Road trip east

[cos]

Finally moving back to Cambridge full time. Today is our last full day in the Seattle apartment, movers arrive tomorrow morning. Although we're sending most of the stuff that remains here with the movers, we're bringing our car - and some stuff we don't want stuck in boxes for months, like important papers, gadgets, meds, etc. - in person. And we're planning to take a ~16 days to do it.

Breaking up the drive so we never have more than ~8.5 hours of driving in a single day, I planned this itinerary:

Missoula - Where we both spent a couple of days, a few years ago.

Yellowstone National Park - I haven't been since childhood, and Ceila has never been there. Hey, anyone who's been there more recently, any tips for how to prioritize for two days (3 nights) in Yellowstone? I know that's not enough time, so we have to pick what to see.

Badlands National Park - Neither of have been. I went through North Dakota the three other times I've gone cross country by the northern route.

Minneapolis - One night to see an old friend and a couple of Ceila's relatives.

Duluth - Visiting Ceila's relatives there.

Madison - One night, will likely also see a friend.

Ann Arbor - See Ceila's childhood friend, plus one of Ceila's cousins we're both friends with.

Niagara-on-the-Lake (Canada) - See the falls and a friend.

Western MA - I haven't booked this yet, but recently noticed on the map that it should be peak fall foliage in the Berkshires just about when we get there, so we should find a place to stay one night, see the trees, and visit MassMoCA.

Comments

[wotw]

Badlands National Park is awesome. I'm not sure how much hiking you and Ceila do, but the Notch Trail is a pretty easy walk and well worth it for the views. You can also see a lot by driving the Loop Road. While you're in the area, Wind Cave is well worth a visit, and I'm a particular fan of Spearfish Canyon (for walks and/or scenic drives). Deadwood is very touristy, but a fun place to spend a day (though the last time I was there was before the casinos, which might have changed things enough so that my recollections are now irrelevant).

My personal experience was that two days in Yellowstone were plenty, but three days in the Badlands and surrounding areas were not nearly enough. Of course your tastes might differ.

[netmouse]

I was also going to recommend Wind Cave.

Regarding Yellowstone, I'm partial to going in and/or out by Beartooth pass. Don't know if you're camping, but there's a lovely campground just north of the park near a true rocky mountain creek.

In Yellowstone, I recommend going to a nature center that has a lesson about the Pronghorn. Somehow when I was younger I missed learning about it-- the fastest land animal in North America, evolved to outrun the cheetahs that no longer exist here. The horns are interesting too.

I like the really tall Falls just North of the East entrance to the Grand Loop Road, and it seems like a person who has never been there ought to see some hot sulphur springs, but only if there is at least a little bit of a breeze.

Re: Road trip east

[cos]

With limited time, we can't detour to Wind Cave. We'll have two nights at Badlands, but I think I already have a good idea of what to do with the time there - I think I'll view this as an exploration trip to better prepare for a future visit to SD with more time someday.

By "the really tall falls" do you mean the main Yellowstone falls? We will go see both the lower and upper falls there, but let me know if there's another falls we should see!

Re: Road trip east

[netmouse]

Yeah, I mean the main falls.

I found the caves more interesting than the badlands, myself, but they were also the first time I saw most types of cave formations.

Last time I was in Minneapolis we went to this wonderful Indian place where the proprietor grew his own herbs in a hydroponic system fetilized by the fish he farmed and also served in the restaurant. He grew other supplies on his roof and in a nearby community garden. I heard the place burned down during the riots. It was very sad. I hope he's been able to rebuild.

[cos]

Although we could've used more time at either park, I'm very glad we opted for 3 nights / 2 days in Yellowstone and 2 nights / 1 day in Badlands. Neither was enough, but I think if I had one more day to spend, I'd lean towards a 3rd day of Yellowstone rather than a 2nd day of Badlands. Yellowstone really calls for at least 5 days IMO, and I could easily enjoy more than a week there. Of course there's a lot more in South Dakota than just Badlands! But there's a lot more all across the route we took, that we didn't have time for. We did get to stop at the Corn Palace though.

[wotw]

I'm very glad that you made choices you are very glad about! I hope the Corn Palace was a nice little extra.

[rmd]

Have a good and safe trip!

[eirias]

Safe travels! Guessing the friend in question is C, but if you’ve got any extra time in Madison and fancy a walk, I’d be happy to see you again. No worries if not :)

Re: road trip east

[cos]

You may not know the friend in question, but yes it would be fun to see you!
I just emailed you, so let me know if you didn't get it (or email back if you did).

Re: road trip east

[eirias]

Thanks so much for making time for me today. It was heartwarming to see you, and to meet Ceila, who is delightful. Safe travels to you two.

[netmouse]

It's out of your way on this trip, but if you can ever find an excuse to go through Great Falls, MT, I highly recommend the CM Russell Museum.

https://cmrussell.org/