The final post!
So we reached redwood forest at the same time that highway hit the ocean. Eager to get in the Pacific Ocean, we parked as soon as could and went running across the scorching hot black sand. The waves were bigger than we had really seen before and there were several warning signs for dangerous under-toe currents. Much to our dismay we were only able to stick our toes in the freezing water. A little farther up the road was the Redwood National Park. We started off by talking a walk through one the better Redwood groves. It was unbelievable to look at these trees that were several hundreds of years old. They towered over us at 300+ feet, almost completely shading the undergrowth. After the short hike we went to a cliff overlooking the ocean and river outlet. It was a spot that was supposed to be good for whale watching from September-March. To our surprise we saw several giant whales. There were at least 4 or 5 them out there! It was definitely something that I will never forget. We then heading to the hike in for our campsite. It was about 2.5 miles into our campsite that was located only 200 yards from the beach. We arrived at low tide and were able to go explore some of the tide pools. The tide pools were full of hermit crabs, starfish, sea anemones, and all sorts of other critters until sunset. We made a nice dinner over a fire of drift wood and had a great nights sleep.
The next day was spent driving to Portland, Oregon. We arrived in time for dinner and decided to try the famous food truck business. A large burrito and gravy fries were chosen as dinner. It didn't take long before I regretted that decision.... We topped off dinner at a beer house where we were able to play some cards and taste some of the local beer. In the morning we ate at the famous voodoo doughnuts. Delicious! It was then off to Missoula, Montana to visit my cousin Travis.
The long drive out there was so gorgeous. We crossed the rest of Oregon, Idaho, and then into Montana. We spent the next 3 nights hanging out in Missoula and catching up on some rest. We rafted one afternoon down the Alberton Gorge river. Although the water was very cold, the sun was about as hot as it had been since Vegas. It was perfect rafting weather. We also spent the next day at a local Celtic festival that Travis was working at. It was a great 3 day experience hanging out with Travis and Katie (his girl-friend), but we were ready to hit Yellowstone Park. We left early on the 4th day.
We drove into Yellowstone through the north entrance. We stopped at the Mammoth Hot Springs and walked around for an hour looking at the thermal pools and their array of colors. A little farther up the road there was a large traffic jam. Once we got through it we realized that everyone was stopped to look at a huge grizzly bear only a few hundred yards from the road. A little farther up the road we ran into tons of bison. It took no time at all before we hit these huge animals in the park. It was obvious that this park was something special. After the first night of camping, we spent the next day driving down to Old Faithful. It was cold and windy, and after 45 minutes we were about to give up on the geyser. Luckily for us it began spewing the water out just as we had enough. It was another spectacular event and we were so glad that we stuck it out. We ended up in a campsite located in a field (with possible bison pies all around). The temperature dropped that night down into the 30s. It was a very uncomfortable sleep (or lack of). The next day was a drive to South Dakota.
On the drive we drove through probably my favorite drive. Wyoming was spectacular. The mountains were covered in snow, the waterfalls were roaring, and the scenic vistas were beyond anything I have seen before. We stopped at a dinosaur track site where several sets of dinosaur tracks have been well preserved. We drove to Devil's tower to see what probably is an old volcano that is standing straight up in the middle of no where. We arrived near Mount Rushmore and spent the night. The next day we woke up to drive to Mount Rushmore. I was afraid it would be boring, but there was something profound about it. The idea of saving our culture for thousands of years despite what we do was amazing. We then went down to see the progress of Chief Crazy Horse monument. Although only the face was completed, we could see that this will be even more of an accomplishment if it ever is finished. From there it was a 14 hour drive to Illinois.
We made it to Champaign Illinois to stop in at the one and only Stefan aka 'Swingo Bingo' Wingo. I had a French Baby pastry for breakfast, which I was assured is a local favorite. We got a quick tour of the Wingo household before we were to make our last drive. That day was about 8 hours all the way back to Chattanooga. The one pit stop was to pick up a beagle puppy for Sara's dad outside of Nashville. She was a cute baby but was not used to car rides yet. Along the 3 hour drive she got sic 3 times.... yuck. We finally arrived in Chattanooga about 1am.
The next day we heading down to Georgia to see Sara's parents. We ate an amazing home cooked dinner when we got there. After dinner we went fishing in the pond. Sara was the only one that caught anything and she caught 3 nice fish. We walked through their garden and collected tons of veggies before we hit the road again. It was about 1am when we got back to Macon but we finally made it! Home Sweet Home!
After the final count it was over 10,000 miles, over 120 hours in the car, 25 states, 1 month, and no money left. It was a trip of a lifetime and exactly what I needed this summer. We were able to be in a car together all month and enjoy the country. I am sad its over yet am glad to be back. I will always remember this trip as one of the best times of my life.
