Tag: Wanderlust

Yellowstone National Park

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I am beyond sunburnt today! If this place isn’t on your bucket list.. Get it on there right now! The park is 3500 sq miles so you will find so much to see; from the vivid colours of the many pools, the erupting displays of the Geysers and the abundance of wildlife. It is an outdoor lovers paradise (if only it was National Trust!)

On our way into the park we were incredibly lucky to pass an enormous buffalo herd and there was hundreds on them. What a privilege to see these fantastic animals and their calves in their own environment.

We visited the Fountain Paint Pot area, famous for its reds, yellows and browns. The Grand Prismatic Spring famous for being the largest hot spring in the US and the third largest in the world. And finally the area surrounding Old Faithful.

When we arrived at Old Faithful it was a good hour or so before it was due to erupt. I would recommend going to see the Castle Geyser, about a 15 minute walk from OF. You can get so close to it and it erupts for ages, giving you enough chance to get some photos then actually stand back and watch it in all its glory.

We decided to do things a little bit differently with OF and if you’re able to walk uphill over rocks, trees and other obstacles then I would recommend going to the observation point. I’ll admit the walk was a bit of a bitch, the elevation and thin air made me feel like I was about to have a heart attack!! But stick with it as your are rewarded with the most fantastic views. Whilst watching OF I heard some rustling, and just to the side of us was a Coyote, how amazing! He was very obliging and posed for a photo.

As the group we were with wanted to go back to West Yellowstone town centre and we didn’t (typical) we were dropped off at Madison River and began the 5 mile walk back to the hotel. Again we were treated to more gorgeous colours from the river and the mountain backdrop and it was amazing to be outdoors with all the nature.

I shall sleep well tonight!!

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Had a couple of beers in the Slippery Otter, best beer selection of the holiday. Got to watch a game of football on the TV, what more could you want.

Cody to Yellowstone

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Woke up this morning to a blanket of snow! Hard to believe that yesterday we were having drinks in the sunshine outside. We headed to the Buffalo Bill and Cody museum this morning; a Wild West, Firearms and Taxidermy heaven! Definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.

We then headed to Yellowstone (something I have so been looking forward to) however it was a complete whiteout and as we had expected, the pass into the East of Yellowstone was closed. The only option for us was to begin a 6 hour drive to another entrance.. However an hour into the drive the pass decided to open, so; back we went!

The weather on the journey back to where we had originally gone had now much improved and it meant we could actually see the surrounding area, and it was beautiful. Lakes, mountains, snow covered trees and Elk, what more could you want!

We have another day in the park tomorrow but decided to have a little taster today, despite getting there a lot later than originally planned. Aside from the fact that the whole place smells like eggy farts, what we have seen already is just wow. From the mud volcano to Norris Geyser Basin. The vivid colours and the plooms of steam. And the angry Japanese tourists. As John Muir once said.. “A thousand Yellowstone wonders are calling, look up and down and round about you”

We are looking forward to another day in the park tomorrow!

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Nothing on draught tonight so had to settle for a can.

Little Bighorn Battlesite to Cody

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Today was a beautifully hot day so I could finally wear one of the dresses I’ve brought. We started the day at the Little Bighorn Battlesite; more commonly known as Custers Last Stand. We were given a tour by Rusty (how fabulous!) who had long flowing hair (they are not allowed to cut it and you’re not allowed to touch it as they believe that is where your soul is) and double jointed arms.

The battlefield went on for miles and miles and it was so quiet apart from the wind blowing the long grasses. Make time to reflect and walk amongst the white graves. Rusty was incredibly knowledgeable but he packed so much in to a small space of time; therefore if you want to know about the battle, Wiki is a good place to go 😉

We then set off on the long trek to Cody, having another supermarket picnic en route. Cody is another Western style town which again is closing down due to being the end of the season. We walked into a bar and were basically stared back out again by the locals. On our way back to the hotel we spotted some Mule Deer who were snuffling around the locals gardens. They were very obliging and let us get some fabulous pictures of them.

Dinner tonight was of course in the local brewery. The staple burger was ordered and it was absolutely delicious.

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Santa had so many that he can’t remember the name of the beer he had tonight! A 7% IPA which was very nice and finished off with a Porter.

Deadwood & Devils Tower

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Following a stand off for a table with the Germans at breakfast, we left Rapid City and headed for Deadwood; the town where Wild Bill was shot whilst playing poker. As it’s the end of the season it was like a ghost town, but it meant you could fully appreciate all the wild west style bars and saloons. We took a trip up to the site where he is buried alongside Calamity Jane and had a lovely view over Deadwood from here.

After Deadwood we visited Devils Tower, the first United States National Monument in 1906. It rises up 1,267 feet so is pretty impressive when you’re stood at the bottom. The surrounding area again had beautiful fall colours, and the burnt trees from historical fires added another dramatic dimension to the scenery.

Following the tower it was another long drive to our home for the night.. Sheridan (thank God for Netflix downloads!) We were greeted by the most fabulous sunset. We ate in a Sanfords pub, and these people literally have no concept of portion control. I could have had mine for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! But it was lovely food.

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Had a pint of standard IPA at happy hour in the hotel, $2 a pint, can’t go wrong! In the evening I had a Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Apart from the 9% at Moab, the best beer of the trip so far.

Crazy Horse & Mt Rushmore

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Mother nature was still in a bad mood today. Following a 4 hour drive (with a cheeky stop at a typical American ‘gas’ station) we arrived at Crazy Horse. Luckily I managed to grab a photo before the clouds decended and the work in progress monument was gone for the rest of the visit. I have to say, I wasn’t overly impressed and found the whole thing quite boring. It is basically a construction site; has been for years and will continue to be so for a very long time. The museum passed a bit of time, but this place really wasn’t for me.

On our drive to Mt Rushmore (somewhere I have been dying to see!) we were very lucky to see a couple of mountain goat (basically a sheep with long legs) thank God for the Nikon and the long lense.

Mt Rushmore didn’t disappoint (OK.. Blue sky would have been amazing but you can’t have everything) the detail and craftsmanship to go into all 4 presidents, they were just amazing. You can take a walk towards the bottom and look up at their faces to give you a different perspective and this is something I definitely recommend you make time for. How they managed to produce what they did, it’s so hard to believe. As well as the obvious, the surrounding area is also beautiful and a wildlife haven. We saw a variety of birds and I finally managed to photograph a chipmunk (once it stayed still!!)

Luckily the hotel tonight provided a happy (two) hour, for free! Wine in a plastic cup, classy as always.

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Last night I had to show ID to get served, could not believe it, and I was one of the youngest on the table. Tonight we went to another local brewery… 620 b.c IIPA 7% really nice. Also had Procrastination Porter, unsure of %, very strong taste of burnt toast but still lovely.

Denver & Rocky Mountain NP

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The morning started off in Denver. Unfortunately due to another long day of travel we didn’t get to spend long here. We visited the Capitol Building and Union Station (I stocked up on coffee as massive lack of sleep is really catching up now..!) but it is definitely somewhere I would like to return to.

Just before we arrived in Rocky Mountain NP we stopped off in Estes Park, and finally got my first Subway (steak and cheese obvs)

Into Rocky Mountain NP and unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side as large parts of the park were closed due to snow and ice (thank God for snow boots) what what we did manage to see (through the thick patchy fog) was beautiful. We were really lucky to see a large herd of Elk and to hear the Elk call. What a privilege to see these beautiful animals in their environment. Again another place I would love to revisit to properly explore (Colorodo I’m coming back for you!)

Another long journey and we have arrived in Cheyenne! Santa is already snoring 😴 so here’s to another night of no sleep!

TTFN x

Durango to Silverton

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We started the morning off right.. In a proper American Diner with a massive pancake and a stupid amount of coffee refill.

Today was all about the Durango to Silverton railroad, climbing to just over 9000ft in a train that’s been running for the past 130 years. After a quick introduction by one of the conductors (who was the spitting image of On the Buses Blakey) we set off through the San Juan National Forest. I managed to spend the majority of the 3.5 hours journey in the open air cart so was able to fully take in the gorgeous views of the rivers, snow capped mountains and every single autumn colour on the spectrum. What more could you want! The photos really don’t do it justice at all.

After a tonne of cinders burning my eyeballs (anything to get good photos!) we arrived in Silverton. A typical mining town full of quirky shops and places to eat.

After a mooch around Silverton we headed to our destination for this evening – Montrose. A beautiful winding drive surrounded mountains and a abundance of trees (thought we saw a bear; unfortunately just wishful thinking as it was a massive shadow)

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅                                      No brewery tonight, so he made up for it by having 4 pints of Samuel Adams.

Mesa Verde to Durango

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Poo hotel decided to give us a wake up call 2 hours early.. Not a happy ginger. Breakfast wasn’t as poo this morning, had some oatmeal after I managed to work out how the hell their microwave worked.

We set off for Mesa Verde and our guide decided it would be a good idea to play some Country music.. It was bearable until a 10 minute version of American Pie came on.. I can’t even tell you how close I was to getting the CD (actual dark ages!!) and frisbeeing it out the damn window.

Mesa Verde was totally different to any of the parks I’ve ever been to. Unfortunately we encountered rain and lightening and knowing what my current track record is for breaking technology, I didn’t get as many photos as I had hoped. The park is absolutely steaped in history and it’s amazing to think how these people lived all those years ago, and what they achieved with such little resources. The outskirts of the park also had an enormous amount of trees and seeing the changing colours really makes it feel like Fall (have to use proper terminology whilst I’m here!)

Arrived in Durango where we will spend the night before boarding the train to take us to Silverton. Had a quick browse round the museum but didn’t find a fat controller (except Santa)

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅                                      We ate and drank in Steamworks Brewery tonight. Santa tried 2 beers…

1. Colorodo proud 5.6% crisp and hoppy.
2. Conductor 9.1% a nice sweet beer. Heavy in alcohol.. Lovely! Still can’t quite decide what is in this beer, probably dream about it later.

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Arches & Canyonlands

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Woke up ridiculously early again; stupid body clock still hasn’t adjusted yet. Unfortunately poo hotel also provided poo breakfast. Nothing better than a slice of toast that takes over 5 minutes to do and is covered in margarine.

We arrived at Arches NP early to beat the crowds and the park offered another wow experience. So much space for your eyes to stretch out and really appreciate the natural and beautiful arches. Unfortunately we didn’t get chance to visit the iconic ‘Delicate Arch’ but we did manage to spend a few hours with the ‘North and South Window’ and the ‘Double Arch’. I made sure I gave myself enough time to just sit and appreciate what hundreds and thousands of years has produced. One thing I didn’t expect when nature called however, was to be peeing in a shed into what looked like another Canyon below.

After Arches and a spot of lunch at Dennys we set off on our jeep tour of Canyonlands. Thank God for a decent pelvic floor! Again.. Lost for words. What made it more special was we were able to get up close and personal with the views we saw yesterday from Dead Horse Point. We were treated to dramatic landscapes, countless mesas and buttes, beautiful colours, gorgeous skies and of course, sunburn.

After the excitement of today we headed into Moab for food. Tackled a burrito the size of my face and was not defeated.

Back to poo hotel and hopefully will get a better sleep tonight, finally getting a lie in as well!!

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅                                    He’s actually awake!! Visited the Moab brewery for a pint of Johnny’s IPA, 7% in a can. Liked it so much, brought one back to the room. Also had a standard draught (unfortunately less than 4% as is custom in Utah) but still typical American IPA; crisp hoppy taste but refreshing after a long day as a tourist.

 

Salt Lake City to Moab

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Today’s wake up call was 6am. After minimal sleep (thanks to Santa’s multiple episodes of cramp) and a cheeky free breakfast (with accidental cream instead of milk on the cereal) we set off to explore SLC.

We start in the Capitol Building which was beautiful inside. I have never seen so much marble; the even had a marble baby changing table!! Getting here early meant we pretty much had the place to ourselves which is always a bonus.

We then moved on to meet ‘The Sisters’ (they’re not related, that’s just what Mormons are called) at Temple Square. I wasn’t particularly prepared for this part.. Hearing extracts from the Bible wasn’t what I had originally signed up for.. But the buildings they took us into were nice. We visited the Tabernacle and I have to admit, the acoustics were pretty amazing. The Sisters dropped a pin into a plastic beaker and you could hear it on the other side of the room without the aid of a microphone.

After a long drive we arrived at Dead Horse Point. It’s not very often I’m lost for words, but wow wow wow. In my opinion, it was even more spectacular than The Grand Canyon! The views were absolutely incredible.

We finally arrived at our hotel in Moab this evening. Unfortunately the room smells like actual poo.

TTFN x

 

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Guess what.. He’s sleep again (and it’s only 21:40 here!) Another 2 beers added to the list, he’s loving the IPA.