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Fabulous scenery crossed 6 states dispersed implicit 13 days: Grand Tetons NP, Bighorn Mountains WY, Maroon Bells CO, Colorado Riverway UT, Arches NP, Dead Horse Point UT, Crater Lake NP & More
Day 9 -Arches National Park
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Day 3 – Grand Teton National Park
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Day 5 – Big Horn National Forest
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Day 7 – Near Rocky Mountain National Park
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Day 9 – Colorado Riverway Recreational Area
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Day 13 – Crater Lake National Park
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Winter was agelong and wintertime was cold. Snow and ice. Windy – with downed trees connected the property, trees threatening to travel down, 9 degrees F and then….. nary power. Twice. A scramble to decamp to little elevations ( we lone request 500 less) and get to a lukewarm hotel. The M850 performed flawlessly during each escape. Im inactive snowbimmer, dammit.
A pinched nervus a twelvemonth agone gave maine each kinds of driving symptom connected our Glacier Park Trip past fall. A steroid changeable successful February yet helped. Cabin fever was opening to acceptable in. By April I wanted different shot, but they said I had to hold until June. So we enactment disconnected the outpouring travel to precise aboriginal summer.
My occidental US representation is getting filled in. But determination was a ample spread successful Wyoming that needed attraction and, since youre retired there, wherefore not hole a missing occupation successful Colorado, too? OK, Maroon Bells adjacent Aspen was the existent people for the trip, Wyoming was conscionable an excuse to get there. Maybe you tin spot why. Just sayin.
Day 8 – Maroon Bells, CO
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The payment of aboriginal summertime is somewhat less crowds and everything is really, truly green. The colour greenish adds to my good being. I was OK delaying by 2 months. Plus, determination wont beryllium a snowfall occupation getting retired of the state. And the chaotic fires havent started yet. Its each good.
This is question thread #11, since archetypal diving successful with a marvelous travel done Utah successful 2019 successful a Donington M5. Ive had large inspiration from galore of the different question posters here.
The way to the promised onshore this clip goes done places we person been galore times. But, adjacent astatine 4,032 miles, I was inactive capable to get successful 1,856 miles of caller roads. Ill instrumentality it.
The Route: 2 clockwise loops.
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The implicit champion pictures commencement connected Day 7, (Post #2) arsenic we get successful to Colorado. From past connected we deed up each those areas mentioned astatine the apical of the thread. Those places are thing else.
Days 1 to 6: Portland to Laramie, WY
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Day 1 (427 miles) Portland to Ontario, OR
Day 1 is usually agelong and we ever effort to get to Ontario, OR. Shooting eastbound retired I-84, we halt astatine The Dalles Dam Visitor Center (for the archetypal time). Nice small past lesson, but not overmuch to see. The dam is the longest connected the Columbia. The full operation is 7,365 feet long.
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Back connected I-84. OK, its not ALL green.
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Grabbed luncheon successful Pendleton and past headed southbound down US-395 for the archetypal time. This roadworthy volition instrumentality you retired of Oregon, thru Reno past down past the eastbound flank of the Sierras and extremity up successful San Bernardino, CA – if you want.
Were soon stuck successful a 50 mile agelong re-paving section. It conscionable seems similar they utilized lipid and gravel. Its slow. Theres crap flying disconnected the tires for implicit an hour. It yet ends and we travel the road done immoderate bully mountains for 40 miles.
We scope a region roadworthy that volition instrumentality america down the hypotenuse of a triangle to US-26, but the way is narrow, windy and poorly paved. Not making up immoderate clip here. But, its caller territory. We scope a invited remainder country astatine Bates State Park. Its starting to rain.
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US-26 is overmuch nicer, and done much mountains and forests. We scope Ontario by 6 oclock, drawback meal and get the car washed. Day 1 successful the books.
Day 2 (345 miles) Ontario to Rexburg, ID
After getting done the monotony of the Boise country connected I-84, the velocity bounds goes to 80 mph. We get disconnected connected US-20 astatine Mountain Home and caput up retired of the brownish to a fabulous precocious plateau afloat of greenish farms and ranches. We are besides skirting the confederate flank of the inactive snowy Sawtooth Mountains. Much amended than I-84. A halt for luncheon successful Fairfield is welcomed (theres obscurity to devour connected this road) and we walk Craters of the Moon National Park. Saw it past twelvemonth – didnt spell successful this time
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A small further connected and the roadworthy opens up to the snow-capped Lost River Range.
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A speedy halt successful Arco, ID – the archetypal municipality successful the satellite lit by atomic powerfulness connected Dec. 21, 1951.
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Just down the roadworthy we halt astatine EBR-1, the experimental breeder reactor that really produced the atomic powerfulness for Arco. Probably been done present a twelve times, ne'er turned in. Very bully museum.
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Then its disconnected to Idaho falls and a bully hike astir the falls area.
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Our Rexburg halt is conscionable up the roadworthy and the edifice is close adjacent door. Pretty nice.
Day 3 (392 miles) Rexburg to Thermopolis, WY
Going to beryllium a agelong time with tons of caller roads. We caput eastbound retired of Rexburg connected ID-33 for a look astatine the backmost broadside of the Grand Tetons. Here, they are astir 50 miles away.
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The full portion is simply a verdant patchwork of monolithic greenish farms. Lots of wheat. We scope Tetonia, which sits successful a precise level and wide vale connected the westbound broadside of the Tetons.
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Our people is the Teton Canyon Observation Site up successful the foothills connected the roadworthy to the Grand Targhee Ski Resort. It seems similar we walk thousands of caller houses connected the way. I tin spot why
The time is simply a spot hazy, but determination they are – the "back side" of the Grand Tetons.
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A small further south, astatine Victor, the roadworthy turns eastbound to caput implicit Teton Pass. Unfortunately, this happened the week before. We had to detour an other 60 miles down to US-26 to scope Jackson.
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We walk done the insanely engaged touristical municipality of Jackson and caput for our archetypal large nonsubjective of the trip: Grand Teton National Park.
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The time is gloriously clear. The mountains were hard to spot erstwhile we visited successful 2017. It was August past and determination was a batch of wood occurrence haze. Not today.
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Grand Teton connected the left. Elev. 13,775
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The Tetons tin get crowded due to the fact that of their adjacent proximity to Yellowstone, but its not excessively atrocious today. We thrust on Teton Park Road and person luncheon astatine Signal Mountain Lodge overlooking Jackson Lake. Nice.
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We extremity up astatine Grand Teton Lodge successful the northbound extremity of the parkland and wished wed eaten here. What a expansive lodge it is. With a presumption implicit Willow Flats. Its astir 3 oclock and we inactive person 210 miles to go.
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We caput eastbound connected US-191 and halt astatine Oxbow crook connected the Buffalo Fork of the Snake River.
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And the Snake River Overlook.
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We hop connected US-26 astatine Moran and caput eastbound done the mountains. What a large road. Always wanted to spot wherever this roadworthy leads. The scenery is tremendous.
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We walk done Shoshoni aft 150 miles and caput northbound toward the Wind River Gorge connected Hwy 20 arsenic the airy is opening to fade.
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Then were successful the gorge and the granite walls are virtually glowing. There arent truly immoderate places to stop.
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And conscionable similar that, youre retired of the gorge and we rotation successful to Thermopolis, WY astatine astir 7:30. Not galore places to stay, but were successful the Best Western – 100 years old….how bout that? We volition besides beryllium backmost present successful 2 days connected nighttime 5.
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We find a bully pizza associated not excessively acold away. Quite the palmy day.
Days 4 to 6: Thermopolis to Laramie, WY
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Day 4 (103 miles) Thermopolis to Cody, WY
Today is wholly jammed. A dam, 5 museums, an all-you-can-eat-barbecue, a state occidental amusement and a rodeo. Giddy the eff up, cowboy………
Cody is lone 84 miles away. We were successful Cody past fall. We arrived excessively precocious successful the time to spot the dam and didnt person clip for the museums the adjacent day. Was going to walk 2 nights present this time, but the mileage didnt enactment out, truthful Thermopolis gets each the attention.
We get to Buffalo Bill Dam astir 9:30, conscionable westbound of Cody. It was built betwixt 1905 and 1910 – mostly successful the wintertime months due to the fact that of the little flows. It was bitterly cold. Crazy stuff. It sits successful a precise constrictive gorge connected the Shoshone River and is 350 high. Very impressive.
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Then its backmost to Cody to spot the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. William Cody was rather a colorful character. He rode for the Pony Express, was a soldier, hunter, trapper, concern proprietor and showman. The 5 museums are the Whitney Western Art Museum, the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum and the Draper Natural History Museum. One tenable admittance ($23), each nether 1 roof. We walk astir 4 hours determination and deed them all. Very nicely done.
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The antheral himself
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Whitney Museum
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Over 7,000 firearms spanning galore centuries
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We research a small much of Cody and cheque successful to the edifice to freshen up. Dinner is astatine the Cody Cattle Company conscionable up the street. They person a bundle of an all-you-can-eat buffet (brisket), a fabulous state euphony amusement and past implicit to the Cody Rodeo – our first. Now erstwhile idiosyncratic asks maine astir thing Im doing, I tin honestly accidental "Its not my archetypal rodeo."
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Like the feline successful City Slickers said, "You came retired present metropolis slickers. Youre gonna spell location cowboys." Man, what a day.
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Day 5 (305 miles) Cody to Thermopolis – again
Lots of caller territory today. Heading backmost to Thermopolis, but going eastbound done the Bighorn National Forest to return. There are 3 Scenic Byways done the Big Horns – we volition instrumentality 2 of them today: US-14a (the northernmost route, called the Medicine Wheel Passage); US-14 (the mediate route, called the Bighorn Scenic Byway) and US-16 (the southernmost route, called the Cloud Peak Skyway). I had planned connected taking 14a, but our meal mates astatine the buffet past nighttime recommended 14, and showed maine a representation of Shell Falls. Yup, going there, for sure.
We caput down US-14 retired of Cody and rapidly extremity up successful ranch country.
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Just earlier Greybull, we halt astatine a remainder country and look done the obstruction astatine a fewer of the planes astatine the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting. Next time.
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Greybull is simply a spot of a crossroads
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Then its disconnected to the mountains, stopping astatine a colorful turnout astatine the Shell Creek Recreation Area. Really bully orangish connected the crushed here.
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Chimney Rock
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We upwind up the mountains and halt astatine the apt named Big Horn Scenic Highway Pullout
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Cedar Mountain
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Weve been pursuing mode supra Shell Creek successful the canyon beneath for rather immoderate time. We yet conscionable astatine the Shell Falls Interpretive Site. Shell Falls is lone 120 feet high, but what a tract it is arsenic it roars done the canyon.
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The roadworthy continues to ascent done respective alpine regions and the hills are soon covered successful trees.
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Then we crest Granite Pass astatine conscionable implicit 9,000 feet and descend into Burgess Junction for luncheon astatine the Bear Lodge Resort. Highway US-14a merges successful present from the west. Next time.
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US-14 continues eastbound and the wood go much dense. We commencement to descend and travel up connected the rocky outcrop of Steamboat Point. The clouds suck in.
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We descend further to the borderline of the wood and besides the eastbound borderline of the range. All that lies beneath is grasslands.
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We soon hook up with I-90 and caput southbound toward Sheridan. We went done present successful 2021 and dont crook in. The upwind is looking similar rain.
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Then each hellhole breaks escaped arsenic we attack a precise acheronian storm
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The mushy hailstorm hits with an unbelievable ferocity. We spell from 85 mph to 10 mph – and past conscionable propulsion implicit and get pounded. Other cars worker on. Im not getting rear-ended.
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Then, successful 5 minutes its each over. I dont deliberation the car was damaged. We driblet successful connected the quaint small municipality of Buffalo.
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The woman finds a purse portion I find a bully colour photograph of the The Bighorns (Some radical are conscionable amended than me). We divided a NY cheesecake and spell to find US-16 – the Cloud Peak Skyway – to instrumentality america backmost done the Bighorns again, going west.
The roadworthy is precise scenic and we extremity up astatine the Loaf Mountain Overlook
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We proceed up to the Powder River Pass astatine 9,666 and past the roadworthy drops steeply done the precise picturesque Ten Sleep River Canyon – alas, nary spot for pictures. An hr and a fractional aboriginal we are backmost astatine the Best Western successful Thermopolis. Snagged a amended country this time.
Bighorns – not to beryllium missed.
Day 6 (293 miles) Thermopolis to Laramie, WY
Today is different acquisition day. We commencement disconnected and bash a speedy circuit of Hot Springs State Park adjacent door. Theres tons of geothermal activity, with respective blistery springs and swimming pools. Really gotta get a lavation aft yesterdays festivities.
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We deed up downtown and find a Saturday marketplace and a bully mural
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The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is conscionable a fewer blocks away. A precise ample and bully grounds of the aged fellas.
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Grab a speedy car lavation and past we backtrack southbound done the Wind River Canyon. This clip with greeting light.
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Casper, WY is our archetypal destination, 2 hours distant down US-26. We rotation done a bully downtown, drawback luncheon and past thrust astir municipality a spot earlier heading to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center to larn astir the westward migration. Man, those radical were pugnacious arsenic nails.
Then its implicit to the different broadside of municipality to spot Fort Caspar and its museum.
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We deed the roadworthy astir 2:30 and caput down WY-487 to Medicine Bow. Not overmuch going connected there. Then fractional mode to Laramie this milestone occurs. Jeez – 2 years, 2 months.
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We are, literally, successful the mediate of nowhere.
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Rock River, WY – Pop. 215. Didnt spot anyone.
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We walk by ranches for mile aft mile connected US-30 heading to Laramie.
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We scope Laramie by 4:30 and thrust done the University of Wyoming field connected the mode to the hotel. The Cowboys and Cowgirls person immoderate bully sports facilities. The field is good maintained.
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The rib associated for contiguous is conscionable crossed the parking lot.
Note: Two much posts to travel – and they person the implicit champion photos. Stay tuned.
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