Day 6

For the most part, a day of driving.  We spent last night in Jackson, Wyoming at the Rustic Inn.  The Inn had a cabin look and a wonderful buffet breakfast.  But after debating about spending the day shopping or moving on to new territory, we decided to keep going.  It was a cold, rainy, snowy day.  We had contemplated going back to Old Faithful and seeing the geysers again.  But thankfully we had decided against that as part of the road to Old Faithful was closed today due to snow! 

We drove through the Teton Pass, with a 10% grade, in so much snow we were concerned they would close that road also!  Karsten just kept saying "I love snow".  However, the twists and turns of the pass didn't agree with her today even with the sea bands! 

After hitting the Visitors' Center in Jackson (and the National Parks out here have THE MOST INCREDIBLE visitor centers.  This one was huge and had elk, wolf, bear, moose, etc. mounts in a life-like setting, just beautiful.) we began our trek on the west side of the Tetons.  There were some fantastic paintings hanging a the entry by artist Greg McHuron.  You can seen his work at www.mchuronstudio.com, but the site does not do his work justice!

The weather was not conducive for seeing mountain peaks today so we just kept going.  We stopped in West Yellowstone at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.  This is a home for grizzly and wolf who are unable to be returned to the wild for whatever reason.  We saw Sam and Illie, brother and sister grizzlies, that weigh in at 800 & 900 pounds!  There will be some videos on FB later!  We also saw some of the most beautiful wolves.  I liked this one. 



My favorite Wolf

We have taken in so much in such a short time it is hard to get my thoughts together.  The easiest thing to say is that everywhere we have been is difficult to describe.  The winding roads through the mountains go on forever...

The weather was beautiful as we made our way to Yellowstone National Park.  Before we entered the Park we stopped in Cooke City for fuel.  We think we get snow?  They get over 450" each year and they are gearing up for their snowmobile season.  The ground is already white in many places, the gates are ready to close off the roads and the gas station ground was all ice! 

Today we were treated to wildlife in the wild!  Bison, Bear, Coyote, Moose and Elk to name a few.  You can look at the pics on Facebook! 

We also got to see many of the geysers including Old Faithful.  The pic below is from Mammoth Hot Springs.  There will be an Old Faithful video on FB later! 

But the most amazing part of the journey was to see the new growth in the Park.  In 1988, a fire took out tens of thousands of acres of forest.  We lived in Colorado at the time and the smoke from the fire reached the Denver area and our sky was even purple.  Now it has reseeded itself.  How can you not see God's hand in that?

 

Tonight we are in Jackson, Wyoming and deciding where we will head next.  The weather began to deteriorate this afternoon.  So, if it does rain and snow tomorrow we may stay here another day.  I have not been able to find any info on a church, but there is a Coldwater Creek in town, many art galleries and even a knit store. 

Day 4

We left Rapid City this morning under blue skies and sunshine.  As we headed Northwest we drove the the magnificent Spearfish Canyon.  Riding through the rock formations almond the flowing creek is just beautiful.  One of Jeni's favorite spots!  They also have a great bakery, Vanilla Bean Bakery, in town.  Had to make a quick stop for honey, along granola.  Yum.

We wove through the ever winding roads in the Big Horn Mountains.  There was snow covering the higher elevations beckoning the winter enthusiasts.  We stopped at Shell Falls for some photography time.

 The pics just don't do justice to the beauty.  As we continued on we went through the little town of Greybull.  Like most small towns you could tell that the residents and business owners work hard to carve out a living.  Farming on rocky land brings back the words God spoke to Adam when sending him out of the garden.  The other thing that was really noticeable is their belief in God!  As we drove through their quaint town, we passed the Ten Commandments on tablets right on the main street.  Their small airplane/airport, again on the main street boasted an American Flag with the words "In God we Trust" below. 

 It was evident that the community believed and actually had to rely on God' provision.  After all, how else could you make a living from the land that is laden with craggy rock, and brush?  One small motel had so many beautiful Impatients covering the walkway you would be hard pressed to get your luggage to the door!

Day 3 Continued

Computer problems seem to be solved...at least for the moment! 

 Lions...

Tigers...No...Woodchuck!

Our next destination held many from the sixth day of creation.  Lions and tigers and bears...oh my.  Oh, I mean woodchucks!

Bears...Oh my!

Day 3

What a beautiful day!  The wind died down, the sky was vivid blue and the sun was shining.  We began our day in Hot Springs at the Mammoth Site.  In 1974, while beginning excavation some bones were unearthed and the project was halted.  After further exploration, it was determined that the site had at one time been a sinkhole and many mammoths had lost their lives to this spot.  Currently only about 35% of the site has been exposed and there is already evidence of 59 mammoths, all male.  The site is now enclosed by a building that was built directly over it.

Day 2

 We departed at 7:00am from Belle Plaine, MN and drove through sleet, snow, and horendous winds gusting up to 60 mph!  It made for a long, loud ride.  However, as we neared the Badlands the sun was trying to make an appearence and there were little voids in the cloud cover that allowed some of the blue to peek through.  The winds remained but we were able to see the landscape!  As you make the drive through the National Park in the comfort of a vehicle, you are able to see how difficult the land would be to cross in any other fashion.  And, of course, the "Beware Rattlesnakes" sign in another reminder of how trecherous the terrain can be.

Day 1

In typical Varecha fashion, our journey was scheduled to begin at 7:30 am EST on October 27, we left at 5:00 pm EST on October 26!

We have already been witnesses to much of God's creation.  The wind is gusting at up to 50 mph in some places and we have seen limbs, pine needles, leaves, etc. fly in front and over us.  The only thing missing was a flying cow or Dorothy's house.  We have also witnessed the mixture of both snow and rain, sometimes almost horizontally! 

Rick witnessed a deer running across the road in front of the car also.  My question is what was the deer doing out on a night like tonight? 

We drove South of Minneapolis and are in Belle Plaine, MN at the AmericInn. 

Our prayers are with you Ella. 

Off to bed as I am sure Rick will be ready to hit the road early in the morning to head to South Dakota.  Tonight instead of hearing the waves we will be listening to the wind.

The Journey Begins

Traveling has always been something we enjoy.  On Wednesday, October 27, Rick, Karsten and I will set out on our longest journey to date.  We will be traveling through the Pacific Northwest. 

Our focus will be to view the area through God's eyes and really be aware of His creation.  Our first goal will be to reach Bremerton Washington in time to spend the weekend of November 6 & 7 with Kyl! 

We hope that you will follow us on this journey and enjoy the information and photos we will post along the way.