Road Trip Day 12 (June 24): Denver --> Yellowstone National Park, WY
Flickr Pictures: Will add these soon!
Songs of the Day: Deer Tick -- Baltimore Blues No. 1, The National -- Secret Meeting, Calvin Harris -- Need Your Love
Boy, what a drive this turned out to be. And to think that just a day earlier, I wasn't even planning to go through Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Avash suggested that driving a little extra would be worth it and he was absolutely right. Heading west out of Denver, I picked up I-70 and then CO-125 -- I decided to skip Boulder and Estes Park, even though they are both fantastic, because I'd been there before. CO-125 is a winding road that takes you deep into the mountainous terrain of northwestern Colorado and provides breathtaking views of perhaps the state's biggest attraction. After stopping for gas in Walden, which is about 25 miles south of the Wyoming border, I entered easily the most isolated section of the country that I have ever been. The thing about the part of Wyoming that I drove through is that there aren't a lot of towns, so it is imperative to stop for gas when you have the opportunity to do so. I would fill up the tank anytime it approached the halfway mark. There aren't any exits at this point, but rather the highway goes directly through the towns that are few and far between. In Wyoming, every once in awhile there's a ranch along the road (-->)
(as you can see, I was a little too excited about the new Nikes my mom got me for my birthday), but other than that, there's nothing. Another issue is that this area of the country ranges from about 5,000 to about 10,000 feet above sea level and considering that I wasn't used to the altitude, I needed to drink about 200 fluid ounces of water over the course of the day to stay hydrated. Now, this created another problem, which you might be able to guess if you're smart...this problem was especially troublesome because as I stated, in Wyoming, there are no exits and there aren't even any trees or anything -- you can see for miles. So you kind of have to just go behind your car and hope that no other cars pass (which they never did, thankfully).
The great thing about being so high above sea level is that the clouds and sky seem so close! Seeing snowcapped mountains disappear into the clouds in the middle of the summer is really something to see. I decided to stop in a town called Lander, in central Wyoming. Aside from nearby Riverton, Lander is the largest town in the area, as the metropolitan Lander area boasts a population of nearly 8,000 people. Okay, sarcasm aside, it's actually a really cool town with a main street that features a mix of bars, restaurants, and a vegan food store right next to a hunting gear establishment. I decided to stop at Gannett Grill for the Muy Bueno burger (Wyoming beef topped with guacamole, jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle mayo), waffle fries, and an iced tea -->
. Ok, seriously -- mind blown. Wyoming beef is absolutely the best beef in the US. Wow. Even though I did put a decent amount of effort into planning the routes I was going to take on this trip, I didn't bother to look up the attractions on the internet, which turned out to be a huge advantage because seeing the the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park sights in person, truly for the first time, was something special. As I drove through Wyoming and continued to climb close to 10,000 feet above sea level, I began to see a beautiful mountain snow-capped mountain range ahead of me. I actually had no idea what the Great Teton National Park held, so I wondered whether this was part of it. The closer I came, the more wondrous these mountains looked. Finally, I entered the park (a $25 ticket gave me access to both the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone for 7 days) and spent a couple hours driving around. I have to tell you guys, if you go to Yellowstone, do yourself a favor and check out Yellowstone's southern neighbor, the Grand Teton National Park -->
You won't regret it, I promise! I headed north through the Grand Teton National Park, which leads you directly into Yellowstone, reaching just before dark. I couldn't believe everything I'd seen since leaving Denver around 6:30 am (and arriving at the Lake Lodge around 10:30 pm). At Yellowstone, I was staying right on Yellowstone Lake, which is near the center of the enormous park. Exhausted, I decided to grab a beer at the bar before bed, which was a fantastic idea, because I ran into Jack, a 64-year old gift shop manager who gave me tons of tips about Yellowstone. But you'll have to read my next blog for that story as well as my adventures in Yellowstone. In the meantime, here's a look at my cabin and the lake -->
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