Day Fourteen

Today we drove past Mount Rushmore and through the Badlands. Mount Rushmore looks so new, like it could have been created yesterday. We also stopped at an old sod house and got to look around there. Finally, we headed for home after stopping and meeting one of Jasmine’s friends for supper.

The roof of the sod house. 

Prarie dog. 

Root cellar

Chicken coop 

This nearly gave me a heart attack when I walked up to the outhouse.

Day Thirteen

We went to the Grand Teton National Park today. It was spectacular, the mountains completely different than the other ones we’ve experienced on this trip. These were jagged and snow-capped; ridges like razors slicing open the clouds. All sharp and unapologetically majestic.

                We hiked along Jenny Lake, one of the clearest bodies of water in the world. The water was so impossibly clear it was like looking through freshly cleaned windows, the kind a bird would accidentally fly into. Looking down into the water, I couldn’t even tell how deep it was, because the clearness made it so much harder to tell. I could see every pebble on the bottom.

 The trail lead up to Inspiration Point, a lookout over the lake at 7,200 feet in elevation. The view of the lake was nice, but when I turned around and looked back towards the peaks, my breath was taken away. Clouds were rolling in and the mountains were outlined in purple gray clouds, making them look even harsher. On the hike back, it rained a bit and there is nothing more beautiful than rain in the mountains. Once we finished our hike, we looked around at the park a little more before deciding to hit the road again.

When we decided to stop for the night, I booked a hotel. For some reason my phone would only show the booking page in Spanish (my other tabs were fine) I skimmed it, everything looked okay. We got to the hotel and discovered we had to be 21 to get the room. One nerve-wracking call to Expedia later, we were able to get the cancellation penalty waived, thanks to the very kind gentlemen at the front desk of the hotel. While I cancelled the booking, Elizabeth and Jasmine had found a hotel, but were having trouble finding it. Finally, we found it. It was cheap, decent, we walked in, the lady asked for my ID, and informed me she couldn’t give me the room because I wasn’t 21. This was a Super 8, and we’ve already stayed at a few of them with no problems about age. We stopped at one more place, only to discover that it is actually Wyoming law that you must be 21 to rent a hotel room. We all burst into laughter. Of course this would happen. So we drove to South Dakota and discovered that there were no rooms available for under $150. We ended up sleeping in the car because by this time it was almost four in the morning.

Day Twelve

Again, we spent  the day driving. There were quite a few historic sites and scenic overlooks on our way so we stopped at a few. Among them, this old pioneer house; it was locked so we couldn't go inside, but we examined the outside. We also passed the Craters of The Moon, which is a rocky looking stretch of field. Apparently, caves underground cause all these bumps and hollows, and jagged volcanic rock covers the ground, black and rough, causing it to look like something from a Sci-Fi movie.
Now we're on the last leg of our drive. The moon is full, bright. It covers picturesque views of the mountains in a silver glow. We're almost to the Grand Teton National Park where we'll be spending the day tomorrow.

Craters of The Moon. The pictures really don't show it well. 

Pioneer house.

Day Eleven

We drove most of the day today. The Northern Oregon scenery is spectacular and we stopped at the Columbia River Gorge. Everything is greener here than in California, which is nice. The river is wide and rough cliffs rise jaggedly from the water, looming over it. It’s serene, unreal, like something CGI. We drove along the gorge at night as we left. The moon was almost full and illuminated the water and cliffs.

                We’re headed East now, hoping to get to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming tomorrow.

Day Ten

Today we went to San Francisco and it was probably my favorite city so far (not much of a city girl, I much prefer the national parks). I could have driven around and just looked at the architecture all day. I was the one who did most of the driving in the city and it was pretty crazy. There were a couple of times I wasn’t sure we were going to make it to the top of the hills, or be able to stop at the signs at the bottom.

                First, we got some brunch at an artsy local café. Walking the hills was killer, especially after all the hiking yesterday. Then, we went to the Castro District. It was kind of wild there, but the houses were beautiful. After that, we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge park. We walked around and out onto this boardwalk that went over the water. The view was stunning. I could see the bridge on one side, the skyline of the city on another, and Alcatraz in the distance. The water was mesmerizing, it rippled and waved slowly, big and rolling, not quite breaking. The wind whipped strong. This weather is my favorite kind, chilly and crisp, foggy. Sea weather.

                We then headed to Muir Woods, a redwood forest a little ways outside of the city. In the Woods, I felt like a tiny fairy. The sunlight filtered, shadowy and green golden through the trees, a quiet creek trickled through the woods, tinkling pleasantly. It was the type of place I could have just sat in all day.

                After that, we drove for a while and after much hotel searching, we are in Southern Oregon.

 Titanic-ing because we can.

 This seal popped up and begged for fish people were throwing back in the water.

 There were a lot of these covering the beach. This one's ours.

  

Crosswalks in the Castro Distrit