Fabulous scenery across 6 states spread over 13 days: Grand Tetons NP, Bighorn Mountains WY, Maroon Bells CO, Colorado Riverway UT, Arches NP, Dead Horse Point UT, Crater Lake NP & More
Day 9 -Arches National Park
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Day 3 – Grand Teton National Park
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Day 5 – Big Horn National Forest
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Day 7 – Near Rocky Mountain National Park
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Day 9 – Colorado Riverway Recreational Area
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Day 13 – Crater Lake National Park
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Winter was long and winter was cold. Snow and ice. Windy – with downed trees on the property, trees threatening to come down, 9 degrees F and then….. no power. Twice. A scramble to decamp to lower elevations ( we only need 500 less) and get to a warm hotel. The M850 performed flawlessly during each escape. Im still snowbimmer, dammit.
A pinched nerve a year ago gave me all kinds of driving pain on our Glacier Park Trip last fall. A steroid shot in February finally helped. Cabin fever was beginning to set in. By April I wanted another shot, but they said I had to wait until June. So we put off the spring trip to very early summer.
My western US map is getting filled in. But there was a large hole in Wyoming that needed attention and, since youre out there, why not fix a missing problem in Colorado, too? OK, Maroon Bells near Aspen was the actual target for the trip, Wyoming was just an excuse to get there. Maybe you can see why. Just sayin.
Day 8 – Maroon Bells, CO
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The benefit of early summer is slightly fewer crowds and everything is really, really green. The color green adds to my well being. I was OK delaying by 2 months. Plus, there wont be a snow problem getting out of the state. And the wild fires havent started yet. Its all good.
This is travel thread #11, since first diving in with a marvelous trip through Utah in 2019 in a Donington M5. Ive had great inspiration from many of the other travel posters here.
The route to the promised land this time goes through places we have been many times. But, even at 4,032 miles, I was still able to get in 1,856 miles of new roads. Ill take it.
The Route: 2 clockwise loops.
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The absolute best pictures start on Day 7, (Post #2) as we get in to Colorado. From then on we hit up all those areas mentioned at the top of the thread. Those places are something else.
Days 1 to 6: Portland to Laramie, WY
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Day 1 (427 miles) Portland to Ontario, OR
Day 1 is usually long and we always try to get to Ontario, OR. Shooting east out I-84, we stop at The Dalles Dam Visitor Center (for the first time). Nice little history lesson, but not much to see. The dam is the longest on the Columbia. The entire structure is 7,365 feet long.
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Back on I-84. OK, its not ALL green.
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Grabbed lunch in Pendleton and then headed south down US-395 for the first time. This road will take you out of Oregon, thru Reno then down past the eastern flank of the Sierras and end up in San Bernardino, CA – if you want.
Were soon stuck in a 50 mile long re-paving section. It just seems like they used oil and gravel. Its slow. Theres crap flying off the tires for over an hour. It eventually ends and we follow the highway through some nice mountains for 40 miles.
We reach a county road that will take us down the hypotenuse of a triangle to US-26, but the track is narrow, windy and poorly paved. Not making up any time here. But, its new territory. We reach a welcome rest area at Bates State Park. Its starting to rain.
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US-26 is much nicer, and through more mountains and forests. We reach Ontario by 6 oclock, grab dinner and get the car washed. Day 1 in the books.
Day 2 (345 miles) Ontario to Rexburg, ID
After getting through the monotony of the Boise area on I-84, the speed limit goes to 80 mph. We get off on US-20 at Mountain Home and head up out of the brown to a fabulous high plateau full of green farms and ranches. We are also skirting the southern flank of the still snowy Sawtooth Mountains. Much better than I-84. A stop for lunch in Fairfield is welcomed (theres nowhere to eat on this road) and we pass Craters of the Moon National Park. Saw it last year – didnt go in this time
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A little further on and the road opens up to the snow-capped Lost River Range.
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A quick stop in Arco, ID – the first town in the world lit by nuclear power on Dec. 21, 1951.
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Just down the road we stop at EBR-1, the experimental breeder reactor that actually produced the nuclear power for Arco. Probably been through here a dozen times, never turned in. Very nice museum.
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Then its off to Idaho falls and a nice hike around the falls area.
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Our Rexburg stop is just up the road and the restaurant is right next door. Pretty nice.
Day 3 (392 miles) Rexburg to Thermopolis, WY
Going to be a long day with lots of new roads. We head east out of Rexburg on ID-33 for a look at the back side of the Grand Tetons. Here, they are about 50 miles away.
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The entire region is a verdant patchwork of massive green farms. Lots of wheat. We reach Tetonia, which sits in a very flat and wide valley on the west side of the Tetons.
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Our target is the Teton Canyon Observation Site up in the foothills on the road to the Grand Targhee Ski Resort. It seems like we pass thousands of new houses on the way. I can see why
The day is a bit hazy, but there they are – the "back side" of the Grand Tetons.
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A little further south, at Victor, the road turns east to head over Teton Pass. Unfortunately, this happened the week before. We had to detour an extra 60 miles down to US-26 to reach Jackson.
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We pass through the insanely busy touristical town of Jackson and head for our first major objective of the trip: Grand Teton National Park.
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The day is gloriously clear. The mountains were hard to see when we visited in 2017. It was August then and there was a lot of forest fire haze. Not today.
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Grand Teton on the left. Elev. 13,775
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The Tetons can get crowded because of their close proximity to Yellowstone, but its not too bad today. We drive along Teton Park Road and have lunch at Signal Mountain Lodge overlooking Jackson Lake. Nice.
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We end up at Grand Teton Lodge in the north end of the park and wished wed eaten here. What a grand lodge it is. With a view over Willow Flats. Its almost 3 oclock and we still have 210 miles to go.
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We head east on US-191 and stop at Oxbow bend on the Buffalo Fork of the Snake River.
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And the Snake River Overlook.
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We hop on US-26 at Moran and head east through the mountains. What a great road. Always wanted to see where this road leads. The scenery is tremendous.
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We pass through Shoshoni after 150 miles and head north toward the Wind River Gorge on Hwy 20 as the light is beginning to fade.
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Then were in the gorge and the granite walls are literally glowing. There arent really any places to stop.
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And just like that, youre out of the gorge and we roll in to Thermopolis, WY at about 7:30. Not many places to stay, but were in the Best Western – 100 years old….how bout that? We will also be back here in 2 days on night 5.
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We find a nice pizza joint not too far away. Quite the successful day.
Days 4 to 6: Thermopolis to Laramie, WY
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Day 4 (103 miles) Thermopolis to Cody, WY
Today is completely jammed. A dam, 5 museums, an all-you-can-eat-barbecue, a country western show and a rodeo. Giddy the eff up, cowboy………
Cody is only 84 miles away. We were in Cody last fall. We arrived too late in the day to see the dam and didnt have time for the museums the next day. Was going to spend 2 nights here this time, but the mileage didnt work out, so Thermopolis gets all the attention.
We get to Buffalo Bill Dam about 9:30, just west of Cody. It was built between 1905 and 1910 – mostly in the winter months because of the lower flows. It was bitterly cold. Crazy stuff. It sits in a very narrow gorge on the Shoshone River and is 350 high. Very impressive.
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Then its back to Cody to see the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. William Cody was quite a colorful character. He rode for the Pony Express, was a soldier, hunter, trapper, business owner and showman. The five museums are the Whitney Western Art Museum, the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum and the Draper Natural History Museum. One reasonable admission ($23), all under one roof. We spend almost 4 hours there and hit them all. Very nicely done.
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The man himself
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Whitney Museum
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Over 7,000 firearms spanning many centuries
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We explore a little more of Cody and check in to the hotel to freshen up. Dinner is at the Cody Cattle Company just up the street. They have a package of an all-you-can-eat buffet (brisket), a fabulous country music show and then over to the Cody Rodeo – our first. Now when someone asks me about something Im doing, I can honestly say "Its not my first rodeo."
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Like the guy in City Slickers said, "You came out here city slickers. Youre gonna go home cowboys." Man, what a day.
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Day 5 (305 miles) Cody to Thermopolis – again
Lots of new territory today. Heading back to Thermopolis, but going east through the Bighorn National Forest to return. There are three Scenic Byways through the Big Horns – we will take two of them today: US-14a (the northernmost route, called the Medicine Wheel Passage); US-14 (the middle route, called the Bighorn Scenic Byway) and US-16 (the southernmost route, called the Cloud Peak Skyway). I had planned on taking 14a, but our dinner mates at the buffet last night recommended 14, and showed me a picture of Shell Falls. Yup, going there, for sure.
We head down US-14 out of Cody and quickly end up in ranch country.
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Just before Greybull, we stop at a rest area and look through the fence at a few of the planes at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting. Next time.
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Greybull is a bit of a crossroads
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Then its off to the mountains, stopping at a colorful turnout at the Shell Creek Recreation Area. Really nice orange on the ground here.
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Chimney Rock
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We wind up the mountains and stop at the apt named Big Horn Scenic Highway Pullout
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Cedar Mountain
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Weve been following way above Shell Creek in the canyon below for quite some time. We finally meet at the Shell Falls Interpretive Site. Shell Falls is only 120 feet high, but what a site it is as it roars through the canyon.
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The road continues to climb through several alpine regions and the hills are soon covered in trees.
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Then we crest Granite Pass at just over 9,000 feet and descend into Burgess Junction for lunch at the Bear Lodge Resort. Highway US-14a merges in here from the west. Next time.
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US-14 continues east and the forest become more dense. We start to descend and come up on the rocky outcrop of Steamboat Point. The clouds suck in.
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We descend further to the edge of the forest and also the eastern edge of the range. All that lies below is grasslands.
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We soon hook up with I-90 and head south toward Sheridan. We went through here in 2021 and dont turn in. The weather is looking like rain.
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Then all hell breaks loose as we approach a very dark storm
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The mushy hailstorm hits with an unbelievable ferocity. We go from 85 mph to 10 mph – and then just pull over and get pounded. Other cars soldier on. Im not getting rear-ended.
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Then, in 5 minutes its all over. I dont think the car was damaged. We drop in on the quaint little town of Buffalo.
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The wife finds a purse while I find a nice color photograph of the The Bighorns (Some people are just better than me). We split a NY cheesecake and go to find US-16 – the Cloud Peak Skyway – to take us back through the Bighorns again, going west.
The road is very scenic and we end up at the Loaf Mountain Overlook
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We continue up to the Powder River Pass at 9,666 and then the road drops steeply through the very picturesque Ten Sleep River Canyon – alas, no spot for pictures. An hour and a half later we are back at the Best Western in Thermopolis. Snagged a better room this time.
Bighorns – not to be missed.
Day 6 (293 miles) Thermopolis to Laramie, WY
Today is another educational day. We start off and do a quick tour of Hot Springs State Park next door. Theres lots of geothermal activity, with several hot springs and swimming pools. Really gotta get a wash after yesterdays festivities.
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We hit up downtown and find a Saturday market and a nice mural
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The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is just a few blocks away. A very large and nice exhibit of the old fellas.
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Grab a quick car wash and then we backtrack south through the Wind River Canyon. This time with morning light.
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Casper, WY is our first destination, two hours away down US-26. We wander through a nice downtown, grab lunch and then drive around town a bit before heading to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center to learn about the westward migration. Man, those people were tough as nails.
Then its over to the other side of town to see Fort Caspar and its museum.
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We hit the road about 2:30 and head down WY-487 to Medicine Bow. Not much going on there. Then half way to Laramie this milestone occurs. Jeez – 2 years, 2 months.
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We are, literally, in the middle of nowhere.
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Rock River, WY – Pop. 215. Didnt see anyone.
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We pass by ranches for mile after mile on US-30 heading to Laramie.
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We reach Laramie by 4:30 and drive through the University of Wyoming campus on the way to the hotel. The Cowboys and Cowgirls have some nice sports facilities. The campus is well maintained.
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The rib joint for tonight is just across the parking lot.
Note: Two more posts to follow – and they have the absolute best photos. Stay tuned.
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