A thousand miles to Yellowstone - First day of exploring - pt 4.

"We still see snow!" that was my first written exclamation on my notebook (I had to write something down, it was a long trip, you know)!

Thinking I should attach one of our first pictures of the place right away, so that you see the beauty of the place without any delay. (there is, though, a possibility you won't even read what I am gonna say...but it is a risk I'm gonna take).

This pic to the left is Mamoth Hot Springs, the mountain in the foreground is a series of balconies made by vulcanic activity, later on will post a closeup pic, but not just at the mo.








Oh, thinking about it, I have not said anything about the competition we had...so, in short will describe it to y'all:
We thought that by making us compete with each other we would take our minds off the fighting as a result of  "car oppression/tightness" and the fact that we are ALWAYS together. (we are a bunch of individualistic folk). sooooooooooooo, we decided there would be four categories, so that each one of us could win one if we chose to.
The categories were:
-the most diva
-the most tanned
-the happiest
-the funniest
Each one being a quality that could improve our quality of life...if you choose you can borrow this idea, I am all for a better world. (please do, it works, really)


Back to my storytelling: our first day we chose to visit the Old  Faithful, the most impressive geyser in the park, it is a grand opening event! we went around it and the pools of boiling water are amazing with their bright colours (made a drawing of it, but will post a pic first)

I've decided to leave the pic of the geyser for you to look up on the net, or go there yourself...it ain't half as good as the real thing...I have made a video though, when I find it I might post it.







The sulfur smell is very strong, so beware! And be also aware of the bisons, the first time you see one it will be like "OMG!" but it will soon become commonplace, so enjoy the first moment with it! We actually had one on the side of the road, almost hit it, our car would have suffered a big blow, it is such a good car poor dear!

By late afternoon we came back to Mamoth, and went for a walk, around the lower terraces, and as the sun began to set this wonderful gold colour on the water surface would appear! Hope my pic will convey the feeling I had looking at it...it is magic!

(leaving you with it...tomorrow will also be an amazing day).

A thousand miles to Yellowstone - the road to halfway - pt 3.

Let's not talk about the clogged up bathroom in our cheap hotel (mamma mia - yuckness), or that we actually had a WHOLE day of driving passing through Salt Lake City, a night in another cheap hotel, an early breakfast talk with a lady from Maine who didn't know where Siena was and, instead, talk about the road that indeed took us to Yellowstone!

Our day started at 10.30, and we took the long way around so that we would see the Grand Teton. But will first mention that we were in Idaho, had crossed the whole of Utah, had already crossed the southern tip of Nevada and was gonna reach Wyoming by the end of the day. Pretty amazing if you ask me!

On our way north we stopped at Idaho Falls, cute little town with cute little shops (to the left I attach not a cute picture of the town, but a cool one, I think!)

There we found this cool antique shop where we almost bought their entire carnival-something-rather glass collection. The furniture was simply wonderful, all from Iowa, I am told. Good old farm houses and their decadent owners, I say.

We also heard the "Yellostone story of the day": a hiker got killed by a mamma bear because he got too close to her cubs and we made a note to ourselves not to go walking around unattended.






Going east for a bit and then north, we reached Grand Teton, wonderful view and a interesting feeling of being really small! Not dispersed, as the huge vastness of American roads make you feel, but a tiny dot on the map, or not even that. You probably can't see us from up those mountains, and I am sorry for that. But I can see you from down here and you, my friend, are grand!

We reached the southern entrance to Yellowstone at 5.25. and we were staying a the north entrance of Mamoth Hot Springs. One tip for fellow travelers, it takes 2 hours of solid drive to cross the park from south to north. Get there earlier than us!

We had a wonderful first run-through of the park and its geysers, but we just needed to arrive to our hotel and rest. That's what we did, because we were, at last, in Yellowstone!

A thousand miles to Yellowstone - a day in Zion - nothing less than the Promised Land. - pt 2

With the whole day to be dedicated to Zion Park, we started our march.

Zion is red and it is incredible! It is a paradise for someone like me, who loves drawing rocks! (something to do with the angles and shadows...don't ask me)

Posting a pic so you keep up with me :)

We took the bus up-road, where we could see it all from the windows! Went all the way to the end of the road and took the easy trail and went all the way to the end of it...not very adventurous, but giving the time we had to spend there we did pretty well!

OMG it is a place never to forget! nature is JUST THERE, you breathe and live it!

On our way out we took a Mt Carmel Highway up the mountains, and as we went up the whole place just opened itself for us, like a real paradise!

The peaks and valleys are fantastic!

This whole place once-upon-a-time was a huge desert (some 200-million years ago), even bigger than Zahara! Through time Calcium carbonate cemented loose grains of sand making hard sandstone.

We stopped at Checkboard Mesa, a peak where the fissures make a pattern that, oh well, looks like a checkboard! The left to right scratches are due to a north to south wind direction while the vertical cracks are a result of weathering, a cycle of freezing and thawing.

Amazing...one of a kind!

On the road we stopped at this place and had ice cream! :)

It had a Far West type of thing (completely fake, of course)...but the only picture worth taking is this one on the left...






Our trip will go on, but we just need a rest for now!