Confessions of a Hit and Run Tourist - Day Eighteen

[Riverbrian]

I have recently completed a solo 18 day road trip covering 8 ballparks, 9 games, 14 states, national parks, normal tourist traps and not so normal stops. My fairly new 2022 Kia Seltos had 6,400 miles on it before the trip and the journey tacked on 8,522 additional miles. Some of you may find this interesting and some may say what's the big deal, it's a crazy man with a torture filled vacation plan. I was encouraged to tell the story here by individual day because it would be a very lengthy post if not broken down by day. Some days are not that interesting, some days were more interesting than others and some days need a new adjective, but each day was different and they were days that I couldn't experience in my living room. 

Feel free to comment, shake your head at my moments of stupidity or tell your own experiences of the places I experienced. This is hit and run tourism... I didn't have a lot of time to hit all the stops but I wanted to hit all the stops because who knows if I would ever be back in any of the areas travelled. I researched and scheduled the trip to the minute and followed the schedule to the letter.

Day Eighteen - August 15 - West Yellowstone to Home (Grand Forks, ND)

Well Folks... This is it... The final day. It is going to be longest day of driving of all the real long days of driving. I spent 17 days just building up my stamina to complete this final day of 959 Miles and a projected 15 hours. The plan was a trip to Old Faithful and then up through Big Sky to Bozeman and then 800 plus miles of interstate the rest of the way. There was a shorter route home though Cody, Wyoming and up to Billings that would have saved me an hour but I wanted to drive Big Sky. I felt I could do the 15 hours so I kept it as the plan but I was always ready to grab a hotel if I couldn't. 

Old Faithful was the wild card, the random raffle drum draw that would determine if I would be home at Midnight or 2AM. My fate was in the hands of the disposition of a geyser that simply didn't care when I got home. Old Faithful goes off every 45 minutes to two hours. All I was going to do is just stand there... arms crossed... waiting for it to go off, then I am immediately back to the car and on my way home. If it goes off shortly after I arrive... I'm home at Midnight... If I have to wait the full two hours... I am home at 2AM. It's a unknown contingency that I faced while holding a schedule in my hands.  

I didn't mess around, I got up, showered, packed up my stuff, loaded the car and I was ready to hit the park. I was hoping for a continental breakfast so I could just grab a little something for along the way. They didn't have that... unfortunately they just had a FREE breakfast BUFFET. When I dropped the key off at the front desk, I saw the line leading to the room with the buffet. Nope... I got to get going and I take a couple of steps toward the door and I stop and think to myself... It's a FREE breakfast BUFFET. I walk toward the small line of people waiting to partake and then I stop myself... Nope... I got to get going and I head for the door again and then I stop at the doors and I say to myself... I should at least grab some coffee so I walk into the buffet room to get myself a cup of joe for the road. The buffet, looked great! Bacon, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs, Ham, Pancakes, Waffles, Those Triangle shaped Hash Browns. maybe 6 different types of fresh fruit. It had an Omelet station. All I had to eat yesterday was that terrible Arctic Circle Burger so let me tell you... It took incredible will power to walk past that FREE Breakfast BUFFET. 

The entrance to Yellowstone was just a couple of blocks from the hotel. Yellowstone traffic really slows you down. Not because of the amount of cars but because you are heavily influenced by the pace of the lead car in the many miles of solid yellow line no pass roads. In Yellowstone, the pace of the lead car is always slow because THAT IS HOW THEY BECAME THE LEAD CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE. They have to see the line of cars piling up behind them in the rear view mirror, they don't care because they are worried that a mountain goat is going to fly across the road. Eventually, that lead car will find something they want to see, they pull off and everybody following goes "Hooray" and the entire line picks up speed until it reaches the next lead car just drifting down the road.   

I reached the parking lot, I could see the massive gift shop but I wasn't sure what direction Old Faithful was at, There was an open area and that was my best guess because I figured it would need an open area so I started heading that direction. There was a middle aged couple walking toward me so I pointed to that open area and asked "This way to Old Faithful?" the guy responded "Yes". I said "Thank You" and kept walking that way, from behind, I heard the lady shout back to me "It just went off". I swear there was NA-NA NA-NA tone to her voice when she said it. Yep, I reached into that Old Faithful raffle drum and drew the Home at 2AM Card".

I shouldn't have taken the time to enjoy that FREE breakfast BUFFET, in my defense... there was an omelet station! I could choose how much cheese I wanted in that omelet. Bacon, Those triangle shaped hash browns, it had little bottles of hot sauce for the scrambled eggs. I'm not to blame here... the blame clearly belongs on those Sunday drivers crawling though the park on a Monday while ignoring all those signs saying that slower traffic should use the turn outs.

Yellowstone is kind of an eerie place. Lot's of geysers, lot's of steam both near you and off in the distance. I'm no geologist but C'mon... It's obvious that this place is going to blow. Some day Yellowstone is going to be blasted up into the sky and it will rain down on West Virginia. I was just hoping to get out before it does, hanging around for two hours was really pushing my luck. Having some time to wait did allow me to walk the boardwalk system and get my personal affairs in order. There were signs saying that getting off the boardwalks was dangerous, there were stories posted for all to read on how tourists have died by getting off the boardwalk. Apparently the ground is soft in spots and it can/will give way on you as you fall into a geothermal feature below. I was thinking about the Bison who can't read... How many Bison have been lost by falling into a geothermal hot tub? Maybe it wasn't just the buffalo hunters collecting hides in the 19th century, perhaps they were falling in large numbers through the soft ground into these scalding waters which have to be at least Palm Springs hot. Old Faithful can sure draw a crowd. This place was packed for the 10 O' Clock show... I've seen less people at a U2 concert and there was multiple shows throughout the day. It will tease you before it goes off, it does a couple of head fakes of bubbling as the crowd prematurely "Woes"... before it finally decides to blow. When you are thinking about getting home at 2AM... those head fakes cause a justified response from me... Alright KNOCK IT OFF... Just do it! It finally does, the eruption takes about the same time as the world's longest car wash that I went through in Katy, Texas. It ends with a couple puffs a steam and the crowd leaves. I was part of that crowd and I beat everyone out just to make sure I was that lead car. 

The drive through Big Sky was nice. You see some pretty impressive peaks peaking out of the not so impressive ones. The Gallatin River rolls next to the highway for a portion and you see a lot of people out in Kayaks, I thought to myself that I'd want a motor on my kayak if possible. Once you hit the interstate in Bozeman, it's hammer down. The drive heading east through Montana was simply a milder version of what I call broadly "the western landscape" until you enter North Dakota and hit the badlands. The Medora area of North Dakota can hold it's own with all of the scenery that I saw throughout this trip. It Runs North/South and not much East/West so it is over quick as you drive past on the interstate but the canyon of different colors is undeniably beautiful, I've seen it quite a few times and it impresses each time. 

It was dark by the time I reached Bismarck. Not much else to report... wait... one more thing. Bugs... The stretch between Bismarck and Jamestown ND is bug filled beyond imagination. I don't know why there are so many bugs on this particular stretch of road but nothing on this trip compares to it when it comes to bugs colliding with your windshield. When it is dark, you hear them and it sounds like hail. It was the same thing when I drove through that area on Day 1 as on the way back on Day 18. I took the Kia through the wash the next day and it didn't get all the bugs off because they were caked on. I'm pretty sure that I personally changed the ecosystem by driving through that area twice. 

I was prepared to grab a hotel if needed, I didn't need it. I arrived at home at 1:30AM... I was on time for work at 8AM. I had 18 days of work piled up waiting for me. I was tempted to just take off again and go east this time.   

Hope you all enjoyed these lengthy reports of what was truly the trip of a lifetime for me. I have nothing more to report. 

[ashbury]

We need Day 19 so as to learn how the 18-day pile of work to catch up on went.

[Squirrel]

Entertaining, Brian. I almost didn’t read this last entry because, well, I didn’t want it to end. But, you know what they say about all good things.

When I go places, I buy refrigerator magnets. I don’t go many places anymore because I have no more room on my refrigerator. But I was just thinking … maybe that pharmacy in Tijuana had some refrigerator magnets for sale. All the CVSs and Walgreens in Chicago have them. Oh well. Next time.

[Riverbrian]

33 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Entertaining, Brian. I almost didn’t read this last entry because, well, I didn’t want it to end. But, you know what they say about all good things.

When I go places, I buy refrigerator magnets. I don’t go many places anymore because I have no more room on my refrigerator. But I was just thinking … maybe that pharmacy in Tijuana had some refrigerator magnets for sale. All the CVSs and Walgreens in Chicago have them. Oh well. Next time.

Did you have a favorite day? 

[Squirrel]

51 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Did you have a favorite day? 

No ... maybe Day One because that's the day that the anticipation was highest? And I knew that I was going on an adventure, too? It was just all good ... well, except your trip to Tijuana ... I thought that perhaps you were going to have to call glunn to come and get you, so I'm glad it worked out

[Riverbrian]

3 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

No ... maybe Day One because that's the day that the anticipation was highest? And I knew that I was going on an adventure, too? It was just all good ... well, except your trip to Tijuana ... I thought that perhaps you were going to have to call glunn to come and get you, so I'm glad it worked out

For me it was San Francisco, Apple, the Pacific Coast Highway and San Simeon. How that day rose from the ashes of the hotel startle u in Modesto was perfect. 

[Squirrel]

4 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

For me it was San Francisco, Apple, the Pacific Coast Highway and San Simeon. How that day rose from the ashes of the hotel startle u in Modesto was perfect. 

Well, if I had had some photos to go with the stories ... might have been mine, too!  

[Riverbrian]

Just now, Squirrel said:

Well, if I had had some photos to go with the stories ... might have been mine, too!  

Working on it. I need to figure out how to forward them all to my PC. 

[ashbury]

I enjoyed all the days in CA and NV, just to see my world through your eyes.

[MMMordabito]

Thanks again, Riverbrian, for writing this and sharing it. I've honestly never looked forward to posts on this site more after I got pointed here by Squirrel's status entry.

I read the last entry waiting for a Dire Straits cover band to play at the State Fair. So I'll leave you with this ...

Most of the time you were the windshield, but in Tijuana you were the bug. Sometimes it all came together, but sometime you were a fool in love with whatever piqued your interest at the time. Most of the time you were the Louisville slugger, but, perhaps for a time in Oakland, you were the ball. It all came together, and you didn't lose it all -- well, except, almost in Tijuana.

Good stuff!!

[Riverbrian]

7 hours ago, MMMordabito said:

Thanks again, Riverbrian, for writing this and sharing it. I've honestly never looked forward to posts on this site more after I got pointed here by Squirrel's status entry.

I read the last entry waiting for a Dire Straits cover band to play at the State Fair. So I'll leave you with this ...

Most of the time you were the windshield, but in Tijuana you were the bug. Sometimes it all came together, but sometime you were a fool in love with whatever piqued your interest at the time. Most of the time you were the Louisville slugger, but, perhaps for a time in Oakland, you were the ball. It all came together, and you didn't lose it all -- well, except, almost in Tijuana.

Good stuff!!

Thanks

I do the Walk

Do the Walk of Life

[Squirrel]

9 hours ago, MMMordabito said:

Thanks again, Riverbrian, for writing this and sharing it. I've honestly never looked forward to posts on this site more after I got pointed here by Squirrel's status entry.

I read the last entry waiting for a Dire Straits cover band to play at the State Fair. So I'll leave you with this ...

Most of the time you were the windshield, but in Tijuana you were the bug. Sometimes it all came together, but sometime you were a fool in love with whatever piqued your interest at the time. Most of the time you were the Louisville slugger, but, perhaps for a time in Oakland, you were the ball. It all came together, and you didn't lose it all -- well, except, almost in Tijuana.

Good stuff!!

Wait ... you read my status? I was pretty sure no one read those ... glad that worked as I was trying to get people here to read them.