Hightailing it - Wisconsin to Washington with my lover
- Thread starter babyfood1217
- Start date
babyfood1217
Observer
Gosh, I haven't even finished this trip! Sorry for the delays everyone. Michelle and I have had a busy start to the summer. My folks just left after more than a week-long visit from Wisconsin, and before that, a combination of work and training for the STP (Seattle to Portland) bike ride has taken all of our time. I'll get my lazy butt into gear, finish this trip report, and start getting the numerous others compiled.
As a teaser, I will also be starting a thread regarding the logistics of an uprooting-style expedition regarding a vehicle and two artists making and traveling throughout a non-determined region.
Ugh. You all are slave drivers...
-Chris
As a teaser, I will also be starting a thread regarding the logistics of an uprooting-style expedition regarding a vehicle and two artists making and traveling throughout a non-determined region.
Ugh. You all are slave drivers...
-Chris
ripper1600
Adventure Seeker
Well keep the magnificent pictures coming and some good descriptions of your trips.
babyfood1217
Observer
As we kept driving, much of the landscape stayed the same until we started getting a little closer to Yellowstone. The green started to come back, and the dried out spires of rock turned dark. Leaving the edges of some ancient seabed and transitioning into a world of active geothermal activity, the changes were hard to miss.
The further into the park we got, the memories of the Yellowstone fire of 1988 came back. When I was 6 years old, I didn't understand what it all meant, but when my parents had the news on about fires raging out west, at this incredible national park, I knew something bad was happening. That telltale photo we have all seen of the elk standing in the river, looking back at the fire still comes to the front of my mind when I think about that fire.
Amazingly though, earth, and all the life upon it, is remarkable in how resilient and capable and hearty it can be. There appear to be countless acres still of standing dead trees on slopes and hillsides that look completely devoid of life. Closer inspection however, will reveal a bounty of new growth, young shoots and saplings, shrubs and wildflowers that thrive after fires and desolation. Nutrients and minerals from the burnt and decaying detritus provide a smorgasbord for new life, and the tranquil and surreal images of this new growth is enough to bring on tears.
babyfood1217
Observer
Coming down out of the burned-out and regrowing forests, we emerged to the northern shore of Yellowstone Lake. The East Entrance Rd. hugs the north shore of this lake for quite a ways, and it served as a good resting spot from the last few hours on the road. Reception on either of our phones had been spotty for quite a while, and we took this chance to touch base with our families, informing them of our location/progress, and assuring them we were well. I also needed to get in touch with a great friend from my college cycling team days who was living Livingston, MT, that we would be arriving one day later to allow for a slower, more leisurely drive through Yellowstone and another chance to camp out.
Gratuitous shot of "Trusty Rusty" and the trailer. Also, I feel obligated to draw attention to the t-shirt I am wearing. I made that in 5th grade... 16 years prior to this photo. Classy.
Gratuitous shot of "Trusty Rusty" and the trailer. Also, I feel obligated to draw attention to the t-shirt I am wearing. I made that in 5th grade... 16 years prior to this photo. Classy.
babyfood1217
Observer
It was such an interesting drive, the middle of Yellowstone. You had hard barren slopes, towering hillsides encroaching on the roads, vast lakes that merge with the sky, and then you come across rich fertile marshes and grasslands that snake in between everything.
We were also quite fond of the various waterways we passed over and alongside. It would be incredible to be in a canoe or a kayak and be able to float these seemingly endless veins of life.
And, not surprisingly, more sage and scrub fields.
It is a beautiful thing, being able to see the land around you. At the same time, for us and similarly for many on/off road travelers, it is difficult, and sometimes painful, to simply pass things by. Viewing from a window is no consolation for not being to stop when/wherever you want to. More reason to go back, I guess.
Ok, I'll stop pouting now, and will instead share one of the best warning signs I have ever seen...
Continuing further inward, we began to see faint signs of the volcanic activity. Not the magma spewing volcanoes of Hawaii or Africa or our childhood imaginations per say, but the activity caused by a massive magma chamber lying beneath the surface. Superheated water emerges from the ground in a number ways: fumaroles, mudpots, geysers, hot springs, etc... Otherwordly.
And of course, I was sidetracked by this wonderful beauty in one of the parking lots. What I would give for some of the vehicles denied import to the U.S....
We were also quite fond of the various waterways we passed over and alongside. It would be incredible to be in a canoe or a kayak and be able to float these seemingly endless veins of life.
And, not surprisingly, more sage and scrub fields.
It is a beautiful thing, being able to see the land around you. At the same time, for us and similarly for many on/off road travelers, it is difficult, and sometimes painful, to simply pass things by. Viewing from a window is no consolation for not being to stop when/wherever you want to. More reason to go back, I guess.
Ok, I'll stop pouting now, and will instead share one of the best warning signs I have ever seen...
Continuing further inward, we began to see faint signs of the volcanic activity. Not the magma spewing volcanoes of Hawaii or Africa or our childhood imaginations per say, but the activity caused by a massive magma chamber lying beneath the surface. Superheated water emerges from the ground in a number ways: fumaroles, mudpots, geysers, hot springs, etc... Otherwordly.
And of course, I was sidetracked by this wonderful beauty in one of the parking lots. What I would give for some of the vehicles denied import to the U.S....
PetitFrereArmada
Explorer
This is a great read. Tons of interesting stories on here.
Ugh!!! Work is taking all my time. I need 3 weeks or 4 weeks off so I can take a trip of my own. Will have to plan to get it off so I can take my own road trip.
Very inspiring stories here. Keep up the great thread.
Ugh!!! Work is taking all my time. I need 3 weeks or 4 weeks off so I can take a trip of my own. Will have to plan to get it off so I can take my own road trip.
Very inspiring stories here. Keep up the great thread.