OK, so getting out of here first thing in the morning isn't happening, but we're pretty close to being ready. Yesterday was a whirlwind of packing, settling last-minute computer issues and packing for the dogs. Joan had the fun task of packing about 100 individual servings of food for the dogs, and then bathing them. As anyone who has dogs knows, they like baths as much as they like cats. But Joan persevered, and the dogs are now clean. Now we just need to finish the last two traveler profiles and pack up the car... Then, tomorrow, the first official "from the road update."
For those who weren't getting the 2003 trip updates, they had a pretty consistent format, which hopefully made them easier to read. For the most part, I'll stick with that format. Here's a example from 2003. Suggestions for improvement welcome.
FRED TAKES AMERICA
DAY 35
Our most eventful day yet.
Where We Started: Jackson, Wyo.
Where We Ended: West Yellowstone, Mont.
Miles Driven: 225 (10,815 overall).
New States Covered: None.
Current Tally: 23 down, 25 to go.
Cool Site of the Day: We finished up Grand Teton National Park, and spent almost the rest of the day in Yellowstone. It was awesome. Geysers. Falls. Rapids. Wildlife. The range of sites at Yellowstone is astonishing. And as nice as the park was, our full day there was just a precursor.
The fun started at about 7:20pm, as we were trying to get to a wildlife drive at the north part of the park. The books recommended doing it at dusk, and we were on schedule to be there right on time. Suddenly, the car in front of us swerved to avoid a very large pothole in the road. He was able to avoid it. We were not. About 30 seconds later, it was clear we had our first flat of the trip. So we pull into a side road, and I change the tire. Joan finds my ability to change a tire so cool, she decides we need a photographic record.
Check out the excellent form. Knees bent properly, the weight distributed evenly.
So we get back on road a little short of 8, and right as it's getting dark. We drive about 10 miles when we see a huge wildfire burning in the north. Everyone is stopping to take pictures or just to watch. Turns out the fire has been burning for a while, and covers 3,010 acres. Authorities hope to contain the fire my mid-September. This is the first time either of us has ever seen a wildfire, and it is a stunning site.
This is the best I could do, but if you look closely, you can see the flames and smoke. This was from approximately 20 miles away.
So we keep driving, now heading up one of the windy, narrow ridges that are all over the park. We are talking about how awful the fire is when we see traffic stopped in front of us. We assume it is fire-related and we might have to turn around. It is not. Turns out a guy in a Jeep missed a turn and plummeted off the ridge, rolling a good way down the mountain. The delay is so that they can tow the car back up to the road. After a 25-minute stop, we move on and see the car, badly damaged with a completely crushed roof, and we wonder whether the park ranger was lying when he said the guy was OK.
Eventually, we finally make it to our hotel a little short of 11pm.
All in all, it was an eventful 90 minutes to end a day where all sorts of other odd things occurred, but more on that later.
Meal of the Day: None. Mediocre park fare for lunch, and a desperate McDonald's stop in West Yellowstone for dinner.
The Day's Other Highlights
-- So we decide to walk a short trail at the Mud Volcano, where Fred is not allowed. But it's 75 degrees out, so we decide we will leave the car running and the AC on and lock the car with our remote keypad. We do this, but find that the backup remote keypad won't allow us to lock the car while it is running. So Joan reaches in and locks the doors by hand. This all seems fine until we realize that the remote keypad STILL won't lock or unlock the doors, so now we can't get in the car at all. Sadly, Fred does not understand our command to unlock the door, and minus opposable thumbs, is pretty helpless anyway. So now we start to panic that the dog is trapped in a running car. We cleverly start devising solutions, i.e. call OnStar, break a window, etc. Then, Joan comes up with the best idea of all: "Wait. Why don't we use the ACTUAL CAR KEY to unlock the door?" Not surprisingly, this works. Fred is free. I guess this is a sign that we have become a little too dependent on remote locking devices.
-- Would you believe that, in the year 2003, there are still places that will not accept beagles? This goes for most national parks, which only allow dogs out of the car in parking areas and designated pooping zones. This is making it hard for Fred, and he's starting to get angry.
Fred stages a sit-in to protest beagle discrimination at Mud Volcano.
-- So I am sitting in the car alone reading a map when I hear a knock on the passenger side door. It is an elderly man. He knocks again, and then tries the door. I decide I am either about to become the victim of the world's oldest -- and most polite -- carjacker, or he's at the wrong car. I yell to him that he's at the wrong car, but he does not hear me, and starts knocking in a more annoyed fashion. Finally, I roll the window down, and he pokes his head in, presumably to ask me why I won't unlock the door. Immediately, he has his answer. The poor guy scurries off to the silver car right ahead of mine without saying a word. We see him a few times later in the day, and he's so embarrassed, he won't even make eye contact.
-- Over the course of the day at Yellowstone, we see 4-5 packs of cars pulled off the road in non-designated areas. This means there is wildlife to see, like this moose.
But most of the time, these animals are way off the main road. So Joan raises an excellent question: How does the first person actually spot these animals? Joan and I are confident that we too could spot wildlife, specifically if it was smack in the middle of the road and blocking our path. But way off the beaten road in the woods? We just don't get it. Anyone know the answer?
-- Jackson Hole has the coolest location for any airport I have ever seen. It would be worth flying in just for this view of Grand Teton.
Sign of the Day
-- Warning: Many visitors have been gored by buffalo. Buffalo can weigh 2,000 pounds and sprint at 30 mph (three times faster than you can run). Do not approach buffalo.
I kind of felt like the last sentence was unnecessary at that point.
Travel Quote of the Day
"The only aspect of our travels that is guaranteed to hold an audience is disaster."
-- Martha Gellhorn
Thursday's Plan
-- Another change of plans: Turns out the tires on my car are rarer than a 1953 Mickey Mantle baseball card, so we need to get to an Acura dealer as fast as possible to get off the donut. Sadly, the closest Acura dealer is in Boise, six hours away. So we're headed that direction, and will drive as far as we can before stopping to watch the Jets beat the crap out of the Redskins tonight.
Bonus Fred Photo!
Fred does his Julie Andrews impression at Grand Teton. Dog will do anything for a treat.
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