Crater Lake National Park

    The drive through Oregon was very pretty. Once we crossed over the border from Washington we followed the Columbia river for a couple of hours and the scenery was terrific. There are no straight roads out in this part of the country and it's a big change from our trek across the midwest. We stopped in Salem for the night before pushing on to Crater Lake.

    It seemed like central Oregon was all National Forests and the mountain roads we took to the park were full of inclines and declines as we followed a bunch of smaller rivers. Once we arrived at the park entrance the temperature made it obvious that we were at a pretty high elevation.

    Crater Lake itself is without a doubt the most stunning sight of the trip so far. It's water is a mix of intense blues that pictures didn't fully capture and its diameter is over six miles. The scale is hard to see though because the cliffs that surround it are so large. From the top of the crater to the water is between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. It wasn't until I saw a boat in the water that it registered how big the lake really is. 

   Crater Lake was created by a volcanic explosion 7,700 years ago and when the top of the cone blew apart the crater left behind slowly filled with rain and snow. There are no streams running into or out of the lake so it is one of the purest sources of water in the country. 

All That Blue

    There was still plenty of snow around the top of the mountain so we stopped to play for a bit. I can't say I've ever  had a snowball fight in July before! The kids loved slipping and sliding around, but we had to move on to the campground when our fingers got cold. 

Snow Day!

   We got about halfway around the crater when we were stopped by a gate and a ranger. Turns out there was a rock slide and the way to the campsite we wanted was closed. So we had to turn back and head down to the other campground near the park entrance. This was a shame because this campground was also the breeding place for every mosquito in the country. We set up the tent in a cloud of bloodsuckers and hurried off to a hike to escape them.

    Unfortunately, the mosquitoes followed us along the steep path down to a stream that cut through a scenic valley. The kids had fun playing by the water though and we slapped each other constantly to kill the little buggers. The way back up was more of a challenge because Sully decided his little legs were only good for downhill walks. 

    We spent a cold night in the tent that got more fun as the rain began. Everybody slept with their winter hats on and we made it through. But, as if the park was trying to apologize, a family of gray jays came along in the morning and let us feed them some walnuts. This species of bird is one that I've tried to see so many times over the years up in the Adirondacks so it was a treat to have them so close up. A beautiful Steller's Jay joined them as well, but Adrienne didn't seem as excited as me. 

Gray Jay!

Steller's Jay

    We packed up our gear in a hurry for a morning drive to the coast. It was another couple of hours of winding roads with a lot of fog and rain. If this weather was around the previous day we never would have been able to see how stunning Crater Lake was so we really lucked out. 

Glacier National Park

    We left Theodore Roosevelt National Park a little after sunrise and had a long day on the road. It took about an hour to cross the Montana border and then it was an incredibly long slog across the state. Most of Montana is rolling plains and not at all what we pictured. But by mid-afternoon we saw mountains in the distance. We rolled into Glacier National Park and got our campsite set up quickly before finding a restaurant for dinner.

    The next morning began with a drive along the Going to the Sun Road. Its the famous drive that creeps along the edge of the mountains all the way to the continental divide. It was raining and fog was everywhere so the drive was quite nerve-wracking. I don't know why road crews out west don't know about guard rails. The cliffs above us rained down water on the road adding to the fun. I don't think I took in the views once!

    Once we made it to Logan's Pass, the high point, we parked and went into the visitor center. It was pouring at the point so the kids stayed inside while I wandered around for a few minutes looking for alpine birds. Shockingly, not much was out in that weather. We started our descent and the clouds broke so we could get out of the car and take in the vistas. The glaciers were beautiful and I had fun walking on snow in July, but it's kind of depressing that they're all predicted to be gone by the time Sully graduates high school.

    The next day we rented kayaks. Sully shared a tandem with me and Emma rode with Adrienne. Riley had her own and did really well keeping up with us. We stuck to the coast and found a bald eagle near its nest. On the way back, Riley flipped over after a wave hit her. She popped out and grabbed onto her boat though and we quickly got her to a dock where some nice people helped us get her back on a boat for the last leg.

   
    After a picnic lunch we set out for a hike. We found a trail along a gorgeous river with plenty of rapids and blue water. We trekked out to a waterfall and then let the kids play on the shore for awhile.  There is nothing more fun for them than throwing rocks lately so they had a blast.

    We finished the day with a campfire and hot dogs cooked over the flames. 'Smores finished off the night. In the morning we packed up camp and took off for Oregon. We drove through Idaho and Washington on the way and entered our final time zone change. Next stop is Crater Lake National Park!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

    Our trek north from Wyoming brought us back into South Dakota for a bit before we crossed into North Dakota. Our goal was Theodore Roosevelt National Park and our first camping stop of the trip. It took a few hours of driving from Devils Tower, but we made it in good spirits.

    We found a campsite and couldn't have been happier with the location. We were on a river bank overlooking the Little Missouri and had the hills of the northern Badlands surrounding us. We went for a short hike and found a big bison hiding around the corner of a spur we almost went down. It was much more fun to watch it from a short distance across a gully. We then went into town for an ice cream treat. The kids fell asleep quickly and we weren't far behind them.

    The next morning had me up at dawn for a little solo birding and by the time I got back to the tent just about everyone was up and moving. We had breakfast and then headed out for the driving loop through the park. Before long we came across another bison crossing the road and we followed him to a large herd. About 70 bison including lots of calves were feeding among the prairie dogs and it was the coolest sight of the trip to date.

    The driving loop had several trails along the way. The first one we hiked led us up a ridge and we had panoramic views of the park. The next trail took us through a prairie dog town and they barked the entire time we walked through them. Our last hike led us through a coal vein among the hills. It was pretty cool seeing the thin, dark layer among all of the colorful rocks.  Our final stop was the visitor center and a tour of Theodore Roosevelt's cabin from when he had a cattle ranch out here.

    We went back to the campground and the kids played in the muddy river for awhile. Once we got them cleaned up we went into town for dinner. The girls and I ate some bison burgers before setting up our chairs by the car. We were settling in for the Fourth of July fireworks show and the town put on a great one. Sully fell asleep before the main event, but the girls were awed by the display. It was a great way to spend our last night in the park.

Devils Tower National Monument

    The purpose of our crossing into Wyoming was a visit to Devils Tower National Monument. We had a nice ride north and I found a marshy area with a big flock of shorebirds. We took a break and I found a group of Wilson's phalaropes which is a new species for me. Not long after we met a very nice state trooper who reminded us not to rush too much on our trip!

Devils Tower came into view long before we got to the park entrance and it really is an impressive sight. It's a remnant from a volcanic eruption and geologists believe it appeared after the surrounding sedimentary rock eroded away.

 
    We hiked a short distance up to the base and the kids got to play on the boulders for a bit. We still had a long drive ahead of us so we didn't linger for too long. Northern Wyoming was very scenic and the ride away took us through a great river valley with beautiful layers of multicolored rock.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

    We started our day by heading to Mount Rushmore. A mere 18 miles from our current location. We drove up and out of the prairie into the beautiful Black Hill mountains. I'll be impressed if we see prettier mountains anywhere else. Unfortunately, everyone else in the country had the same idea about going to Mount Rushmore over the holiday weekend.

    We had bumper to bumper traffic as we approached the National Monument and it took us two hours to travel those 18 miles which really messed with our schedule. The faces of the four presidents were visible from a good distance away and we kept joking that we should turn around since we saw it well enough. But we persisted, and finally made it to the parking lot. Apparently, the parking is run by a private company so our parks pass wasn't accepted and I had to pay for the honor of using their lot. So that put me in a sour mood. And there were huge crowds and merchandising surrounding the whole place. Riley suggested that we come back during the winter so it would be better. But the mountain was still impressive and its a really cool piece of work.

    We jumped in the car and made our escape to the Black Hills National Forest were we stopped for lunch. The kids had fun running through the woods and finding all sorts of shiny rocks to collect. I even found my first new bird species when a big flock of red crossbills made a sweep of the trees we were eating under.

    Our next destination was Wind Cave National Park. We saw more prairie dog towns as we entered and made our way to the visitor center where we signed up for a tour. We descended into the cave with a ranger-led group and the kids got to experience something just a tad bigger than the ice caves back home. We did a half-mile underground and Emma loved seeing all of the formations as we went along. But it's tough for me to be impressed by a cave after being in Carlsbad Caverns. I'll have to take them there one day.

The highlight of the park for the kids though was a little bunny that seemed nonplussed by them and just ate some grass as they cooed over it. We crossed over into Wyoming for the night and got to see an impressive thunderstorm in the distance as we drove. Our next stop is Devils Tower National Monument and then up to North Dakota for Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Lightning Bolt!

Badlands National Park

    We started our trek across South Dakota first thing in the morning with the goal of reaching Badlands National Park around lunch time. It's our first park of the trip so we were anxious to get there. We drove through some really pretty prairie and took a break at our first rest stop with no trees.

    The sky darkened and soon we were driving through a storm. The rain lasted all the way to the park entrance so we ducked into the visitor center to wait it out. They had really cool displays on the geology of the park and Emma loved all of the stuff about fossils. We even took in the movie about the park which allowed me to shut my eyes for a few minutes.

    The rain was still going so we jumped in the car to do the loop around the park. The colors of all the rocks were amazing and along some cliffs we saw our first dripping wet bighorn sheep. Eventually, we drove west enough to escape the rain and soon after we came across a massive bison along the road. It was unsettling each time he motioned toward the car, but still an awesome experience. He was walking among a prairie dog town so we got to enjoy them popping up and down too.

    We moved on and Emma spotted a pronghorn antelope for everyone to enjoy along with thousands of more prairie dogs. She then found a little parliament of burrowing owls. Except for ferrets, we saw all of the grassland species we were hoping to see. It was a great drive, but as we drove back toward the visitor center the rain started back up.

    Even worse news was finding out that the campground had filled up. So we said goodbye to the Badlands and drove toward Mount Rushmore where we got a hotel for the night. We're excited for our next stops!

Another Day on the Road

    We let the kids sleep in at the hotel before having a quick breakfast. Once their bellies were full, the kids piled into the car and we hit the road. Before getting back to the highway though, we took a detour and had a quick visit to Notre Dame. South Bend is a really pretty town and the campus is beautiful. I definitely have to go back there for a football game one day.

The Golden Dome

    By mid-morning we crossed into the Central time zone and gained ourselves an extra hour of daylight driving. Next came Chicago and all of the traffic headaches of a major city. The skyline was cool at least and I got to see the stadium where the White Sox play. We eventually made it through the congestion and put many more miles on the car.

All 1,451 ft of the Sears (Willis) Tower

    The Interstate wound through Illinois and then turned upward into Wisconsin. There was nothing special to see in that state along the highway until we reached the border with Minnesota and crossed the mighty Mississippi River. We couldn't see much as we went over it because of all of the islands that the road crossed over, but once on the Minnesota side we rose in elevation and got a better view.

We're Officially in the West After Crossing the Mississippi

    Minnesota greeted us with beautiful hills and small mountains, but quickly flattened out. We drove for hours with corn and wind turbines as our main view. I still haven't seen any new birds or mammals yet, but the rest stops have all had little flocks to keep me busy while the kids run around and play. We crossed into South Dakota as the sun got low and called it quits with our last hotel for a while.