The Pony Express and Jesse James

Eastbound beyond these sites is a lot of driving. Nebraska is a step above Kansas for a cross-country drive, but not a big step. The eastern two-thirds of the state are flat instead of the entire state.

We were going to make a stop just over the border in St. Joseph, Missouri to see the Jesse James museum and the house where he was shot dead. The Pony Express also has a museum that is the beginning of the Pony Express trail that wound its way west between St. Joseph and Sacramento, CA for the two years it ran. St. Josephs is actually a great historic city (http://www.stjomo.com/historical_museums.aspx) and worth the stop.

From St. Joseph's it was a short drive home and the end of the saga. We covered eight states in about 10 days. Too much, too fast, but it gave us something to look forward to in the future - going back to some of the better places we saw.

Visit our other trips and stories at this link: http://kimbasfam-roadtripamerica.blogspot.com/

EASTBOUND via Nebraska

After our short visit in the Jackson Hole area, we headed east. Wyoming is beautiful, but as you drive along the highway eastbound, the only mountains seem to be in the rearview mirror and the land is barren farmland. An occassional pronghorn is seen in the fiels along the road. Otherwise, its 85 mph straight away. I was doing about 85 and was in the way of a Wyoming state highway worker and he passed me ....

We spent the night in easter Wyoming and headed into Nebraska early the next day. We would ride right past Scotts Bluff National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/scbl) and Chimney Rock National Historical Site. Major landmarks along the Oregon, California, Mormon, and Pony Express Trails.

Chimney Rock NHS is maintained by the Nebraska Historical Society (http://www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/rock/moreinfo.htm) (not the National Park Service). It too was a landmark to the wagon trains headed west. It has been a landmark for centuries. It is eroding, but it is unknown exactly how fast.

GRAND TETONS HERE WE COME

After only a couple of days, we left Yellowstone. This place absolutely deserves more time, but we were going for exposure with the knowledge we could return on another trip. We left out of West Yellowstone early in the morning. We entered the park near Madison and headed south toward Old Faithful and out the south exit of the park toward Grand Teton National Park. We would truly be just passing through as we made our way back home.

The Tetons are truly immense. They seem to come right up to the road and we stop several times to try to capture the right photo. Guaranteed, however, that pictures do NOT do justice to this landscape.

TOURING YELLOWSTONE

We spent the day trying to see as much of the park as possible. It is MUCH larger than you might imagine - probably in excess of 200 miles of road in the "figure 8" of main roads in the park. AND, you don't do these 200 miles in 200 minutes - get that out of your head!

We were able to see Old Faithful and get some lunch on the south side of the park, see most of the geysers on the west side of the park along with some short hikes to the different pools and mudpots.

We decided to add a day to this part of our adventure and were able to get a great room in West Yellowstone, MT (literally right outside the west entrance to the park). There are plenty of hotels. This is also where I stayed when I came back for the winter snowmobiling trip as you can get a more personalized trip rather than the 15 snowmobiles in a trail that you get when you stay in the park.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Our night in Yellowstone was simply lucky. I called only a month earlier trying to find a reservation in the park. Typically, people make reservations a year in advance. I was hoping for a cancellation - and, as luck would have it - a room for all of us. AND, it was under $50. I thought I was stealing the room. On the contrary! It was like a bad dream in a Brady Bunch film. This room had no A/C, was unbelievably small, and had zero updates since it was built probably 30 years earlier. No problem - we only needed a roof over our head - and it was in Yellowstone National Park!

After checking in, we went to dinner. The dinner hall in Canyon Village was no better. The oranges, yellows, and greens were from "that 70s show". Like most national park facilities, the help was international students and the service was lacking. We ate dinner and moved on, just happy to be where we were. After dinner, we got an ice cream at a nearby shop, had some squabling over nothing while the kids tried to spend money on trinquets, checked out the falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and made our way back to our cabin.

At the cabin, we spied a few deer and a squirrel VERY close to our front door. All but domesticated because they are so used to seeing so many people.

Winter in Yellowstone

I returned to Yellowstone in the winter of 2007 to snowmobile through the park. This is a truly spectacular experience that I hope to do again someday soon.

TOURING YELLOWSTONE

Yellowstone National Park is like the North American Serengetti. The scenery is spectacular and the wildlife is virtually everywhere. If you never get out of your car, you will still see A LOT of wildlife. These photos are of wildlife close to the road.

Yes, they are wild animals. No, you should not leave your car and approach them. Yes, some mental midgets do approach the animals. No it is not illegal to be stupid. But, if something happens while you are there, you will get some great photos to bring home.