view of Jackson Hole from Phillips Canyon:

Near Newdale, ID we saw for sale signs along the road for Farm Fresh Potatoes. Here is a pic of the potato storage bins. They are covered with sod.

5:45 Rexburg, ID. Cut across to I-15 N towards Butte, MT.

6:55 p.m. We entered Montana.

8:00 p.m. Arrived in Butte and got a hotel room.

Monday, April 13th

8:05 a.m. Hit the road on I-90 E to Bozeman, Mt.

We stopped at the airport in Bozeman so Dad and Aunt Carol Ann would be familiar with where they were going when they would fly out on Wed. morning. We also reserved a hotel room with a shuttle that would take them to the airport Wed. morn. THen we headed on towards Livingston, MT.

We got off I-90 at Livingston, ate lunch, and headed to YNP.

Gardiner, MT - the North Entrance to YNP: