Welch Family Trip to Yellowstone 2005 - Cincinnati, Ohio 45238

yellowstonetrip

July 21 - August 1 - Cincinnati to Bad Lands, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the St. Louis Arch! 4100+ miles in 11 days. See the photos here! See Photos: Panoramics from Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, etc. - July 31, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]

08/1/2005 - We finished our trip through Illinois and Indiana and arrived at home. The trip odometer read 4,134 miles. We immediately when to Delhi Skyline for a taste you can't do without. We unpacked the car and rested. See Photos: Driving Through St. Louis - Gateway Arch - July 31, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
07/31/2005 - Continued through Nebraska, passed through part of Iowa and into Missouri. Drove across Missouri and stopped in St. Louis to visit the famous Gateway Arch. We took the tramway to the top. Maggie was a little nervous about the ride. Ended the day at the Best Western in Greenville, IL, home of a federal penitentiary!
07/30/2005 - Left Jackson, WY in the morning. Drove through Wyoming and into Nebraska. The kids watched about 5 movies. We made it all the way to York, Nebraska, around 50 miles west of Lincoln. Total miles: 3281. See Photos: Driving Through Wyoming and Nebraska - July 30, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
07/29/2005 - Kaitlin and I got up early to see the sun rise over the Grand Tetons. Unfortunately, the clouds didn't cooperate. The sunrise was less than dramatic. I still took some pictures. We took the Teton Village Tramway to the top of Rendezvous Mountain, elevation 10,450 feet. It was very cold and windy. In the afternoon we all went white water rafting on the Snake River. It was a blast! We got soaked! Ended the day by shopping in Jackson. We will hit the road for home tomorrow morning! Total Miles : 2441. See Photos: Grand Tetons and Jackson, WY - Whitewater Rafting - July 29, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
07/28/2005 - Drove from Gardiner, MT to Jackson, WY. Left Yellowstone and entered Grand Teton National Park. The beautiful mountains and lakes didn't impress the kids too much. We did see a coyote cross the road. Watched the "Shoot Out" in downtown Jackson. Total Miles : 2343. See Photos: Leaving Yellowstone, arriving at Grand Teton and Jackson, WY - July 28, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
07/27/2005 - Spent the day visiting the lower loop of Yellowstone. Saw our first elk and wolf. Ate lunch at the Old Faithful Inn and experienced the world's most famous geyser. Be sure to see the photo! Ended the day at the north entrance and stayed in Gardiner MT. Total Miles: 2200. See Photos: Visiting Yellowstone - Wild life, Old Faithful, Mamoth and Gardiner, MT - July 27, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
07/26/2005 - Drove into Yellowstone from Cody, via the Shoshone National Forest. Yellowstone is indescribably beautiful and enormous. Experienced our first "Buffalo Back-up" when several buffalo walked across the road. It was quite a thrill for the kids to have a real live buffalo only a few feet from the car. Saw and smelled the bubbling mud pots. Ended the day in Gardiner, Montana. We'll be here two nights. Tomorrow we plan on seeing Old Faithful. See Photos: Arriving at Yellowstone - Buffalos and Hot Springs - July 26, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
7/25/2005 - Left Deadwood in the morning and drove to Cody. Driving through Wyoming is impressive. There is a lot of land and not a lot of people. Drove through the Big Horn Mountains to an altitude of 9000 feet. Temperature dropped to 56 degrees. Ate lunch in Worland, WY, population 5,068. Stayed in a cabin in Cody, we missed the nightly rodeo. See Photos: Driving to Yellowstone - Deadwood to Cody, WY - July 25, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
7/24/2005 - Visited the Badlands National Park. MB's rendition of the Boss's classic was lost on the kids. At the Badlands, we saw our first wild life. Maggie spotted a colony of prairie dogs to the side of the road. I took a few pictures. Visited Mt. Rushmore. Quote of the day from Maggie: "How big of an ego do you have to have to put yourself up there?". Arrived in Deadwood, SD. Now this is a town! Small, historic and Casinos! It was fun beating the locals at Hold'Em. Two of the cowboys at the table were missing fingers. I didn't realize the horses bit so hard. Total Miles: 1496. See Photos: Driving to Yellowstone - Badlands - Mt. Rushmore - July 25, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
7/23/2005 - Drove through South Dakota today. Saw plenty of corn and hay fields. Stopped by the Corn Palace, something every family should do! Made it all the way to Wall, SD, home of Wall Drug Store. For Dinner, Ryan proudly ate Buffalo Meatballs. Andrew even tried some. Quote of the day from Ryan: "Anybody want any Buffalo balls?". Total Miles: 1310. See Photos: Driving to Yellowstone - Through South Dakota - July 24, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]
7/22/2005 - Got a late start in Bloomington, leaving around 10:00 AM. MB made a wrong turn and headed toward Chicago. When we got to Joliet, we noticed we were headed the wrong way. Got back on I-80 and everything was fine. We drove through Illinois and Iowa. Quote for the day from Maggie, "I can't believe Americans eat this much corn". That sums up what we saw today. Our hotel room has a great view of a corn field. We may pick a few ears before we leave in the morning. We stopped in North Sioux City, SD. We ate at Beano's and Sherry' Casino. Every restaurant and hotel has a casino. Unfortunately, their definition of a casino is pretty weak. To me 4 slot machines is not a casino. No Hold'Em! Total miles traveled : 906
7/21/2005 - Left Cincy at 6:30 PM. Arrived in Bloomington, IL at a 12:15 AM. We went through two huge thunderstorms in Illinois. The rain was severe at times, including hail. So far, no complaining from the kids. They watched two movies, Dodgeball and Radio. Total miles traveled : 291. See Photos: Driving to Yellowstone - July 22, 2005 [Flash MX Gallery]