Eighteen Days On the Road
The Most Amazing Vacation
First off let me start with the fact that I am 54 and have only been out of state twice that I can remember. Oregon for 10 months, and I drove with a friend across 5 states which we never stopped in any of them, straight to Missoula, Montana, and that is it. So, my husband and I decided as soon as the ban to travel was lifted we were going on a long vacation. We were only going to take about ten days because he works for the government and he didn't want to be gone to long because for some reason he and his friend are the only two who do the job they do, so he was worried about coverage at work. I quickly reminded him that when things went south recently and he was working 100 to 130 hour weeks, they didn't care if he was working himself to death. He literally worked 6 days per week and was on call for the one day off he would get. He does love his job but enough is enough. So, he went to work the next day and made plans (after we discussed it) to take two weeks off, and put in for it that day!
He came home that day letting me know that he had decided to take a full 18 days! I was so excited but we still had two months to wait for this trip to happen! The time flew by and before we knew it we were on the road!
We started with West Yellowstone...what an amazing four days!
We spent 4 days here...and it was exhausting, exhilarating, and incredible! We had a blast just driving around West Yellowstone. We saw everything from west to north Yellowstone, because the roads will lead you in different directions through the park so you can see it all if you want to, but you have to spend at least a week to see all of the 2+ million square feet of the park. We drove roughly 50-60 miles a day through the park to see just all of west and some north. We also made it a point to discover every nook and cranny before we moved onto Montana. What a beautiful sight Montana is, the majestic mountains and we saw Antelope, Bison, Cows and Horses all over...oh and a couple of deer on our way to South Dakota.
South Dakota was even more gorgeous if you can imagine that! We saw Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Bear Country, Reptile Country, and so much more that I can't remember right now.
South Dakota, and Wyoming were some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, but lets be honest, after awhile all the mountains and trees start to look the same. We did this trip in eighteen days and a lot of it is pretty clear, except for what state had what attraction. However, the food was unforgettable! Yellowstone had "The Three Bears" Restaurant and I remember it so fondly because of two people, Diane and Eddie the two best servers we knew for the entire trip! Plus they have the best chicken fried steak breakfast(ask for Diane) and a baked porkchop dinner that is to die for! Then there is the dessert called Apple Brown Betty!(ask for Eddie, he is young but he has a great sense of humor and what a hard working 18 year old, he works two jobs) also it's a really cute restaurant.
Wyoming had the gorgeous city of Cheyenne which everyone knows and loves. We saw the famous "Big Boy" steam engine which is the largest one of it's kind, it weighs an astonishing 1.2 million...yes, I said million pounds! they only made 25 of them and they were made to haul large loads over the mountains. We hiked the 1.3 mile trail around Devils Tower...if you don't know why this place is famous...then you need to watch "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". You can also see people climbing up and down it as you make your way around. Really cool!
That pic above is the "Big Boy"...impressive isn't it? Well you can see one at Holiday Park in Cheyenne Wyoming. Then it was on to Colorado, where we visited the Air Force Academy (which is huge) for an hour or so then decided to get a bite to eat at Cracker Barrel before moving on to New Mexico!
There is so much to see and do in New Mexico, especially in Santa Fe. We saw so many cool things, and they were getting ready for their annual festival of "Burning Man" or the burning of Zozobra. They stuff a 25 ft tall paper man (zozobra) with all of their worries(they write them on paper) and then when the sun goes down they light him on fire and watch all of their worries burn up and go away. I love that idea, I think every city should have this ritual yearly. We also saw the oldest house in NM, it was built in the 1600's, it behind the oldest Church. We visited the city's capital building as well, there is so much history here. Last but not least, the Loretto Chapel! I almost cried when I went into this amazingly beautiful little chapel, where for a $1 you can light a candle and say a prayer. They also have the "Miraculous Staircase", which is built with all wood, no nails or glue and is spiral on top of that, it supposedly doesn't exist because it is gravity defying, it is a miracle that the man who built this(they think it was a rancher by the name of Francois Jean "Frank" or "Frenchy" Rochas, this comes from some research done in 2000) back in the 1870's figured out how to do it, there is no science to back up this claim, I will just assume God gave him the foresight to do so. I don't care how it was done, it's a miracle.
I have so much more to tell but this story could and would continue on for another 900 pages, so I am going to end with Arizona...Winslow to be exact! Yes we stood on the corner in Winslow Arizona, and what a fine sight to see. We spent about an hour here and had fun talking to other tourists. We absolutely love every song the Eagles EVER DID! I have always been a huge fan.
Then we came back home reluctantly, and are now resuming our lives. We did this entire trip without any real planning. The only plan we made for this 18 day trip was Yellowstone, and then when we got to each destination we would spend an hour or so every night looking up the next adventure...spontaneity is the best way to travel..it just makes travel so much more interesting, fun, and exciting. Here's to all who are willy nillying their next vacation! READY...SET...GO!
I hope you loved traveling with us as much as we loved actually doing it. If you did please click the "heart" icon and feel free to follow me, and as always tips are appreciated! Thank you in advance.
About the Creator
C. M. Sears
I am learning more about writing every time I write a new story, whether it be fiction or fact. I love this platform and will continue to write and learn...if you like what you read in any of my stories please click the heart.
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