Adventure is Out There - A Salute to All Nations, but Mostly America

[righttrack]

Best.Thread.Title.Ever

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Best.Thread.Title.Ever

Thanks!!! I'm pretty fond of it as well

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Before getting started with TR stuff, I wanted to share David's belated souvenir.

As I noted earlier, we were both pretty bummed that none of the shops had any of the Big Sky Brewing Co. gear. He was the only one of us that came home from this trip without a single souvenir because of this. That didn't sit well with me, so I started digging around online. I knew Big Sky had an online store, but they didn't have anything we liked. I checked ebay a few times as well as Amazon, because you just never know what might show up. About a week ago, the perfect Moose Drool hat went up for sale. Instead of being an exact replica, it had the signature moose riding a motorcycle, with his drool blowing in the wind. We figured with all of the bikes we saw from the Sturgis rally, this was about as perfect as it was going to get.

Old Hat

*Yes, this hat used to be black!

New hat

LOVE the drool!

Needless to say, he's a happy guy. My souvenirs haven't come up yet in the TR...but I do get myself some things on the 15th.

Aug 14 cont-

We were done hanging out in Hayden Valley, so we headed back to Canyon to freshen up for dinner. We thought about just getting food and sitting at the bar...

The only problem...Kendall wanted to have a birthday song like I got on our first night in YNP. The real problem...we had a reservation for the 15th, but now that we were checking out early, we had to hope they could work us in. They canceled my reservation for the 15th and told us it would be about a 45 minute wait for a table. So, we got our name on the list and went outside to play games.

Samantha and David went off for a bit to get Sam another souvenir. There was this bison blanket she just had to have and it was sold out everywhere else in the park. Looks like she was victorious in getting that bison blankie of her dreams!

While David was still having some stomach issues, he also tends to have issues if he doesn't eat enough. So he decided to spoil his appetite and go get some flatbread from the cafe inside the lodge.

It was taking forever to be seated, so I just started taking pics...

Around the 45 min mark, we went inside to wait. We didn't want to miss our name being called. Turns out, there were still 2 parties ahead of us, so more pics to pass the time.

We were FINALLY seated...but that didn't stop me from taking more random pictures.

Our server came by shortly after to take our drink orders. He also asked us if we were with a tour group. It reminded me quite a bit of WDW servers asking you if you're on DDP...except he felt free enough to profess his relief and confess that tour group parties are the worst. I also noticed on his name tag that he was from NY. When I asked him where, he said Syracuse. I got all excited because I'm an SU alum. He did notice I was in an SU shirt, so it probably wasn't a total shock to him either. He was quite a bit younger than me, but said he'd have questions at the end of the meal.

The kids also wanted to continue their games. I don't normally allow electronic games at the table, but something about these magnetic games seemed OK in my book.

David wasn't feeling well, so he didn't partake in much of this. And I ate stuff I shouldn't have and regretted it...but at least it was pretty good. We started out with waffle fries covered in cheese sauce and chorizo.

I got a burger on a gluten free bun with mushrooms and bacon...

I think the kids also got burgers and David got a salad. FUN.

It was now dessert time, and while Kendall didn't get all of the servers to sing to her like I did, the girl who did sing was great!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I also figured that if I was already going to regret my meal, why not be completely evil. I ordered the creme brulee cheesecake topped with huckleberries. David even shared this one with me. It was sooooooooooooooooo good!

Even though David enjoyed the cheesecake, our server noticed he wasn't looking well. They had a talk about altitude sickness. Not the normal dinner convo, but it's nice to see they care. He also started asking me about my experiences at Syracuse. Of course, he was born the year before I graduated, but I had been back up to SU in 2013, so we had some common knowledge and experiences...which is always cool. I was also hoping he'd tell Samantha how horribly cold and snowy it can be, but he told me it's not been as bad as it was during my four years up there. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate that Sam wants to go, but not sure we want to take on the cost of private college without scholarship funds to cover a lot of it...plus, while winters may be better than they were, my kids have grown up in a place that doesn't get real winter.

Oh well, dinner was over and it was time to head out into another smoke filled sunset...

Even the moon looked orange...which you don't normally see with a crescent moon.

We got back to the cabin and I stepped back outside a few times after the sun went down and the moon still looked orange.

When I came back in, Sam had unwrapped her blanket and was displaying it for all to see.

I seem to remember her looking for praise with her souvenir choices because they were more practical things that she could use all the time at home. I figured she'd use them for a day or two and they'd be pushed to the side, but we've been home for over a month and she's still sleeping with her bison blanket and wolf pillow every night. I guess she was right!

After that, it was time to pack up. Part of me was sad that the trip was almost over, but part of me was ready to be back in civilization...or at least a more comfortable room.

Aug 15th-

I was up bright and early to start packing up the vehicle. It was pretty chilly...30s and frost on a number of vehicles. I took a pic of this SUV in front of the cabin that had a pretty decent layer of frost on the hood...but it didn't occur to me that I was using my phone (not as good of a camera) to photograph a white vehicle. But believe me...there's frost on that hood!

While we'd be leaving YNP today, we planned on getting in as much as we could. The goal was to make it to Grand Prismatic no later than 8:30 am and to find stuff to do in the park until some time between 3-4pm. So, still a pretty full day on tap before hitting the road for Billings.

We popped into the Washburn Lodge to officially check out. The girl who updated our date in the system the previous day told me that I'd have to do this since we were leaving early. OK...whatever...it was quick and fairly painless...minus them not being able to print out statements or receipts due to computer issues.

We headed up to the main lodge for one last quick breakfast...

We watched more tour groups come in and be confused, which was entertaining, but we really needed to get on the road. Sam played photographer while we drove. She really liked all of the boulders in the river, but missed photographing the trumpeter swan we saw in there.

I also asked her to take pics of the steam everywhere...since this is one of the cool parts of early chilly mornings in YNP.

When I saw the trees in the area above, I asked Sam to work on getting some better pics of trees like this. Unfortunately, they're all pretty blurry...

Per our guide on our last trip, these are often referred to as Bobby Socks trees. The dead trees basically soak up all of the minerals in the water which turns the bases white when the water evaporates...making the trunks look like they're wearing bobby socks.

We hit a few slow spots because of animals...random bison along the side of the road and a few elk cows...but we finally got to Grand Prismatic. The drive took a bit longer than I'd remembered, so it wasn't until just after 9am when we got there. Nobody was parking on the road, so we thought we'd be OK, but we couldn't find any spaces on our first pass through the lot. I decided to make another loop and sure enough, a couple waved to me just as I was approaching their spot and said they were leaving. SCORE! And here's where my frustrations with tourists takes its first really ugly turn.

The couple pulled out and I started to pull in...and then a mom and her teenage daughter walked into the spot and started using themselves as human shields...daring me to pull in any further...since they deserved this spot. I inched closer and closer to them until they got out of the way, but not without us having some words with each other. I kept my temper in check, but I was ready to explode. I couldn't place her accent, but she wasn't American. Regardless, what she did was stupid and obnoxious no matter where she is and where she's from.

I was still so angry that I wasn't even taking pics; however, I see Sam was still into the steam.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Speaking of steam, after days of seeing thermal features in the midday sun and temps, I had forgotten that morning is often the worst time for things like this. The steam is just much more plentiful when it's cool, making it a challenge to see the vibrant colors of the various pools. We had this throughout our 2005 trip because it was cool to cold the entire time, but today...we just had no choice. So, morning steam it was! And thankfully, I'd calmed down enough to start taking pics again.

I also remembered that I can take video...



Sam also kept taking pics and got some perspectives I didn't...

You first pass by Excelsior Geyser when going up. I'm just going to throw in pics from both myself and Sam. We also took quite a few, so there will be a lot of picture spam.

As you can see, we're battling steam, and we're not even really up there just yet.

Of course this one area behind us has no steam!

Oh well, back to trying to photograph Excelsior and its crater.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The pictures make it all look so still, but it's bubbling and boiling...sending off a huge plume of steam into the sky.



We were slowly moving towards Grand Prismatic, but still snapping all kinds of details along the way...

Finally getting to GP's mineral stream areas...

Steam would be one of the enemies here, but we did our best to get what we could...

Before I get into my favorite pictures...I wanted to share this on that Sam took. As you can see, there's a girl who is about to put her hand in the water. And you may also see David standing there in his navy t-shirt. He yelled at her before she could get her hand in and she wound up not putting her hand in.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get through to the moron family in front of me. They were part of some Asian tour group, but I was borderline yelling at this teen and his parents in English to stop putting their hands in. While I know I hadn't fully cooled off since our parking lot incident, I have no patience for ignorance and carelessness like this. I know ... I know ... I'm not perfect (FAR from it), but I'm not the fool putting my hand into the edges of Grand Prismatic!

OK...so now for pretty pictures...or as pretty as we could get them in these conditions. Also notice the hoof prints? Wonder how long these have been here.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

OH, and I took some video too...
(pardon me if you can still hear some of my anger in the background)





I guess the one pro here...even without all of this steam...the best views of Grand Prismatic are from the air. So, nobody ever really gets an amazing view from the ground.

We moved on and kept taking pics...and I can't recall what else was up here...well, at least by name. I'm sure I could find out if I pull up a map.

LOL...ok, maybe this is the name!

(thanks Sam!)

And one more pool...

And more random stuff...

You can see some yellow, indicating there's sulfur, but it wasn't bad and David was handling it all really well today. Figures...last park day and he's feeling better!

It was time to head back towards the car. What's funny...there's a guy on the bridge wearing a Houston Astros shirt...and I was in my Astros rainbow hat. We passed each other on the bridge...he very nicely told me he loved my shirt and said we have great taste. And then we got a good laugh that he meant to compliment my hat.

On the other side of the bridge, I also took a pic of all of the people ignoring the "keep off" sign. Sorry...couldn't help myself...I was really in a mood about all of this. Of course, the sign is so tiny and the restricted area isn't really defined...so maybe they were fine being there. I personally thought no...I guess I'm always too afraid of getting in trouble.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We headed over to the restrooms and got into a huge debate over which line was better. In the end...I didn't care. What was funny was that the idiots in front of me who put their hands in GP were now in front of me at the bathroom. The girl in front of them tried to strike up a conversation...asking where they were from and what they thought of things...but they didn't respond. Guessing again it's because they didn't understand. It still struck me as odd though that they had no response any time anyone spoke to them. Oh well, she moved on to us...turns out she was doing a cross country trip with her friends and they'd come from places like Baltimore and Nashville to meet up in this part of the US. She seemed early 20s...maybe recent college grade...but super sweet. Also sounded like a pretty cool trip they had been on.


We got in the car and David informed me that the tour bus driver he met (struck up a conversation with the guy after coming off of the boardwalk section) said they've actually approved more parking to be built for Grand Prismatic. He said to expect 2-5 new spots in about five years! OY!

We started driving (destination Mammoth!), but immediately got stuck in a lone bison jam. Sam was still really excited about them, so she took 20 pictures. I will share just one!

I kept driving and she kept taking pics of the steaming landscape.

Sam also got me better pics of Roaring Mountain. It was early enough that you could see more of its vents steaming.

Shortly after this, we hit the construction between Norris and Mammoth. I took this in my boredom as we waited.

Sam suddenly had to use the restroom again...and I was struggling to think of spots before Mammoth. I decided to take a chance on Sheepeater Cliff. We hadn't been in there this trip, so it would also be something new for the kids to see.

Luckily, there was also a restroom. Whew!

There were a lot of people here, so it didn't have the quiet feeling we had here on our last trip. That's significant because our guide told us a story about a big male grizzly she encountered here with a group. I honestly don't remember all of the details, but he surprised them right in this area and they all tried to slip into the van. She said he walked around investigating for a while and everyone was terrified.

OH well, it's a pretty area...

As I was heading back to the car, I saw some movement in the adjacent rocks...

*Can you see the stripes?

Turns out there were a bunch of golden-mantled ground squirrels in there...

David was signaling to me that it was time to go...which was probably good, because the jerk at the picnic table behind me was mocking "the silly tourist taking pics and getting all excited about varmints." I'm telling you...it was not my day!

On our way towards Mammoth, we passed a bunch of people finishing up their rides...

And time to head into Mammoth...

Coming up...lunch in Mammoth, a trip out to Lamar Valley, and heading out of YNP to Billings, MT.

 

[Nemo14]

Unfortunately, I was unable to get through to the moron family in front of me. They were part of some Asian tour group, but I was borderline yelling at this teen and his parents in English to stop putting their hands in. While I know I hadn't fully cooled off since our parking lot incident, I have no patience for ignorance and carelessness like this. I know ... I know ... I'm not perfect (FAR from it), but I'm not the fool putting my hand into the edges of Grand Prismatic!

It amazed me how many people we saw who thought it was a good idea to see how hot the steaming springs really were by dipping their fingers in. It just goes to show that Disney parks are not the only place you see stupid people!

 

[Songbird76]

It amazed me how many people we saw who thought it was a good idea to see how hot the steaming springs really were by dipping their fingers in. It just goes to show that Disney parks are not the only place you see stupid people!

But aren't there still signs? I remember when we went, there were signs that gave you the temperature in F, C, and I think even K. I remember by one pool, it said if you fell in, you would disintegrate within so many minutes....why would people even dare to put a finger in?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It amazed me how many people we saw who thought it was a good idea to see how hot the steaming springs really were by dipping their fingers in. It just goes to show that Disney parks are not the only place you see stupid people!

I hit a point where I stopped worrying that they might cause harm to themselves and started worrying more about the harm they could be causing the pools and springs. Yes...stupid people all over! Unfortunately, popular tourist destinations are often hotbeds for idiotic behavior.

But aren't there still signs? I remember when we went, there were signs that gave you the temperature in F, C, and I think even K. I remember by one pool, it said if you fell in, you would disintegrate within so many minutes....why would people even dare to put a finger in?

I don't recall seeing signs with specific temps, but that's not to say they weren't there at some point. I took a pic of this sign from our 2005 trip and I saw none of these this time around. In fact, even this actual sign was no longer in Mammoth. It was only two years ago when someone actually did fall into one of the pools and completely dissolve, but so few people seem to take these dangers seriously.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Side note- I am hoping I can finish this up later on this week. I've been so busy with work and sports that I've just had 0 time. I wound up doing my weekly grocery shopping last night at 9:30pm and it's looking like Friday is the only day we get a break from softball (unless it rains). Big fun!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Whew...it's been a CRAZY week!

Aug 15th cont-

When I left off, we were driving into Mammoth...

I just happened to look up and saw something big soaring out overhead.

I hadn't seen them in this part of the park before, but it was a bald eagle.

It took us a bit of time to hunt down parking. We wound up parking down near some of the private residences on the far side of Mammoth.

We were parked legally, but this was also the first time I saw anyone out there ticketing people who were parked illegally.

Made another pass by the engieer office...

And time to head towards the dining room for lunch.

Love the vintage vehicles...

Also snapped a pic of the cabins back in Mammoth. OK...not close ups, but this the area where we stayed in 2005 during our Mammoth portion of our stay. While I didn't love having bull elk right out the door in the middle of rut, I loved the hills and how you could see a lot of what was around you.

We headed into the dining room and were told there was a 15 minute wait...so, I took some random pics during the wait. This is the bar just off of the dining room and I believe this is the only tv in the park that can be viewed by guests.

When we were seated, I got caught up in taking pics of how this square deco theme is carried over throughout the dining room.

It has nothing to do with the TR, but I took this picture as proof that I had been victorious in finally getting Sam to wear the sequin dinosaur shirt I bought for her that she had to have...that she later decided she hated.

At least she was happy! K was in such a mood. I can't remember why, but she should have been thrilled since we came here so she could have the Cuban again.

There were a ton of people with tour groups in there, so things seemed to be going in slow motion...but we finally got our food. Sam ordered the flatbread which wasn't what she was expecting. Said it was OK. Looks nice.

I was really bad and got a meatloaf sandwich...which was good, but not wow.

David went for the burger...

And K is hiding behind her fries and Cuban...

We finished up and headed out. Looks like another park tour bus has returned...

We decided to partake in one last little shopping trip. Mammoth's general store isn't as big, but Kendall found a Yellowstone bear blanket (same type as Sam's) that she really liked. Still couldn't find anything for David, but I kind of liked this hat...although, not enough to buy it.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Also one of my favorite books we saw last time we were up here...

I also finally got my official souvenirs.

First off, the bison didn't make it home completely intact. It's not a total loss, but one of his horns broke. So, I'll just have to remember to keep his best side out. As for the moose, he reminds me of some of the ornaments I got on our first trip. I'm having a hard time finding close up pics of those, but you can see one in this pic...the black bear making snow angels.

It's really hard to see, but there is a black bear wearing antlers and a Rudolph nose in the bottom right corner of this one that was my other 2005 YNP ornament.

So, now the ornaments have friends.

In going through the kids' pics, I also see they were really fond of the fans in the Mammoth general store. There are at least four of these!

Time to leave the store...

We headed over to the hotel for a few minutes just to stop at the bathroom before moving on to our final YNP activities.

I think I was starting to get into good-bye mode, so I was waving good-bye to the terraces.

The kids were still griping about no elk in view as we walked to the car...

As we headed back to the car, we also noticed who does their internet service. We got a good laugh about it because we thought their service was awful and are familiar with the firm. Sort of a side story, but when we moved in 2017, we were unaware that we were moving into a spot that had limited cable providers that still used old school technology. Century Link is one of those providers, so it was now loud and clear why internet was bad in YNP.

We got gas first. I also saved a foreign tourist (accent sounded Italian) from killing his rental car. He wasn't sure which kind of fuel to put in and he was leaning towards the diesel.

Now to decide where to go...

The kids both wanted one last heavy duty animal experience, so we started driving out towards Lamar Valley. But first, some pics as we leave Mammoth...this time.

We also finally found the herd...

And while I was busy taking scenery pics after leaving Mammoth...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The kids were turning the wrapping for their blankets into crowns! See, they don't need to be at a Disney park to do the whole crown thing!

As we approached the Tower/Roosevelt junction, we saw the stage coaches coming in...

It was all cool until traffic was stopped for the stage coaches...

Actually, I was fine with it and thought it was pretty cool, but I think David was ready to go. What's really funny is how the music from the radio matched up with the video I took...



We waved good-bye to one stage coach...

And were thankful that they let us pass before the other one came through. And it's not every day, I have a horse blocking my shot. LOL

It was early afternoon and crowds were heavier than things were during our morning trip to Lamar Valley, so I wasn't sure how far we'd really go. Still, there were plenty of bison to be seen as we made our way into the valley.

As you can see...traffic was pretty backed up...

But then I realized it was because there were bison in the road...

I had already taken so many bison pics, but who knows when I'm going to have this chance again...so, when in Rome!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

There were just way too many bison in the road, so we turned around and started to head back. We passed all of these people parked and watching the bison on our way back. I'm not the best with distances, but I'm pretty sure this is less than the required 25 yards.

I've met a lot of people who confuse feet for yards. I know not everyone is a football fan, but it's one of the best common references out there to get an idea on how far away you should be.

Oh well, time to drive back...

Driving past Roosevelt Lodge...

Hoping to spot something down there...but nothing. I remember several black bears frequenting this area when we were here in 2005.

On the way back, we also passed the Hellroaring trail.

This was on one of Kendall's must do check lists. She even asked the ranger at Grant about it the day before. I'd read that it's about a 6mi round trip hike, that there's a super cool suspension bridge that makes it really popular, but that it's also a steep downhill hike for the first part and is downright brutal both down and up. Not how we're spending our last hours in YNP. So, we told her she'd have to table the idea for a future trip. I'd also read an article where the family (who were seasoned hikers) tried it once and now say "Hellroaring? HellNO!" So, I think it may be more than the moderate difficulty described.

Awful pic, but I spotted a couple of deer...

I'm also always in awe of the glacial boulders all over YNP...

We soon came upno a small jam...turns out it was a couple of bull elk. We hadn't seen many this trip, so we slowed down for a better look...

OK...better with the window down...

This one still even had velvet on his antlers.

And maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but there was a guy out there...no more than 10 feet away from these guys and inching closer. I called out that he was too close. It didn't deter him, but I tried.

I took some scenery pics as we drove into Mammoth...

*guess I said good-bye to the terraces a bit prematurely.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We saw the girlie elks as we came back in...even some we didn't see before...

I tired to get some pics of the old military buildings...

Time to head to the exit...

Lots of people getting ready to swim...

And back to heading out...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Good-bye Yellowstone...Hello Gardiner...

We took a wrong turn, but quickly got ourselves going the right way and headed into the Gallatin National Forest.

So really...just scenic drive spam!

One of the cool things about this drive is that we'd follow the Yellowstone River. In fact, we'd follow the Yellowstone River all the way into Billings. I never took a pic, but it reminded me of how we passed over it on the very first day of our trip. So, not only was it cool that we were coming full circle, but also cool knowing that the water flowing in that river had come from Yellowstone...just like us.

Not sure where we were driving through at this time, but thought it was cool to see the P and the trout in the hill side.

And these kind of look like glasses...or hand cuffs?

Not a great pic...but loved all the antlers on this cabin...

Still getting lots of motorcycle warnings...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The kids must have been getting bored because they were back in crown mode, but now Sam is all serious...

See...going over the Yellowstone River again!

This is also when I finally put Sam's 4th grade pass back in my bag. It's a nice little souvenir.

We were now getting closer to Billings...

We made a quick stop around this point. The kids were really into the Coke signs in the bathroom...

When we got back in the car, they also documented what they'd been watching the bulk of the trip. I got tired of them fighting over movies and swapping them out...so they watched Big Hero 6...A LOT!

Almost there...

Yellowstone River again....

As we approached our hotel, we realized we really had come full circle. We'd be staying right across the way from the Applebees we ate at on day 1, just after landing.

And here it is...the Boothill Inn...

I was never one for westerns nor did I do as many studies back in my school days on the history of the American west, so I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for being unfamiliar with the term "boothill." David, on the other hand, thinks my schools failed at teaching me history for me not knowing this.

On the plus side, I was initially kind of bummed that we'd just be staying at a regular old hotel. I mean...the rooms do look basic hotel-ish...

And the breakfast area downstairs had a Residence Inn/Courtyard By Marriott kind of vibe...

...but, it turns out, it's the Boothill Inn because it sits across the street from Billings' historical boothill. See, I booked something interesting without even trying!

Our room keys even came with a brief rundown of the cemetery.

We never got to walk over to get a better look. Ultimately, the kids were kind of freaked out by it and wondered if they'd see ghosts if they looked out the window at night. Funny that they were fine at Little Bighorn, but I guess we also didn't stay right across the street.

While nothing overly incredible, I thought the view from our room was pretty nice. There was also some kind of festival going on at the arena. I can't remember who the headliner was for the evening, but it was a decent name. Still cracks me up that this was our view on our day 1 lunch at that Applebees. Still can't believe I randomly booked the hotel right across the street.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

A couple of side notes...1. when checking in, the lady at the front desk was from upstate NY. So we had a nice little chat. Still amazes me that I'm all the way in Billings, MT and chatting with people from NY. 2. While I expected breakfast the following morning, I wasn't expecting warm cookies and milk in the late afternoon. This was one perk the kids really enjoyed.

After vegging in the room for a while (I think everyone was excited to have wifi, tv, comfy beds, etc.) we decided it was time for dinner. I wasn't in the mood to dig for some special spot and the kids were wondering if they had a Perkins...and sure enough they did. So, we headed to Perkins for dinner.

I opted for a club salad while David and the kids did combos with their appetizers.

The kids are now in love with Perkins and sadly, they won't be having it again until we travel someplace with them.

We got everything ready for departure the next day and went to bed. The a/c was cranking out lot of cold air, but it also had this horrible rattle. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but the only thing in the room of the right size to wedge in there to stop the vibration was the nightstand bible.

Aug 16th-

The next morning, we headed down for breakfast. There was a really great variety of food, but the one thing that stood out to me was POG juice on the juice machine.

Unfortunately, it tasted nothing like the stuff at WDW or the stuff we can buy in our grocery store.

During breakfast, we also met a couple who was on their way home. Not exactly sure where home was, but it sounded like they just got back to the area from Houston and would be driving back to their place. Sadly, they weren't in Houston for good reasons. The woman joked with me about the roll around her belly...saying the good news is, she's not fat. The bad news...it's cancer. So, she had been in Houston to see some experts at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. We chatted a bit and boy did she have spunk. The morning mood was already kind of sad because news had just hit of Aretha Franklin's death, so getting into a cancer discussion just sort of added something to the sad mood. Oh well, some of her upbeat nature helped. Still, she was not pleased that we skipped certain things on our trip...especially the Beartooth Highway. What can you do? There's just only so much time.

It was time to head out. The airport was less than 5 miles away, so no major drive. The only scary part was finding a place to park the rental. I had to loop back through the small rental lot just to get this spot.

Speaking of gas and mileage...I opted to return the car on empty since their price for gas was cheaper than what I was seeing for local stations. I did a really poor job of returning it on empty.

The mileage is also significant. I think my rental agreement for the quoted price was something like 2,500 miles. I can't for the life of me remember how much I went over, but enough to add about $150 to the cost of the rental. If that sounds bad...it's not. Even with that $150, this fluke price I found that I boasted about at the start still made this cheaper than what appears to be the normal rental price...like $250-350 cheaper. So, I still consider it a victory.

We had a lot of time to kill after checking our bags and getting through security. Speaking of...not the most secure checked baggage spot. There was supposed to be TSA at the bag drop off spot, but the post was vacant for a minute or two when we went over there. Even the airline rep behind the counter seemed puzzled and concerned by this. We had something similar at LAX, so it has nothing to do with location or airport size. Thankfully, all was ok. And when we got upstairs to the gate, the kids kicked off their shoes and started playing cards.

I went over to a free outlet to charge my phone...met a nice woman...and a girl who was flying for the first time (on her own)...leaving home for the first time...and had very little. It seemed so exciting and scary all at the same time.

When it was time to board our flight, we noticed the guy who checked us in was now handling our gate and the other guy helping him do check ins was now outside doing air traffic control. Apparently, this is the ONLY flight American has in and out of Billings, so I guess everyone has a handful of jobs. Looks so quiet compared to the airports at home.

Soon after, we were boarded and ready to take off...

I even decided to take video of it. I still think it's pretty cool how the airport sits up on this plateau.

We also waved good-bye one last time to the Yellowstone River...

As well as the highway that took us to many of the spots on this trip...

I watched the terrain out of my window for a while...since things are pretty flat where we are...

Eventually, it was nothing more than clouds and the moon to be seen.

I was worried about making our connection in Dallas, but we wound up getting there early and the gate for our next flight was in the same terminal and a fairly short walk.

This is where the pictures end, but there's one more interesting thing that happened before this adventure came to an end.

While we were waiting in DFW, a gentleman approached the girls and the struck up a conversation. He was very nicely dressed, attractive, and quite the conversationalist with a good sense of humor. He wasn't asking anything strange...so I allowed it to go on. He asked about school and activities and such. Basically, he wanted to hear about what they were studying, projects they've done, and so on. He made a few jokes about all of it as they called his group to board the plane (naturally, he was sitting in first class). We were in a much later boarding group, and when we got on, he loudly announced to everyone "here comes trouble" - or something to that effect. It was all in good fun and everyone got a good laugh. The flight from Dallas to Houston is a short one, and since he was traveling for business, I figured this would be the last we saw of him. Well, as we started getting closer to Houston, he came back to our seats (all the way in the back of the plane)...made a joke about how the trouble makers were put in the back...and then he told the girls that he wanted to make sure they kept studying about all of these good things that they talked about back in the terminal. He then went to his wallet and pulled out some cash. David and I tried to refuse it, but he insisted on giving them some money to go into the college funds. It wasn't an obscene amount, but it wasn't pocket change either. He even did a rough interest calculation on what he was giving them and how much it could grow before their respective freshman years. Even the flight attendant behind us was sitting there totally into everything going on. I mean, it was kind of a spectacle. We figured this would be our last time seeing him, but he joined us down in baggage to make sure we had a ride home. I realize we were dressed in scruffy hiking gear and it may have made us look worse off than we are, but we were good. We tried one last time to give him the money back, but he told us he and his wife never had kids and I guess with everything you see on the news, it was just nice to meet kids who were excited about school and the possibilities the future may hold.

Not exactly apples to apples, but when we got back to our vehicle at The Parking Spot, I tipped the driver (who also handled all of our bags) with all of the cash in my wallet. It was 2-3x what I'd normally tip for bags. Just trying to pay it forward. It also distracted Kendall enough for a while so we wouldn't have to hear how much we'd have to make it up to her for using her actual bday as a travel day.

So that's it. I will have some final thoughts and some random pics I'm hoping to post at some point over the weekend...but at least I've gotten you to the end of the official story!

 

[Nemo14]

I really enjoyed your trip report - what a great adventure for your family, and how appropriate that a stranger should reward them at the end. Thanks for taking the time to post all this!