Roadtrip back to Portland!

After returning from Costa Rica it was time to hit the road once again! This time we convinced Carla and Mike to come back with us!



We had more people to take turns driving, those of us in the backseat got a chance to relax.



...and relax....



...and RELAX!



Our first tourist stop was Mt. Rushmore! The girl at the gate told us the fog was covering it, but it lifted just as we got to the mountain!



awwww....



Next were the badlands!



Maybe they should be called the crabby lands?



We had to leave Olive in the car for this section.



Pose!



To give you an idea of the scale, here is a picture of Renee and Carla. Click on the picture to see them better! We were amazed by the lack of railings/restrictions by the cliffs!



Click this one to see Brian and Mike!



After the badlands we saw a "billboard" adverising our motel. Apparently the selling point was that you could save money...it made us slightly nervous.



The Motel was hard to miss in the town of Wasta, SD (population 80). It did not disappoint our preconceptions about it.



However, we DIDN'T expect the clerk to tell us our motel room was in a broken down house across the street.



We were also confused at the pool being closed, we got there before 9pm!



In another abandoned section of the motel we saw a sign the motel was a filming location for the movie Thunderheart with Val Kilmer. Of course when we got back to Portland we had to rent it. You'll all be glad to know that we all survived our night in Wasta.



The next day we visited Yellowstone National Park. It was absolutely beautiful.



We saw tons of bison.



There were lots of boiling sulfur springs.





Hey there, black bear!







This picture is unreal. It was amazing.



The boiling spring pools were steam.





Because of the amount of sulfur, the pools have a very "distinct" smell. Here are Renee and Mike enjoying it!





The colors were incredible - be sure to click on this one for a closer view!



We waited for over an hour to see Old Faithful.



Once it finally came, it was what we expected. But now we can say we've seen it.



Directly to the south of Yellowstone is the Grand Teton National Park. It was probably the most beautiful part of the whole drive. Amazing.



Again, clicking on this one will give you a better view :)


After that it was time to hit the road! Portland here we come!