Hamiltons in the USA: July 2008

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Yellowstone and Mt Rushmore Trip.

20/6/08
7.30am
At 5pm we got up and started driving. We drove into Boulder and saw a beautiful sun rise. The sun was a huge! We stopped at the side of the road. Dad stopped to check the map and just by our van there was a box of free stuff everyone but Ruth and Mum climbed out. Most of it was just junk but Paul found a 98 computer. Before Paul found this, he thought that 98 computers were dumb; he loaded it into the already stuffed van and settling it lovingly by his feet. We crossed into the state of Wyoming. It was very cold there.

11.46am
We stopped at a rest stop; there were heaps of prairie dogs. One was so friendly he walked right up to us, that we think he may have had rabies. We stopped at a place called Eden and got some petrol (gas) There was a very old house there and a old saddle that Mum said we could not have it!

6.07pm
We arrived at a very old Western town; there were heaps of bears around there the man at the visitors’ center said. We then went to a camping ground called Wildness camping ground. It cost $12 for our whole family. It was in the Bush (woods), it was a very restful place.
There were heaps of Bear warnings everywhere there. While Mum and Dad set up the tent Me, Paul and John went for a swim. There was a beautiful lake just a little walk from our camp site. The water was extremely cold. So we did not stay in it very long as it made you numb! When we got back to the camp site, Paul built a fire and we roasted Pitas.

7.46pm
We are nearly ready to spend our first night in bear territory. We have cleaned up the camp site of all the food scrapes and anything that’s smells such as sun screen, soap, and other things like that. The sun is slowly setting but is still high in the sky. The boys are with Dad down at the lake.

21/6/08
10.22am
Well nothing happened last night, no bears came and the only sound I heard that sounded a bit like a bear was Dad snoring. When I woke Paul, John, I made a roaring fire.
We packed up tent and left the campground, we went up another road, and stopped at a lake called Half Moon Lake. John found an old fan and he wanted to take it home. But Dad said no. We went to the General Store; on the walls were lots of animals, deer, buffalo, bob cats and other things.
Cow boys and cowgirls walking around, they were not in costume, but they just dressed like that for everyday. The towns out there are old old western towns as there are not much people living Wyoming.

3.31pm
We arrived at Yellow stone, and went to the visitors centre.
We went to the Famous Old Faithful; we got there just in time as it went off. There were Thousands of people. We saw some buffalo grazing at the side of the road. Mum found some buffalo hair by the side of the road.

5.28
We were driving a long when suddenly we came upon a HUGE herd of buffalo; they were all over the road. The walked right by our van and we could have touched them by putting our hand out the window if we had wanted to. The poor people on the other side of the road they had been behind the buffalo for a long time, and buffalo are slow. So there were more then thousand cars on the other side of the road.

22/6/08
9.09am
We arrived at the Camping ground at 7pm yesterday. We got up this morning at 5am as it is pretty hard to sleep when you are on a hill. We were driving along when suddenly we saw it! THE BLACK BEAR. It was quite far away at first but it came closer.
We stopped at another park; we clean our teeth in the mountain river. As we were driving out we saw a HUGE GRIZZLY BEAR on the hill. It probably would have stood 6ft if it had been standing up. We drove out of Yellowstone, into Montana and then in just a few minutes back into Wyoming.

23/6/08
5.40am
We arrived at a state park it was already 8.10pm we pitched the tent and started the fire and cooked some potatoes. Mum made a nice stew over the fire that tasted a little like rabbit stew, though there was no meat in it. Paul, John ad I went on a thing called a bouncy pillow. It was a giant pillow that was in the ground and you jumped on it.
In the middle of the night we woke to a sound we have not heard for quite a while. Heavy Rain.
There was Thunder and Lighting. They have lots of fork lighting and we were in tent.
I am glad to say we got through that night only a little wet. We are almost ready to leave for Mt Rushmore.

8.46am
We arrived at Mt Rushmore at 7am, we saw the Crazy Horse that is still being caved out of rock. We could see the Indians head but that was all. We came to the President’s heads. We couldn’t get close up though, because it cost $10 to park the van. We drove. We arrived in the Bad Lands at 8.47am, it was strange land. Though we had to turn around as we were going the wrong way. We saw some long horn cattle. We are on our way home now.

4.39
At 12.20 we stopped at the side of the road for lunch.
And since it had been raining when we left the campground so Dad spread the tent, sleeping bags and stuff like that. So it looked like we were camping there by the side of the road.
We are now only a few hours away from home.
I asked each one of the family what their favorite bit of the trip.
Paul’s was his 98 computer.
Johns was seeing the black bear.
Mums was seeing the Buffalo close
Ruth’s was seeing the Buffalo too.
Dads was driving out of Yellow Stone in early morning.
Mine was seeing the Grizzly on the hill.
We are now in Colorado.
The rain is drumming on the sides of the windows.
We arrived home at 6.24pm.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Yellowstone and Mt Rushmore

Dead Tractor Graveyard

Soon to be home

Indian reservation
I like the horses on the side of the hill

Mt Rushmore

Mt Rushmore
I was wanting to go inside however dad and Mum wanted to go on.

Crazy Horse Mountain

Crazy house
OK but wouldn’t go out of way to see

so you thought there was only one four corners in the USA
Four corners (amazing coloring)What dad did with the computer

Black bear spotted

Yellowstone camp location
Picture of camp ground

Yellow stone mammoth
Where we stayed

more Geothermal at Yellowstone
Geothermal at Yellowstone

Buffalo on road
Around the road we came and coming down the road were Buffalo Just like a herd of cows in New Zealand they were coming towards us and we just sat an waited they were within 2 feet of the car. When they passed we drove on there must have been about 10 miles of cars behind them (that’s the buffalo)

Geothermal at Yellowstone

Geothermal at Yellowstone
Geo thermal all dad could say is for our USA friends is nice to see but to see it all go to New Zealand, and to our NZ friends and Family we have it all in Rotorua

Old Faithful we arrived set up camera of she went like clockwork if we had been 5 min later would have had to waited another 1 ½ hours

Yellowstone

Yellowstone
What we came for

Jackson hole towards the Great Tetons

Great Teton
What amazing views do this part again

Jackson hole

Tea at the camp site

Bear warnings
Bears all around and the way we eat food scary stuff

Camp site at Pinedale
There are quite a few photos her on the Lakes just outside Pinedale as we all agreed that this was the best part of the trip as it was beautiful and we all enjoyed it would have like to have stayed longer o’h well we got to keep traveling

Lake at Pinedale

Lake at Pinedale 150 yards from camp site
Lake

08 Camp site at Pinedale
There are quite a few photos her on the Lakes just outside Pinedale as we all agreed that this was the best part of the trip as it was beautiful and we all enjoyed it would have like to have stayed longer o’h well we got to keep traveling

Log cabin in Eden
Here we stopped for some Gasoline (petrol for you kiwis) and there was some neat log cabins (must have been cold in those long winters)

saddle Rachel Wanted but mum said No
Dad let Paul pick up a old computer from the side of road but I asked mum and she said that I couldn’t have it, Should have asked dad as he loves junk.

Bunning Park in Rock Springs
We stopped for lunch here at Bunning in Rock spring later when we went to the supermarket Dad over heard this lady saying we were definitely menites as dad walked out. Dad cried out where did I leave our horse and buggy Bunning Park in Rock Springs Family photo