Our August RV roadtrip was a wonderful vacation, although at times not as relaxing as we would have liked. Still, there was so much discovery and beauty on this trip that it has to be one of the top trips of our lives to date.
Since I wrote so many posts about this 2-week span, I decided that an "index" post where you (and I) can have easy access to all parts of this adventure would be a good idea. So this is it.
I had a hard time picking a photo to use here, as how do you summarize all that we had seen with one image? This one does a pretty good job though, saying "beauty", and "nature", and "adventure", and "exertion" all at the same time -- at least to me.
This is the same format that I use for my "best of" posts on my yearly blog anniversary. I think it works pretty well -- click the links to view each post. One difference though: there are two dates for each post. The date in the post title/link is the date of the post. The dates in the description are the dates on which the activity actually took place. (All links open in a new window)
Let's ignore the garden for 2 weeks! 27 Aug 2013
12-14 Aug 2013: On the road, arriving at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
Roadtrip: Theodore Roosevelt National Park day 1 28 Aug 2013
15 Aug 2013: We hike in TR National Park and encounter bison.
Roadtrip: leaving TRNP 30 Aug 2013
16 Aug 2013: Panoramic shots of TRNP as we leave and arrive in Yellowstone National Park.
Quiet morning in Yellowstone 31 Aug 2013
17 Aug 2013: Our morning in the Canyon campground of Yellowstone.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone 01 Sept 2013
17 Aug 2013: Our view of this amazing canyon as we hiked along it.
Very hot mud, very cool grasses 02 Sept 2013
17 Aug 2013: The "mud volcano" attraction in Yellowstone, where there are some stunning grasses to contrast the muds.
Yellowstone Lake, Fishing Bridge 03 Sept 2013
17 Aug 2013: Arriving at the Fishing Bridge area of Yellowstone, we discover the lake and get impressive views of two forest fires.
Smoke, Relax, View 04 September 2013
17 Aug 2013: Views of the menacing forest fire smoke plume overhead.
Roadtrip continues: Madison area of Yellowstone 05 Sept 2013
18 August 2013: We leave the Fishing Bridge area, see Old Faithful, and arrive at Madison. Our first look at the wonderful Madison River.
Madison river, the water! 06 September 2013
18 August 2013: A look at the water of Madison River, up close and textural.
Yellowstone: Madison river area, close-up 08 September 2013
18 August 2013: A close look at the plants along the Madison River. Also a look at the Madison campground.
Yellowstone: Fountain Paint Pot 09 September 2013
19 August 2013: On our way out of Yellowstone National Park, but first we stop at the Fountain Paint Pot on a cool morning.
Grand Prismatic Spring 10 September 2013
19 August 2013: One of the iconic attractions of Yellowstone, this large colorful pool was one of the highlights of our visit.
Bacterial mats, fascination! 11 September 2013
19 August 2013: The extensive bacterial mats at the Grand Prismatic Spring captivated me, and I took some of my favorite textural photos of the trip.
Leaving Yellowstone 13 September 2013
19 August 2013: On our way out of the park via the south exit we see the Kepler Cascades and more.
Grand Tetons preview 14 September 2013
19 August 2013: Arriving at Grand Teton National park, our first views of the Colter Bay area.
Grand Teton National Park Day 2 15 September 2013
20 August 2013: We have a full day in the park, and spend much of it hiking, seeing Heron Pond.
Grand Tetons hike continues 17 September 2013
20 August 2013: Our hike continues through dry sagebrush to this wonderfully scenic creek.
Back to Grand Teton NP -- What's that sound? 20 Sept 2013
20 August 2013: The hike continues -- listen to the haunting sound we heard in the forest (video).
Grand Teton hike: Swan Lake 21 September 2013
20 August 2013: The hike continues as we find the source of the sound and see Swan Lake.
Leaving Grand Teton NP, seeing Wyoming 22 Sept 2013
21 August 2013: We leave Grand Teton NP and drive across most of Wyoming. Some beautiful and varied sights along the way.
Devils Tower National Monument 23 September 2013
21 August 2013: The end of our long day on the road, and we bike up to this iconic rock in the fading light.
Devils Tower, the next day 24 September 2013
22 August 2013: We take the hike around the base of this fascinating formation, seeing it up-close and from every angle (except the top).
Back to the roadtrip: Mount Rushmore 01 October 2013
22 August 2013: Since we were essentially driving by, we had to stop. So glad we did, as it was very impressive in person!
Arriving in Badlands National Park 02 October 2013
22 August 2013: Devils Tower in the morning, Mount Rushmore mid-day, and the South Dakota Badlands in the evening. What a day!
More Badlands National Park 04 October 2013
23 August 2013: A morning of hiking in Badlands National Park as we take the short "Door" and "Window" trails, then the "Notch" trail.
The Thing Is... 05 September 2013
23 August 2013: The rocks here remind me of my favorite comic book hero.
Give me green! 08 September 2013
23 August 2013: We finish the "Notch" trail hike in Badlands National Park.
Blades and Spines and Both 12 October 2013
23 August 2013: The evening after our hikes in Badlands NP I went out to the prairie outside the campground and photographed the grasses, cactus, and other plants.
Roadtrip ends: Leaving the Badlands 18 October 2013
24 August 2013: We leave the park via the long, scenic route (toward Wall, SD) and enjoy some amazing views.
Broken Bad 19 October 2013
24 August 2013: Textures in the hard, dry soil and rocks in Badlands National Park.
I hope you enjoyed this series of posts as much as we enjoyed taking this roadtrip. So many amazing sights and wonderful memories!
(One day I'll edit the video so you can see all of this in motion too.)
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What a great idea! A digital journal of your trip!
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